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Nissan recalls 320K Versas in North America for faulty springs

Following an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration starting in May, Nissan is now recalling 319,507 examples of the 2007-2012 Versa in North America. Corrosion from road salt can potentially cause the cars' front suspension coil springs to snap. Specifically, the campaign covers 218,019 Versas in cold-weather US states: the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In addition, there are 101,488 cars affected under this campaign in Canada, according to Nissan spokesperson Steve Yaeger to Autoblog. Nissan reports that a manufacturing issue by the supplier results in an "insufficient anti-corrosion coating" applied to the coil springs. Given enough time and exposure, this can lead to the part's fracturing. According to Yaeger, there are "no accidents or injuries related to this issue reported to Nissan." Owners of these Versas will get both front coil springs replaced, and Nissan will begin notifying them in November. It seems like perfect timing to avoid another winter of salt hitting them. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Front Coil Springs may Corrode , 1 INVESTIGATION(S) Report Receipt Date: SEP 14, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V573000 Component(s): SUSPENSION Potential Number of Units Affected: 218,019 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) NISSAN VERSA 2007-2012 Details Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Road salt may corrode the front coil springs, possibly resulting in the coil springs fracturing. CONSEQUENCE: If a front coil spring fractures, it may contact the tire, possibly puncturing it, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by mid-November 2015.

Renault chairman dismisses reports Nissan wants to split from alliance

PARIS — Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said on Thursday there was a "real desire" within the top ranks of both companies for its alliance with Nissan to succeed, dismissing suggestions the partnership was on the rocks. Turmoil within the Franco-Japanese alliance, long dogged by internal rivalries, deepened following the November 2018 arrest in Tokyo of its architect and long-time boss Carlos Ghosn on charges of financial crimes, which he denies. Attempts to restore calm were dealt a fresh blow by Ghosn's dramatic flight from Japanese justice and a series of no-holds-barred allegations he has made from his refuge in Lebanon, including that he was the victim of a plot to oust him and that the alliance is now a "masquerade". Nissan has vigorously rejected Ghosn's stance, while both the Japanese firm and Renault have tried to rubbish suggestions their two decades old partnership is falling apart. "We have a board overseeing the alliance which is made up of people who are all extremely in favor of the alliance," Renault Chairman Senard told a briefing with reporters. "There is a common desire to associate our strategic plans and a real desire to make this alliance a success," he added, dismissing a report that Nissan was examining scenarios for a possible future outside of the alliance as "fake news." The 66-year-old declined to comment on anything related to Ghosn, adding: "I only think about the future." Renault shares were down 2% by 1123 GMT, underperfoming the broader auto sector which was down on news that Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on European car imports due to Europe's stance on Iran. Renault's French rival and Peugeot maker PSA Group also gave a flavor of some industry headwinds, reporting a 10% fall in its global sales last year as Chinese demand tanked. Renault is due to publish its 2019 global sales on Friday. JOINT PROJECTS Analysts see Renault-Nissan's cost-saving alliance as vital to both companies as the car industry battles a slowdown and huge investments in cleaner vehicles and automated driving, particularly as rivals PSA and Fiat Chrysler are merging to help meet these challenges. Renault held ultimately unsuccessful talks to combine with Fiat Chrysler last year, which Ghosn described at a Beirut news conference as a huge missed opportunity. Senard, who chairs the alliance's operating board, said on Thursday that once the partnership has been rebooted, other firms might potentially want to join.

Nissan helping Mexican dealers crack US market

Nissan may not be the top seller or even the top import brand in the United States... but it is in Mexico. South of the border, Nissan accounted for over 26 percent of new cars sold last year, and it's not only applying some of the same lessons it learned on its way to the top of Mexican market to the US – it's bringing in some of the same dealers. In an effort to increase its market share particularly in southern states with large Hispanic communities like California and Texas, Nissan is helping some of its largest dealer groups in Mexico buy up American dealerships, according to a report from Automotive News. Among those Nissan dealers in Mexico expanding into the US market are Grupo Autofin Mexico (which owns 60 locations, including three Nissan dealers in Orange Country), Grupo Autocom (which controls 17 Nissan, Infiniti and Renault locations in Mexico and now owns one Infiniti and four Nissan dealers in the San Francisco bay area) and Automotores Soni SA de CV (one of Mexico's largest dealer groups which recently took over two locations in Houston). Aside from encouraging these and other Mexican dealer groups – many of which have longstanding ties to the Renault-Nissan Alliance and its brands – to break into the US market, Nissan has been using its right of first refusal to offer dealerships going up for sale in the US to its Mexican dealers before American ones. There has yet to be any outcry from Nissan dealers in the US, though. The effort, lead by Nissan's North American chief Jose Munoz (who used to run the Mexican division), is part of the company's drive to increase its market share in the US from 7.7 percent currently to 10 percent by 2017. And the know-how of these Mexican dealership groups forms part of that strategy. But Nissan hopes to tap more than just their experience to drive an increase in sales. The Japanese automaker is also targeting the Hispanic market within the United States, offering Spanish-speaking Americans service in their own language with the benefit of a common cultural background. According to AN, Nissan has already surpassed Honda to become the No. 2 import brand among Hispanic customers in America, accounting for some 32 percent of the company's growth last year. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Nissan Nissan Car Dealers Mexico