Nissan expands recall prompted by faulty air bag

NEW YORK (AP) — Nissan is recalling more than 226,000 additional vehicles over a defective air bag that has affected much of the global auto industry.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Saturday that Nissan North America Inc. is recalling certain lines of its Infiniti, Maxima, Pathfinder and Sentra cars for the model years 2002 to 2004.

Faulty air bags have already been blamed for the recall of millions of cars around the world in recent years, including those made by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda and Toyota.

The air bag systems were made by Takata Corp., a Tokyo-based supplier of car parts. The problem is that the air bag inflators can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the air bags are deployed in crashes. That can potentially cause serious injury to passengers.

A representative for Nissan, Brian Brockman, said the company isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to the recall. The latest recall of 226,326 cars is in addition to a previous recall and brings the total number of cars recalled by Nissan to 664,628.

The latest Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. recall is expected to begin Aug. 11, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Dealers will replace any faulty inflators that are identified, free of charge. The recall addresses air bags that were originally installed in the cars, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed.

The National High Traffic Safety Administration said owners of all affected vehicles will be notified. Owners may also contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

The affected models are:

— Infiniti FX35, 2003

— Infiniti FX45, 2003

— Infiniti I35, 2002-2003

— Infiniti QX42, 2002-2003

— Maxima, 2002-2003

— Pathfinder, 2002-2003

— Sentra, 2002-2004

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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