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NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE21022

Preliminary Evaluation · Hood Latch/Bell Crank Assembly · Opened 2021-12-09 · Closed 2022-07-08

Investigation

Action number
PE21022
Type
Preliminary Evaluation
Open date
2021-12-09
Close date
2022-07-08
Manufacturer
Nissan North America, Inc.
Affected makes
NISSAN
Affected components
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
Affected model years
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Affected (make, year) variants
7

Summary

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate consumer complaints alleging hood latch failures occurring on certain model year (MY) 2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. Complaints received indicated a sudden and unexpected opening of the hood while the vehicle was in motion, blocking the driver's visibility.During this investigation Nissan collected parts from the field to analyze for root cause of the alleged failures. On June 13, 2022, Nissan submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a hood bell crank assembly defect in certain MY2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles produced at the Smyrna, TN plant. According to Nissan's DIR, an accumulation of dust and dirt contamination on and around the bell crank lever pivot joint, which actuates the secondary hood latch, can create a condition that can cause the lever to remain in the open position after it has been disengaged. In this condition, the secondary hood latch may not hold the hood closed as designed while the vehicle is in motion obstructing the driver's forward view and increasing the risk of a crash.A remedy plan for all affected vehicles is currently under development. See recall action 22V-420 for further details. Nissan's action resolves the issues raised by this investigation, and therefore, this investigation is closed.The VOQs cited above can be found with ID numbers: 11456378, 11448298, 11436637, 11431131, 11427702, 11423321, 11406574, 11398825, 11389741, 11387952, 11375938, 11349105,11306735, 11302647, 11190468, 11166607.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI investigation page
Machine
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