Imagine an automobile without an engine. Turn the key and nothing would happen, obviously, because that’s how essential an engine is to the operation of a motor vehicle. But at the same time, the silver lining of not having an engine in a vehicle would be that you couldn’t get it running at a high speed in order to expose yourself to any dangers. Unfortunately, cars are made up of many parts that could put a driver at such a terrifying disadvantage, and the wheel hub is certainly one of those parts.
Consumers behind the wheel of new cars obviously shouldn’t have to worry about a problem with a wheel hub, but that is not the case now that Nissan is recalling more than 2,400 trucks and sports utility vehicles because of front wheel hubs that were poorly manufactured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Automobiles have specific standards for all parts that must be adhered to during production, and in the case of the affected vehicles, those standards were not met.
If you’re unfamiliar with how a wheel hub works, it basically keeps the front or rear axles and the wheels that they’re attached to running smoothly. If you’ve ever heard a car making an awful grinding noise while it is driving or turning, there’s a good possibility that it has a bad wheel hub, and if it left untreated and unrepaired for considerable time, the hubs can crack and cause accidents and injuries, especially in vehicles that may carry a heavier load.
The recall, which was announced by the NHTSA and Nissan on September 20, involves 2012 models of the Pathfinder and Xterra SUVs, as well as the Frontier pickup truck. According to the Car Connection, the defective wheel hub was discovered during an inspection by Nissan officials in June, resulting in the investigation that led to this announcement. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries have been reported as of yet.
Owners of the affected models should contact Nissan immediately at (800) 647-7261 if the automobile manufacturer has not already contacted them. Dealers will replace both the front right and left wheel hubs for free.