Nissan has launched a recall of 758 Leaf electric vehicles in the U.S. over an issue that could see its brake lines fail prematurely. As a result, it will ask the owners to return their vehicles to a dealer for free repairs.
The problem was first noted by a Nissan technician on January 13, 2023. During assembly, they noticed that the right-hand brake tube assembly was damaged. They brought the issue to management, and an investigation was launched.
Over the course of the month, Nissan looked at 975 brake assemblies that had come from its supplier, Sanoh America, Inc. It found that 25 of these had suffered damage to the actuator bend on the right-hand brake tubes. It also discovered that some of the completed vehicles still in its possession had damaged brake tubes, and they were put on a quality hold.
Read: Ford Recalls 1.3 Million Fusions And MKZ Sedans Over Brake Leak
Sanoh America investigated the root cause of the issue, and found that it had used incorrect tooling to align the brake tube into the pipe bending jig for a short period of time. That meant that the tool clamped the pipe in the wrong position, and caused scratching and deformation in some cases.
Meanwhile, Nissan’s investigation looked at the consequences of the damage. In the worst cases, it found that the brake tubes could rust prematurely as a result of the damage. That could cause a hole in the tube, allowing brake fluid to leak out.
Naturally, leaking brake fluid is a safety issue that leads to worsening brake performance, which increases the risk of a crash. The reduced performance could appear suddenly, especially in the case of an EV that also uses regenerative braking, which may conceal some of the early symptoms of this defect. However, owners may be warned of the issue by a warning light on the dash.
Fortunately, Nissan is not aware of any warranty claims, accident, or injuries as a result of this fault. The automaker likely hopes to catch that before any reports come in, and has issued a recall of 758 model year 2023 Leafs in the U.S.
Nissan plans to start getting in touch with owners on July 7. They will be asked to return their vehicle to an authorized dealer, where a technician will inspect the right-hand brake tube for damage and replace it where necessary.
