Problems · by component

2013 Nissan Sentra air bags problems

96 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Sentra cite air bags, 15% of all 638 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 4 recalls on this component.

Complaints
96
15% of all complaints
Crashes
11
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
12
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the air bags

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the front passenger's side air bag warning light remained illuminated while the front passenger's seat was occupied. The contact stated that the dealer had previously repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (AIR BAGS), and the contact was provided a letter stating that the vehicle was eligible for additional repairs for 15 years. The manufacturer was contacted, a case was filed, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who failed to honor the letter and provided an estimate for the diagnostic test, and the contact declined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer then closed the case. The failure mileage was approximately 16,050.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 26, 2026Air bagsODI 11746802
“I am reporting a failed remedy for Recall R1608 (Occupant Classification System). My 2013 Nissan Sentra was serviced at Nissan of Van Nuys for this recall. Despite the dealership marking the recall as completed, the safety defect persists. Specifically, the passenger seatbelt warning light remains illuminated when the passenger seat is empty, indicating the OCS sensor is incorrectly classifying seat occupancy. This malfunction directly impacts the vehicle's ability to correctly deploy or withhold airbags in a collision. The dealership refused to re-evaluate the failed repair without legal representation. Furthermore, the Multi-Point Inspection provided during this safety recall visit was falsified; a technician hand-wrote a failing brake measurement of '3mm,' yet the Service Advisor marked the system as 'Green/Safe' on the final document. This documentation fraud makes their certification of the recall repair unreliable. They have since refused to re-inspect the safety defect.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 4, 2026Air bags, Seat belts, SeatsODI 11708671
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the passenger’s side front seat occupied, the “Air Bag Off” warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where DTC code: B00A0 was retrieved. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that a software update was needed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 12, 2024Air bagsODI 11614138
“I went to get my car inspected and they noticed that my airbag light was on, and that even with a passenger in the seat, the airbag sensor wouldn’t work. I came across an article saying there was a recall for 2013 Nissan’s with airbag sensor problems, but when I went to go see if my car qualified, they said no.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 17, 2023Air bagsODI 11550354
“Slid on black ice (luckily only going about 40mph) car hit a cement guard rail head on severally damaging the entire front of the car (waiting on if it's totaled) no injuries but air bags did not deploy. Well it wasn't super fast that hard of a head on hit they should have deployed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 24, 2023Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11508841
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled. During the failure, the check engine and air bags warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 61,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 27, 2023Power train, Air bagsODI 11503942

Showing 6 of 96 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

4 recalls on this component

Air bags: occupant classification

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Apr 26, 2016NHTSA 16V242000

Air bags: occupant classification

Remedy pending

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.

Air bagsReported Apr 26, 2016NHTSA 16V244000

Air bags: frontal

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Oct 20, 2015NHTSA 15V681000

Air bags

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Mar 1, 2013NHTSA 13V069000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.