Nissan recalls 2013 models over faulty airbag sensor.

USA Today (3/13, Meier, 1.71M) reports, "Nissan, which lately has been advertising its spate of models redesigned for 2013, has just recalled a bunch of them. The cause is a potentially faulty sensor that could cause the front passenger airbag to fail to deploy in a crash. The sensor is supposed to enable the bag if the seat is occupied, disable the bag if it is not." According to documents posted by the NHTSA, "the recall covers certain of Nissan's redesigned 2013 Altima mid-size sedan, the Pathfinder crossover SUV and the Sentra compact. ... Also covered are certain of the 2013 Nissan Leaf electric car and the Infiniti luxury unit's JX35 crossover SUV, a new product just introduced in 2012."

        The Los Angeles Times (3/13, Hirsch, 692K) also notes that "in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Nissan said it hasn't determined the number of vehicles that will need to be recalled. But the Altima is Nissan's hottest seller. It was narrowly the fourth best selling passenger car last month, just 150 cars behind the Ford Fusion."

        Also reporting on the recall are Reuters (3/14), the AP (3/14), and Cars (3/13).