Nissan recalls Quest minivan for failing air bag standards

<br>WASHINGTON (AP) _ Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 13,757 Quest minivans because the passenger air bag could deflate when there's a child in the front seat, a company spokesman said Wednesday. <br><br>The

Wednesday, March 3rd 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 13,757 Quest minivans because the passenger air bag could deflate when there's a child in the front seat, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

The recall involves Quests from the 2004 model year. Nissan discovered during vehicle testing that the air bags could fire when a dummy the size of a 6-year-old was in the front passenger seat, Nissan spokesman Eric Booth said.

Federal standards require many new vehicles to have advanced air bag systems, which detect the weight of a passenger and don't fire the air bags if the passenger is too small to withstand the force.

Nissan will begin notifying customers about the recall in May, Booth said. Dealers will recalibrate the system in affected vehicles.

Booth said Nissan also will offer to recalibrate seats in 1,500 Quest minivans in Canada, even though the system meets Canadian standards.

Booth said drivers should be aware that if the air bag indicator light is on, the air bags won't deflate. If the light is off, the air bags will deflate.