Nissan recalls 605,000 vehicles for steering, battery defects

Nissan Motor Co. is recalling about 605,000 vehicles worldwide for flaws in steering-column shafts and the batteries.

Nissan, based in Kanagawa, Japan, said it will recall about 303,000 Frontier pickup trucks, 283,000 Xterra sport-utility vehicles and 18,500 Sentra cars, primarily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. About 85 percent of the vehicles were sold in the U.S., the company said.

No accidents or injuries have resulted from the defects, Nissan said today in an e-mailed statement. The recalls cover certain vehicles manufactured from 2001 to 2010.

The steering-column flaw causes corrosion that can limit the movement of the lower joint and lead to cracking of the steering shaft, the company said. The battery defect in the Sentra's positive cable terminal can lead to difficulty starting the cars or stalling at low speeds, the company said.