Nissan points out that altimas in United States loose for steering screw

Nissan Motor Co is 13.919 its top-selling Altima sedans according reminded in the United States because screws that can have improperly tightened during production, could be the risk of a crash increases security to U.S. regulators.

The Altima are limousines of the model from the 2012 and 2013 and Nissan plant in Canton, Miss., from May 10 to July 26, Nissan North America were in that said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"The theme of vehicles produced be link bolts and two power steering can screw with four cross rack, which is not turned on were the right specification," Nissan regulators in a letter said NHTSA showed on its website.

As a result notice the screws loose can shake while driving, the letter States and driver rattling noise.

There was no mention of any injuries or crashes due to this problem on the NHTSA web site.

Until September, percent of the vehicles were sedans in the U.S. market 27 selling Nissan Altima.

The Altima to September sales by 17 percent compared to the previous year to 234.040.

Altima owners are urged to bring their cars into Nissan dealerships, said where the screws of the correct specification will be rotated to NHTSA. The cars are protected guarantee.

"On the basis of the technical judgment found that if a loose screw completely falls out, the driver may occur problems controlling the direction of the vehicle," said Nissan NHTSA.

Nissan, said workers the problem that on 26 July, on the last day of the parties in the callback with the potential problem at the location Canton of produced vehicles were noticed during a routine test.

On 21 September, Nissan, confirmed that some of the subject vehicles at dealers. On 3 October decided there was a safety defect and a recall would be carried.

Nissan NHTSA said owners begins to be notified on 29 October.



Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Read More

Toyota recalls 550,000 cars for steering issue

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling about 550,000 vehicles worldwide — mostly in the United States — for problems that could make it harder to steer.

The recall affects 447,000 vehicles in North America, as well as 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand, said Toyota spokesman Dion Corbett. In Europe some 14,000 vehicles are being recalled along with 10,000 in the Middle East and 14,000 in Asia outside Japan.

Toyota has received a total of 79 reports about the defect dating back to 2007, said Corbett. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problems, he said.

Toyota's reputation has taken a hit over the last two years due to a string of huge recalls that have ballooned to 14 million vehicles over that time, including millions recalled last year for acceleration problems. It faces damage lawsuits and lingering doubts in the U.S. about whether it had been transparent enough about the recall woes.

Japan's largest automaker has been trying to communicate better with customers and empower regional operations outside Japan to make safety decisions.

The news comes a day after Toyota said its July-September profit slid 18.5 percent to 80.4 billion yen ($1 billion) on plunging sales caused by parts shortages from the tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan.

It now faces such uncertainties from flooding in Thailand, where it has many suppliers and three assembly plants, that it declined to release an earnings forecast for the full year through March.

The latest recall is due to the possibility that the outer ring of the engine's crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise or a warning signal to light up, the company's U.S. sales unit said in a press release. If the problem isn't corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley, making it suddenly more difficult to turn the steering wheel.

In the United States, the automaker is recalling 283,200 Toyota brand cars, including the 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, the 2004 Avalon and the 2006 Highlander HV. Its recall of 137,000 Lexus vehicles includes the 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330 and 2006 RX400h.

Those affected elsewhere include certain models of the Alphard, Highlander, Highlander hybrid and some Lexus models, Corbett said.

The recall notification process varies from country to country.

In the U.S., Toyota will mail owners a notification to make an appointment with an authorized dealer to have their car inspected once replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities.

If needed, parts will be replaced for no charge, the company's American sales unit said. Notifications will be mailed starting in January.

In the meantime, if an abnormal noise is heard coming from the engine compartment, the owner is asked to make an appointment with any Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the vehicle inspected for this condition, the release said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More

New pre-technology directs steering Toyota

Inoue, Japan - Toyota developed a safety technology that takes control of the Steering, so that the vehicle can veer away, if it is not able to stop before impact.

Toyota Motor Corp. showed some of his ascending and safety innovations in a demonstration to reporters Thursday at its facility in this city West of Tokyo, in the vicinity of Mount Fuji.

Car manufacturers in the world working on special security technology in an effort, customers, woo as competition between producers already neck and cutting in intensified with regular features for their products.

Cars that stop or slow down automatically before an object or a person in terms of a possible crash are not new. But latest pre collision system adds a steering control feature Toyota's.

