Nissan Pathfinder - Sentra Added To Takata Airbag Recall

The ever-growing Takata airbag recall has grown again -- this time, courtesy of Nissan. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF), the automaker has added nearly 53,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles to its recall roster.

As Detroit News points out, these vehicles were previously part of a "customer service campaign", which is similar to a recall, but without as much federal input. As Honda did last week, Nissan has now added the cars to its official Takata recall, giving NHTSA more oversight of the automaker's notification and repair process.

The list of vehicles includes:

• 2003-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2004-2006 Nissan Sentra
• 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35
• 2003-2005 Infiniti FX45
• 2003-2004 Infiniti I35
• 2006 Infiniti M35
• 2006 Infiniti M45

That said, not all vehicles from those model-years are included in Nissan's new recall -- just the 52,738 "vehicles sold, or currently registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas".

That's because the problem with Takata's airbags appears linked to humidity. Persistently humid conditions like those found in the southern U.S. have a negative impact on the ammonium nitrate propellant used to deploy the bags -- specifically, the passenger-side front airbag -- causing some to rip and occasionally spray vehicle occupants with shrapnel. The problem has been linked to numerous injuries and at least three deaths in the U.S.

If you own one of the vehicles listed above and you've already had it serviced under the customer service campaign, you should be fine. If not, plan to take your car in for service as soon as you receive the formal recall notice by mail. (Nissan hasn't said exactly when notices will be mailed, but we'd expect it to be soon.)

Should you have questions in the meantime, you're encouraged to contact Nissan customer service at 800-647-7261, or call NHTSA at 888-327-4236 and ask about recall campaign #14V701000.