Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Nissan Altimas due to a discovered defect discovered which could cause the hood to unexpectedly open while driving. In the event of interference between the hood liner panel and secondary latch, acting in concert with corrosion and/or presence of debris, may cause the secondary latch to remain in the unlatch position, even while the hood is closed. This issue should only occur in the event the primary latch is released, but the discovered defect could cause an increased risk of vehicle crash.
Although there have not been any serious bodily injuries or deaths involving this defect, it is important to remain aware of the condition of your vehicle, if you do in fact own or operate on of the subject recalled vehicles. Nissan will notify owners and dealers will be performing repairs to address the problem free of charge. Dealers will be instructed to bend the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. During inspection the latch joint will be cleaned and lubricated, while if significant corrosion has occurred the latch assembly will be replaced. A schedule for when notifications will begin has been yet been released, but owners may contact Nissan’s customer service at 1-800-647-7261 with questions and or concerns.
Often manufacturers are able to discover and fix defects in their products before making them available to the public, but sometimes defective parts and products slip by without detection and are not discovered until a consumer is either injured or dies as a result. Each time you step behind the wheel, you are exposed to a host of factors, whether environmental or human, that can affect your risk of being involved in an accident.