49 complaints reported

2016 Nissan Altima Air Bags

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
49
Crashes
7
Fires
1
Injuries
5

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with curtain air bags failure. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair, and the contact was informed that the cost of the repair would not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,464.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2025
Aug 2025

Air bag indicator light turns on indicating a failure of the airbag system. I understand this disables this safety system putting all passengers at risk. The dealer advised the issue is caused by the driver seat side airbag wiring failure. From reading other users, this appears to be a common issue due to severe bends of the wiring from the connector to the airbag. To me this is a design failure which normally does not occur. The cost is ~3000 USD to replace the seat back.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2025
Jun 2025

The air bag sensor light is on continuously. According to the manual it indicates there is something wrong with our airbag. After reading several comments from individuals this seems to be a problem with many.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2025
May 2025

Airbag light sensor is on in the dashboard

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2025
Nov 2024

Accident Description: On August 2024, a 2016 Nissan Altima SL was being driven at a low speed through a residential neighborhood under clear and dry conditions. The ambient temperature was between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Without any prior warning or external impact, the vehicle's airbag system suddenly and unexpectedly deployed. Both the driver and front seat passenger, who were wearing seat belts. Additionally, the vehicle's door locks appeared to malfunction, impeding the passenger's exit. The vehicle has approximately 76,000 miles and is not currently under recall. Component or System Failure: The airbag system, including the airbag modules and potentially the door lock mechanism, malfunctioned. The vehicle is currently undergoing inspection by the insurance company and will be made available for inspection by NHTSA upon request. Safety Risk: The unexpected deployment of the airbags while the vehicle was at a low speed posed a significant safety risk to the occupants. The injuries sustained, including neck, shoulder, and back pain, demonstrate the potential for serious harm. Furthermore, the malfunctioning door locks hindered passenger egress and could have exacerbated the situation in a more severe accident such as if this would have happened on an expressway or highway at a high rate of speed with other vehicles involved, this would have been a deadly accident. Reproduction or Confirmation: The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center yet. Inspections: The vehicle is currently scheduled to undergoing inspection by the insurance company. No inspections by the manufacturer, police, or other parties have been conducted yet. Warning Signs: No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicating an issue with the airbag system was observed prior to the incident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2024
Aug 2024

Air bag sensor light comes on; took to Nissan Glen Burnie MD dealership and believed they rectified the issue (removing debris) and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and they could not determine the cause and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and B0020-13 code was returned resulting in having to replace seat and sensor (no issue with wiring found). Contacted Nissan after seeing many other complaints for same issue with Altima sensor. No help from Nissan since they don't have it listed for a recall. This represents a major safety issue as my understanding is the air bag is not active when the light is on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2023
Jun 2024

Air bag light is on and occupant classification sensor is malfunctioning. Passenger airbag will not deploy in the event of an accident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the air bag warning illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the air bag sensor module in the seat. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Aug 2023

Air bag light is on. Was told at Nissan dealing I need to have a module replaced in the driver seat for $2,300.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2023

The airbag light will. Not go off

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2023
Mar 2023

My air bag light is on and will not go out. I have not been in a accident and I am aware of the previous recall on the air bags back in 2016. I tried to have the Nissan dealership in Lithia Springs, GA check on the issue, but they stated they would have to keep the car for at least 3 days to be able to review the problem. I am unable to be without my vehicle for 3+ days for a known issue with the air bags on these cars. My current mileage is around 86,000. I estimate the airbag warning light came on around 75,000. I can't afford to correct this manufacturer defect that could possibly cost my life in an accident if Nissan doesn't fix this soon. I see so many reports of this problem on the nhtsa website, but still no recall has been issued since the original one in 2016. I guess I or my family will just have to sue Nissan if I end up in a accident and the airbags don't deploy. This is really scary how many people are having the same issue with these cars that were under the original recall. It is clear that this is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed ASAP.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Feb 2023

