2013 Nissan Sentra Airbags Problems
NHTSA lists 96 airbag complaints for the 2013 Nissan Sentra, 15% of all complaints filed for the year, tied to 11 crashes and 12 injuries. Five separate Nissan recalls cover airbag and occupant detection sensor issues on this model year. Median mileage at failure is 16,050 miles.
- Airbags complaints
- 96
- 15% of 638
- Crashes reported
- 11
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 12
- Median mileage
- 16,050 mi
- Related recalls
- 5
Typical airbag symptoms owners report
- Frontal airbags fail to deploy during moderate-speed crashes, including rear-end and head-on collisions.
- Passenger-side airbag fails to deploy even when a passenger is seated, often paired with a persistent passenger airbag warning light.
- Airbag warning light illuminates intermittently and returns after dealer inspection finds no fault.
- Owners report brake pedal sinking to the floor with reduced stopping power just before a crash in which airbags then failed to deploy.
- Some owners cite a recall for airbag occupant detection sensors but say their vehicle was denied coverage under it.
When 2013 Nissan Sentra airbag complaints were filed
First complaint Feb 28, 2013, latest Jun 26, 2026.
Airbags recalls for the 2013 Nissan Sentra
- NHTSA 16V242000Apr 26, 2016Airbags645,898 vehicles
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
Risk: If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
- 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 Sentra 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 Sentra?
- NHTSA lists 96 airbag complaints for the 2013 Sentra, which is 15% of the 638 total complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for 2013 Nissan Sentra airbags?
- Yes. Five separate campaigns (13V069000, 14V138000, 15V681000, 16V242000, and 16V244000) cover 2013 Sentra airbag components, including occupant detection sensors, seat belt bracket reinforcement, and Air Bag Control Unit reprogramming.
- Have airbag problems caused crashes or injuries on the 2013 Sentra?
- NHTSA data ties 11 crashes and 12 injuries to airbag complaints on the 2013 Sentra.
- At what mileage do airbag problems typically show up on the 2013 Sentra?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for airbag complaints on this model year is 16,050 miles.