Nissan Versa Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 1,085 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Nissan Versa across 16 model years. The 2009 model year has the most (180). The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (17% of reports).
- 1,085air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 164mention a crash
- 113mention an injury
- 12related recalls
- $1,350typical repair cost reported by owners
- 28%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.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 189 of 1,085 complaints (17%)
- Until spring: mentioned in 59 of 1,085 complaints (5%)
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 Versa at $1,350, and half of them between $980 and $1,700.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2025), 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 345 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,085 complaints, 164 mention a crash, 6 a fire, 113 an injury.
Nissan Versa air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Versa | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Versa | 5 | 16% | 6,000 |
| 2020 Versa | 5 | 8% | 15,000 |
| 2019 Versa | 2 | 8% | 5,472 |
| 2018 Versa | 15 | 26% | 17,000 |
| 2017 Versa | 15 | 24% | 9,660 |
| 2016 Versa | 21 | 26% | 30,762 |
| 2015 Versa | 25 | 15% | 41,000 |
| 2014 Versa | 24 | 12% | 29,746 |
| 2013 Versa | 22 | 11% | 40,912 |
| 2012 Versa | 167 | 34% | 44,357 |
| 2011 Versa | 152 | 57% | 74,215 |
| 2010 Versa | 130 | 48% | 73,310 |
| 2009 Versa | 180 | 36% | 88,000 |
| 2008 Versa | 171 | 45% | 74,000 |
| 2007 Versa | 150 | 42% | 71,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (12)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2023, 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:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2007, 2008
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2008 Nissan Versa sedan and Versa hatchback vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation due to exposure to humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: If an inflator were to explode it may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 25, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: The vehicles covered by this recall are in addition to those covered by recall 16V-349.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2010, 2011, 2012
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2011-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Nissan is also recalling 2010-2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2010-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Versa Hatchback, and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Nissan is also recalling certain 2009 Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temperatures, and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2017
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Versa, and Versa Note vehicles. The ring plate that secures the air bag cushion to the passenger frontal air bag assembly may fail, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:side/window
Model years: 2012
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa vehicles. Degradation of the side impact sensor connector pins may cause the curtain and seat-mounted air bags to deploy unexpectedly if the door is slammed.
Risk: If the curtain and seat-mounted air bags inadvertently deploy, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a new jumper harness, and replace the side impact satellite sensors, free of charge. The recall began November 28, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 and 2009 Nissan Versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on June 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:side/window
Model years: 2017
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2017 Versa vehicles manufactured August 1, 2016, to August 16, 2016. A seam in the fabric section of the side curtain air bags may tear during side curtain air bag deployment, potentially affecting the performance of the air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation", and number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating side curtain air bag deployment, if the side curtain air bags do not deploy as intended there would be an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began on December 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2008 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:side/window
Model years: 2012
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 altima and versa vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with side curtain air bags that contain an incorrect propellant mixture for the initiator component used, resulting in insufficient output of compressed gas.
Risk: The side curtain air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace one or both side curtain air bag modules, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on march 12, 2012. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 615-725-1000.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
On September 17, 2026, my 2018 Nissan was involved in a severe rear-end collision on a freeway. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and was declared a total loss. None of the airbags deployed. I am concerned that the airbag/SRS system may not have functioned as designed. After the collision, I…
On September 17, 2026, my 2018 Nissan was involved in a severe rear-end collision on the freeway. The vehicle sustained extensive rear-end damage and was subsequently determined to be a total loss. None of the airbags deployed during the collision. Immediately after the crash, I believe I may have…
I am reporting a severe safety hazard and manufacturer database error involving the Takata driver airbag recall on a 2009 Nissan Versa (VIN: [XXX]). The manufacturerâs recall database falsely reports that the driver's airbag recall has been completed, showing zero open recalls for this vehicle…
I bought my car while living in Florida from a lady that didn't drive it for a while and after I bought it I drove it i drove to Washington two and a half times. before this though it had an airbag safety issue where the airbags didn't deploy and also my gas gauge does not work correctly as well as…
I am submitting a vehicle safety complaint regarding my 2011 Nissan Versa SL. VIN: [XXX] Incident Date: XXX Time: Approximately 7:30 a.m. While driving to work and making a right turn from [XXX] onto [XXX], the driver-side airbag suddenly deployed without a collision or impact. Prior to the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Nissan Versas have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,085 owner complaints about air bags for the Nissan Versa. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Nissan Versa air bags?
Yes: 12 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 Versa?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,350 (half paid between $980 and $1,700), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Nissan Versa?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 189 of 1,085 complaints, followed by “until spring” (59).
Other Nissan Versa problems
- Power Train problems (564)
- Suspension problems (479)
- Engine problems (340)
- Electrical System problems (272)
- Steering problems (188)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (184)
- Service Brakes problems (175)
- Structure problems (143)
See all Nissan Versa problems.