NHTSA closes engine failure probe into 454,840 Nissan vehicles
The probe, which was opened in December 2023, alleged that engine failures in certain Nissan vehicles were leading to loss of motive power. Consumers also reported engine knocking noises.
An engine failure could result in a fire if internal components detached and damaged the engine block, creating a hole that allowed engine oil to reach hot surfaces, the U.S. auto safety authority said.
NHTSA said that a total of 1,878 incidents were reported, of which 12 resulted in either crash or a fire.
The probe included under its scope certain models of Nissan Rogue, Altima and luxury vehicles, Infiniti's QX50 and QX55, the NHTSA report said.
Nissan's June recall fix involves a dealer inspection for metal debris in the engine oil pan.
If no debris is found, dealers will change the oil and carry out minor repairs based on engine type; if debris is found, the engine may need major repairs or replacement.
The Yokohama-based company also agreed to extend the vehicle warranty of the impacted vehicles to 10 years and 120,000 miles after the inspection.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Tesla profit plunges in latest quarter as Musk's turn to politics repels buyers
The fallout from Elon Musk's plunge into politics a year ago is still hammering his Tesla business as both sales and profits dropped sharply again in the latest quarter. The car company that has faced boycotts for months said on Wednesday that revenue dropped 12% and profits slumped 16% in the three months through June as buyers continued to stay away. Advertisement 'The perception of Elon Musk, its chief executive, has rubbed the sheen right out of what once was a darling and soaring automotive brand,' wrote Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee in an email. Tesla is 'a toxic brand that is inseparable from its leader'. Quarterly profits at the electric vehicle, battery and robotics company fell to 1.17 billion dollars (£865.8 million), or 33 cents a share, from 1.4 billion (£1.03 billion), or 40 cents a share. That was the third quarter in a row that profit dropped. On an adjusted basis, the company said it earned 40 cents a share, matching Wall Street estimates. Advertisement Revenue fell from 25.5 billion (£18.8 billion) to 22.5 billion (£16.6 billion) in the April through June period, slightly above Wall Street's forecast. Tesla shares fell 3% in after-hours trading. Mr Musk spent the company's earnings conference call talking less about car sales and more about robotaxis, automated driving software and robotics, which he says is the future of the company. But those businesses are yet to take off, and the gap between promise and profit was apparent in the second quarter. 'It appears management's focus will now shift to robotaxis and away from deliveries growth,' said Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein, referring to car sales. Advertisement A big challenge is that potential buyers, not just in the US but in Europe, are still baulking at buying Teslas. Mr Musk alienated many in the market for cars in Great Britain, France, Germany and elsewhere by embracing far-right candidates for office on the continent. And rival electric vehicle makers such as China's BYD and Germany's Volkswagen have pounced on the weakness, stealing market share. Tesla began a rollout of its paid pickup robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, and hopes to introduce the driverless cabs in several other cities soon. Mr Musk has said he expects to have hundreds of thousands of the cabs on US roads by the end of next year. In the post-earnings call, Mr Musk said the service will be available to probably 'half of the population of the US by the end of the year — that's at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals'. Advertisement He added: 'We are being very cautious. We don't want to take any chances.' The test run in Austin has mostly gone off without a hitch, though there have been a few alarming incidents, such as when a robotaxi went down a lane meant for opposing traffic. Elon Musk with US President Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP) With autonomous taxis, though, the billionaire who upended the space race and electric vehicle manufacturing faces tough competition. The dominant provider now, Waymo, is already in several cities and recently logged its ten-millionth paid trip. Meanwhile, other threats loom. The new federal budget just passed by Congress eliminates a credit worth as much as 7,500 dollars (£5,522) for buying an electric car. Advertisement It also wipes out penalties for car makers for exceeding carbon emission standards. That threatens Tesla's business of selling its 'carbon credits' to traditional car companies that regularly fall short of emission standards. Tesla generated 439 million (£328 million) from credit sales, down sharply from 890 million (658 million) a year ago. 'We're in this weird transition period where we'll lose a lot of incentives in the US,' Mr Musk said, predicting several rough months possibly through June of next year. He added, though: 'Once you get to autonomy at scale in the second half of next year, certainly by the end of next year, I would be surprised if Tesla's economics are not very compelling.' The company is now planning to introduce a cheaper model to the market in the last three months of the year. Tesla had previously said that it was going to happen by June this year. Mr Musk also said he expected regulatory approval to introduce its so-called Full Self-Driving software in some parts of Europe by the end of the year. He had previously expected that to happen by March of this year. The feature, which is available in the US, is a misnomer because it is only a driver assistance feature. India's first Tesla showroom to be inaugurated in Mumbai (AP/Rafiq Maqbool) In the robot business, Mr Musk said he expects explosive growth as Tesla ramps up production of its humanoid Optimus helpers to 100,000 a month in five years. 'We'll go from a world where robots are rare to where they're so common that you don't even look up,' he said. Asked about whether he would want more than his current 13% stake in Tesla to keep control, Mr Musk said he did want more but not too much. 'I think my control over Tesla should be enough to ensure that it goes in a good direction,' he said, 'but not so much control that I can't be thrown out if I go crazy'. Gross margins for the quarter, a measure of earnings for each dollar of revenue, fell to 17.2% from 18% a year earlier. A highlight from the quarter was from something far removed from cars and robots: the company's investment in bitcoin. That bet generated a 284 million (£210 million) paper gain, compared with a loss in the previous quarter.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Top USC hoops recruit Alijah Arenas to miss 6-8 months (knee)
