Nissan Recall: Nearly 80,000 Vehicles Probed to Fix Potential Gas Leaks

Nissan Motor Co. is recalling nearly 80,000 vehicles in the United States to address gasoline leaks, the company said Monday in documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The gasoline leaks could affect certain 2011 and 2012 model year Juke crossover SUVs, Infiniti QX SUVs and Infiniti M sedans. Nissan said it will begin its recall on March 19. The recall includes 79,275 vehicles built from Oct. 5, 2009, to Dec. 27, 2011.

On its Web site, the NHTSA said fuel pressure sensors could cause gasoline leaks because they may not be tight enough. As a result, the fuel pressure sensors could loosen and leak, causing a fire. Nissan said the recall is only a precaution and that no fires have been reported. No other Nissan or Infiniti vehicles are affected because the specific fuel pressure sensor is only used in the three models with direct injection engines.

Nissan and Infiniti are committed to a high level of customer safety, service and satisfaction and is working to promptly address this issue, the company said in an emailed statement. We plan on providing a communication to our customers and dealers in early March.

Nissan initiated its own investigation in November after receiving a customer complaint about a gas odor in the car while the air conditioning was turned on.

In December, Nissan began conducting a voluntary recall of more than 50,000 Sentra vehicles, fearing that a faulty positive battery terminal could stall the vehicles while in motion. The company said the defect could cause the engine to stall in motion without the immediate ability to restart, increasing the likelihood of a crash.

Nissan said it will notify owners and its dealers will replace the fuel pressure sensors free of charge. Owners can contact Nissan at 615-725-1000.