The government said in a posting on its Web site Wednesday that the recall affects the Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra for the 2005-2009 model years. In states where winter time road salt is used, a mix of snow and salt could enter a crash zone sensor area and rust, interrupting the signal and potentially preventing the front air bags from deploying in a crash.

Parts for the passenger cars covered under August's recall will not be fully available until the end of the year, said Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis. The vehicles include the 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car, 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO and 1994 Mercury Capri.

There have not been similar supply problems for parts for the SUVs and pickup trucks covered by the recall, Jarvis said. Ford had said in August that it expected the parts to be available for the passenger cars in early October.

"A lot of people came in right away so the demand for the part exceeded supply. We're working to fill that pipeline," Jarvis said.

Dealers are installing a fused wiring harness into the speed control electrical system as part of the recall. Owners can take their vehicles to a dealer to have the cruise control deactivated until the parts arrive.

The automaker is asking customers driving new models of two of its flagship sedans to keep their car keys and cellphones at least an inch apart to avoid disabling the "intelligent keys."

Cellphones kept near Nissan's I-Keys -- wireless devices designed to allow drivers to enter and start their cars at the push of a button -- can erase the electronic code on the keys, rendering them unable to unlock or start the cars.

The problem has occurred on the 2007 Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 sedans -- two of their top-selling models, the company said on Thursday.

"We discovered that if the I-Key touches a cellphone, outgoing or incoming calls have the potential to alter the electronic code inside the I-Key," Nissan spokesman Kyle Bazemore said.

"The car won't start and the I-Key cannot be reprogrammed," he added.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling over 145,000 vehicles in the United States for a range of problems from defective latches to faulty drivetrains, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall involves 139,537 2005 model-year Five Hundred and Montego sedans and 2005-2006 model-year Freestar minivans because the side door latches may let in water, NHTSA said on its Web site on Tuesday.

This may cause the latch mechanism to freeze in cold weather and the door could open while the vehicle is moving, the agency said.

Now a software issue is causing Hiroshi Okuda's Toyota Motor to recall a 160,000-strong armada of Prius cars sold mainly in the U.S. and Japan because the gas-electric hybrid vehicles were stalling. A Toyota spokesman said there were no safety concerns, but that the company has decided to fix the fault free of charge. The problem may cause the gasoline engine to stall, but does not affect the electrically powered brake and steering functions, he added.

The recall follows hot on the heels of an investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into customer gripes about problems with the popular fuel-efficient vehicle. In June, the agency said it had received 33 reports of engine stalling in 2004 and 2005 Prius vehicles.

In the Ford case, NHTSA has received more than 550 complaints of engine fires from the cruise control switch. There have been allegations of three deaths in cases cited in news reports or lawsuits in Iowa, Georgia and Arkansas.

The affected vehicles include: 1994-2002 model F-150s, 1997-2002 Expeditions, 1998-2002 Navigators and 1994-1996 Broncos equipped with factory-installed speed control.

"We have a solution that fixes the problem and we're confident that this is going to be the right remedy," said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.

Ford said its inquiry found that brake fluid could leak through the cruise control's deactivation switch into the system's electrical components, leading to potential corrosion. The corrosion could lead to a buildup of electrical current which could cause overheating and a fire.

Covered in the recall, aimed at fixing front-suspension ball joints that could wear faster than they should, are the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia, Landcruiser Prado and 4Runner/Hilux Surf SUVs built between May 2001 and December 2003. Of the total, 789,000 units are in North America.