Nissan discovers Navara seat tether fault

UPDATED: 26/05/2015NISSAN Australia engineers have discovered a problem with the child restraint tether in dual-cab versions of its all-new NP300 Navara utility, just weeks before its official on-sale date.

The issue relates to a weakness of the tether loop for child restraint devices in the rear seat of four-door dual-cab variants.

In an official statement regarding the discovery, Nissan Australia said customers will not be affected and that cars will be in showrooms of its 194-strong dealer network in the second week of June.

“Nissan is currently addressing a quality matter with the all-new NP300 Navara before its official sales start in Australia. The small rectification work required will be completed before customer deliveries commence in June, as planned,” the statement read.

Nissan Australia general manager of corporate communications Peter Fadeyev told GoAuto that the fix for the fault is relatively easy and involves the replacement of the existing tether with a stronger version.

GoAuto understands that one consignment of the new-generation utes with the tether problem have already landed on Australian shores.

It is believed that affected vehicles currently at the port or on the assembly line will be attended to before they arrive in dealerships.

There are already some vehicles in a number of showrooms around the country, but it is understood that they are pre-production models for marketing and display purposes.

Dual cab utes have become increasingly popular in Australia in recent years as an alternative to family transport such as sedans/wagons and SUVs.

Some of the top-selling variants of the Navara and its competitors include the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Holden Colorado and Mitsubishi Triton are five-seat dual cabs.

While it is unclear how many examples of the Navara require fixing, GoAuto has learnt the issue was discovered by Nissan Australia engineers during local testing in early May.

GoAuto also understands that Nissan dealers have been instructed not to use child restraint devices in the rear seats of the dual cab until the issue has been fixed.

According to a statement from the department of infrastructure and regional development, child restraint anchors are not mandated in light-commercial utes.

“Australian Design Rule (ADR) 34 specifies mandatory requirements for child restraint anchorages (including top tether anchorages) in passenger vehicles (cars, 4WDs/sport utility vehicles and buses),” the statement says.

“There are no mandatory requirements for child restraint anchorages in commercial vehicles (including utilities with two rows of seats), as ADR 34 does not apply to commercial vehicles.”

The national media launch for the Navara is scheduled for mid-next week.

It is not uncommon for car-makers to discover quality issues with new models in the lead-up to their local launch and some brands have fared better than others.