Nissan is recalling nearly a quarter-million Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Frontier and Nissan Xterra vehicles from the 2005 to 2009 model years.  The front airbag sensor is not sealed properly, and can rust on the inside.  This can cause the driver and passenger air bags to fail to deploy during a crash.

This recall applies only to those vehicles in certain “salt belt” states, primarily in the Northeast, Midwest and Atlantic regions.  Owners of these vehicles in the other states get only an extended warranty and a sticker for their warranty booklet, but no mandatory replacement of the safety sensor.  The government’s recall number is 08V-690.