Nissan's lineup shift brings new powertrains and platforms to shop bays
Nissan's product chief for the Americas, Ponz Pandikuthira, outlined a sweeping U.S. lineup change in a WardsAuto interview, including a 40-mpg series-hybrid e-Power powertrain arriving in an all-new Rogue around November. In the e-Power system, the wheels are driven only by electric motors while the engine runs an onboard generator.
That adds high-voltage components to Nissan's highest-volume model, which sells roughly 225,000 units a year. Nissan also plans to return the Xterra as a body-on-frame SUV sharing architecture with the Frontier pickup, and to expand its ProPilot 2 hands-off driving system.
For shops, the changes point to more high-voltage handling on a mainstream crossover, a return to full-frame construction, and additional ADAS content requiring calibration. The Versa, Maxima, and Altima sedans are departing, with the Sentra positioned to absorb remaining sedan demand.
I-CAR publishes axle housing 2-point, 3-position check
I-CAR released a Just In Time video demonstrating the 2-point, 3-position check for diagnosing solid axle housing damage. The test, walked through by subject matter experts Jeff Poole and TJ O'Rouke, targets the axle housing specifically to detect damage that can be difficult to identify after a collision.
Solid axle housings can be damaged in accidents, but the damage can be hard to diagnose visually. I-CAR advises caution when working around vehicles on hoists during the check.
Recall: Ford Bronco Raptor fenders
Ford is recalling 36,046 Bronco Raptor vehicles from the 2022–2026 model years because the fender flares can loosen and separate from the body while driving, according to the recall filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The campaign, NHTSA 26V403 and Ford 26S47, traces the defect to supplier tooling that left attachment holes out of spec. Shops seeing 2022–2026 Bronco Raptors in their repair bays may want to be aware of this open recall.
