2014 Nissan Frontier Sv on 2040-cars

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Nissan X-Trail Takata inflator rupture causes fire in Japan [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Autoblog has received Nissan's official statement about the Takata inflator rupture in Japan. It confirms the details of the case, but contradicts one part of the original story. Nissan says that the vehicle's owner was notified about the recall, but the X-Trail wasn't repaired. We've updated the story to reflect this, and the full statement is embedded below. Nissan is the latest automaker to be directly affected by faulty Takata airbags in its vehicles. In this case, a 2001 X-Trail crossover in Japan caught fire after an accident when its passenger side inflator ruptured, shot out hot shrapnel, and caused the dashboard to ignite. The driver suffered light burns to the cheek during the crash, according to Reuters. Nissan has covered this model of X-Trail under its Takata recall in Japan since April 2013, but a company spokesperson told Reuters that the driver didn't receive the notice. The inflator in the crossover was made at Takata's factory in Moses Lake, WA. This was Nissan's first case in Japan of one of these parts rupturing. While a root cause isn't known, the problem with these components is believed to come from moisture getting into the inflator and causing the propellant to ignite too quickly. The Takata airbag recall has affected millions of vehicles worldwide and has been linked to eight deaths worldwide. In May, Nissan added 1.56 million of its models globally to replace the parts. Subsequently, the company added thousands more for the passenger side in the US and Canada. According to Reuters, the company has called in 813,000 vehicles in Japan, and 85 percent of them have been repaired there. The repair rate in the US has been far lower, though. Takata is producing around a million repair kits a month, but there are 34 million affected vehicles here from 11 automakers. According to a Congressional hearing in early June, it could be years before the whole problem is properly sorted out. Related Video: Nissan Statement Nissan is aware of a June 25 2015 incident in Japan involving improper deployment of a passenger side air bag in a 2001 Nissan X-Trail. The driver of the vehicle reported minor injuries. This vehicle was already subject to a Takata recall and owner notification was made. However, for unknown reasons, the vehicle has not been remedied. Relevant authorities have been notified. This incident is subject to an ongoing investigation and no further information will be available at this time.

Nissan teases new pickup again, this time with video

It was just yesterday that we were presented with our first teaser image of Nissan's new midsize pickup, ahead of its June 11 debut. Today, we have video of what is most likely the next-generation Frontier.
It does reveal a skosh more of the truck than the teaser, focusing on the grille, which should follow Nissan's familial pattern. There's also plenty of footage of the new truck in action, as well as a tiny glimpse of the cabin, which shows (we're guessing) an information display in the instrument cluster.
Take a look below for the video, and then be sure to check back here in one week for the official reveal of the newest Nissan pickup.

Mercedes pickup could have Nissan DNA

Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are already close partners. Now it seems that the upcoming Mercedes-Benz midsize pickup might have a little Nissan DNA in it, too. Or maybe not, depending on how you interpret comments by Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. "I don't want anybody to think that because they announced a pickup truck, they have to make it with us. Not at all," Ghosn said at the New York Auto Show, according to Automotive News. "They are completely free to do it by themselves, to do it with somebody else, etc., and also, or to do it with us." The Mercedes Vans division is responsible for the truck's development, and the pickup is aimed at the popular global midsize segment against vehicles like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. There's no mention of any plans for the model in North America. Instead, Mercedes wants to focus on Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Europe for a launch slated before 2020. Ghosn was quite clear there was no decision either way as of yet. "Is this something that can eventually be on the table? I told you, everything is on the table between us," he said, according to Automotive News. If the two companies do decide to collaborate on a midsize truck, the timing would seem perfect. Nissan completed development of its NP300 Navara in 2014, and the automaker has been at work at least evaluating powertrains for the next Frontier possibly for 2019. Related Video: