Nissan recalls 800,000 Sentra sedans for malfunctioning brake lights
When drivers tap the brake pedal, the brake lights may not illuminate, and that's no good.
Not a good problem to have.
Nissan Sentra owners, keep an eye on your brake lights. On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a new recall covering 807,376 of the sedans in the US for faulty brake lights. When drivers hit the brake pedal in their car, the all-important brake light illumination may not occur.
The signal is essential for other drivers to know the car in front is slowing down, and without operating brake lights, the risk of a crash increases. Nissan said in filed documents the brake light switch in the sedans may become contaminated from silicon-based grease used in surrounding components. If that's the case, oxidation may occur and silicon dioxide may start to build up and lead to circuit issues, meaning the brake lights won't illuminate.
Nissan said the problem is isolated to the Sentra from the 2016-2019 model years and does not affect any other vehicles. It's not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.
We're a long way out from a fix, however. Nissan said it will first send a notice explaining the safety risk in April. This fall, it expects to have the parts to remedy the problem and owners will receive another notice to schedule an appointment for service. Owners' cars will receive a protective grommet to keep the problem from occurring at no cost.
