Along with the other 34 million cars in the US and 7 million worldwide, it looks likes Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is also affected by Takata’s faulty airbag inflators. This promoted them to issue a voluntary safety recall campaign for some of its local models.
The problem is identical to the one that has plagued other manufacturers such as BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota just to name a few. All are called by Takata who manufactured airbags with defective Smokeless Passenger Inflators (SPI). If things go wrong, the ‘defect’ could shoot metal fragments into the passengers in an event of a crash.
Although at least 8 fatalities have been recorded in the US, thankfully no one has died or been injured here in the Philippines.
NPI’s campaign is “an effort to uphold safety and maintain satisfaction among Nissan customers.” Included in the recall are 2003 to 2008 production units of the Nissan Frontier, Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Patrol, and 2004 to 2008 models of the Nissan Teana.
What’s odd though is that NPI failed to mention exactly how many units are affected in the Philippines. Even more so, they couldn’t give a list of the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) that are included in the recall.
So, what do you do if you own one of the Nissan models listed above? Owners may call the Nissan Customer Assistance Center (NCAC) hotline at (02) 403-6593 or visit the nearest Nissan Dealership to schedule a repair appointment. Thankfully, labor costs and parts replacement will be free of charge.
