Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
When I was in an accident in 2006 Airbags did not open. I worry about valve cap and if it is safe. Other this when opening my door Door handle are defected and breaking off. I never had a car where door handles break. I would like assistance with these issues. Thank you. [redacted]-Customer
Car was involved in one front end and two rear end accicdents over the years all requiring extensive body and bumper repair. In all cases the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was moving at the speed limit with the front end accident and at a slow speed approaching a traffic signal and other vehicles with the rear end incidents. Direction was straight in all cases on local streets not highways. Last incident is noted in "when did thid happen" data. Seems unlikely that the bags would not have deployed ever. In light of the Takata recall and other airbag system on/off problems with nearly every manufacturer I am concered with the safety of this vehicle. Mention of this over the years was met with dismisal by repair shops and manufacture's dealer service department. How safe is this vehicle?
This happened on Saturday April 03, 2021. I had an accident with Nissan Altima 2005. I was driving about 55 miles per hour on a highway here in madison wisconsin, where all the sudden a road construction truck coming from the work area (center of the highway) tried to snick and crossed without looking at the upcoming traffic. Then, I tried to brake, but no way to prevent the crash from happening, so I hit that truck from his passenger side. After the "t", my airbags did not deploy, so I have been severely injured that the ambulance took me to uw hospital for emergency care. Therefore, I got exposed to the danger because my airbags did not deploy and protect me. So, the airbags were working in my car.
My daughter was driving her 2005 Nissan Altima and over corrected in a curve. She hit a tree and the air bag in the steering wheel deployed. She was wearing her seat belt and was held back by the seat belt her head impacting the center or the steering wheel. The cover over the air bag blew out hinging itself at the top and making two very pointed and sharp edges on each bottom corner. The right bottom point pierced the skin between her nose and the corner of her left eye missing it by less than a sixteenth of an inch and breaking her nose. The dangerous part is the two sharp points on the flap where the air big deployed should be considered a design flaw.
My wife was driving at 45mph when a expedition made an illegal left turn in front of her causing an accident. The front of her Nissan Altima was crushed in with moderate damage according to the police report. Her airbags did not deploy nor did the seatbelts lock. My wife sustained whip lash, and bruising on her chest from hitting the steering wheel. She also had both knees hit the front dash board and sustained injuries. My daughter sitting in the front passenger had sprained wrists from putting her hands out onto the dash trying to stop from hitting the dash/windshield. My son sitting in the left rear passenger seat had sprained wrists and a sprained shoulder from hitting the front driver seat. Spoke to Nissan and had the vehicle inspected by their engineers, with information downloaded from the computer and photographs taken. …
I was driving down I-95 south, just north of exit 13. Cloudy, rainy evening commute about 5:50 pm. I was slowing down in preparation to get off the highway at my exit and I was traveling in the second to right lane. All of a sudden I heard a bang and was hit simultaneously in the left side of the head and neck. At first I thought something had come through the window and hit me in the side of the face. It took me a few seconds to figure out what had happened - the curtain and side airbags on both the drivers side and passenger side had deployed with no warning or collision. Fortunately I was able to maintain control of the vehicle and was able to pull off the highway. I was lucky that the airbags deploying spontaneously did not cause a serious accident resulting in injuries or death. I was also lucky that my 17 month old daughter was not in the vehicle when this malfunction occurred. …
My 17 year old daughter was involved in an accident with my 2005 Nissan Altima on May 21, 2014. She was hit by another vehicle in which she received back, leg and knee injuries. My vehicle was hit hard on the front passenger side in which the airbag did not deploy when clearly it should have by the impact of the accident and the speed of the other driver. To add, my daughter was wearing her seat belt and thank god there were no fatalities. When I purchased the vehicle I had no idea that there had been recalls on the vehicle for airbag issues. I would not have purchased it if so. In doing research I am finding out about the airbag issues affecting past and current Nissan models. The car was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. The airbag system should deploy when the restraint controller detects a moderate to severe frontal collision. …
My 17 year old daughter was involved in an accident with my 2005 Nissan Altima on May 21, 2014. She was hit by another vehicle in which she received back, leg and knee injuries. My vehicle was hit hard on the front passenger side in which the airbag did not deploy when clearly it should have by the impact of the accident and the speed of the other driver. To add, my daughter was wearing her seat belt and thank god there were no fatalities. When I purchased the vehicle I had no idea that there had been recalls on the vehicle for airbag issues. I would not have purchased it if so. In doing research I am finding out about the airbag issues affecting past and current Nissan models. The car was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. The airbag system should deploy when the restraint controller detects a moderate to severe frontal collision. …
While stopped in traffic in sevierville, tennessee on 2/12/2005, my 2005 Altima was hit in the rear by a car that failed to stop. The driver of that car was determined to be at fault by police. Four vehicles were involved in the accident with my car being the most damaged. Police estimated the car that hit me was going approximately 30-35 MPH. At impact. The impact drove my car forward into the vehicle in front of me. The rear of my car was destroyed and the front impact was hard enough that the radiator was burst and front suspension members and the hood were crumpled. At no time during the accident did either of the front air bags in my Altima deploy! However, the seat belts did lock in position and probably saved us from more serious injury. Injuries for those in my car (four people) consisted of cuts, scrapes and bruises accompanined with soreness. …
I was driving my 2005 Nissan Altima north in the left lane of a 2 lane road approaching an intersection (I was alone in the car). An SUV was heading south and was stopped in the turn lane to make a left turn. As I was entering the intersection (green light) the SUV turned in front of my car. The distance was too short to stop. I hit their right front passenger side by the tire head on. I was driving approx. 30 MPH. The damage to my car was to the center front end. The front end was pushed in and the hood buckled. Upon impact, my passenger airbag deployed but my driver side didn't. I had a small purse in the passenger seat. The police, tow driver, mechanic and auto assessor all said they have never seen this happen with the airbags. My car was declared a total loss. The damage was too expensive to repair. I was luckily to not be injured. …
Airbag complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2005 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 Nissan Altima, 4% of the model year's 1,091 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Nissan Altima airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2005 Nissan Altima, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Altima airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 21 crashes, 0 fires and 26 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.