Not to be outdone by Toyota and GM, Nissan is recalling 540,000 vehicles worldwide to fix faulty brake pedal pins and inaccurate fuel gauges.

The Japanese automaker's North American division said no accidents or injuries have been reported, but the company is initiating the recalls based on three reports of brake pedal pins partially disengaging, hindering braking ability.

A separate, unrelated fuel-gauge issue can lead to inaccurate fuel readings in certain trucks and minivans. The gauge may show gas left when the tank is actually empty.

Note: Nissan Canada’s “voluntary service campaign” to inspect for possible cracks in the front propeller shafts of about 650 four-wheel-drive vehicles begins March 1, 2010. The information here from a Ford product specialist that the front propeller shaft provides torque to the rear wheels of the Nissan products is incorrect. In fact, Nissan says the component provides torque only to the front wheels.

Nissan North America announced that its January sales were up 16.1 percent compared to a year ago.

The company noted the increase occurred despite there being two fewer selling days this year compared to January 2009.

Vehicles showing significant sales increases included the Maxima (up 51.8 percent), Altima (up 31.8 percent) and Frontier (up 22 percent). Two SUVs didn’t fare as well. Pathfinder sales were up 1.9 percent, and Xterra sales fell 5.4 percent.

Pitted against such competition as the Kia Borrego, Lexus LX570, Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota Sequoia, the Nissan Xterra walked away with the 2009 Four Wheeler of the Year's top honor (Feb. '09). As with all of our winners, we put in our order for a long-term test vehicle and have been busily rolling on the miles since it was delivered at the office.

Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe ( SCEE ) have joined forces again to bring gaming and motor sport fans the ultimate racing competition. GT Academy 2010 will go live on 17 December, 2009 and will use the virtual world of the new PlayStation® Gran Turismo®5 game to find a real-world racing driver. The stakes are high, with an intensive race training programme and a season-long drive in a full race-spec Nissan 370Z in the European GT4 Cup as the ultimate prize.

Following an extensive list of enhancements and revisions for the last model year, the tough, essential Nissan Xterra enters 2010 relatively unchanged. For 2010, Xterra is again available in four well-equipped models – X, S, Off-Road and SE – making it easier for buyers to determine the exact Xterra model for their particular needs and lifestyles.