Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Nissan Altima submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 72 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 72, in the owner's own words
I was driving home from the store like 4 blocks away and on the road there’s dip n the road you can’t avoid it so after i drive over it the airbag light comes on with hitting anything.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle with a passenger inside the vehicle, the air big warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers to be inspected, and it was determined that the air bag sensor module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to reach out to the Better Business Bureau to report the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 27,016.
AIRBAG LIGHT UNEXPECTANTLY CAME ON WITHOUT ANY COLLISION ACTION, OR OTHER UNUSUAL ACTIVITY ON 5/28/26. DELAY GETTING CAR FOR INSPECTION DUE TO PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. ON 6/29/26 CAR CHECKED A NISSAN DEALERSHIP. INSPECTED AND CHECKED CODES. CODED AS B0020-13 FOR AIR BAG MODULE DEFECTIVE. RECOMMENDED REPLACING DRIVER SIDE FRONT SEAT BACK. THIS NISSAN ALTIMA 2017 NOT UNDER RECALL, AND CALL NOT UNDER WARRANTY. SAFETY OF DRIVER AND PASSENGERS AT RISK.
The passenger airbag system failed, specifically the occupant sensor and the pad beneath the passenger seat. These components are responsible for detecting whether a passenger is present and ensuring the airbag deploys correctly in a crash. I've also been told that I may be at risk of not having my airbag deploy in an accident. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I am a single mother. My child rides in the vehicle regularly, and my elderly parents occasionally ride in the passenger seat . Because the occupant sensor has failed, the passenger airbag may be suppressed entirely in the event of a collision. No passenger in the front seat would have airbag protection in an accident, and it's possible I would not either. We have been driving under these conditions for an extended period of time without a remedy. A trusted independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and confirmed the fault. They diagnosed the issue as a failure of the occupant classification sensor and seat pad, and noted that recalibration was attempted. The recalibration did not resolve the problem, and the airbag warning light remains on. I have not yet taken the vehicle to a Nissan dealership for diagnosis. It has not been inspected by Nissan, law enforcement, or insurance representatives. The airbag warning light on the dashboard has been illuminated continuously for many months. The light is solid, not flashing, which my mechanic indicated reflects a confirmed, persistent fault in the system rather than an intermittent issue. There were no prior symptoms before the light appeared.
I was hit by a school bus on the interstate and my air bags didn't deploy. My car is throwing a code that all 4 did.
No initial incident created this problem. The airbag light randomly comes on for driver left side airbag. It has never been deployed, nor has the vehicle had any impact or damage. The computer shows fault code B0020-13 (AB Side Module Open). Despite resetting it, the light will only stay off for a while. It appears as occasional short in the sensor but I have been told to replace the whole seat. Several owners discuss the same issue on this car in Nissan forums. I've never gotten the code to show as "active" only "past" but nobody can tell me if this will impact whether the airbag will deploy in an accident.
As appears to be the case with many other 2017 Nissan Altima drivers, the light indicating the Passenger Side Air Bag is OFF remains on even when adults are in the seat. When the dealership took a look at the issue, they said the Occupant Control Sensor System required replacement, and quoted ~$1,000 to fix this issue. This is a cost we weren't able to bear, and so we have had to use the car with NO functional passenger side airbags for several years. The OCS failed approximately 5 years after the car was purchased. For a safety-critical feature, it is concerning that there is no remedy for the public. This issue appears identical to the OCS problem identified in NHTSA Campaign #16V-244 (Reference #NTB16-054b) from August 25, 2016. It appears that the 2017 Nissan Altima was excluded from this recall, despite suffering the same manufacturing issues.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective air bag sensor and was informed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The dealer reset the air bag warning light, but the warning light returned. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 82,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 25-30 MPH she crashed into a parked 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 that was parked illegally on the road. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no reported fires. A police report. The driver hit her head on the steering wheel, sustaining a concussion, and medical attention was provided at the emergency room. The fire department was on the scene. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
I'm reaching out because my 2017 Nissan Altima has developed a serious issue with the passenger airbag system. The airbag warning light turned on recently (about a couple months ago now) and I took the vehicle to a Nissan dealership, twice, for diagnosis. They informed me that the passenger side seat airbag module is non functional and the repair would cost $2,667.29. I was shocked and disappointed to hear this. My car has never been in an accident, is well maintained, and is less than 10 years old. A critical safety feature like an airbag system should not fail without cause, especially in a relatively modern vehicle. After researching this issue, I discovered that other Altima owners have reported similar problems with the occupant classification system or related components. While I understand recalls vary by model year, I believe this issue is part of a broader trend and should be addressed accordingly. I'm requesting that Nissan provide assistance in covering the cost of this repair, whether through warranty extension, goodwill support, or by investigating whether this is a known defect taht merits broader action. This is a safety issue that I hope Nissan will take seriously. I look forward to your response and assistance in resolving this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There has been no accident. The car has 60k miles and I barely drive that car, twice a month, as I work from home. The airbag light appeared all of a sudden. When I check forums, I realize that hundreds of people are experiencing the same issue. There should be an investigation and Nissan needs to issue a recall on these airbags
All 4 door lock actuators Airbag System Malfunctioning CVT Slipping at 83,000 miles Broken Motor Mount
Warnining light stays on for airbag. Dealership confirmed seat needs to be replaced as airbag is defective and not working. Obviously not drivable unless a board member of Nissan would allow their loved ones to drive a vehicle without an airbag.
No incident has happened yet. I am finding that there is a lot of discussion about faulty air bags on Nissan Altima's of all years. Mine is a 2017 Nissan Altima and my airbag light is on. There is a lot of discussion online of MANY people having the same issues and Nissan charging an arm and a leg to fix. If it is something that is wrong with so many cars then why is this not a recall? I have not taken it to a dealer as they want to charge over $200 to take a look at something that is obviously wrong with all of these cars. At what point does a recall go into effect? How many similar complaints have you received on this issue with Nissan Altima's?
