RoadVitals

2016 Nissan Pathfinder Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
18
Latest Apr 13, 2024
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
17%
of 105 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 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.

Owner reports naming airbag

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Airbags
Filed Apr 13, 2024

Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was taken to Nissan dealership for different recall on 4/6/24. Since the vehicle is out of warranty now dealership will not clear recall again but state it is the exact same code. Advised me to contact Nissan USA but they denied my claim for repair. This is an extreme safety hazard and Nissan should honor there safety recall repairs in and out of warranty. Please review my claim because I have seen more complaints online.

NHTSA ID
11582778
Incident
Apr 13, 2024
Airbags
Filed Mar 11, 2023

Passenger Airbag sensor not showing that airbag is on for front passenger seat even though passenger sitting there. Recall issued in 2016 and Nissan still does not have a fix for this yet.

NHTSA ID
11511363
Incident
Mar 10, 2023
Airbags
Filed Jan 12, 2023

The passenger airbag doesn’t activate at all. The OCS sensor is faulty. When someone sits in the front passenger seat, the airbag remains off. This is a known defect with Nissan Pathfinders. We were told ours will not be fixed as our VIN is not included in the recall. However, this exact defect is known and has been recalled in hundreds of thousands Nissan Pathfinders, including the 2016 model year. Not fixing this can result in death or dismemberment in the case of a collision in which the airbags should deploy and do not. After much correspondence with Nissan, they refuse to pay to fix this know defect because our specific VIN was not included. We are asking to include our VIN in this know defect recall.

NHTSA ID
11501521
Incident
Jan 1, 2023
AirbagsInterior & seats
Filed Jul 23, 2022

When I purchased this vehicle I quickly noticed a feature or standard that this vehicle has concerning passenger safety vs airbag ON/OFF There is a lamp beside the display area that indicates if the pass bags are on (lamp is off) or if they are off (lamp is on) If the passenger is under a certain amount the airbag turns itself off...At least that was my observation for at least 4 months after purchase. This standard/feature isn't working anymore I guess? Because the lamp is always ON stating that the passenger airbags are OFF. I notified the dealership, they said they could not inspect the issue unless I paid for their time and then service (fix of the issue)

NHTSA ID
11475467
Incident
Oct 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed Jun 29, 2022

The passenger side air bag light will light up thaymt it is disables when a passenger is occupying the seat. It will not go off to indicate that the airbag is turned on foe the seat occupant until I turn the car off and restart. May have to repeat a couple times or have passenger step out of car, sit back on seat and reconnect lap belt.

NHTSA ID
11471510
Incident
Apr 1, 2022
AirbagsInterior & seats
Filed Jun 20, 2022

When you move front seats forward or back the airbag sensor under the seats breaks. The air bag off light is always lit up for passenger seat even when adult sits there, and the drivers airbag light is blinking on dashboard all the time. A week after buying vehicle I took it back to dealer and they said it was a recall and it was fixed. A week later it was back on I went back and they said nothing they can do it was already fixed. Nissan dealership told me same thing. It is not fixed and now I am paying car payments for a car I can't get an inspection sticker on, so I can't drive it. If it was a recall and they claim to have fixed it and the same problem happens again it should be fixed with an improved part so it don't happen again. The dealership also told me with those lights on there is a possibility of the airbags going off for no reason or they may not go off when in an accident. This is a serious problem and needs to be taken seriously but instead I am being told I need to pay for the recalled problem because they fixed it once already. Clearly they didn't fix it properly or at all but my vin number says it was done.

NHTSA ID
11470018
Incident
Jan 1, 2020
Airbags
Filed Nov 11, 2021

Passenger side air bag indicator is off all the time even with an adult in the seat. The red blinking indicator light flashes for the air bag on the control panel. The air bag cannot be manually turned on or off. If in a crash I do not know if the air bag will deploy. Your site shows 0 recalls other sites show a sensor recall. What do I do?

NHTSA ID
11440170
Incident
Oct 18, 2021
Airbags
Filed Dec 23, 2020
Crash reported

ON 21 DEC 2020 WE WERE IN A ACCIDENT WITH A DEER WE WEAR GOING ABOUT 80MPH WHEN THE DEAR CAME OUT OF NO WEAR AND WE HIT IT HEAD ON AND NEITHER ONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED MY HUSBAND HIT HIS HEAD ON STEERING WHEEL AND NEITHER ONE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED I WAS SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT AND NOTHING EITHER THIS WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT TIME

NHTSA ID
11384700
Incident
Dec 21, 2020
Mileage
981,971 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 12, 2019

I PURCHASED A USED NISSAN PATHFINDER IN JULY 2019. WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE I ALSO PURCHASED A FULL-COVERAGE WARRANTY THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER, THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP ME. THEIR REASONING IS THAT THEY ARE NOT A NISSAN DEALER YET, THEY SOLD ME A VEHICLE THAT IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FOR MY CHILDREN TO BE IN AND REFUSE TO HONOR THE WARRANTY OR HELP OTHERWISE. THE AIRBAG OFF LIGHT WILL TURN ON WHILE ADULTS ARE SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. IT ALSO COMES ON EVEN WHEN MY 160 LB SON IS IN THE FRONT SEAT. ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH THE WAS A RECALL ON THE AIRBAGS ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE A FEW YEARS AGO THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY PREVIOUSLY ADDRESSED, HOWEVER THIS CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY I WAS SOLD A VEHICLE WITH NO INSULATION IN THE DOORS AND NO SEALS ON THE BOTTOMS OF THE DOORS. THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE (ESPECIALLY NOW THAR IT'S VERGING ON WINTER) GETS FRIGID AND YOU CAN EVEN FEEL THE WIND COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW CONTROLS AND BUTTONS ON THE DOORS.

