The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s more than 553,000 Rogue sport utility vehicles whose automatic emergency braking systems activate without any impediment or warning, Reuters reported Sept. 12.
The NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation after it received 129 reports alleging faulty triggering of the system and three complaints about related crashes with injuries.
The investigation, which follows a petition from the Center for Auto Safety, involves 2017-2018 model year Nissan Rogue and Rogue Sport vehicles.
Nissan, according to the plea, previously issued a technical service bulletin, rolled out two "quality actions" and initiated a "customer service initiative" to address the concerns.
The automaker agreed to "field actions notifying affected customers of a software update" that improves "system performance" free of charge. It also ensured collaboration with the NHTSA on "all matters of product safety," the report noted.
In February, Nissan recalled 75,358 2017-2018 Rogue and Qashqai vehicles in Canada, with a similar problem, causing automatic emergency braking system to unnecessarily activate near a metal structure like a railroad crossing or overhead sign.
Nissan told NHTSA it has received 750 complaints about false-positive brake activation and 12 reports of related crashes.
The Japanese carmaker faces a class-action lawsuit over its automatic emergency braking system in U.S. District Court in California covering Nissan and Infiniti vehicles sold since 2015.
