The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it will investigate approximately 454,840 Nissan vehicles after reports that their engines may have malfunctioned, resulting in the vehicles suddenly losing power and being unable to restart.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said the agency has begun preliminary evaluations of the 2021 to 2023 Nissan Rogue, 2019 to 2021 Altima and 2019 to 2021 Infiniti QX50. ODI also added that the agency had received six complaints about the defect.
ODI revealed that car owners reported that some vehicles equipped with KR15DDT and KR20DDET engines experienced engine failure, power loss, engine knocking sounds, and metal chunks and metal shavings found in the oil pan.
NHTSA said Japanese automaker Nissan has been working to solve the problem of damaged or stuck engine main bearings and L-shaped connecting rods by introducing new manufacturing processes.
ODI said it would expand its investigation if necessary. Most NHTSA investigations begin with a preliminary assessment, in which the agency's engineers request information from manufacturers, including data on complaints, injuries and warranty claims. Automakers can also voice their opinions about the defect and potentially issue a recall.
After the assessment is completed, NHTSA may end the investigation or enter the next phase, which is the engineering analysis phase. NHTSA said that if safety-related defects exist, the agency may issue a "recall request" letter to the manufacturer.