Nissan Sentra Recall: Faulty Battery Terminal Could Cause 50,000 Sentras to Stall in Motion

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it will begin 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.

Nissan will recall about 51,700 2010-11 model year Sentras in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan, Nissan spokesman Steve Yaeger said in an email to the International Business Times. The recall affects Sentras with Mr-20 engines manufactured between May 11 and May 22, 2010, and July 8 and October 25, 2010.

Yaeger said by phone Monday afternoon that Nissan had not received any reports of malfunction or any related crashes. In a statement that went along with the recall's announcement, Nissan said it would work quickly with partners to fix the problem.

Nissan is committed to a high level of customer safety, service and satisfaction and is working with its dealers to promptly address this issue, the company said in the statement.

The issue is the positive battery terminal. Nissan said an improper bolt coating on the battery terminal could result in a voltage drop that would damage the car's electronic control module. The zinc coating applied to the terminal stud bolt was thicker than it should have been, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Though the chances are slim, Nissan said it could cause the engine to stall while in motion without the immediate ability to restart the engine. This increases the likelihood of a crash.

Nissan plans to notify owners on or before Jan. 23, advising them to seek a fix for the problem at authorized Nissan or Infiniti dealers. The dealers will replace the battery terminal and cover free of charge.

Yaeger said Nissan doesn't expect any consumer backlash or any dip in sales from the recall issue.

It's a fairly easy fix. I think we'll be fine, he said. We're doing it as a precaution, so we definitely want people to come in and get them done. It's precautionary thing.