Nissan recalls 51,000 cars over Finnish steering wheel incident

Japanese carmaker Nissan has recalled thousands of vehicles worldwide after a Finnish cameraman reported a steering wheel fault last month. Officials from Nissan Motor Co. said in a press release issued at the weekend that around 51,000 of the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and NV200 van models would be affected by the move.

The firm is asking owners to take the vehicles to Nissan service centres for steering wheel inspections.

The news follows a report last month by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that the steering wheel of a recently purchased Qashqai had come loose from the steering column as one of the agency’s cameramen was driving in central Helsinki. YLE said the incident occurred when the employee was driving at a low speed and that no one was injured.

According to the Helsingin Sanomat news agency, the recall will affect nearly 900 vehicles in Finland. Owners will sent recall notices in the coming weeks.

The remainder of the models was largely made in the United Kingdom, where the majority of recalls will take place. According to CarsUK.com, Nissan has changed steering parts in a small number of Qashqai vans in production in Britain prior to the incident.