The 2016 Nissan Maxima successfully earned a 5-Star National Highway Transportation Security Administration (NHTSA) rating, with top marks in frontal, side, and rollover crash tests. However, during the normal procedure of rotating the vehicle 90 degrees after the crash test, NHTSA discovered a fuel leak coming from the fuel-tank assembly.
NHTSA quickly notified Nissan, which responded with a voluntary safety recall. Nissan’s investigation into the issue determined that on certain 2016 Nissan Maxima units, the fuel sending unit may not have been correctly affixed to the fuel tank as a result of a specific manufacturing process variation, resulting in a leaky O-ring. As far as Nissan knows, there are have been no accidents, leaks, or injuries as a result of the issue.
A total of 6,140 units (of which 5,449 are in the U.S.) of the 2016 Nissan Maxima are affected, and for the unsold units among these, a stop-sale is in effect. Nissan is working on a fix for the problem, and expects to communicate this information to dealers within the next two weeks. At that time, customers with Maximas under recall can go to a dealer and get the fuel-tank assembly repaired for free.
In the meantime, Nissan is investigating whether the fuel-tank problem could affect other vehicles for which a South Carolina-based company is the supplier. More as we get it.
