Problems with 2009 Nissan Altima AIR BAGS

I went to shop-rite at 6 am to purchase lunch meat for my daughters school lunch. when i went to start the car it would not start. i thought it was the battery so i read the car manual on how to jump a car battery. in the car manual on page 0-12, the warning /indicator lights, page.i saw a picture of the warning indicator that was on my dash board and it had a page number 2-26. on the page it read" it is a security indicator light, to call the dealership" the car would not start with the push button.the car does not have a back up key entry either. so i was stranded at the supermarket.i had to call a tow truck in order for me to get home. i had the company who towed the car and who has been servicing our family cars for years call nissan to see how nissan can fix the car. nissan advised that this part is not under warranty or under any recall and that there is nothing that they can do. they said it will cause me an estimated $3000 dollars to get the car fixed. mind you the car is only 3 1/2 years old and i am still making car payments. [xxx] who towed and fixed the car doubled checked for me to see if this part was under a nissan recall or if this part is under warranty, to my surprise it is not.i can't believe that a push button car does not have a back up to start a car when the push button malfunction. this does not make any sense. i can not believe that there is no alternate way of starting a car when a push button does not work. thank goodness that this happened close to home and not while i was out with my daughters. how can a car be built with out any back up plan. better yet how can this happen to a 3 year old car with only 70297 miles. also my tires have been recalled and the engine was recalled and lastly my passenger air bag goes on when it wants to. i am paying so much money for a lemon and no one can help me. i will never buy a nissan again. information ...

Oct 2012: passenger air bag off symbol illuminated with adult sitting in the seat. dealer diagnosis: no codes in system found. dealer recalibrated the air bag. customer cost $100 dec 2013: passenger air bag off symbol illuminated and dashboard air bag symbol flashing. dealer diagnosed that passenger side seat cushion sensor needed replacing. customer cost $130 for diagnosis, $399 for sensor. may 2014: body shops refuse to handle air bag issues and was referred back to a nissan dealer. seat cushion assembly was now over $700 because the entire seat cushion needed replacing. nissan no longer replaces just the sensor. a complaint was filed with nissan asking for financial assistance with the replacement part . nissan required another diagnosis to be within a 3 month period. july 2014: nissan refused to assist with the cost because it was no longer under warranty. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag indicator remained illuminated and the driver's side air bag indicator flashed continuously. the vehicle was taken to weston nissan (3650 weston rd, davie, fl 33331, (954) 888-6800) and the contact was informed initially that the repair would be covered since it was under warranty when the vehicle was bought back in 2012. when the contact finally called to schedule an appointment, the dealer stated that they would charge for the recall repair. the manufacturer stated that there was nothing they could do since there was no recall and the vehicle was out of warranty. the failure mileage was 2,500.

Passenger seat airbag sensor malfunctions with someone sitting in the seat, the warning light comes on that passenger airbag is disarmed. very unsafe. tires tpms valves constantly leak even after service. replaced 3 out of 4 of them, and 4th one needs to be replaced.

Was in a wreck and the driver side air bags did not come out. *tr

On multiple occasions since taking ownership of this 2009 nissan altima 2.5 s sedan, the passenger airbag warning light has come on, meaning that the airbag was disarmed, while a full sized adult was seated in the passenger seat. on the most current occasion, my wife was sitting properly with only her legs extended when this occurred (seatbelt was on properly too). i took a picture of the warning light, my wife seated in the passenger seat with my camera phone to show to a nissan service center, as i had hoped they would fix this defect under warranty. the nissan dealership could not replicate the warning light, so they said they would not be able to fix this issue. doing some research both here and on other sources, there was a major recall of some 200,000 nissan altimas in 2007 and 2008 for this very same issue. the worry that i have is that god forbid we are ever in a collision, that the airbag might not be there when we need it most. the feature is added in the nissan altima to guard against small children or preteens who are seated in the front passenger seat from airbag-inflation related injuries. what it has done is put the lives of many nissan altima owners in jeopardy. shame on nissan for not designing this feature poorly or not removing it from their design entirely with the previous history of recalls in prior years. this defective seat sensor system needs to be replaced, recalled, or fixed in my opinion. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated was driving 35 mph when he was involved in a crash. the front driver side air bag did not deploy. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was safe to drive and the air bag did not deploy because the air bag sensor was not close enough to the battery area, where the vehicle was struck. the vin was not available. the failure and the current mileage was 27,000. updated 12/13/11*lj

