The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a
preliminary investigation into 553,000 Nissan Rogue sport utility
vehicles after reports of their automatic emergency braking systems
engaging without warning or an obstruction, the agency said on Thursday.
The probe into 2017-2018 model year Nissan Rogue and Rogue Sport
vehicles follows a petition from the Center for Auto Safety seeking a
formal government investigation. The petition noted that Nissan
previously issued a Technical Service Bulletin, launched two "Quality
Actions," and initiated a "Customer Service Initiative" to address
concerns.
Automatic braking systems typically activate when the technology senses objects ahead and the driver does not slow down.
NHTSA
said it has 129 reports alleging erroneous triggering of the system,
and three complaints about related crashes with injuries.
Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Center
for Auto Safety Executive Director Jason Levine said the NHTSA probe
"should not delay Nissan taking more seriously the danger the phantom
braking defect presents for everyone on the road."
In February,
Nissan recalled 75,358 2017-2018 Rogue and Qashqai vehicles in Canada,
warning that a metal structure like a railroad crossing or overhead sign
could cause the automatic emergency braking system to unnecessarily
activate and informing owners that a software update was available.
Nissan told NHTSA it has received 750 complaints about false positive activation and 12 reports of related crashes.
In
2016, 20 automakers, including Nissan, struck a voluntary agreement
with NHTSA to make collision-avoiding braking systems standard equipment
on nearly all light vehicles by September 2022, representing 99% of all
U.S. vehicle sales.
Nissan faces a class-action lawsuit over such
issues in U.S. District Court in California covering Nissan and
Infiniti vehicles sold since 2015. The lawsuit says a defect can trigger
the brakes and cause vehicles "to abruptly slow down or come to a
complete stop in the middle of traffic."
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