Franklin, TN — January 04, 2016 — Last month, Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) both acknowledged an issue potentially affecting 33,880 Rogue vehicles. According to documents from the Administration, these units could violate the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) by allowing vehicles to slip out of the parking gear unintentionally. The recall was scheduled for this month, with dealers notified as of November 19.
This source notes that the vehicles would be able to shift gears without the driver pushing down the brake pedal. Though the fault affects the transition, it traces back to the selector knob in the control system. As such, dealers can address the problem simply by replacing the knob.
A Noncompliance Information Report included on the NHTSA described the circumstances that would trigger this problem in greater detail. The first issues were reportedly discovered in a routine inspection, and concern two areas of focus: one in the selector knob, and the other in the shifter rod.
“In certain instances, the combination of both quality issues may cause the spring to bind during operation due to excessive clearance between the shifter rod and the shift selector knob hole,” this report said. “As a result, the shift lever can be cycled without depressing the brake pedal.”
The shift selector supplier involved in this case is Guangzhou Jofu Machinery Industry Co.,Ltd., from China, while the shift assembly supplier is Ficosa North America S. A. is Madison Heights, Michigan. The transmission issue, if present, specifically violates S5.3 of the FMVSS 114, but only this section.
