Recall News

[calinMD]

From the Chicago Tribune, paraphrased:The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall of 16,309 Nissan Versa passenger cars from the 2007 model year.

In hatchback versions of Nissan's Versa, damaged passenger- side seatbelt sensors could shut off the front air bag on that side, the agency said. The recall will begin April 16, and Nissan will replace the damaged part for free, NHTSA said.

Just a FYI--I happened upon it and thought people would want to know.

[arco]

Yep... Here it is:

Make : NISSAN Model : VERSA Year : 2007Recall Number: 07V094000Potential Number Of Units Affected : 16309

Summary: ON CERTAIN HATCHBACK VEHICLES, THE TERMINALS FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR HARNESS CONNECTOR MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY CAUSING THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON AND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIR BAG WILL BE SUPPRESSED.Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONNECTOR FOR THE SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT APRIL 16, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

[Jerr]

Oh, does this affect ALL 2007 Versa Hatchbacks or just those between a certain time frame?

[proxim2020]

Good Info . It looks like they are having a few QA problems out of that Mexico plant.

[Eastval1]

So does this mean the passenger side airbag light (indicating it's off) would stay lit constantly, or does it only flash when you first start your car?
Modified by Eastval1 at 10:44 AM 3/16/2007

[OKVersa]

Mine went out and was replaced last fall. It seems like it went out around 1000 miles - 200 miles after the TPMS went out.

Hallelujah that others won't have to fight with the dealerships like we did over this.

[greygoose]

I noticed that sometimes when my wife shifted in her seat, the "airbag off" light would come on temporarily and then turn off right away. We asked our dealer to check it out and they said it was the pressure sensor in the seat that was activating the light when she moved around. I'm going to show them the recall notice and see what they think. Thanks for the heads up!

[marleyfan]

Good Info . It looks like they are having a few QA problems out of that Mexico plant.

Let's be fair here. Recall's such as this happen for virtually all manufacturers. Look at the issue Mazda is having with the design of the Mazda3 locks for example. The fact that the plant is in Mexico is not relevant.

[proxim2020]

This was not some attack on Mexicans. The V's are manufactured out of the Aguascalientes plant in Mexico. Last year, numerous owners complained of interior defect. One such complaint was the defective airbag covers. Others complained about the jack not being secured properly and making a thump when rolling over bumps. Cars did not receive the proper brake cap with the proper DOT warning. All of these thing Nissan's pointed the finger at the factory. Most, if not all, of these issues arose when Nissan was using this plant as their only Versa plant. In November, they began using their second Mexico plant also, and the issues didn't pop up so often. Now this issue comes about, and it looks like Nissan's pointing at the factory again. I understand there are recalls, but most of the simple ones can be avoided with careful build practices and a better inspections.

I noticed that sometimes when my wife shifted in her seat, the "airbag off" light would come on temporarily and then turn off right away. We asked our dealer to check it out and they said it was the pressure sensor in the seat that was activating the light when she moved around. I'm going to show them the recall notice and see what they think. Thanks for the heads up!

My wife has a habit of doing this too and causing the same thing. I normally give her a little pinch on the butt which make her hop back into the correct position to fix this . But after looking through the service manual, I found out that it does this by design.

"Occupant Classification System (OCS)

The occupant classification system (OCS) identifies different size occupants, out of position occupants, and detects if child seat is present in the front passenger seat."

[Clipsed]

I agree with Marleyfan, as it is not relevant where a car is built. My grandparents came from aguascalientes, so I take this as more of an insult.

[TweeKeer]

There's no doubt that the cars built Mexico have more recalls than the cars built in Japan...aka X-trail. (and on a lesser note, the cars built in Louisianna) It's just the truth.

[CodeRed]

Oh, does this affect ALL 2007 Versa Hatchbacks or just those between a certain time frame?

lol, dude nice palm beach im over here in coral springs (near ft. laurdale) we need to start a versa meet!

[proxim2020]

Geez you guys are sensitive bunch . Once again, reread my comments. They aren't aimed at country, city, or even the people of the city. My comment aimed purely at the factory and its management. The only reason Mexico exists in my statement is to identify the location of the plant. It doesn't have anything to do with the quality of products or work from Mexico. If it was built in Texas, I'd still be ranting.

TweeKeer - Unless you have some numbers to back it up, lets not open a new can of worms.

[Clipsed]

Geez you guys are sensitive bunch . Once again, reread my comments. They aren't aimed at country, city, or even the people of the city. My comment aimed purely at the factory and its management. The only reason Mexico exists in my statement is to identify the location of the plant. It doesn't have anything to do with the quality of products or work from Mexico. If it was built in Texas, I'd still be ranting.

TweeKeer - Unless you have some numbers to back it up, lets not open a new can of worms.

well sometimes the way things are worded sounds bad, since this is a board we do not have a tone of voice, so it is hard to tell

There's no doubt that the cars built Mexico have more recalls than the cars built in Japan...aka X-trail. (and on a lesser note, the cars built in Louisianna) It's just the truth.

I am getting fed up with Tweekeers comments also, it is pretty stupid how my comments get edited, but he talks Mexico in a negative way and it is fine to leave his comment unedited. I dont remember the last positive comment he left.

[Ever Victorious]

well sometimes the way things are worded sounds bad, since this is a board we do not have a tone of voice, so it is hard to tell

I am getting fed up with Tweekeers comments also, it is pretty stupid how my comments get edited, but he talks Mexico in a negative way and it is fine to leave his comment unedited. I dont remember the last positive comment he left.

I find the second paragraph to be somewhat amusing, having followed the first one.

