Few topics have set the Autoblog commenting system on fire more than the Nissan GT-R. And once stories began to surface about Godzilla's gearbox grenading when customers invoked the power of launch control, it was like a Hateraid atom bomb had gone off below the fold. Well folks, strap on your riot gear and grab a stick of C4. Nissan's in the news again, officially addressing the GT-R's gearbox failure and rolling out a new software program to mitigate the problem

According to the dealer directive (below) and a subsequent report by InsideLine, Nissan has begun implementing a software change on around 50 GT-Rs awaiting dealer delivery, along with "vigorous encouragement" for current owners to bring their vehicles in for reprogramming. The onboard computer modification will supposedly offer "acceleration similar to that with the current launch control," but will do so without disabling the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). At launch, revs will be reduced from 4,500 rpm to somewhere between 3,000 and 3,500 rpm and the clutch engagement has been reprogrammed to limit driveline stress. And this isn't just for Stateside GT-Rs. All the vehicles sold from here on out, no matter the country, will use the revised programming.

Nissan North America's chief of product public relations, Scott Vazin, told IL that the situation, "...has been blown way out of proportion." And according to Nissan, less than 1% of the vehicles – between 16 and 19 cars out of the 1,750-1,800 GT-Rs delivered to customers in the U.S. – have been affected. Furthermore, Nissan is sticking to its guns about disabling VDC, making it clear that the only time the system should be turned off is when the vehicle is stuck in the mud or snow. To make sure that point is driven home, a revised customer disclosure form will be required for all new GT-R sales from this point forward.

photo gallery

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-nissan-gt-r-details/460450/