517 of the
8,853 complaints filed about the Nissan Maxima
are about the airbag system —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2009.
The 2016 Nissan Maxima (VIN: [XXX] ) I purchased in January 2025 has been confirmed by a certified mechanic to have no driver airbag installed and no passenger side curtain airbag installed, despite a previous airbag deployment shown on the vehicle history report. There is no record of any airbag replacement or repair. The vehicle was sold to me in this unsafe condition without disclosure. Driving the vehicle presents a serious safety risk because no airbags will deploy in a collision. Nissan and the selling dealer did not repair or disclose this federally required safety equipment failure (49 U.S.C. §30122). Safety Risk: This defect puts me at severe risk of injury or death in a crash. The airbag system is nonfunctional, and the vehicle is being operated on public roads without any airbags installed. This vehicle should not have been sold or financed in this condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11704034 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The air bag located in the seat failed to activate as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the passenger’s side seat sensor was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the occupant sensor was inoperable. The dealer confirmed that the part was no longer in production. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
NHTSA complaint #11691783 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving vehicle on road and the accelerator pedal no longer working vehicle. coasted to the side. Car had to be towed. Vehicle cranking without problem but will not accelerate pedal goes to floor. At consideration of purchase of vehicle, car fax and all details about vehicle were viewed for possible purchase. Items on recall are now a concern as a safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11646469 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I can be going at a regular rate of speed and my car would stall completely the abs light comes on and it drains my battery causing my car to shut off.
NHTSA complaint #11640052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Airbag warning light stays on at the dashboard. Passenger air bag light indicates airbag is off when someone is actually in the seat. This is incorrect.
NHTSA complaint #11610971 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Airbag warning came on. I took to dealership for diagnostic. There was malfunction with the passenger airbag. Seat coushin needed to be replaced so the “normal” wear and tear airbag would no longer be an issue. Nissan stated this is not a safety concern and all expenses were out of pocket.
NHTSA complaint #11602442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Went to work and parked. It rained that day, not sure if it’s related. When I went to leave the dash airbag light stayed on. This was December 2023. There are no other issues with the car. No other warning lights. The car has 52,300 miles on it now. I just recently took it to the dealership to see about getting it fixed and was quoted $7k-11k in repairs. They told me “it’s usually the setback assembly. That could possibly fix it.” I was told the lifetime power train warranty that the dealership offers does not apply. I do have the invoice, but for some train the website is not letting me upload.
NHTSA complaint #11564052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Passenger airbag notifi action blinks and will not show it is activated to function in a crash. Airbag has never worked. Also driver seat belt keeps releasing without being pushed to open. Seat belt issue just began Dec 2023
NHTSA complaint #11562826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
First, my passenger airbag light came on and will not go off. then my emergency breaking system activated while I was driving on the interstate and I was almost hit by a semi from behind I didn’t manage to get the vehicle off the road I took it to Nissan . They did a diagnostics and couldn’t find anything wrong with the car the emergency braking system has activated several times since then and now my whole dash system seems to freeze up completely and will not let me use anything in the car. I have to put it in park the car off and restart for it to work. Nissan has my vehicle now . They did another diagnostics and said it was a sensor in the airbags, and the whole driver side seat had to be replaced and I was told that my airbags would not deploy if I got in a car wreck since there is no recall for this issue so they say I have to put out-of-pocket that amount of money to fix my car and they want me to pay for another diagnostics fee. I have a car that does not have safety features that I paid for. Nissan wants to charge me again for another diagnostics exam and the cost for the seat they say about $5000 .
NHTSA complaint #11556394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag failed to turn on while the front passenger's side seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue, and that the front passenger's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11539116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
11/2022 dash air bag warning light started flashing in 2014 Nissan Maxima. Dealership said air bag sensor (part #873009DH5B)was bad and seat needed to be replaced est cost~$1600. In January, I called dealership to schedule seat replacement and was told part was on back order with no timeline for availability. Called Nissan Consumer Affairs, as recommended by dealership, and was given 3 locations where a seat was in stock. Called first site, seat was no longer available, called second site and purchased seat (~$1670)which was shipped here and installed by dealership for ~$300 on 22 February 2023. Air bag warning did not resolve with new seat, so spent ~$400 to install sensor (next step in the algorithm), still did not resolve warning. So, dealership tested a seat from one of their personal vehicles which did resolve the air bag warning. They determined the new seat that I had purchased was not functional. Since February, dealership has kept the 'new' seat and has been attempting to get it replaced under warranty as it is a new part that malfunctioned. I have had two case numbers with Nissan consumer affairs, made many calls, sent multiple emails detailing this with no response since January when they gave me the 3 in-stock locations. When I call to check on case #, reps say someone tried to call but couldn't leave message. They were able to reach me in January and I have no record of any calls nor issues receiving other calls/voicemail. I will not risk the safety of my family with a potential air bag malfunction in an accident, so have been unable to have a passenger in the front seat for over 6 months. Dealership is communicative and helpful and keeps trying to get the part but they continue to be told that it's not known when the part will be available. I understand supply chain issues and have been patient, but this is a severe safety concern. It's not reasonable for a consumer to be left with an inherently unsafe airbag activation system for over 6 months.
NHTSA complaint #11539130 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On June 6th. 2019 my 2005 nissan maxima struck a disabled vehicle left in the middle lane of the Long Island Expressway (a 3 laned highway). Although I was traveling at 60 mph when the collision occurred and struck the disabled vehicle from the rear, the passenger airbag never deployed. This resulted in the passenger receiving significantly more serious injuries than that of the driver (who's airbag did deploy).
NHTSA complaint #11537062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact filed the complaint on behalf of the owner of the 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary and being serviced with the engine running, the service technician closed the front driver's side door and moments later the front and rear driver's side curtain air bags deployed. The contact stated that during the failure, there was no one seated in the vehicle. The contact stated that there was no impact to the vehicle to cause the air bags to deploy. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 90,948.
NHTSA complaint #11532953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The airbag light is on and blinking. I did call the local Nissan dealer and they told me there was not a recall for this problem on the 2009 Nissan maxima. This seems very unfair because several recalls have been made on the airbags. Also I was told over 5 years ago that the struts on my car were defective when I had my brakes repaired. I did call the Nissan company and they told me my year was not included in the recall. My car was driving so badly I was having problems controlling it and I had to go ahead and get the front struts replaced and shocks replaced on the back and they had to put a stabilizer bar (sway Bar Link) on it also. I recently had this done. This airbag light had come on 4 years ago but I was thinking it was my seat belt light. When I would remove my purse to the floor it would go off. My brother took my manual out and told me it was the airbag and not the seat belt light. It blinks all the time now. I firmly believe the Nissan company know this 2009 Maxima has defects but they refuse to acknowledge it. Appears they could care less about our safety.
NHTSA complaint #11527809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.