2013 Nissan Altima Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 514 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 14,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (49% of reports).
- 514air bags complaints
- 14,000median miles at failure
- 29mention a crash
- 23mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- $1,550typical repair cost reported by owners
- 29%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 250 of 514 complaints (49%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 176 of 514 complaints (34%)
- Airbag off: mentioned in 51 of 514 complaints (10%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2013 Nissan Altima at $1,550, and half of them between $750 and $2,400.
Based on 18 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2016–2024), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 353 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 514 complaints, 29 mention a crash, 23 an injury.
Nissan Altima air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Altima | 1 | 14% | — |
| 2024 Altima | 2 | 5% | 3,200 |
| 2022 Altima | 3 | 10% | 5,600 |
| 2021 Altima | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2020 Altima | 8 | 5% | 67,000 |
| 2019 Altima | 11 | 5% | 27,806 |
| 2018 Altima | 36 | 16% | 46,478 |
| 2017 Altima | 73 | 19% | 65,000 |
| 2016 Altima | 71 | 13% | 52,000 |
| 2015 Altima | 177 | 19% | 30,400 |
| 2014 Altima | 208 | 19% | 22,000 |
| 2013 Altima | 514 | 22% | 14,000 |
| 2012 Altima | 57 | 13% | 51,000 |
| 2011 Altima | 21 | 9% | 38,400 |
| 2010 Altima | 61 | 16% | 50,000 |
| 2009 Altima | 91 | 6% | 65,500 |
| 2008 Altima | 142 | 14% | 71,700 |
| 2007 Altima | 63 | 13% | 54,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 43 | 5% | 93,000 |
| 2005 Altima | 47 | 4% | 90,000 |
| 2004 Altima | 11 | 4% | 107,000 |
| 2003 Altima | 28 | 3% | 70,500 |
| 2002 Altima | 34 | 3% | 72,750 |
| 2001 Altima | 15 | 9% | 75,000 |
| 2000 Altima | 14 | 9% | 80,000 |
| 1999 Altima | 13 | 15% | 75,500 |
| 1998 Altima | 15 | 12% | 70,000 |
| 1997 Altima | 35 | 32% | 61,500 |
| 1996 Altima | 37 | 40% | 78,075 |
| 1995 Altima | 61 | 34% | 103,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification; air bags:frontal
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal; electrical system:software
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Airbag and seat belt warning lights won't turn off one each on instrument cluster RED, and one ORANGEYELLOW center of dash next to hazard lights button
The contact's brother owned a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her brother was driving at an undisclosed speed from a stop sign, another vehicle in the left lane crashed into the contact's brother's front driver's side. The air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated…
Passenger airbag light on. I donât even drive the car much. Out of no where it turned in.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Nissan Altimas have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 514 owner complaints about air bags for the 2013 Nissan Altima (22% of the 2,313 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Nissan Altima air bags?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 14,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,550 (half paid between $750 and $2,400), from 18 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 250 of 514 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (176).
Other 2013 Nissan Altima problems
- Power Train problems (505)
- Exterior Lighting problems (442)
- Suspension problems (289)
- Electrical System problems (159)
- Engine problems (158)
- Structure problems (134)
- Steering problems (94)
- Latches/locks/linkages problems (60)
See all 2013 Nissan Altima problems or air bags problems across all Altima years.