The problem was related to a defective batch of steering wheels sent to the factory in Sunderland‚ England‚ from a supplier.
According to a report in the UK's Daily Mail‚ a Nissan spokesperson in the UK said a Finnish customer had the steering wheel come off in his hands as he parked his car‚ describing it as a "low-speed incident".
"We had a report of the steering wheel detaching from a customer who was driving at low speed‚" a spokesman told the Guardian.
The customer‚ Kari Alentola‚ is a cameraman with Finnish TV outfit Yle. The station's website said Alentola "was headed to a regular assignment for Yle on Thursday when the steering wheel of the new Nissan Qashqai+2‚ a car with only 500km on the [clock]‚ came off in his hands".
"While stopped at the traffic light in front of the Parliament building‚ I was adjusting my position in my seat lightly and took hold of the steering wheel for support. Suddenly‚ it fell into my lap and was just hanging by some wires‚" Alentola was quoted as saying.
Qashqais sold in SA are also built at the Sunderland factory‚ which manufactures about 200‚000 of the cars every year.
A UK Nissan spokesman said the problem had been traced to a batch of 600 steering wheels sent to the factory‚ but seeing as the company did not know which cars the defective steering wheels had gone into‚ the company was having to recall 51‚000 Qashqais globally to check.
Veralda Schmidt‚ spokeswoman for Nissan SA‚ said the recall affected "about 500 cars"‚ including the five-seat Qashqai and the seven-seat Qashqai +2.
"We'll contact our customers directly and they can bring the car in for a check. If we do find a fault‚ the part will be replaced at no cost‚" she said.
Schmidt said there had been no incidents similar to the Finnish incident in SA.
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
