Nissan's latest recall affects nearly 1.9 million cars for hood latch problem

Nissan has ordered a recall for hundreds of thousands of midsize cars for fixing a nagging latch problem. The recall affects nearly 1.9 million Altima cars in the US and Canada. The affected units include the models manufactured from 2013 to 2018. It also includes models which were part of several similar recalls in the past.

Nissan hopes to 'temporarily fix' a pesky hood latch problem which may allow the hood to fly open when the cars are moving. The company has said that a coating can peel off the secondary hood latch, revealing bare metal. With time, the metal may rust and cause the secondary latch to stay open. So if the primary hatch is not closed and the cars are driven, then the secondary latch may fail to hold the hood down, which is a failure of the original design.

While Nissan is yet to find a solution for this problem, the affected car owners will receive a letter with directions for proper latch inspection and maintenance. Afterwards, when the final remedy is ready, the company will send them another letters, requesting to bring the cars to dealers for free of cost repairs.

The company ordered a recall in 2014, which was followed by another recall a year later. Both the events involved fixing a lever, along with adjusting and lubricating the secondary latches. Also, in 2016, the company replaced the older latches with newer ones.

As per the official statistics, the company has 16 reports of minor crashes and-or injuries due to the hood latch problem but all the cars were the ones that didn't get the replacement latches previously. The company added that there were no reports of crash or damage with new latches.

“All affected vehicle owners should inspect and lubricate the hood latch per the owner’s manual instructions and always ensure the hood is fully closed after it is released," Nissan said.