Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire has issued a recall for 162,251 tires that have been produced with insufficient tread gauge.

Due to the tire defect, the tires will degrade more rapidly and cause vibrations while driving. Extended use could cause the tread to distort or separate.

Firestone’s line of FR380 tires size P235/75R15 and LeMans Champion SE tires size P235/75R15 are affected.

Bridgestone Firestone will contact owners of these faulty tires and replace them for free, including mounting and balancing of the replacements for no charge.

Nissan Motor Company has announced that it will recall over 200,000 vehicles in the United States and overseas because of a sensor system defect.  The vehicle defect involves a sensor that can affect the car’s passenger-side air bag and includes the following vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years:
Infiniti: EX35, G35 Sedan, G37
Nissan: Altima, 350Z, Murano, Rogue

The majority of the recalled vehicles are located in the United States, but others are located in Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Persian Gulf.

The defect appears to be in vehicles equipped with “Continental Automotive Systems’ Occupant Classification System control units.” These units are located in the passenger seat cushion and are believed to have been manufactured “out of specification.”

The defect could interrupt a signal in the sensor system and prevent the passenger air bag from deploying under certain conditions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has unveiled a new automated alert system that allows vehicle owners to be instantly informed of safety recalls. The recall alerts can be received via e-mail or RSS-feed on personal computers, cell phones, or PDAs for no charge.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 600 vehicle recalls each year, and one in four motorists ignore these recalls when they are announced. The new alert system allows consumers to receive all vehicle recalls as they are made public or personalize the recall alerts to specific vehicles.

The new recall notification system is an expansion of the NHTSA’s consumer safety communications program; earlier this year, the NHTSA released an automated recall system for child safety seats and tires.

To start receiving recall alerts, visit www.safercar.gov <http://www.safercar.gov>  and select the “Email recall notifications” option.