NHTSA ID
11279686
Incident
Aug 8, 2019
Airbags
Filed Aug 6, 2019

RE: RECALL 16V244000 NISSAN PATHFINDER WAS RECALLED TO FIX PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR. WITHIN 2 MONTHS AFTER REPAIR PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN INTERMITTENTLY. APPROX 30% OF STARTS SHOWED PASS AIRBAG OFF IN SPITE OF PASSENGER IN PLACE. THIS WOULD CORRECT BY RESTARTING VEHICLE. THIS WAS REPORTED TO DEALER AT EVERY 5000 MILE SERVICE AND HAD ADJUSTMENTS MADE A FEW TIMES. AIRBAG SENSOR WOULD BE FINE FOR A FEW WEEKS, THEN START ACTING UP AGAIN. THE LAST DEALER VISIT (55000 MILES) NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THIS NOW HAPPENS ON 75 % OF VEHICLE STARTS, AND SIMPLY RESTARTING IS NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE. REPEATED RESTARTS (3-4) USUALLY CORRECTS PROBLEM, OR AT LEAST TURNS OFF THE "AIRBAG DISABLED" LIGHT ALTHOUGH WE SOMETIME NEED TO TAKE SHORT TRIP WITHOUT AIRBAG PROTECTION FOR MY WIFE. I THINK ANOTHER RECALL IS IN ORDER FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE AFTER BEING REPAIRED, THE AIRBAG FAILED 4 DAYS LATER. *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER DETERMINED THE AIRBAG WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS CONSIDERED A SMALL ADULT SO, THE AIRBAG DID NOT ACTIVATE. *JS

NHTSA ID
11242027
Incident
Aug 6, 2019
Mileage
20,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Apr 6, 2019

AIRBAG LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING , WHEN CALLING THE DEALERSHIP MY NISSAN PATHFINDER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. NO ACCIDENT ON THE CAR AND THE CAR WAS PURCHASE NEW AUGUST 2016 .

NHTSA ID
11194364
Incident
Feb 13, 2019
Airbags
Filed Jan 10, 2019

WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE SENSOR FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WILL NOT GO OFF. MEANING IT DOES NOT DETECT ANYONE SITTING IN THE SEAT.

NHTSA ID
11166303
Incident
Jan 9, 2018
Mileage
50,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Dec 6, 2018

UPON STARTING THE IGNITION, AIR BAG OCS INDICATOR SHOWS BOTH FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS NOT WORKING. INDICATION LIGHT REMAINS ON WHILE VEHICLE IS BOTH STATIONARY AND WHILE IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID
11156549
Incident
Nov 26, 2018
Airbags
Filed Oct 23, 2017

NHTSA RECALL 16V-244 HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF CORRECTIVE PARTS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT. THE RECALL DATES FROM 24MAY2016. ABOUT 15-20% OF THE TIME ADULT PASSENGERS ARE PRESENT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATES THAT THE OCS SYSTEM HAS DEACTIVATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. HOW MUCH LONGER WILL NISSAN BE ALLOWED TO AVOID CORRECTIVE ACTION WHILE PASSENGERS IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE EXPOSED TO GREATER THAN NECESSARY RISK OF INJURY?

NHTSA ID
11035581
Incident
Oct 23, 2017
Mileage
25 mi
Airbags
Filed Feb 27, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 162440000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
10957365
Incident
Jun 24, 2016
Airbags
Filed Dec 12, 2016

I WAS THE PERSON WHO FIRST FILED THE AIRBAG ISSUE ON NHTSA. FINALLY TODAY, THE ISSUE WAS "PATCHED".I SAY PATCHED NOT FIXED SINCE NOW THE "AIRBAG OFF" LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON IN MY CAR WHICH DOES NOT MATCH THE MANUAL OF MY VEHICLE.A BIGGER ISSUE THOUGH IS THAT THIS CONFUSES US INTO THINKING THE SIMILARLY ORANGE COLORED CROSS TRAFFIC LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS ON AND TWICE OUT OF TWO TIMES WE ALMOST HAD A CRASH DUE TO THAT. THIS PATCH IS NOT SAFE OR ACCEPTABLE AND I HOPE THAT NHTSA ACTS TO PROTECT CUSTOMERS WHO PAID A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO ACQUIRE A SUPPOSEDLY SAFE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
10934872
Incident
Dec 12, 2016
Mileage
9,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 9, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V244000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID
10905040
Incident
Sep 9, 2016
Airbags
Filed Apr 7, 2016

NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V681000 COMPONENT(S): AIR BAGS THE ABOVE ISSUE WAS ALSO SEEN ON MY 2016 PATHFINDER SL TECH PURCHASED LESS THAN 1 MONTH AGO. THE ISSUE HAPPENS ABOUT 10% OF THE TIME. TO RESOLVE I HAVE TO POWER CYCLE THE CAR...

NHTSA ID
10854052
Incident
Apr 3, 2016
Mileage
520 mi

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.

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