2013 Nissan Leaf Airbags Problems
The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 17 airbag complaints, 21% of its 81 total complaints, with a median failure mileage of 30,000. Three Nissan airbag-related recalls (13V069000, 14V138000, 16V244000) cover this model year, mainly for a faulty passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) sensor.
- Airbags complaints
- 17
- 21% of 81
- Crashes reported
- 2
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 1
- Median mileage
- 30,000 mi
- Related recalls
- 3
Typical airbag symptoms owners report
- Passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) sensor fails to register an adult passenger's weight, causing the passenger airbag to show as off.
- SRS airbag warning light flashes or stays on continuously regardless of whether the passenger seat is occupied.
- Passenger airbag or seatbelt light flickers on and off intermittently, sometimes tied to a diagnostic code pointing to the OCS sensor.
- Some owners report the ODS problem returned or worsened after the recall repair was performed.
- In at least one case, airbags failed to deploy during a low-speed rear-end collision.
- One owner described a side curtain and door airbag deploying unexpectedly after hitting a curb, linked to a suspension defect.
When 2013 Nissan Leaf airbag complaints were filed
First complaint Sep 11, 2013, latest Jul 2, 2023.
Airbags recalls for the 2013 Nissan Leaf
- 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 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 Leaf model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
- 20100 (0%)
- 201135 (37%)
- 201211 (19%)
- 201317 (21%)
- 20144 (12%)
- 20158 (7%)
- 20163 (8%)
- 20174 (24%)
- 20185 (8%)
- 20191 (0%)
- 20201 (1%)
- 20212 (4%)
- 20221 (1%)
- 20230 (0%)
- 20240 (0%)
- 20250 (0%)
Frequently asked questions
- How common are airbag complaints on the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
- NHTSA lists 17 airbag complaints for the 2013 Leaf, which is 21% of all 81 complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for airbag problems on the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
- Yes. Three Nissan recalls touch airbags on this model year: 13V069000, 14V138000, and 16V244000, mostly addressing a faulty Occupant Detection System sensor and related software.
- At what mileage do airbag problems typically show up on the 2013 Leaf?
- NHTSA data shows a median mileage at failure of 30,000 miles for airbag-related complaints on this model year.
- Did the airbag issues cause any crashes or injuries?
- NHTSA records show 2 crashes and 1 injury among the 17 airbag complaints filed for the 2013 Nissan Leaf; no fires were reported.
- Which Leaf model years have more airbag complaints than 2013?
- The 2011 Leaf has the highest share, with 35 airbag complaints making up 37% of that year's total, more than the 2013 Leaf's 21%.