Uh Oh! Nissan Recalls Almost 200,000 Pathfinders and Infiniti QX4s

A few months ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into corrosion problems in older Nissan SUVs. There were 35 cases reported of excessive rusting, with 18 of those cases leading to steering issues.

(2000 Nissan Pathfinder)

This recall currently affects those with the 1997- 2003 Infiniti QX4 and the 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder in which the SUV was originally sold or currently registered in the following states:
Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. As you can see, these are all states that have heavy concentrations of road salt that's used.

(1999 Infiniti QX4)

A mixture of water and salt could enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this water and salt combo could result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in the vehicles affected above.

What happens if you don't get it checked out?

I'm glad you asked. The strut housing could 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 basically equals a car accident.

If you're not sure if this affects you, do yourself a favor and call Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.