Post date: Apr 18, 2011 1:47:16 PM
Nissan Motor offers to fix over 5,000 of its electric Leaf, which may not restart once turned off; automaker says issue is software-related and not safety.
ASIA-COMPANYASIA - Shares of Nissan underperformed the broader market Monday, after the Japanese automaker said it would recall its Leaf electric vehicles.
Nissan was the biggest loser among Japan's top three carmakers, down as much as two percent, following the company's announcement that it would repair more than 5,000 units of its "Leaf" electric vehicles in North America, Japan and Europe.
A total of about 8,000 of the cars have been built to date in Japan and the United States.Nissan said a software glitch caused a number of the zero-emission vehicles to fail to re-start, after the engine was turned off.
The automaker says it does not consider it a safety issue, as the vehicle operates properly while it is driven.
Nissan begins notifying Leaf drivers of the repair campaign this week, via a message sent to the vehicle's on-board communications system.
Nissan's high-stakes electric vehicle has been on the international market for around five months, making its debut in Japan and the U.S. last December.
Toshi Maeda, Reuters, Tokyo