Nissan recalls Dualis over steering

NISSAN is recalling about 2300 Dualis and Dualis+2 compact SUVs in Australia for inspection of the steering wheel casting and where necessary, replacement of the steering wheel.

Contrary to reports, Nissan Australia told GoAuto a recall notice published in Australian media over the weekend for a potential power steering fault on the Dualis and X-Trail was a mandatory reminder for an unrelated campaign initiated last November.

The steering wheel recall is part of a global campaign affecting 48,000 examples of the Dualis and 3000 NV200 vans sold across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Oceania.

An official statement from Nissan says that despite the large number of vehicles recalled, only about 600 are expected to require replacement steering wheels and all work will be done at no cost to the customer.

No incidents caused by the problem have been reported in Australia.

Nissan has started notifying customers, but the problem went public when a cameraman for Finnish TV station YLE was caught on camera struggling to drive as the steering wheel of a new Dualis+2 with just 500km on the clock came away in his hands.

Cars affected by the steering wheel issue were all MY2012 vehicles built between February 24 2012 and May 16 2012.

Last year’s separate power steering recall affected vehicles built between October 5 2010 and January 21 2011, and Nissan says there is no possibility of the same vehicle being affected by both issues.

The older recall was initiated due to the possibility of the electric power steering unit ceasing to function, resulting in a dashboard warning light and increased steering effort, particularly when travelling at low speeds.

Nissan customers concerned that their vehicle might be affected by either issue can contact their Nissan dealer or call Nissan’s customer service centre on 1800 035 035.

Another steering issue caused almost 20,000 examples of the Dualis and X-Trail to be recalled in 2009 because a screw could come loose in the steering gear cover, potentially causing noisy steering or, in a worst-case scenario, a loss of steering control.