56 complaints reported

2017 Nissan Altima Air Bags

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

Reports
56
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
5

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2026

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Jul 2025

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2025
May 2025 Crash Injury

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2025
May 2025

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)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: May 2025
Apr 2025

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2025
Jan 2025

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?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Jan 2025

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2025
Nov 2024

Last week, the air bag warning light came on in my 2017 Nissan Altima - the very same day as the recall was published about the recall on older Nissans - but my vin was not among those recalled - I called the dealership and was told it would have to be replaced at my cost - I have done nothing to cause this problem and do not feel I should be responsible for repairs concerning this matter - I regularing service my car and this is not among the items that require regular servicing .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
Oct 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Oct 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2024
Oct 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Oct 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2024
Sep 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Aug 2024

MY AIR BAG LIGHT STAY ON WHILE IM DRIVING

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2024
Jun 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2024
Jun 2024

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!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2024
Apr 2024

Airbag light came on randomly. Dealership says the unit needs to be replaced. 2900 dollar cost. No reason light came on, airbag was never deployed. Clear safety risk driving the vehicle if the airbag would not deploy.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2024
Feb 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
Dec 2023

Airbag light came on with no previous conditions that should have caused that. Dealership in Dothan, AL originally said a bad connection under the passenger seat caused it. They supposedly cleaned the connection and reset the light. The airbag light came on again days later. The same dealership now says the entire passenger seat and airbags sensors/connections will have to be replaced at $2500+ out of pocket costs.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2023
Nov 2023

My airbag malfunction light came on randomly. Never have I been involved in an accident. I have only had this vehicle for 2 years. I took it to Nissan dealership in Chandler AZ to have it inspected. They told me the recalls for Nissan Altimas only go up to 2016, mine is a 2017. This puts me, my passenger and my children at risk and it is not safe to drive. I have a teenager that was trying to learn how to drive with his permit and now due to this issue, it is not safe for him to do so. If there were recalls prior to the 2017 Nissan Altimas, obviously the 2017s are affected as well. Someone needs to address this issue asap.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2023
Sep 2023

I purchased my 2017 Nissan new and have always serviced it according to recommended guidelines. It has 31,103 miles on it and my airbag light came on and was blinking. I took it to Faulkner Nissan and was told I would have to pay 179.00 for diagnostic test which showed 2 codes one 00 for blinking light and 12 which online states requires a reset but I was told I need a new seat back assembly which would be $2700.00 and not covered under warranty. I have never had an accident and never had them deploy. This sounds bizarre to me considering the age and condition of the vehicle but am now seeing this same issue on multiple sites and feel this should be recalled due to the nature of the safety concern. I also requested a copy of the diagnostics and my request was denied.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2023
Aug 2023

My vehicle had 46,765 miles on it when the airbag warning light came on. I contacted Nissan dealer in Oak Ridge TN (where I purchased the vehicle 1/18) and the stored code they found was B0020-13. I had purchased the extended warranty and my paperwork showed 72 months with replacement vehicle provided and 100.00 deductible. I was told they had to clear it through finance prior to ordering the part. I waited 5 days and had to contact Nissan to see if they were going to fix it. I was told it was approved and they had the part (but failed to contact me). When I asked about a replacement vehicle as I had already gone 5 days without a vehicle as I felt it was not safe to drive I was told unless the repair took over 4 hours it did not qualify for a replacement vehicle. They replaced the Left seat back/side air bag assembly. My concern is it was over 2200.00 for the part not including labor on a car that had less than 50,000 miles. I was lucky I had purchased the extended warranty so my out of pocket was 100.00. However, I should mention that the warranty at the time of purchase was 2,100.00. Had I driven the vehicle and been in an accident one of my airbags would not have deployed. This is a safety feature and should not need an extended warrranty to cover repair.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2023
Aug 2023

AIR BAG LIGHT is on and Dealer diagnosed and could not identify the problem Nissan dealer of Rolla charge me $145. Dealer irresponsiibly reset the airbag code ( erase code) and return the vehicle that there is no issues. But AIR BAG Light came back on in few days. It is showing code B0020 but with no additional information. Dealer is not taking responsibilty on faulty airbag system and it is recurring issue of 2016 Nissan Altima Air bag recall. You need to force the manufacturer to address this issue before safety is comprised. Nissan does not know the issue with AirBag problem of 2017 Nissan Altima

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

The airbag malfunction light has turned on, this puts me at risk as a driver. The airbag assembly on the drivers side has failed. It has been inspected by Auto Nation Nissan in Chandler, AZ. This car was not involved in any accident. I was simply told the airbag failed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2023
Jun 2023

The airbag light turned on and will stay on. The car was taken into the dealership for inspection and diagnose the problem. The vehicle has only 36,000 miles and it has not been involved in an accident. The dealership advised that the front driver side airbag module needs to be replaced. The price quoted for this is over $3k. The service advisor advised that even with replacing the part that we may need to replace further parts due to this problem. Nissan consumer affair was contacted, and they have denied helping with this problem due to the vehicle being out of warranty because of the age of the vehicle. Airbag may or may not deploy and that does NOT make me feel safe when driving.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2023

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Nissan Altima has 56 Air Bags complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.