Suspension & Steering
THE STRUT HOUSING MAY CRACK AND PULL AWAY FROM THE INNER HOOD LEDGE ASSEMBLY. THIS MAY LEAD TO GRINDING NOISES, INCREASED STEERING EFFORT, AND POSSIBLY THE STEERING COLUMN TO BREAK, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
In areas where winter road salt is used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing. This corrosive mixture can collect on the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly; over time, this can cause rusting of the strut tower housing. The rust can weaken the housing, causing it to crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly. This can lead to grinding noises and increased steering effort, which, if severe enough, can cause the steering column to break. This would result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will inspect the strut housing and repair the vehicles as necessary. An interim notification letter should be mailed to owners prior to May 16, 2011.
This could be considered a medium priority recall; this would change to high if any noise or other issues are noted with the steering. Please contact your Nissan or Infiniti dealer. They will check to see if your specific vehicle is affected and advise you on what to do next. Always have your vehicle identification number (VIN) handy when you call.