In a June 2014 incident, an owner of one of the 2008 crossovers made by Nissan Motor Co. noticed loose steering after an oil change, and reported that the steering column had come apart after the car was parked.
"When separated there is no way to steer the car!" the vehicle owner wrote NHTSA. "This could have happened while driving but luckily did not. This seems to be a serious issue that should be looked into."
The agency opened its defect investigation after only two complaints, indicating the possibility of a serious safety- related defect. The probe covers 17,000 vehicles.
In a separately announced defect investigation, NHTSA is looking at an alleged loss of power steering in the 2013 and 2014 Accord from Honda Motor Co. The agency has received 24 complaints, including four low-speed crashes.
Honda owners are reporting the loss of power steering or a sudden increase the effort required to steer the vehicles. In about half the cases, a dashboard warning light flashed as the failure occurred, NHTSA said.
The Honda defect investigation covers an estimated 374,000 sedans.
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