July 24 - USC five-star recruit Alijah Arenas suffered a knee injury that will require surgery and keep him off the court between six and eight months, the university announced on Wednesday. Arenas, the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, had just returned to the practice court, having recovered from after a serious car accident in April. "Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person," USC coach Eric Musselman said. "He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process." Arenas graduated from Chatsworth (Calif.) HS a year early to suit up with the Trojans, along with transfers Rodney Rice (Maryland) and Chad Baker-Mazara (Auburn). It was expected that the 6-foot-6 Arenas would form an explosive backcourt for USC. In April, Arenas lost control of his Tesla Cybertruck and ran into a tree. The car became engulfed in flames, but he was able to escape with assistance from bystanders. Arenas was placed in a medically induced coma due to smoke inhalation, but was released one week later. ESPN tabbed Arenas the No. 13 recruit in their Top 100. He scored more than 3,000 points in three seasons at Chatsworth, setting a CIF LA City Section record. Arenas was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but that is believed to be in jeopardy due to the nature of his injury. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ford, GM and Jeep stunned as loophole in Trump's latest tariff deal hands huge win to foreign rivals
America just reached a trade deal with Japan — US automakers are furious. Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced a deal to slash tariffs on Japanese imports to 15 percent, including vehicles and auto parts. Under the deal, Japanese-built cars will face lower tariffs than the parts US automakers import to build their own. It's a major retreat from months of threats to impose a punishing 25 percent levy on automakers like Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mazda, and Nissan. That change is sparking outrage among US car companies. Representatives for the Detroit Big Three — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler — say the lower tariff rate gives their foreign rivals an unfair edge. Matt Blunt, head of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the three automakers, called the agreement a 'bad deal for US industry and US auto workers,' in a statement to He added that automakers are still analyzing the impacts, but criticized 'lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles.' The White House had long billed the tariffs as a tool to revive domestic auto manufacturing. Toyota's stock price spiked today on the tariff news But US-based automakers say the policy is doing the opposite — cutting deep into their profits just as they face pressure from Trump to expand American operations. This week, GM reported a sharp $1.1 billion income decline in the past quarter. The carmaker expects to pay between $4 billion and $5 billion in tariffs this year. Stellantis — the company that operates American brands Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler — said it lost $2.68 billion in the first half of 2025 while paying $350 million in US tariffs. Executives say those costs are hard to avoid, even when most of their production happens on American soil. 'Let me take you through the math: in a $40,000 to $50,000 F-150, 75 to 80 percent of the parts are made in America,' Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, previously said in an interview with CNN, while pointing out that 80 percent of the companies cars are assembles in the US. 'We have to import certain parts. A lot of parts like fasteners, washers, and carpet are just not available. We can't even buy those parts [in the US].' Meanwhile, the promised manufacturing job boom has yet to materialize. Combining the May and June jobs reports, Americans lost 14,000 manufacturing jobs, even as other sectors added positions. Industry experts believe car prices will rise by the end of the year - but they think that cars from Japanese firms will not rise as fast as American automaker's costs Industry leaders representing America's Big Three automotive brands criticized Trump's latest deal as 'bad' for US workers Despite US industry backlash, President Trump said his deal with Japan was a massive win. 'I just signed the largest trade deal in history, I think maybe the largest deal in history, Japan,' Trump said in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday. The President said it would create 'hundreds of thousands of jobs.' As part of the deal, Japan will buy 100 Boeing planes and hike defense spending with US firms by $3 billion annually. It spent $14 billion on defense prokects with US manufacturing last year. Before the agreement, Japanese companies had worried about the impact of 25 percent levies, saying they threatened higher consumer prices and job losses at US-based factories. Now, they've emerged as clear winners. On Wall Street, shares of Japanese car brands skyrocketted. Toyota's stock price is up 13 percent in early trading Wednesday. Honda (12 percent), Mazda (17 percent), and Nissan (eight percent) are also benefitting from the change. Even so, car buyers may not see relief. Erin Keating, an analyst at Cox Automotive, said that even the lower tariffs are fueling price hikes. She noted that 'destination charges' — the fees tied to vehicle delivery — have risen since April, when Trump first launched the automotive tariffs. And car companies are just about to switch over to a fresh lineup of 2026 model year vehicles. Fall-season dealership refreshes are the most popular time for price hikes. Keating also pointed to another reason Japanese brands are better positioned than their US rivals: they still make affordable sedans. '[Toyota and Honda] build a number of popular sedans, which have been important for budget-seeking shoppers,' Keating said. In contrast, GM, Ford, and Stellantis have gutted their sedan lineups in recent years — just as models like the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic remain best-sellers.