Once again, re-reading Tweeker's comments, I see him stating that the cars built in Mexico have more problems than the cars built in Japan. Again, I don't read this as an attack on the country or its workers. The plants that Nissan has in Mexico are all new, or at least relatively new. Compare that to their factories in Japan that have been in operation since the 60's or earlier... their Japan plants have had more time to develop quality standards and implemnt them. Essentially, "practice makes perfect", and we could study and verify it in almost every aspect of the industry.

This is the kind of statement I see in Tweeker's post, and it's valid and not offensive.

However, you just flat out insult people. There is no way to spin it. And that is why your comments get edited. If you would knock it off and post in a calm, rational "voice", you wouldn't get edited.

[BBISHOPPCM]

It is true. When VW switched manufacturing to Mexico, their quality ratings went through the floor. Nissan had the same problem when the Sentra line went to Mexico in the early 90's; cars built in Tennessee had far fewer problems then cars built in Mexico. The real problem has nothing to do with Mexicans being an inferior race; that is simply not true, and anyone who plays the race card needs to be chastised. I can't speak for the big three, but I can say this; the VW cars built in Mexico suffer design flaws, not workmanship issues. The big guys in deutchland are at fault for these flaws, as they dictate how the car will be designed and how it is assembled. Nissan had problems brought on by "new platform syndrome" when they began building the 2000 sentra, and any further issues were caused by design flaws. The Versa had issues with manufacturing for these same reasons. I find my Mexican built Versa to be superior in quality, so far I have not had any problems whatsoever. As I mentioned at the top of this message, both automakers were experiencing serious quality issues, which were caused by new plants and new production workers; this is to be expected. I once read that the Mexican autoworkers have the same pride in workmanship as the American autoworkers did back in the forties; I'd buy a car built in Mexico before I would even CONSIDER buying one built in America. Why? because American autoworkers have become lazy, demanding, and careless. Have you driven a Ford lately? And for the record, I am not racially biased as I am of european and native decent.

[motoguy128]

THe plant that happens to be located in Mexico has been building Sentras for a while now. Their quality has been very poor. It's probably an issue of training, catching the mistakes and management owning up to the problems and finding resolutions. I think the plant is being hard pressed to make production numbers and the result is substandard quality and mistakes like we're seeing.

I guess my fiancee and I will schedule appoinments together for our recalls. Her 2006 2.5L Altima needs the engine inspected and the ECU flashed for I think an oil consumtion issue, and my Versa needs the selt belt looked at. This is #2 for me since I had the passenger airbag cover replaced. In 3 previous cars NO warranty issues or recalls. Only my parents '89 Ford Tarus had this many issues.

[kc5f]

Since I knew I was buying a first-year car, at least as far as the US is concerned, I expected possible problems. All mine has had is the passenger airbag, and it was built last July. My wife's Honda Odyssey, on the other hand, was an established model when it was built, and it's had more problems than any car I've ever had!

[marleyfan]

Likewise, I used to drive a GMS Safari Van (how many years have they made THAT thing?). It had more problems in the first 6 months than I've had with my first year Versa - by a longshot. So far the only problems I've had with my V is a temporary wiper failure during a cold spell, and less than satisfactory mileage. The Safari was recalled 3 times in the fist 2 years. Most of the problems described in this forum are quite minor and not uncommon in a first year production. I said I would never buy a first year car, but I liked the V so much I did it anyway. So far I am not regretting my decision.

[BBISHOPPCM]

Exactly. American cars, especially GM, seem to have suffered excessive recalls and poor quality over the past... 30 years... one must wonder how they even manage to stay in business! Look at the list of recalls on the 1995 S10, and you'll see what I mean.

[7speed]

For the record, I drive two cars built in Mexico. One is a '91 VW Golf, the other is my Versa. I love them both. I agree with others above that 1, it doesn't matter the nation where the car is built, but the procedures in place to assure quality, and 2, I would never buy an American built car again; not so much for the quality (which did suffer), but more because I don't agree with their designs.

My wife's first car was a 2003 Cavalier, and I hated it. The only thing it did right was protect us when a dumptruck ran a red light. The redesign of the '03 models was only on the exterior, with the interior staying the same. As part of the body shape change, the A-pillars were angled in to the centerline of the car, so much so that when I was in a comfortable seating position, my head had to be cricked away from the door so I didn't hit the roof. Also, the decreased width of the windshield was not accompanied by a decrease in the size of the visors, so that everytime I would flip the driver's side visor down, it would hit and shift the rearview mirror. Further, the access to change rear tail light bulbs was trapezoidal in shape, and on one side was not a problem, but when twisting the housing on the driver's side to get the bulb out, the housing would collide with sheet metal in the trunk. The only way to change the rear DS bulbs was to get a wrench and remove the light completely from the car. Okay. I'm done ranting now. Thanks.

to the Versa.

[Cowboys Fan 87]

Another issue my be something as simple as the language barrier. Japanese learn English as a second language, because, to the Japanese, English is the language of business. There are several Japanese car parts plants within an hour of where I live and some of the people I know who work there tell me that the Corporate people show up and speak English to the surprise of others working there.

Anyway, if you have ever read a Chinese "Engrish" instruction manual, you kind of understand where I'm going. The syntax just isn't quite right or the order of the sentence is out of place causing you to complete step 6 before you complete step 5...OOPS....

So maybe that's it........"Weld part a to part b" just needs a little more tweaking before it actually is worded properly.

[BBISHOPPCM]

Funny you mention the "business language" thing... I once worked in a small diode manufacturing company. 90% of the employees were directly from India. Right after I started, they hired a new supervisor, who was also straight from India. I witnessed her conversing with an older (Indian) employee who was not particularly fluent in English. When he tried to speak to her in Hindi, she pretended not to understand him, and finally said (in a thick accent) that English is the language of business, therefore, is the only language to be spoken within our shop.