- Nissan issued a stop-sale order for automatic-equipped 2023 Z cars last month, according to recent reports.
- The affected 9-speed Jatco automatic transmission could have a defective transmission parking pawl that may not fully engage, increasing the risk of the vehicle rolling away when parked.
- This issue does not affect 6-speed manual-equipped Zs.
- This issue also impacts the Nissan Frontier and Nissan Titan pickup trucks, according to NHTSA documents.
- An investigation into a remedy is ongoing, and the automaker advises owners to park their vehicles with the parking brake engaged until it can apply a fix.
A stop-sale and delivery halt order are currently in effect for the 2023 Nissan Z, according to what a company spokesperson recently told Autoblog.
The problem affects vehicles shipping from the automaker’s Tochigi plant in Japan with the 9-speed Jatco automatic transmission.
For the time being, it is holding automatic Z cars at all stages of delivery until it can develop a remedy to solve a potential rollaway issue. The “quality hold”, as Nissan refers to it, began on August 29, and the investigation is ongoing. Nissan’s latest sports car uses the same automatic transmission as the Nissan Frontier and Titan pickup trucks, which could have a defective transmission parking pawl (the metal tab that locks the vehicle in place when the gear selector is in “Park”).
According to NHTSA documents covering two separate recalls, vehicles could rollaway when the pawl fails to completely engage. Instead of locking in place, it could catch on other components inside the gearbox. Specifically, the automaker says, “The investigation to date indicates that resistance between the parking rod and wedge inside of the transmission housing may inhibit movement of the wedge and parking pawl.” There is no preceding warning before a potential failure. The company noted earlier this month, with the latest Frontier/Titan recall, that it is investigating whether other Nissan or Infiniti vehicles are affected.
A plant audit in late August revealed 11 out of 83 vehicles with this parking pawl defect. It issued a stop shipment from the Canton, Mississippi assembly plant, where Nissan builds the Titan, on August 25. As of September 1, it decided to conduct a recall campaign on its midsize and full-size trucks.
The company will follow with a similar campaign for automatic 2023 Nissan Zs, though the exact time frame is uncertain at the moment. It is still working on developing a solution. If you are in line for an automatic Z, then, you may have to wait a little while before receiving your car.
We’ll provide any updates as they are made available.
