Nissans Recalled for Stop Lights

Nissan North America are recalling more than 850,000 Sentra compact sedans over a defect that may prevent the stop lights illuminating when the driver presses the brake pedal. The affected vehicles are 2016-2019 models totaling more than 800,000 in the U.S. and 50,000 in Canada.

Nissan have said they are not aware of any accidents related to this issue, which is caused by the stop light switch getting contaminated by offgassing from silicone grease used in nearby components. Silicon dioxide, which is an electrical insulator, can build up on the switch contacts and thus prevent the stop lights working. It’s not the first time silicon dioxide has been found causing problems with stop light switches, though Subaru’s 2019 recall of two million vehicles worldwide was said to be related to post-manufacture use of silicone compounds.