Infiniti Q50 hit by steer-by-wire recall in the US

Infiniti has issued a recall notice in the US for a small number of Q50 models fitted with the firm’s new Direct Adaptive Steering system.

This is a ‘steer-by-wire’ steering system that only has a mechanical link between the steering wheel and the wheels as a back-up. The rest of the time the steering is operated by electronics, rather than a direct connection.

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The recall notice only relates to 23 cars, but the consequences are quite severe, as detailed in a press statement released by Nissan North America, which says:

“The disablement of the steering systems could result in a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.”

According to the company, the affected vehicles received a power steering software version that – should the engine compartment reach freezing temperatures – may disable the electric steering system AND also delay the engagement of the mechanical steering backup system.

Which is a worry, as that essentially means there’s no steering at all, should the worst happen.

Crucially, the fault isn’t with the Q50′s steer-by-wire system itself, but the software update, which really is limited to that total of 23 cars sold in North America. So compared with some recalls – which sometime impact hundreds of thousands of vehicles – the Q50 issues are small, yet significant.

In the UK, the Direct Adaptive Steering system is standard on the Q50 Hybrid and optional on the diesel. When we tested the car in Spain, it took us a while to get over our initial trepidation, but found it worked well enough after that.

The recall doesn’t affect any UK-spec Infiniti Q50 models.

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By motoringresearch.com