1999 Nissan Maxima Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
POSSIBLE "TAKATA RECALL." THESE PARTICULAR MAKE, MODELS AND YEAR, VEHICLES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WHERE THE AIRBAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED AFTER HAVE HIGH SPEED ACCIDENTS. I AM VERY SCARED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALER AND TWO OTHER SEPARATE AUTOMOBILE REPAIR SHOPS THAT THE AIR BAGS MUST BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF OVER $500.00, TO INSURE THEIR INTEGRITY AND THAT THEY WILL PROPERLY DEPLOY IN THE UNFORTUNATE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. RIGHT NOW I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO THE FACT THE FAILED AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED! I HAVE SEEN THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY CARS OF THIS SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR THAT HAVE COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME NATURE, EXHIBITING THE SAME AIRBAG FAILURE WARNING LIGHT ANOMALIES AND WORST OF ALL, MANY OF THEM NOT DEPLOYING AFTER HIGH SPEED ACCIDENTS WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE! PLEASE INCLUDE THESE VEHICLES IN THE TAKATA RECALLS, AS IT HAS SHOWN TO HAVE AN SIGNIFICANT MANUFACTURES DEFECT, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY CLAIM SOME LIVES IF NOT ADDRESSED ASAP; PLEASE DO NOT LET ME OR SOMEONE ELSE LOSE THEIR LIFE DUE TO THIS ISSUE NOT BEING ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY AND IMMEDIATELY! I TRUST THAT THIS INFORMATION WILL LAND ON THE DESK OF SOMEONE WHO WILL ESTABLISH THE FACTS I HAVE PRESENTED HERE TODAY AND TAKE THE PUBLIC'S SAFETY TO HEART AND DON'T LEAVE THIS ISSUE UP TO WHATEVER FATE MAY COME OF IT! THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY VOICE, IT REPRESENTS MANY OTHERS WHO STILL DRIVE THIS SAME VEHICLE; EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS OF US ARE MUCH LESS AT THIS TIME THAN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST MANUFACTURED; WE STILL DESERVE THE SAME CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO ALL OF THE NEWER VEHICLES ARE RECEIVING ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT NUMBERS OF THOSE VEHICLES AND DRIVERS ARE MUCH GREATER! SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TAKATA RECALL.
I WAS IN A FRONT IMPACT ACCIDENT GOING APPROXIMATELY 15-30 MPH. THE PERSON I REAR ENDED WAS STATIONARY AND HIS AIR BAG DEPLOYED. MY AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR WAS EXTENSIVE CAUSING THE HOOD TO FOLD INTO AN INVERTED "V" SMASHING IN THE RADIATOR ETC. I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT MY AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS NOT INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *JB
A WEEK AFTER THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS FLASHING I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO GET IT CHECK. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE RIGHT AIR BAG MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT I GOT WHEN I BOUGHT MY CAR A YEAR AGO DID NOT COVER THIS TYPE OF REPAIR. I WOULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH $500 TO REPLACE THE AIR BAG. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT THEREFORE I CONSIDER THIS A DEFECTIVE PART ON NISSAN. *NM
DT: 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE SIDE AIR BAG MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE AIR BAG INDICATOR WAS BLINKING . TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD AIR BAG. THE DEALER WOULD NOT GIVE ANY INFORMATION. THERE WAS NO RECALL. *AK *JB
THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TOT HE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE AIR BAG HAD SHORTED OUT. *NM THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE REMAINING AIR BAGS WILL NOT WORK UNTIL THEY WERE REPLACED AT CONSUMERS EXPENSE SINCE WARRENTY HAS BEEN REACHED. *TC
WHILE DRIVING AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT AIR BAG MODULE FAILED, AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. *AK NO REPAIR HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY ONLY TWO WEEKS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED FOR A GOODWILL SERVICE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN SPECIAL ASSISTANCE OF EVEN PARTIAL COVERAGE OF THE REPLACING THE AIR BAG MODULE. *NM
TWO SUCESSIVE AIR BAG DISCONNECT FAILURES ON A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. ON 3/29/03 AT 36,834 MILES THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND I WENT TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS, THE TOLD ME THE BAG CIRCUITRY WAS "OPEN" AND THE BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY. THEY REPLACED THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG MODULE UNDER WARRANTY. ON APRIL 20TH 2004 AT 50,300 MILES THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME THEY TOLD ME THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG CIRCUITRY WAS " OPEN" AND THE RIGHT SIDE MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. INITIALLY ,THEY TOLD ME IT WAS STILL WITHIN THE 60 MONTH WARRANTY, SUBSEQUENT TO THAT STATEMENT THEY HAVE INSISTED IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I HAVE TO PAY $422 . MY COMPLAINT IS THAT A EXPENSIVE CAR WITH ONLY 36,000 MILES HAS A AIR BAG FAILURE AND THEN AGAIN AT 50,300 MILES THE OPPOSITE SIDE FAILS AGAIN. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND THE CIRCUITRY COULD BE IN THE FAILURE MODE AND THE LIGHT MAY NOT COME ON OR THE ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR AND THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOY. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION BY NISSAN AND AT LEAST HAVE THE WARRANTY EXTENDED . *AK
I OWN A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED TO FLASH FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TYNANS NISSAN IN FT. COLLINS, CO ON JULY 2, 2004 FOR DIAGNOSTICS. WAS INFORMED THAT A MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE, AUTHORIZED ORDERING NEW MODULE ($450). RETURNED ON 7/20/04 FOR REPLACEMENT, WAS TOLD THAT THE ERROR WAS MISDIAGNOSED AND A SERVICE BULLETIN (NTB00-043) STATED THAT " IF A 1998 OR 1999 MAXIMA HAS THE SRS LIGHT FLASHING... INSTALL A SRS SIDE AIR BAG MODULE OF THE TYPE INDICATED IN THE PARTS INFORMATION TO RESOLVE THIS INCIDENT. THIS NEW SIDE AIR BAG MODULE (WITH LONG HARNESS) REPLACES BOTH THE AIR BAG MODULE AND THE SEAT SUB-HARNESS." I REFUSED TO AUTHORIZE THIS REPAIR, THE DEALERSHIP THEN REPLACED THE ORIGINAL PARTS. THE PROBLEM THEN WENT AWAY. ROOT CAUSE IS THE MANUFACTURER ORIGINALLY USED A TWO PIECE WIRE HARNESS THAT MAY (IN MY CASE DOES) BECOME DISCONNECTED WHEN THE SEAT IS MOVED THROUGHOUT ITS RANGE OF MOTION. THE REPLACEMENT HARNESS IS LONGER AND HAS A DIRECT CONNECTION ACCORDING TO NISSAN. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OEM NOT THE CONSUMER DUE TO THE FLAW IN DESIGN. IF SOMEONE NOT AS TECHNICAL AS MYSELF (ELECTRONICS AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEER) WAS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER $1000 IN COST DUE TO NISSANS POOR DESIGN. *AK
CONSUMER STATES OF HAVING PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AFTER BEEN INVOLVED ON A FRONT COLLISION. DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. TS
CONSUMER STATES THAT HAS BEEN ON A FRONT COLLISION AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. TS
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING VEHICLE COLLISION, RESULTING INJURY (BACK). NLM
VEHICLE INVOVED IN A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE WHICH RAN IN FRONT OF CONSUMER, AND CAUSED CONSUMER TO HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE ON DRIVER SIDE; CONSUMER'S AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. SEEKING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER. *AK
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Quick Summary
The 1999 Nissan Maxima has 13 Air Bags complaints on file. 4 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.