Nissan Altima recall covers 1.9 million cars for hoods flying open

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A massive Nissan Altima recall aims to soon fix an ongoing problem involving the sedan's hood flying open while driving. The Associated Press reported Thursday that the Japanese automaker will recall nearly 1.9 million cars the problem affects.

Documents surrounding the recall haven't been published with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration but Nissan confirmed the new recall with Roadshow. The problem is well known, as this is the fourth recall involving the problem. The previous recalls covered Altima sedans from the 2013-2015 model years, and while they're once again part of the recall, the automaker expanded the campaign to cover 2016-2018 models as well.

The problem rests in a pesky secondary hood latch that can lose its coating over time. If the coating flakes off, it will leave nothing but bare metal, which can rust and leave the latch open. Should the main latch not close properly, the secondary latch won't do its job and the hood could fly open while driving. 

For cars that received a replacement secondary latch, Nissan said contaminants could build up if an owner doesn't keep up on scheduled maintenance outlined in the owner's manual. Like the original recall, if the main latch isn't closed properly, the secondary latch may not keep the hood down while driving. Owners should inspect and lubricate the secondary hood latch if it's already been repaired once before while Nissan continues work on a new fix for the problem. Even if an owner's car received a new secondary latch in a past recall, this new recall will install a new remedy.