The dash on my altima coupe is "melting". the dash has never been cleaned with any chemicals and is very tacky to the touch around the vents and seams. due to the location of the melted components, it creates a very blinding glare that impairs my forward visibility through the windshield. i have contacted nissan and they refuse to help me although this is a common issue with this model vehicle. nissan has already had a replacement dash made with different materials which uses a different part # than the original dash. this is a very dangerous issue as i have almost gotten into accidents due to being blinded by the glare. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. when the contact was seated in the front passenger seat the side air bag activated. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the seat bottom and sensor replaced and that did not remedy the issue. the contact called the manufacturer and was advised that she does not weigh enough to activate the air bag and she was seated improperly. the contact stated that she weighs 140 pounds and the passenger side air bag should not activate. the contact fears that if she were involved in a crash that the passenger side air bag would not deploy. the failure mileage was 30,982.

Passenger airbag (disabled) light turns on even when a passenger is seated (over 150 pounds). *tr

Passenger air bag disabled light comes on intermittently with an adult in the passenger seat exposing the passenger to the possibility of no air bag deployment in a collision. dealer refuses to repair the problem as he cannot recreate the problem. i have advised him that i have video of the problem and he won't look at it. on 7/28/2010 i notified nissan, cert. mail return receipt and gotten an case number [xxx]. the auto has 11,200 miles and this problem was originally reported to nissan 7/28/2010. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

On july 27,2010 my vehicle was approaching a corner and trying to come to a stop. a truck was approaching perpendicular heading north. i motioned for the truck to take the right of way before making my turn. my foot was on the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop, resulting in the truck hitting my vehicle in the left front side, causing considerable damage. in addition the airbags did not deploy. the vehicle is now in the body shop. nissan na has been contacted , and planning to investigate the problem concerning the brakes and airbags. insurance is estimating body damage. *tr

I own a 2009 nissan altima. almost always when the passenger rides, the airbag off light turns on, the passenger is not protected. i went to the dealer, mossy nissan in oceanside, and the conclusion is that all nissan altimas have this problem -- this model car needs to be recalled so that sensitive enough sensors are installed to protect passengers - the female adult passenger is 110 lbs and not protected, that's a risk nissan corporation doesn't seem to care about. *tr

Passengers seat air bag sensor not working. when my wife who weighs 113 lbs sits in the passenger seat the air bag is off when some one who weighs 150 or more sits there air bag is on. *tr

My husband and i purchased a nissan altima 2009 sometime around october 2009. we immediately had problems with the "airbag turned off " light coming on even though i was sitting on the seat correctly and i weigh around 135 pounds which is more than enough weight to ensure that the airbag off light didn't turn on. i took my car to the dealership and even though i had video on my cell phone showing the problem occurring, i was asked to go on a ride around to see if the situation would repeat itself. because the light comes on randomly, and repeatedly, during that 10 minute ride it did not turn on. needless to say, after much insisting, nissan went ahead and replaced the sensor on the seat. this resulted in no change to the problem and i ride half the time with the "airbag turned off" light constantly on. i am afraid that if i ever get involved in an accident, the airbag will fail to deploy and it will result in my having a serious injury or death. i have not personally spoken to nissan since the sensor was replaced mainly because on the initial contact of the problem, they didn't seem to believe me even though i had video proof. i did want to make sure that this problem was reported just in case others are having the same problem as me. *tr

