Nissan Recalls Versa Models To Replace Takata Airbags

Nissan Canada is adding more than 111,000 examples of its subcompact Versa sedan and hatchback to replace Takata-manufactured driver's-side frontal airbags that could injure or kill vehicle occupants when they deploy.

These are the latest cars added to the list built with airbags made by the embattled Japanese company at the centre of one of the largest recall campaigns in the history of the auto industry.

As in other cars, these the propellant in these airbags is prone to degradation in cars driven in hot and humid places, a condition that can cause the airbags to deploy more forcefully than they were designed to. If that happens, the airbag assembly could be damaged during deployment and propel fragments into the cabin, a situation that has been linked to injuries and deaths.

The models affected are the 2007 through 2012 Nissan Versa hatchback, and 2007 through 2011 Nissan Versa sedan.

Canada's cooler climate (compared to much of the southern United States, for example) means the propellant degrades more slowly, but Transport Canada says Nissan is replacing these airbags as a precaution.