'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles

In this Feb. 8, 2012, file photo, vehicles are reflected on the logo of the Nissan Motors Co. at a showroom in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.

Issued Wednesday, the warning applies to roughly 48,000 Canadian vehicles, including 2002-06 Nissan Sentras, 2002-04 Pathfinders and 2002-03 Infiniti QX4s, Nissan told CTVNews.ca.

Owners are warned not to drive the above-mentioned models until the airbags can be repaired and replaced, free of charge, at their dealership. To determine whether their model is affected, drivers are encouraged to look up their vehicle on the manufacturer's website, using the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number unique to their car.

Additional services relating to the recall including towing to local dealerships, mobile service and loaner cars may be available, according to Nissan.

The company described this week's warning in an emailed statement as "the most recent effort in an extensive, multiyear campaign initiated in summer 2017 to communicate the risk of driving vehicles with defective Takata inflators and urge drivers to complete the free recall repair"

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The warning comes following reports of 58 injuries and one death since 2015 associated with the inflators in Nissan cars. Across the United States, federal officials had tallied 27 deaths and 400 alleged injuries across all affected cars, including those from other manufacturers.

"Even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries," reads a Wednesday release from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Older model year vehicles put their occupants at higher risk, as the age of the air bag is one of the contributing factors."

The inflators have given rise to what has been called the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history, affecting some 67 million Takata products, with roughly 100 million inflators recalled globally. Other manufacturers that have issued do-not-drive warnings including Honda, Ford, BMW, Toyota, Stellantis and Mazda.

Nissan told CTV News that as of Wednesday, no inflator ruptures had been reported to the manufacturer in Canada.

"This safety defect can KILL or seriously injure you or your passengers," the recall's U.S. landing page reads. "We need your help in ensuring that 100[ per cent] of affected vehicles are remedied."

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With files from The Associated Press