2009 nissan altima 2.5s - passenger airbag disabled light comes on when a person is sitting in the passenger seat indicating that the passenger airbag will not deploy in any situation. the passenger meets and passes the weight requirement and is seated correctly. we can not produce this issue on demand. environment doesn't seem to matter. shape and size of the passenger doesn't seem to matter either. dealer replaced the seat bottom 6 or so months ago. didn't fix the issue. my wife and i were blamed continually for months (10 or so) as being the cause of the issue. i documented with video and they still said it was our fault. one day we almost got hit and i the nissan dealer i would hold them liable. that day the disabled light remained on and we were able to show the dealer. after that an engineer game in to check the car. they said the system works are it should, we were not doing anything wrong and they couldn't find a fault. that engineer submitted the issue up the chain to the altima engineers in the usa. it has been two months now and no resolution has been made. nissan has told me they are re-engineering the seat bottom and a replacement part will be produced. it will take time they say. my wife and i have had this car and complained about this issue from the first month we owned this car back in sep/oct 2009. *tr

My 2009 nissan altima coupe passenger side air bag will go off and on when an adult is sitting in the seat. this has been an intermittent problem. i have had it in to the nissan dealer to fix the problem on two different occasions and both times they tell me there is nothing wrong. (it has always done this - every time a passenger is in my vehicle) my research indicates the 2007/2008 coupes were recalled for what appears to be same issue (08v521000). i can't get the dealer to fix the problem. i don't want to die in the crash or someone else to die in a crash because the airbag didn't inflate. help! *tr updated ivoq 05/25/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima coupe. the contact was driving at an unknown speed with the passenger seat occupied when she noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. the failure persisted intermittently so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the bottom portion of the front passenger seat was replaced but the failure continued. the contact was informed by the manufacturer that they were aware of the failure but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 16,877.

I have a 2009 nissan altima where the passenger side airbags are being disabled when a passenger sits in the car. a light on the dashboard shows that the airbags are turned off. this has happened to different passengers, of a variety of weight and size. none of the passengers have been small children. the lightest passenger was 110 pounds and the heaviest was 188 pounds. this has occurred more than 6 times. i have taken this to a nissan dealer twice and they are not able to fix the problem. i have found out that other nissan owners are having the same issue. i do have video proof that the airbags are turned off when a passenger is in the seat. i am horrified that nissan will not authorize a replacement of the air bag sensors. can you please help me? i do not want anyone to die because of this factory defect. *tr

Passenger side airbag light comes on and stays on with adult (150 lbs plus) in the passenger seat. this happens about 50% of the time. nissan has been aware of this problem for years and so far has done little to correct the problem. the problem started the first month after purchase of the new vehicle on 4-20-2009 and was reported to the dealer. they found no trouble with the airbag system.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated. route 17 nissan (45 nj-17, hasbrouck heights, nj 07604, 1-(855) 247-9368) was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not included in any air bag recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vin was excluded from an air bag recall campaign. the failure mileage was not available.

Since purchase as new in 2009, occasionally when my wife is in passenger seat, the disable air bag light comes on. i took vehicle to dealership and they said they found no problem. suggesting that maybe my wife was not heavy enough for '(sensor)" to detect.!!!??? my concern with recent news of defective air bags that when we travel together that the "(occupant detection system)" is not working properly and my wife as a passenger is not protected in the event of a accident. the disabled air bag light does not light up all the time and is only occasionally, but this does not give one a felling of security and safety. with recent cnn & fox news as well as local tv news concerning (air bags) makes one to wonder about the safety of our 2009 nissan altima. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2009 nissan altma. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle with a passenger in the front seat the air bag sensor light would illuminate indicating that the passenger side air bag system was deactivated. the contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the cause for the failure was undetermined. the manufacturer was notified of the failure mileage was 100. jft

