2013 Nissan Altima Airbags Problems
NHTSA lists 514 airbag complaints for the 2013 Nissan Altima, 22% of all complaints filed for the year, tied to 29 crashes and 35 injuries. Five separate recalls cover the Occupant Detection System and airbag control unit, with a median failure mileage of 14,000 miles.
- Airbags complaints
- 514
- 22% of 2,312
- Crashes reported
- 29
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 35
- Median mileage
- 14,000 mi
- Related recalls
- 5
Typical airbag symptoms owners report
- Frontal airbags fail to deploy during moderate-speed crashes, including head-on and side impacts, leaving drivers to hit the steering wheel or window.
- Side-impact airbags do not deploy even after recall-related software or component updates were already performed.
- Occupant Detection System (OCS) warning light stays illuminated before a crash in which the airbags then fail to fire.
- Airbag non-deployment is reported in low-speed collisions around 15 to 30 mph, not just high-speed impacts.
- Crashes involving non-deployment result in injuries such as neck, shoulder, head, and pelvic injuries requiring medical attention.
When 2013 Nissan Altima airbag complaints were filed
First complaint Sep 20, 2012, latest Sep 17, 2026.
Airbags recalls for the 2013 Nissan Altima
- NHTSA 16V911000Dec 19, 2016Airbags757 vehicles
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
- NHTSA 16V244000Apr 26, 2016Airbags3,296,947 vehicles
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
- NHTSA 15V681000Oct 20, 2015Airbags919 vehicles
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
- NHTSA 14V138000Mar 25, 2014Airbags989,701 vehicles
Air bags:frontal
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
- NHTSA 13V069000Mar 1, 2013Airbags82,038 vehicles
Air bags
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Airbags complaints by Altima model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How many airbag complaints does NHTSA have for the 2013 Nissan Altima?
- NHTSA lists 514 airbag complaints for the 2013 Altima, which is 22% of the 2,312 total complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for airbag problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
- Yes. Five recalls cover the 2013 Altima's airbag system, including campaigns 13V069000, 14V138000, 15V681000, 16V244000, and 16V911000, mostly addressing the Occupant Detection System and airbag control unit software.
- At what mileage do 2013 Altima airbag problems usually occur?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for airbag complaints on the 2013 Altima is 14,000 miles.
- Have the airbag issues caused injuries or crashes?
- NHTSA data tied to these airbag complaints shows 29 crashes and 35 injuries, with no fires reported.
- Is the airbag complaint rate higher for 2013 than other Altima years?
- Yes. The 2013 Altima's airbag share of 22% is the highest among the model years listed, compared to 19% for 2014, 2015, and 2017, and lower percentages for most other years.