What 39 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Nissan Ariya

I am writing to formally report a series of safety concerns I have encountered with my Nissan vehicle. These issues have been brought to the attention of both the service department and Nissan directly, but they remain unresolved. I believe these defects pose significant safety risks, not only for me as the driver but also for others on the road. Below is a detailed account of the problems: Spontaneous Locking and Unlocking: The vehicle intermittently locks and unlocks itself without any input from me. This issue compromises security and creates a potential safety hazard while driving or when the vehicle is parked. Malfunctioning Steering Wheel Controls: The steering wheel controls often become unresponsive and freeze, particularly during the use of cruise control. This prevents me from canceling cruise control unless I press the brakes abruptly, which could lead to unsafe situations on the road. Melting Dashboard Emitting Toxic Vapors: The dashboard of the vehicle begins to melt during driving, releasing vapors that are extremely toxic and irritating. This is a serious health concern, as the vapors affect the air quality within the vehicle and could impair my ability to operate the vehicle safely. Inadequate Door Seals: The door seals are unusually thin and fragile, causing them to break easily. This not only impacts the structural integrity of the vehicle but also creates potential exposure to external elements, affecting the vehicle's safety and functionality. Given the severity of these issues, I request an investigation to determine if these defects are common among similar vehicles and if they warrant a recall. The safety of myself, my passengers, and others on the road is at risk due to these defects, and I believe action is necessary to prevent accidents or injuries. Please feel free to contact me if further details or documentation are required. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

NHTSA ODI 11649452

My Ariya lane assist almost crashed me outside Philadelphia on I-76 (a notoriously congested and hazardous road). My hands got sweaty (I have sweaty palms, it's a medical condition) and it suddenly couldn't detect my hands. It quickly went into the "retake control" alert and I tried tapping the break to disengage it but that didn't do anything because it thought I wasn't driving the car so it kept the locked up lane assist on. I had to take my hands off the wheel, dry them, and then grab the wheel over and over until I found a dry enough spot for it to detect my hands. I figured out the fault, and why different people have different experiences. It's based on how moist your skin is and how sweaty your hands are. It took a couple trials to figure it out. I think it also uses back-force on the wheel to some extent, but mostly it's the capacitative sensor. I also tested if it would detect at different pressure levels when your hands are sweaty but that doesn't seem to matter. In addition turning the wheel ALSO doesn't help so you can be fighting for control of it when the system refuses to de-activate and is steering you into a bad place due to a left exit or something with traffic bearing down on you from 3 sides. This is extremely dangerous and using a system that fails IF YOUR HANDS AREN'T EXACTLY THE RIGHT LEVEL OF DRY/WET is absolutely something that needs to be recalled and replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11605004