Nissan has issued a recall for approximately 1,000 Ariya electric crossovers in the US due to a loose or even missing bolt holding the steering wheel. However, what’s interesting is that the issue wasn’t due to a manufacturing error but rather a technician screw up.
In fact, the new recall seems to affect vehicles that had just seen the inside of a garage due to another steering-related problem with the touch sensor. During the course of that repair, some cars may not have had their steering wheels correctly re-installed by the dealers.
Nissan has estimated that only 0.18 percent of vehicles are affected by this issue. This means that only two SUVs in the total recalled 1,063 Ariya EVs are likely to contain the defect. However, the severity of the issue cannot be ignored. If these two or more vehicles do not have the bolt holding the steering wheel to the column correctly tightened or worse, not have a steering bolt at all, it could lead to a dangerous situation.
Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by Nissan, and the necessary repairs will be made free of charge.
Nissan requests drivers of the 1,063 potentially affected vehicles to return their cars to dealerships for repairs. Workshop staff will replace the bolt and tighten it to the correct 32 lb-ft (44 Nm) torque setting.
Dealerships have been provided with a bulletin from Nissan that includes step-by-step instructions for making the necessary checks and repairs. To avoid any confusion, the bulletin even includes a picture highlighting the location of the steering wheel bolt (hint: it’s in the center).
