Nissan Warns Owners Of Older Vehicles Not To Drive Them Due To Takata Airbag Inflator Malfunction

• Nissan issued a “do not drive” order to 84,000 vehicle owners due to airbag explosion risks; years of manufacture of affected vehicles are between 2002 -2006
• Owners have been urged to park vehicles immediately, with Nissan announcing free repairs for affected Takata airbag inflators
• Earlier, Honda, Ford, BMW, Toyota, Stellantis, and Mazda also warned against driving vehicles with Takata inflators

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Vehicle manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive order to owners of over 84,000 vehicles due to a high risk of an explosion associated with airbags.

According to Nissan, the order applies to owners of 2002-2006 Sentra cars, 2002-2004 Pathfinder SUVs, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4s who have now been asked to park their vehicles.

Nissan’s recall lookup tool

In a statement, Nissan directed affected owners to contact dealers for free repairs, adding that there would be a provision for a tow vehicle.

"If your vehicle is affected by this recall, we encourage you to take immediate action to have it repaired for free. Our teams are ready to assist you in replacing Takata airbag inflators on Nissan vehicles affected by the recall.

Please use the Nissan Recall Lookup tool to confirm if your vehicle is involved and to obtain instructions specific to your vehicle," the statement read.

Nissan is one of the most popular car brands in Kenya, with models like Nissan Note, Navara, Murano, Sylphy, Blue Bird, and X-trail being among the most prominent.

According to the manufacturer, the recall is necessary because the defect in the airbag system can easily kill or severely injure vehicle occupants.

Already, there has been one death and over 50 injuries associated with the airbag fault, according to Abc.

Several car manufacturers, including Honda, Ford, BMW, Toyota, and Mazda, have issued similar warnings advising against driving certain vehicles that are equipped with Takata inflators.

Porsche recalls thousands of Taycans

Earlier in May 2024, German sports carmaker Porsche confirmed it had recalled several thousand of its electric Taycan model because of risks their batteries could catch fire.

Porsche said 2,936 of the sporty four-door cars showed "anomalies", which requires changing the modules on the 600-kilogram (1,300-pound) batteries housed under the car.

Mercedes-Benz recalls about 1m cars

Elsewhere, Mercedes Benz recalled over one million cars after detecting possible problems with the brake system.

The company revealed that the brake booster could be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke