The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Monday that Nissan is recalling 46,000 units of the 2009-2010 Cube due to possible problems with fuel spilling during rear end collisions.

"These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 301, 'fuel system integrity,'" according to NHTSA's recalls summary.

"When the vehicle was rotated following a rear moving barrier crash test as required, the amount of fuel leakage exceeded the allowable limits. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire."

Nissan said that while its own earlier tests did not show any fuel leakage, it will issue a voluntary recall. It informed dealers last week and will contact owners.

To fix the problem, dealers will place a special protector to the gasoline recirculation tube at the location of the filler neck connector.

The safety recall, expected to begin on August 30, covers model year 2009 and 2010 Cubes made between January 30, 2009 and July 30.

Last month, Toyota reported a similar problem from NHTSA tests of a Lexus hybrid. The automaker also said it did not find any problems in its own tests, but issued a recall anyway.