Nissan is recalling a total of 2,417 two-wheel drive MY2012 Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra models in the US for a possible problem with the front wheel hub, supplied by Timken. All affected vehicles were built at Nissan’s Smyrna plant in Tennessee during June and July this year.
According to Nissan, some of the hubs may fall short of design hardness specifications and could wear prematurely, eventually cracking. Drivers would be warned of a problem through the resulting noise and vibration, but the wheel hub could break if the driver continues to operate the vehicle. The fault is due to a supplier process, which Nissan says has now been remedied.
As a fix, dealers will replace the left and right side front hub bearing assemblies. The problem has not been linked to any injuries or accidents.
Nissan’s relatively minor recall follows a much larger one from its compatriot Honda, which is now calling in more than 600,000 Accords across the US and Canada to address a potential power steering fluid leak problem that could cause a fire under the bonnet.
