2013 Nissan Sentra Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2013 Nissan Sentra, 15% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 16,050 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (43% of reports).
- 96air bags complaints
- 16,050median miles at failure
- 11mention a crash
- 10mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 30%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 41 of 96 complaints (43%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 28 of 96 complaints (29%)
- Airbag off: mentioned in 6 of 96 complaints (6%)
- Bags electrical: mentioned in 5 of 96 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 69 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 96 complaints, 11 mention a crash, 10 an injury.
Nissan Sentra air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sentra | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2025 Sentra | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2024 Sentra | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2022 Sentra | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2019 Sentra | 14 | 6% | 30,000 |
| 2018 Sentra | 9 | 5% | 46,500 |
| 2017 Sentra | 26 | 11% | 48,000 |
| 2016 Sentra | 24 | 9% | 26,000 |
| 2015 Sentra | 44 | 13% | 17,000 |
| 2014 Sentra | 51 | 13% | 40,000 |
| 2013 Sentra | 96 | 15% | 16,050 |
| 2012 Sentra | 20 | 11% | 72,000 |
| 2011 Sentra | 20 | 14% | 65,000 |
| 2010 Sentra | 31 | 22% | 64,554 |
| 2009 Sentra | 15 | 27% | 79,000 |
| 2008 Sentra | 53 | 32% | 103,971 |
| 2007 Sentra | 41 | 27% | 98,850 |
| 2006 Sentra | 30 | 26% | 107,500 |
| 2005 Sentra | 21 | 12% | 130,500 |
| 2004 Sentra | 32 | 16% | 80,500 |
| 2003 Sentra | 16 | 9% | 120,505 |
| 2002 Sentra | 30 | 10% | 69,500 |
| 2001 Sentra | 11 | 5% | 76,731 |
| 2000 Sentra | 16 | 9% | 96,188 |
| 1999 Sentra | 7 | 12% | 101,108 |
| 1998 Sentra | 15 | 26% | 73,000 |
| 1997 Sentra | 33 | 31% | 117,954 |
| 1996 Sentra | 53 | 38% | 74,925 |
| 1995 Sentra | 46 | 39% | 178,657 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
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
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
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.
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…
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…
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the passengerâs side front seat occupied, the âAir Bag Offâ warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where DTC code: B00A0 was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Nissan Sentras have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 96 owner complaints about air bags for the 2013 Nissan Sentra (15% of the 638 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 Sentra 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 16,050 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2013 Nissan Sentra?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 41 of 96 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (28).
Other 2013 Nissan Sentra problems
See all 2013 Nissan Sentra problems or air bags problems across all Sentra years.