Traveling 65 mph on the freeway, my daughter noticed her mom's "passenger airbag off" light was on. this happened before, nissan-usa checked the system at mossy nissan and stated the system is working properly. nissan-usa did not use weights to check the weight sensor, they drove around with a 125 lb passenger and concluded the airbag system is ok. nissan countered my safety suggestions below stating it would be very difficult to improve the airbag system due to nhtsa, and they would also need to crash test the car. mossy nissan is knew my wife is ~117 lbs and did not disclose to me the airbag safety deficiency prior to the sale. mossy nissan stated that because this system passed the nhtsa, they are not liable for anything. i counter that based on nissan's position, i am holding nissan corporation, mossy nissan, and nhtsa liable for any injuries which result from injury from an accident and also pain and suffering and any additional distress, especially if the airbag or other safety system fails. the nissan airbag system can lead to a fatality even with an adult 150+ lbs. just prior to an accident, the drive may become rough and the passenger can shift around. for a 150+ lb adult to defeat the airbag system, momentarily lift 1/2 your weight off the seat, as can occur due to movement just prior to an accident. the passenger airbag off light will turn on. immediately drop your weight back into the seat, the passenger airbag system will remain off for 10 seconds, the passenger airbag won't deploy in the crash. nhtsa should require nissan to recall this vehicle and lower the weight sensor to 80 lbs - and also program the flash memory so that the once the seatbelt is fastened, the passenger weight is determined and doesn't change (a passenger doesn't lose 40 lbs just because the road is bumpy) - sensors should mainly determine passenger position, not weight. a better system would have weight sensors in the back seat floor. *tr

I was not aware of your agency until a few weeks ago that is why i am sending this e-mail to you. my 2009 altima was approximately 3-4 months old when i was sitting in the passenger seat (my husband was driving) the no air bag light came on for me. i notified alhambra nissan, alhambra, california and they told me that there was nothing wrong. the problem continued for 3 years and every time i advised alhambra nissan and they kept telling me nothing was wrong (i have documentation showing all the times this issue was brought up). in 2013 i advised alhambra nissan i was still having problems with the air bag sensor, they told me to contact the nissan corporation. i placed several calls with them and one of the representatives had the nerve to tell me that if nissan took every silly complaint of a customer they would be out of business. finally a report was made with them. i was advised by them that i would have to have the dealership see it when it occurred. when it occurred my husband drove me to the dealership they took pictures and ran some type of test with a laptop. i was told they would notify me when to return vehicle. i received a phone call and returned the vehicle. they replaced the seat on the passenger front were they told me that the sensor was located. when the replacement was done i picked up my vehicle. i drove it for several days and never had a chance to sit in the passenger side to test if it occurred again. when i did it occurred again my husband drove me back they took pictures again and did testing with a laptop and said they would get back to me. when they did i was told that per the nissan corporation my vehicle is functioning as it should. i see that the 2013 altima is recalled for the same issue that i have had for 4 years. i also see that 2003-08 has been recalled for same reason. can you help me with this issue. *tr

There is a problem with the 2009 nissan altima in which the passenger airbag turns off (indicated by a passenger airbag off light), while an adult passenger over 100 lbs is correctly seated on the passenger side, sitting square with seatbelts fastened. if an accident occurred while the airbag is turned off, the passenger is not protected in nissan altimas. at the least, an override on or off is needed because the weight sensor doesn't work correctly on the nissan altima, based on the first month of driving on my 2009 nissan altima, with a 108 pound passenger. i purchased a 2009 nissan altima from mossy nissan oceanside last month. today on 2 separate occasions the passenger airbag turned off. the first time it turned off, i checked the manual which stated that the passenger needs to sit correctly for the airbag to turn on. we believe she was, however her feet were on the right side rather than the center of the floor. later this evening, we made certain the passenger was sitting correctly when the passenger airbag off light turn on again. in both cases, within 10 minutes the airbag off light then turned off. if an accident occurs during the airbag failure period above, a fatality can easily occur. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag indicator illuminates whenever a light weight passenger is seated in the front seat. the manufacturer was notified and stated that anyone over 110 lbs. was meant to sit in the back seat of the vehicle and the air bag indicator was performing normally. the failure mileage was 2,500. updated 02/24/09. *lj updated 02/24/09. *jb

Passenger airbag turns on and off even when passenger is in seat. it occurs frequently and daily. so far nissan has not issued any recalls, heard there was the same problems on the 2008. this was on a 2009 nissan altima coupe. *tr

Passenger airbag off light randomly stays on when a passenger in seat. means the passenger is not protected by the air bag. this happens to passenger over 110 lbs. this is working as it supposed to, according to nissan dealer, anymore over 80 lbs sit in passenger seat, the light should be off and the airbag should be on. the dealer could not find out what is wrong. i search complaints on nhtsa and it turned out to be a large number of complaints on 07-09 model. please help us out, there is a truly a life related safety issue. *tr