Japanese automaker Nissan (NSANY) is recalling over 200,000 pickup trucks due to a risk the vehicles could roll away while in park, federal regulators said.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration said in a report that the company is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan and Frontier vehicles.
Nissan is not aware of any confirmed field incidents related to the problem.
The agency said that the transmission parking pawl, which locks the gears into place, may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, resulting in a vehicle rollaway.
NHTSA estimated that 1% of the vehicles could have the defect.
The production dates for the Titan run from Dec. 13, 2019, to Aug. 25, 2022. The Frontier's production dates run from June 10, 2020, to June 25, 2021.
The issue is specific to Nissan and Frontier vehicles equipped with 9-speed transmissions.
In July, Nissan received a report from its Canton, Miss., plant that a 2022 Nissan Frontier vehicle produced after June 14 moved after being placed in park, regulators said.
The company confirmed the problem through testing by Jatco, which makes the nine-speed transmission.
NHTSA said "the issue appeared to be related to insufficient lifting force of the parking pole, due to friction between the parking rod and parking wedge."
Nissan stopped the shipments from the Canton facility. After conducting an audit, the company identified 11 out of 83 vehicles with the problem.
Owners are advised to apply the parking brake every time they park their vehicles, regulators said. A remedy plan is currently being developed.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Nov. 1 and owners may contact Nissan's customer service at +1-800-867-7669.
