By David Shepardson
(Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co said Friday it will recall about 870,000 Nissan cars in the United States and Canada for potentially faulty hood latches, marking the third time since 2014 the automaker has recalled vehicles to address the problem.
The Japanese automaker said it is recalling the 2013-2015 Nissan Altima, because its secondary hood latch may bind on account of improperly applied rust coating and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. That could result in the hood unexpectedly opening while driving.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said on Friday that 846,000 vehicles in the United States would be recalled, has received complaints from owners of Altimas whose hoods unexpectedly opened. Altimas accounted for about 25 percent of Nissan's U.S. brand sales last year.
Transport Canada in an online posting on Friday cited the same problem, saying that 24,895 vehicles were affected.
Nissan said the previous recall fixes may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. Dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one starting next month.
The new hood latch has an improved coating designed to avoid rust. Prior recall fixes included inspecting and cleaning the hood latch and applying a lubricant.