YearToAvoid

2014 Nissan Pathfinder Airbags Problems

NHTSA lists 92 airbag complaints for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, 16% of all complaints for the year, tied to 6 crashes and 13 injuries. The median mileage at failure was 10,000 miles, and four separate airbag-related recalls cover this model year.

Airbags complaints
92
16% of 574
Crashes reported
6
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
13
Median mileage
10,000 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical airbag symptoms owners report

  • Passenger occupant classification sensor repeatedly misreads an adult in the seat and shuts off the passenger airbag, with the warning light staying lit.
  • Owners report the passenger airbag off light illuminating erratically, sometimes clearing only after the vehicle is turned off and restarted.
  • Some drivers took the vehicle to the dealer multiple times, including up to six visits, for repeated passenger airbag sensor replacements that did not fully resolve the issue.
  • In crash situations, owners report airbags that failed to deploy as expected, including a rollover where the driver and front passenger airbags did not deploy while side airbags did.
  • One owner reported airbag deployment during a low-speed side-impact crash that caused injury, describing the airbag system as tied to a Takata recall.

When 2014 Nissan Pathfinder airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Jan 20, 2014, latest Oct 30, 2024.

2014 Nissan Pathfinder airbags complaints: complaints filed per month7Jan 2014Jan 2015Aug 2015Mar 2016Sep 2016Jun 2017May 2019Mar 2021
92 complaints filed with NHTSA from Jan 2014 to Oct 2024; peak Nov 2016 (7).

Airbags recalls for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. NHTSA 13V456000Sep 26, 2013Airbags2,310 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal

    Nissan North America Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2014 Pathfinders manufactured from July 25, 2013, to September 5, 2013 with Almond interiors only. The instrument panel tear seam on the passenger frontal air bag was incorrectly cut on the back side of the instrument panel which could cause the air bag to not deploy properly.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the improper air bag deployment may increase the risk of personal injury.

    Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected instrument panel assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Airbags complaints by Pathfinder model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 201011 (28%)
  2. 201112 (27%)
  3. 20124 (17%)
  4. 2013177 (20%)
  5. 201492 (16%)
  6. 201555 (17%)
  7. 201618 (17%)
  8. 20177 (4%)
  9. 20184 (5%)
  10. 20194 (5%)
  11. 20201 (2%)
  12. 20225 (4%)
  13. 20232 (2%)
  14. 20241 (1%)
  15. 20252 (4%)

Frequently asked questions

How many airbag complaints does NHTSA have for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA lists 92 airbag complaints for the 2014 Pathfinder, which is 16% of all complaints filed for that model year.
Is there an airbag recall for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder?
Yes. NHTSA lists four separate airbag-related recalls covering the 2014 Pathfinder: campaigns 13V456000, 14V138000, 15V681000, and 16V244000, addressing issues like instrument panel tear seams and occupant classification software.
At what mileage do airbag problems typically show up on the 2014 Pathfinder?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for airbag complaints on the 2014 Pathfinder is 10,000 miles.
Did the airbag issues cause any crashes or injuries?
NHTSA data tied to these airbag complaints shows 6 crashes and 13 injuries reported, with no fires.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.