Nissan recalls 140,582 Altimas because air filter may ignite
By Greg Bensinger
Bloomberg News
Published July 9, 2007, 12:26 PM CDT
Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 140,582 of its 2007 Altima cars, the automaker's best-selling U.S. vehicle, because the air filter can catch fire if a hot object is drawn into it.
The recall affects Altima cars with a 2.5-liter, four- cylinder engine, the Tokyo-based automaker told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nissan told the Washington-based agency it began notifying owners July 3. Four fires were reported in February and March, the company said.
The filter will be replaced because it can ignite if something hot such as cigarette ash enters through the vehicle's fresh-air intake valve, Nissan said. An air deflector also will be installed to prevent a buildup of debris at the filter.
The Altima accounted for 140,253, or 26 percent, of Nissan's U.S. sales this year through June. The car was ninth in sales among all cars and light trucks in the U.S. during the period.
The recall affects Altimas built from Sept. 25 through May 11 at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, and those produced from Oct. 30 through May 11 at its Canton, Mississippi, factory, Nissan told the agency. The vehicles are under warranty, the company said.
Fred Standish, a spokesman for Nissan's Nashville, Tennessee-based U.S. unit, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking a comment.
I was driving West on Highway-1 through Burnaby BC on the way to Vancouver about 4 weeks ago and saw this great plume of smoke ahead. All traffic had slowed down and on the side of the road was a 2007 Altima with the front doors forward completely engulfed in flames. This fire was roaring along and you could feel the heat 4 lanes away from the Carpool lane. The occupants of the vehicle were standing around 200ft behind the Altima.
There was no Police or Fire trucks on scene, so this must have happened very quickly. The car looked brand new from the front doors back. I'm guessing the car was a complete write-off.
At our 1/4 mile strip in Tlalnepantla, just north of Mexico City, the local police keep burned out vehicles right at the track entrance as a storage area. But we always get the rookie racers (known as novatos), who look on a little scared thinking it was the result of a racing accident.
Last edited by Lexmex; Oct 29, 2008 at 10:17 PM.
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