2011 Infiniti M37 X Awd 3.7l 34k Miles Navigation Back View Camera Aluminum Wls on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Nissan recalls 226k vehicles over airbag inflators

Nissan and Infiniti are the latest automakers to issue recalls involving faulty airbag inflators from Takata. The Japanese automakers have announced campaigns covering about 226,326 units from seven models built in the early 2000s because they contain the bad part in the passenger-side, front airbag. The affected vehicles include the 2002-2004 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2003 Pathfinder and 2002-2003 Maxima, and it also covers the 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4, 2002-2003 I35, 2003 FX45 and 2003 FX35.
Like the other vehicles with the faulty inflators, it's possible for the part to rupture during airbag deployment and spray metal shrapnel at occupants. Nissan and Infiniti have even included vehicles with replacement airbags in this campaign because those parts also could have been defective. Both companies were also part of the earlier regional campaign to fix cars in high-humidity climates where the problem has been found to be the worst.
As is the usual response, Nissan and Infiniti will notify owners of the affected vehicles and will make the repair at no charge. According to the filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these fixes will commence around August 11. Scroll down to read the report from NHTSA, or read the full defect notice as a PDF, here.

Infiniti Formula One-inspired Q60 Project Black S has been canned

Infiniti gave enthusiasts a preview of what a high-performance hybrid coupe equipped with Formula One-derived technology could look like when it released the Q60-based Black S concept in 2017. While executives hinted the 563-horsepower model could reach production sooner rather than later, the company confirmed it's been axed. Industry trade journal Automotive News learned the concept was consigned to the automotive attic from an Infiniti spokesman. He pointed out the design study "continues to inspire us," but he didn't explain why the Black S won't reach production. We're not surprised by the decision, though. It was a complex, eye-wateringly expensive version of a slow-selling model unveiled in 2015. Making the numbers add up was likely easier said than done.  Interestingly, many Infiniti dealers didn't want the Black S. "In today's market, a premium Japanese performance coupe has to be very low volume. Anything that Infiniti produces for its dealers, we want it to be a volume product. We're not really in the racing business. I would much rather see something like the QX60. That's a volume vehicle, that's where this company needs to go," opined Ed Lennon, the chairman of the Infiniti National Dealer Advisory Board, in an interview with Automotive News. Unveiled at the 2017 edition of the Geneva auto show, and presented again the following year in Paris, the Black S was powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain built around the twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 that powers the Q60 Red Sport 400. It worked with three motor-generator units similar to the ones found in the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) fitted to Formula One cars. One spun the rear wheels, and the others were connected to the turbochargers to eliminate lag and deliver instant boost. Infiniti quoted a sub-four-second sprint to 60 mph. Hybrid technology adds weight, and Formula One-like components are no exception. Infiniti noted the drivetrain weighed 441 pounds more than the Red Sport 400's V6. Had it been built, the Black S would have relied extensively on carbon fiber to keep weight in check, and it would have offered a 50/50 weight distribution. Much has changed since 2017, however. Roland Krueger, the former Infiniti CEO who championed the project, left the company in January 2019 to lead Dyson's ill-fated automotive unit. Infiniti announced plans to exit the European market later that year, and it ended its participation in Formula One in 2020.

These are the cars most likely to be damaged in an accident

Data from Insurify shows which models have the most accident-prone drivers behind the wheel. It also shows the proportion of the drivers of said vehicles with an at-fault accident on record in the past seven years, based on Insurify’s analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications. For reference, the national average is 10.78%, and each of these vehiclesÂ’ drivers represent a statistically significant increase over that. Now, it would be easy to infer that these cars are dangerous, but such is not necessarily the case. Remember, drivers cause accidents, not cars. These just happen to be the cars that accident-prone drivers drive. YouÂ’ll notice that many are mainstream, affordable cars, often with decent crash ratings. Also keep in mind that vehicle accidents are up since the beginning of the pandemic, so no matter what you drive, please drive safely. 10. Hyundai Ioniq This affordable, electrified vehicle platform sneaks into this list with 14.45% of drivers with a recent at-fault accident on record. 9. Lexus CT Another hybrid, this Prius-powered Lexus beats the national average at 14.57%. 8. Toyota Prius V Yet another hybrid, the larger but discontinued member of the Prius family sees 14.72% of its drivers with recent accidents. 7. Mazda CX-3 The Mazda CX-3, which is discontinued for the 2022 model year, sees the accident-prone making up 14.9% of its drivers. 6. Infiniti Q60 The second and final luxury car on this list has more accident-prone drivers than average, at 14.93%. 5. Subaru Impreza The first of two Subarus on this list has 15.1% of drivers with recent accidents on record. 4. Hyundai Genesis Coupe The Genesis Coupe was only on the market for a brief span before it was discontinued and Genesis spun off into its own luxury brand. That said, it too beats the national average for accidents, at 15.29%. 3. Subaru WRX Despite its standard all-wheel drive, the boy-racer WRX has 15.44% of drivers with a prior accident in the last seven years. 2. Kia Stinger We love the Kia Stinger, and had great luck with our long-termer that graced the Autoblog garage for a year. That said, 15.75% of its drivers represent have a recent accident on record. 1. Scion FR-S This fun two-seater attracts the most accident prone drivers, with 15.87% with recent at-fault crashes. Related video: