FRANKLIN, Tenn. (April 29, 2013) — Nissan North America Inc. is voluntarily recalling 123,308 Nissan Altimas, 2013 model year, to inspect the cars' temporary spare tires for a possible over- or underinflation condition.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and adjust the spare tire pressure, as necessary, free of charge, the car maker said. The recall is expected to begin May 3. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 for more information. The recall action is NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V-158.
Nissan is blaming the problem on a malfunctioning pressure regulator on a spare tire inflation machine at the company's assembly plant in Canton, Miss. In addition, the pressure gauge used to check pressure was not calibrated correctly. These issues were corrected March 26, Nissan said.
The Nissan Altimas assembled in Canton are equipped with a temporary mini-spare supplied by Maxxis International Inc., Nissan said.
The auto maker initiated this recall after conducting a yard audit of 5,441 cars on various dealer lots and discovering 512 of those had over- or underinflated spare tires. Nissan called for the yard audit after receiving a report from a dealer of a spare tire rapid deflation incident on one car.
Nissan's inspection of the tire revealed it had been "significantly" overinflated, compromising its structural integrity. As a result of the increased temperature in the trunk, combined with the overinflation condition, the tire lost structural integrity resulting in rapid deflation.
Nissan said its dealers will record the spares' pressures before adjusting them. The company continues to investigate the structural integrity issue and said that "if after further investigation by Nissan at a future date, the tire pressure in the tire was determined to have exceeded a certain threshold, the spare tire will be replaced at no charge to the customer for parts and labor."