Unofficial Picture: 2010 Nissan Altima

In the process of recalling 26,398 Nissan Maximas and Altimas, a full picture of the updated 2010 Altima has leaked out along with news that the new model has been recalled before ever leaving the factory.

Last week, Nissan dropped a tightly cropped teaser picture of the 2010 Altima with the promise that more pictures and information would be forthcoming in the near future. In the course of reporting a recall that affects the new Altima, though, a full picture of the car inadvertently leaked out.

The leaked photo gives a good look at the updates to the Altima's bodywork, including a new front fascia, hood, wheels, headlights, tail lights, and sides. Up front, the lower fascia has lost its single large, black intake, which has been replaced by molded body-color pieces with a single horizontal bar across the middle. The fog lights get their own alcoves over in the side ports and are more prominently displayed on the 2009 car

Above, a new grille features a slightly thicker that no longer reaches on to the hood and is broken up by three horizontal slats accented in chrome. The hood itself has lost the twin creases running up the middle in favor of a more subtle bulge. To the sides, the headlights feature cleaner, sharper lenses with the turn signals pushed out to the sides, far less prominent than on the old model.

Around the side, the new Altima appears to get a slightly sharper crease running down its side along the plane of the door handles, which leads to new tail lights. Unfortunately, the front three-quarter view only shows us that the tail lights are larger and more prominent. Other changes to the rear end remain to be seen. The new look is topped off with a set of shiny new split five-spoke wheels that appear to be slightly larger than those found on the 2009 model.

As for the recall itself, the 2009 and 2010 Maximas and Altimas have been recalled because metal upper strut insulators on the cars were not made correctly by the Chinese parts maker Trelleborg Automotive Americas. In extreme conditions, there is a chance the insulator could crack and allow the strut rod to come out of its housing, possibly damaging other suspension elements and leading to an accident.

Thanks to: Motor Trend