Nissan Frontier Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 299 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Nissan Frontier across 26 model years. The 2007 model year has the most (38). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (41% of reports).
- 299air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 70mention a crash
- 54mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- $2,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 38%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 123 of 299 complaints (41%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 27 of 299 complaints (9%)
- Bags deployed: mentioned in 18 of 299 complaints (6%)
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 Nissan Frontier at $2,100, and half of them between $1,500 and $3,000.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2026), 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 177 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 299 complaints, 70 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 54 an injury.
Nissan Frontier air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Frontier | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2022 Frontier | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2021 Frontier | 3 | 15% | 2,000 |
| 2020 Frontier | 1 | 4% | 9,624 |
| 2019 Frontier | 5 | 18% | 24,540 |
| 2018 Frontier | 2 | 8% | — |
| 2017 Frontier | 5 | 13% | 20,870 |
| 2016 Frontier | 10 | 23% | 52,000 |
| 2015 Frontier | 10 | 30% | 52,000 |
| 2014 Frontier | 11 | 26% | 69,380 |
| 2013 Frontier | 15 | 31% | 38,000 |
| 2012 Frontier | 23 | 29% | 46,250 |
| 2011 Frontier | 16 | 25% | 34,400 |
| 2010 Frontier | 19 | 32% | 59,757 |
| 2009 Frontier | 9 | 24% | 116,750 |
| 2008 Frontier | 21 | 15% | 82,000 |
| 2007 Frontier | 38 | 7% | 80,196 |
| 2006 Frontier | 26 | 4% | 66,850 |
| 2005 Frontier | 14 | 3% | 101,001 |
| 2004 Frontier | 6 | 9% | 115,000 |
| 2003 Frontier | 5 | 6% | 139,500 |
| 2002 Frontier | 5 | 4% | 77,604 |
| 2001 Frontier | 10 | 7% | 90,000 |
| 2000 Frontier | 12 | 6% | 109,500 |
| 1999 Frontier | 17 | 22% | 90,000 |
| 1998 Frontier | 12 | 9% | 135,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2024
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the driver's air bag inflator may absorb moisture, and cause the air bag to deploy improperly.
Risk: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front driver's air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD103, PD104, and PMA34.
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driverÂs airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Problem: Nissan is recalling 242,720 my 2005-2009 pathfinder, frontier and xterra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. In those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, a mixture of snow/water and salt can enter into the front crash zone sensor (czs) housing. If this occurs, the czs may internally rust resulting in a signal interruption. If this happens, the red air bag warning light will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator.
Risk: This issue could result in the non-deployment of the driver and passenger front air bags in a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front czs with a redesigned sensor. The recall began on january 26, 2009. Owners in the other states will receive extended warranty coverage for the sensor to 10 years. These owners will be notified of the warranty extension by mail and will receive a sticker to place in their warranty booklet explaining the extended warranty coverage. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I have two recalls, I´m living in [XXX] and I drive this vehicle here. I don´t know where they can solve this problems. NHTSA Recall Number23E-012 NHTSA Recall Number10V-517 I have set a letter in the Upload Files section INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5…
A warning light came on my dash. When I took it to the dealership they told me my airbag module would need to be replaced based on their diagnostic. They told me my airbags are possibly not working at this time. I feel this is a huge safety issue. Since I am unable to afford the $2919.90 to have it…
Air Bag light is constantly on. So the diagnosis was air bag sensor is not working. so the air bags will not deploy in an accident
Passenger side ocs control unit has failed .
See attached document for complaint.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Nissan Frontiers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 299 owner complaints about air bags for the Nissan Frontier. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Nissan Frontier air bags?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the Nissan Frontier?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,100 (half paid between $1,500 and $3,000), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Nissan Frontier?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 123 of 299 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (27).
Other Nissan Frontier problems
See all Nissan Frontier problems.