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NHTSA campaign 15V486000

2016 Nissan Maxima: fuel system, gasoline recall

If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

high 46,846 vehicles affected 85% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank. Risk If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash. Fix Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported to NHTSA Aug 4, 2015 by Nissan North America, Inc, owners notified Sep 28, 2015.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

Fuel leaks from the sending unit during a crash increase fire risk, but the leak only occurs in a crash scenario rather than during normal operation, and no stop-drive order was issued, placing this at high rather than critical.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

The fix, from the dealer bulletin

Source: NHTSA remedy instructions and dealer notice
Stop-sale Not stated in the dealer documents
Remedy Instructions filed: the dealer bulletin exists

Parts named

Part numberDescriptionQty
17343-4RA0APLATE-LOCK, FUEL GAUGE (RETAINER RING)1
17342-7Y000PACKING-FUEL GAUGE (H-SEAL)1

Labour, as the warranty table lists it

  • 0.3 h · op PC3841

The operation code and time the manufacturer pays the dealer; a customer-pay estimate elsewhere is a different number.

Special tools

  • #J-46214
  • 7. Remove the old fuel pump assembly H-seal CAUTION: Do not reuse the old H-seal NOTE: The H-seal is referred to as “O-
  • b. Position the retainer ring tabs (Figure 6) so that two tabs will be located under the fuel pump assembly tabs (Figure
  • 9. Install the new fuel pump assembly H-seal (Figure 9) CAUTION  Do not reuse the old H-seal. A new H- seal must be ins

Read from NHTSA’s copy of the manufacturer’s dealer documents. The procedure itself is in the bulletin; a franchised dealer has the current copy on the manufacturer’s portal, and that copy governs. Working a lot or a fleet? Recall Watch carries this line on every VIN it checks: remedy status, hours, stop-sale.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 15V486000

Vehicles built Feb 10, 2015 to Aug 18, 2015 — a VIN outside that window is not part of this campaign even if the year, make and model match.

Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2016 Nissan MaximaMidsize SedanF8

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 85%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 15V486000

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

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A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. This campaign covers vehicles built Feb 10, 2015 to Aug 18, 2015. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.