The airbag light turns on whenever someone else drives the car and moves the driver seat. The light stays on until we clear the code and then starts over again when someone moves the seat. The airbag code said that there was a problem with the sensor in the driver seat and the airbag may not deploy. The dealer wants more than $3,000 to fix this problem but I believe it is a manufacturer defect that affects safety and there should be a recall. I have read that there are many other drivers of 2017 Altimas who are having the exact same problem as I am having.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that there not been an air bag deployment. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,150.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s seat air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger’s seat occupant sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 65,000.
My passenger occupancy sensor has triggered an airbag off warning light. I took it to a Nissan dealer who told me a part needed to fix it (the module) is back ordered from Japan with an indefinite delivery date. My car as you can tell a 2017 Altima. The 2013-2016 Altimas were recalled for this same problem as well as the 2017 Maximas. I do believe that the occupancy sensor was defective from the manufacturer and should be recalled and that my car's value has been diminished because of this flaw. I am asked to pay for the part in advance not knowing when they will receive it. I cannot have anyone sit in the passenger seat of my car for fear the airbag will not deploy. Please help.
2017 Nissan Altima. First time it happened was November 2023. Air bag warning light came on and when reset it stayed off till August of 2024. Another reset and a few days later the light was right back on. Nissan has not been helpful with this problem to find a solution to this problem without big price tag. They want to replace the seat, other components etc. that will cost over $3,000. Other owners are complaining of this as well. Recall only goes up to 2016 models however I feel that the 2017 models probably have the 2016 parts. Time for Nissan to do a recall for this model as well.
In November 2023 vehicle had an airbag warning light, took to Nissan Dealer. Inspected by Nissan service. Diagnostic and "repair" performed on driver side airbag. 8 months later in mid July -SAME airbag warning light came on. Needed an oil change in a few weeks and was not driving the vehicle due to out of town vacation. Took Vehicle to the same Nissan Dealership on 8/5/2024. Nissan again inspected and we were again charged for a diagnostic and told needed to fix by replacing the entire seat for $3000. When we asked the service manager why it wasn't fixed he stated perhaps the service in 2023 caused "corrosion" or a faulty airbag or faulty electrical. This is an internal issue inside the seat. Dealership would not help fix. Called Nissan Corporate and filed a case. This vehicle has never had any accidents or damage. Half of the national average of mileage. Meticulously cared for and taken only to Nissan for oil changes. Never touched the seat . After owning this vehicle for less than 7 years it has 45,142 miles . Filed a report with BBB a week ago and have not had any response. Was hoping in good faith Nissan would do the honorable thing and replace this seat as this is our family car. We take our children. to school in it. Go to church in it. Drive to family for get together in it. Now we are worried that the airbag may randomly deploy, or not deploy at all. It is a huge safety concern. We are worried that there may be other 2017 Nissans out there with similar issues. And we cannot sell , as we would never want to put another family at risk . Bottom line , Nissan is being negligent. There is a vehicle that clearly has faulty manufacturing / parts - and they do not wish to do the right thing. We do not feel we should be responsible for something that is not our fault. We hope this can be investigated, as this is an extremely popular vehicle - and there may be many more families at risk. Thank you
MY AIR BAG LIGHT STAY ON WHILE IM DRIVING
I left for work, acceleration at slow speed around 30 mph within 40 seconds, the car began to gain speed, I let off the gas pedal, still accelerated. I tried slowly using brakes to slow down - no response. At this point, I notice that cruise control light, was lit up, on the dashboard but not set. I'm now gaining speed of 72 MPH. Not even 1 mile, from turn off. I literally fish tailed three times, then the car slowed down and I ended up sideways, in a ditch. Chipped hubcap and some plastic piece hanging, from underneath the car. I had a bystander, whom was headed towards me - stop in fear of what happened. Got the car out of ditch. I parked, checked for leaks, nothing. Since this incident, I'm in fear of this happening again. I'm assumption was the accelerator stuck. No brakes is dangerous, let alone feeling like my life was gonna end. I cried. Thinking Jesus my children were home. I have noticed that both airbag "warning" signs have displayed and won't go off. I would hate to have or hear of a fatality, from this. Please look into other reports. I felt like I couldn't even explain this bizarre, unlikely/impossible event to happen but it did.
The airbag warning light began going off October/November 2023 and was intermittent at first and became constantly on. I took it to the dealership in December of 2023 and they said that the airbag sensor plug had become disconnected under the front passenger seat, they said they reconnected it and the warning light was out. It was also stated that this is a common issue when items get under the front passenger seat. In May 2024, the airbag warning light again started to come on intermittently and then became consistently on. Took the car back to the same dealership which diagnosed the fault as an airbag sending unit in the passenger seat. The dealership stated that there was no way to tell if the airbag would operate as intended. The repair would require a new seat as Nissan does not make a replacement airbag unit and would cost $2800. If this, by the dealership's own statement, is a common problem with an important safety feature it would seem that Nissan should be responsable for making any vehicle affected safe.
The vehicle airbag light malfunctions and stays on. It can cause the airbag to deploy or on deploy in a crash. This is an issue with many 2017 Nissan Altimas.
In January 2024 my airbag light came on, I had purchased an extended warranty and the dealer replaced the Drivers Seat back assembly. April 2024, same airbag light came on, dealer diagnose it being the passenger seat back needing replaced this time. No longer covered by my extended warranty, wanted over $1000 to repair. This is obviously an ongoing issue and should not be a responsibility of the owner, this is a costly repair but more importantly a safety hazard!
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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