In the new system "Millimeter-Wave" uses Toyota cameras and a super sensitive radar, called, to recognize both installed on the front of the vehicle, to possible crashes such as such as a pedestrian crossing the street.

The vehicle calculated how must, apply brakes and steering to avoid a crash, said chief technology security Moritaka Yoshida.

"We must learn from accidents and improvements in security features," he said.

It rejected the Japanese automaker, so if the feature on a commercial model, or in which markets are offered but the officials, it was hinted at ready, soon to be offered.

Toyota said that it was for NULL deaths and injuries, with the aim of, although it said nothing when this goal can be achieved.

Fatalities have decreased due to the improved security features in car accidents, but deaths among pedestrians in traffic accidents have decreased in Japan.

Protection of pedestrians, according to Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models is becoming increasingly important.

Toyota has shown, what is a pop-up hood, called easy in a crash, the impact pedestrians are hit by a car, similar to how properties of European producers offered to reduce charges.

It also showed how Spotlight could be blocked parts of the beams from beam, so that drivers can still clearly see, what was ahead, whereas the dipped to the driver in a car from the other direction will appear would.

Toyota also showed that a steering wheel in the development of measures to prevent the heartbeat of the driver that crashes can happen when drivers suffer heart attacks.

Copyright 2011 associated press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More

Chrysler recalls cars to fix steering columns

DETROIT - Chrysler Group LLC 11,351 cars, minivans and other models is remembered as a problem not properly collapse the steering wheel in a collision can result in production.

Chrysler said, that it is not, of crashes or injuries by the problem knows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall affects 11 of 20 models that 2011 is on sale for the model year Chrysler.

NHTSA Thursday on its website that a missing or misinstalled rivets could cause, that the problem, increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Recalled vehicles include the Chrysler 200 medium-sized sedan and convertible and van, the town and country; the Dodge Avenger midsize sedan, compact car, caravan minivan, journey crossover vehicle and Nitro SUV; and the Jeep Compass wagon and patriot, liberty and Wrangler SUVs.

The vehicles were built from mid-April to mid-May.

Rivets keep adjusting steering position column. If one is missing or misaligned, the steering column can do not collapse as designed when the driver of body hits it during a collision, Vince Muniga, a Chrysler spokesman said.

NHTSA Thursday first on its website that the problem could lead to a loss of steering, increase the risk of a crash. But later in the day, the Agency said that was wrong.

Dealer checks to verify that the rivet is installed correctly and repairs free of charge. The company plans to start notification of dealers and owners in July according to documents.

Chrysler began after it discovered that a steering column rivet is missing in some of the vehicles to investigate. The company controlled 14,000 steering columns and seven with missing or misaligned rivets found.

The problem was for the documents with NHTSA filed due to the incorrect identification of failed components through new appointments on a layer in a factory in Toledo, Ohio.

There are no known customer complaints about the problem, said the documents.

Vehicle owners, the questions have can call (800) 853-1403 or NHTSA Chrysler at (888) 327-4236.

Copyright 2011, the associated press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Read More

GM recalls 2011 Cruze cars, to check Steering

DETROIT - is to check whether the shaft is correctly installed on more than 154,000 its best-selling Chevrolet Cruze cars under Note General Motors co.

These vehicles are more than 120,000 vehicles with automatic transmission and also to ensure, that the transmission shift shortcut was installed correctly GM said on Wednesday.

The cars are built and sold in a factory in Lordstown, Ohio Township in the United States and Canada. The Cruze GM No. 2 vehicle sale was in April and the GM lineup is essential for a diversification in a time of rising fuel prices.

"Very few" of vehicles should have either problem and GM has quality process changes to ensure that no error occurs again, GM Vice President of global quality Terry Woychowski said in a statement.

In April GM reminded 2,100 Cruze cars, to check for an incorrectly connected steering wheel.

The largest U.S. based automaker announced two other smaller callbacks. No crashes or injuries were the from one of the callbacks.

The company said the mother on the windshield wiper motor crank arm on some 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks, loosely could be affect 6,303 vehicles, including 4,674 truck in the United States.

GM also said that to remember, 8,723 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans for the model year almost identical 2011 possible brake fluid leaks prompted.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Read More