The department says the automaker is taking too much time repairing latches on some 37,115 Nissan Pathfinders in this country
In a rare “preliminary determination,” the Minister of Transport Canada is about to order Nissan Canada to correct a safety-related defect that affects the hood-latch mechanisms of some Nissan Pathfinders — a recall the manufacturer has failed to rectify for almost three years.
The recall targets 37,115 Nissan Pathfinders, from model years 2013 to 2016. There are also more than 322,000 vehicles in the United States subject to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall. No Infiniti models are concerned.
What is the problem with the Nissan Pathfinder hood latch?
“Over time, dirt buildup could cause the secondary hood latch [that is, the outside release mechanism] to stick open after it is used,” it reads. “If this happens, and the primary hood latch [the lever located in the cabin] is released, the hood may open suddenly while driving.”
Do we really have to mention what happens if a hood suddenly opens while the vehicle is in motion and obstructs the driver’s view?
Repeated delays “unreasonable”
When the recall was first published in June of 2022, Nissan said corrective actions to repair it were not yet available. The manufacturer then announced its intention of replacing the hood-latch mechanism with new, redesigned parts.
In August of that year, Nissan Canada advised Pathfinder’s owners that the components to correct the defect would be available in the first quarter of 2023. But then, the manufacturer pushed that timeframe to the summer of 2024; and then again to January of 2025.
Last month, November 2024, Nissan again notified owners the parts wouldn’t be available until March 2025.
“Owners have received multiple notices about this safety defect, and yet Nissan continues to delay,” says Transport Canada. “As a result, the owners may not respond to the seriousness of the issue, or care less about the recall.”
More importantly, the governmental agency now “believes that Nissan is taking too long to correct the defect and that a significant risk still exists,” adding: “We don’t know if there will be enough parts to launch the recall [and] as such, it’s possible that the recall will be delayed again.”
It also states “the defect isn’t complex to correct and despite asking Nissan repeatedly, Transport Canada hasn’t received satisfactory information to explain why it’s taking so long to develop and implement a fix.”
Only half of Pathfinders checked by dealers
Transport Canada does recognize that since June of 2022, Nissan has taken steps to reduce the risk related to the issue. Communications explaining how to inspect and maintain the secondary hood latch were sent at least three times to owners, while also inviting them to visit their dealership to have their hood latch assembly inspected.
Compared to other similar recalls by Nissan and other companies, the timeline and repeated delays seem unreasonable
—Transport Canada
As of October of 2024, only 49% of affected owners have brought their Nissan SUV to the dealership, reports Transport Canada, with the department insisting that – cleaned or lubricated, repaired or not – “there are over 37,000 Pathfinders in Canada that still have a part that Nissan knows is defective.”
George Iny, director of the Automobile Protection Association (APA), is pleased with Transport Canada’s moves: “It is one step along the way to a regulatory charge for a non-compliance order […] and some attention to the issue could encourage Nissan to step up its game,” he says.
“One of the practices the APA has observed with Nissan recalls is that the group of vehicles targeted is too small,” Iny adds. “Sometimes vehicles one or two years newer, or one year older, have the same kind of defect, but are not covered by the recall.”
Not the first problematic hood latch for Nissan
Likewise, two recalls were launched for the Nissan Altima (model years 2013 to 2018) for exactly the same reasons as the Pathfinder. Namely that, over time, corrosion could cause the secondary latch to stick in the open position, which would keep it from doing its job of securing the hood if the primary hood latch is released from the inside of the vehicle.
The resolution the ministry is seeking
It explains that after receiving feedback from the public (until January 20, you can contact the Ministry at [email protected]) but also fielding comment from the company itself, the Minister could, in its final decision, order the manufacturer to formally correct the defect, and fulfill one of the following terms and conditions:
- Repair the vehicle; or
- Replace the vehicle with a reasonable equivalent; or
- Reimburse owners the reasonable cost of repairs that have already been undertaken before the notice of defect was given; or the sale price of the vehicle, less reasonable depreciation in the case where the vehicle has been sold to the first retail purchaser, on return of the vehicle.
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