Nissan has just announced a massive recall of the Sentra 2025, a manufacturing defect in the windshields could affect the driver’s visibility.
In total there will be a total of 41,800 cars affected in this recall campaign, and although it does not seem like a very serious problem, think that the windshield is one of the most important elements of our car because it is what allows us to see the road and the rest of the users. So, the simple fact that there are bubbles in the windshield laminate goes against federal regulations, there cannot be cars on the street that represent a possible road danger.
A small defect with big consequences.
We know, it seems that we are sounding too dramatic, the rules of the NHTSA are clear, if a bubble exceeds 13 mm from the edge of the windshield it is a danger, it can distort vision, it can increase the risk of accidents and it could even break completely.
Although Nissan estimates that only 2.2% of the cars present the defect, there have been thousands of cars manufactured, so it is not an especially small percentage.
How was the defect detected?
A technician, in a routine inspection at the Aguascalientes plant (Mexico), saw a windshield that presented several defects, that made alarms go off and in a matter of days an investigation was opened with Vitro, the supplier of these windshields.
The result was particles trapped between the layers of glass and they were creating those bubbles inside the glass.
Technical reports point to something as mundane as an alignment problem during the molding of the glass, dust, a misalignment. Something “normal” but that should not have happened. Nissan states that the defect has already been corrected on the production line, but what is done is done, and the cars that have already gone out to the street have to be inspected.
Owners of the Sentra 2025
Calm down because it will not cost you anything, the dealerships will inspect your windshield and change it if they find these bubbles. It will be about 2-3 hours of work, so they will not take long to fix it.
If you do not feel like waiting for the official letter, you can already go to the NHTSA website and check your VIN to know if you will have to go to your dealership to repair it.
Automotive safety
It seems that cars are less and less safe but more modern, not everything goes in this industry. And, it is useless to have sensors, cameras, driving aids… if something as basic as a windshield is not manufactured correctly…
And quality controls?
They work, of course, they discovered the defect inside the factory itself and that shows that they work, but how many vehicles are already on the street with this defect?
“Isn’t AI technology supposed to be able to detect those bubbles before the windshields leave the glass molding?” asked a user.
Does this affect other models?
According to Nissan, there are no indications that other Nissan or Infiniti models are affected, so the scare is only with this specific model.
It seems like a small detail, that does not matter, but the Sentra 2025 has a problem. Luckily Nissan has reacted quickly (good for them, because others stay silent about problems…) and they are willing to solve the problem as soon as they can. Starting January 15 the first letters to go to the dealership will begin to arrive.