Jonathan Gitlin
Nissan is recalling some of its newest Ariya electric SUVs this month. The culprit? Yet another possibly loose steering wheel. As a result, the automaker has also issued a stop sale for the new EV until inventory vehicles can all be inspected and, if necessary, fixed. The recall affects 1,063 Ariyas in total.
The problem arose once the EVs had been imported to the United States from Japan. These cars required some quality control work to be performed at the port once they arrived, work that necessitated the removal of the steering wheels. But in some cases the bolt that holds the steering wheel in place might not have been properly torqued.
Nissan was first alerted to the problem at the end of January, when someone working at a dealership noticed a loose steering wheel on an Ariya. Just over a week later a second dealership reported something similar, and upon investigation, Nissan discovered the steering wheel bolt was missing in this case. Nissan says both cars had been serviced by the same technician at the port.
Inspections of other Ariyas in inventory at Nissan dealerships revealed one other vehicle that had a loose steering wheel—this time with a bolt fitted but incorrectly torqued.
Nissan is contacting Ariya owners this month to arrange inspections of their EVs, and, if necessary, replacement of the steering wheel bolt. It says that owners might notice excessive play or looseness of the wheel if their vehicle is affected.