Based on the air bag warning light showing on my 2016 Nissan Altima I had Lia Nissan of Glens Falls, NY conduct a diagnostic inspection to determine the cause the noted warning light problem on February 22,2023. The technician determined that the air bag system in the back of the passenger seat was not functioning properly with a related code B0020-13 side a/b ih (open). To correct this problem, module i/f seat back, part #87650-phs7a, needed to be replaced at a cost of $2128. The noted part is the entire back side of the passenger seat where the air bag is housed. They also informed me that unless the needed repair was done, the entire air bag system throughout the car would not function, thus creating a major safety hazard. Upon further investigation, I discovered there is a NHTSA recall, #16V244000 dated 2016-04-25, Air Bag: Sensor: Occupant Classification. This recall notice directly relates to problems with the functioning of the front passenger [OCS] air bag system. Noting the potential for non-deployment of the frontal air bag and risk of injury. Upon my contacting Nissan USA and the above noted dealer, they claim no recall exists. The above noted NHTSA recall noted does reflect a clear correlation between my existing air bag system malfunction and the recall mandate for Nissan to address. Instead, they simply claim there is no recall on this vehicle, of which, I strongly disagree. In the meantime, all passengers in my vehicle are at risk. Since there have been no accidents or issues that I have created, it appears very clear that this is a safety equipment problem which Nissan is responsible for and has already been directed to address based the NHSTA recall. It would be appreciated if this matter is addressed since no action by Nissan is forthcoming.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2023
Feb 2023

The "Airbag off" light often illuminates when a 130lb adult is sitting in the passenger seat. I assume this means the airbag is disabled, a severe issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

air bag light stays on error code B0020-13 they repaired occupancy sensor drivers side at a cost of $310.00 light went off came back on next day took it back to nissan they reset it again they said they would reach out to nissan so the light next day come back on

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2023
Dec 2022

My airbag light is on. It just came on one day. (No accident or anything else to cause this to happen) I checked to see if a recall was on my vehicle but it was not. There are other Nissan Altima"s that have a recall for this reason.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2022
Sep 2022

The light for airbags stays on. It has been on for about two weeks. I see there is a recall call for this problem but it is not coming up with a recall for my vehicle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Aug 2022

About a month ago my driver side airbag indicator light came on. I called the dealership and they said there were no recalls on my airbag nor had any airbag been repaired. I took my vehicle to an independent mechanic and he told me that the module was disconnected from the airbag and he reconnected it and reset the module and the light indicator went off. Yesterday, the airbag indicator light came on again. It came off and on several times yesterday and this morning. I was told by the private mechanic that when the airbag indicator light is on the airbag will not deploy. Is my vehicle under the Takata airbag recall even though my dealership says no?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Aug 2022 Crash

car was in a accedent the air bags did not deploy

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag sensor light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle but was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer cleared and reset the air bag sensor however, after several months the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced; however, due to the cost for the repair the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,547.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2020
Jun 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while sitting in the driver's side front seat, the air bag light failed to detect occupancy and was not illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty air bag sensor. The contact was informed that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: May 2022
Jan 2022

Airbag light came on dashboard all of a sudden there was recall before with airbag I called Nissan is doing nothing that issue thanks please help

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2021
Oct 2021

Passenger airbag light is always on. Nissan dealership said it is something with the sensor. Not covered under warranty. This should be recalled! I didn't do anything to make this mechanism screw up...

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2020
Jun 2021

Airbag light is on and Nissan dealership says they may have to replace up to 3 components to find the problem, not covered in warranty

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2021
Jun 2021

Air bag lights stays on and has been sense the car had 60,000 miles i spoke to the dealer and would not take care of it back then saying the warranty was out and im at 70,000 light still on dash and ive seen multiple recalls on the lass air bad module. I believe my call is a recall for that as well air bag light stays off when front passenger are in the car or out the car

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2020
Apr 2021

I WAS RECENTLY INFORMED BY TWO NISSAN DEALERSHIPS THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IS NOT DESIGNED TO DEPLOY FOR PASSENGERS WEIGHING LESS THAN 140 POUNDS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT CHILDREN; HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY, MANY ADULTS WEIGHING LESS THAN 140 POUNDS AND THIS WOULD PUT THEM AT SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR INJURY IN AN ACCIDENT. THANK YOU. ANDREA OLIVERA

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2021

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2016 Nissan Altima has 49 Air Bags complaints on file. 7 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.