The recall was announced on September 8 and affects Ariya vehicles produced between June 17, 2022 and May 19, 2023.

What’s wrong with cars?

The flaw in question is related to the inverter software, which could cause a chip in the drive motor slip ring to short out both slip rings. As a result of this short circuit, the inverter detects overcurrent and triggers security protocols, switching off engine torque.

This means that the vehicle will suddenly shut downand the message “EV System Off” will appear on the control panel. To return to normal operation, the vehicle must be turned off and on again.

• Nissan first discovered the issue in January 2022 during production testing of the Ariya EV, where the electric motor shut down at low speeds.
• Further diagnostics revealed a short circuit, but no damage occurred. Additional inspections in February and April 2022 confirmed the problem.
• In December 2022, Nissan was informed of the shutdown of another electric vehicle, the Ariya EV, in China.
• After investigation, it was determined that chips may have formed in the slip ring assembly during normal use.

Since this event did not damage any parts, Nissan did not initially classify it as abnormal.

In response to these findings, Nissan introduced improved inverter fault tolerance management logic in April 2023. However, similar incidents continued to be reported until September 2023.

An important decision

To address the issue, Nissan is voluntarily recalling affected Ariya electric SUVs. Starting October 20, owners of potentially affected vehicles will receive a notification and authorized dealers will reprogram the inverter free of charge to strengthen safety protocols. The rescheduling process is expected to take less than an hour.

In terms of sales, Nissan sold 7,379 Ariya electric SUVs in the US in 2023; Similar results were obtained in important markets such as Japan and Europe. But sales in China, where Nissan sells the bulk of its cars globally, were lower, with only 1,575 Ariya models sold in 2023.