Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's granddaughter owns a 2011 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while a granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction, followed by an abnormal sound while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where diagnosis revealed rack and pinion, power steering pressure sensor, and steering gearbox failures, requiring replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated, the horn failed to function as intended, and power steering fluid was leaking. The vehicle was taken to an alternate independent mechanic, where diagnosis confirmed a broken air bag clock spring damaged during the initial repair. The vehicle was returned to the initial independent mechanic, who stated the replacement rack and pinion was defective. …
The contact's father owns a 2011 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her father was starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.
The dashboard airbag icon has flashed continuously while the car was being driven on two different days, first with the driver as the occupant and again with the driver and a passenger. Both times, a mechanic's diagnostic device found that the passenger airbag sensor malfunctioned. Both times, he did a reset. Nissan recalled 2012 Altimas for airbag problems in vehicles manufactured in June 2011.The car with VIN [redacted] that I write about is a 2011 used Altima that had to be manufactured near that date and was bought on 10/14/12.
I was traveling with 2 small children on a straight way on hwy and the front tire blew in the sidewall of my Michelin tire. I was pulled across the other lane into a ditch striking a stone culvert after going airborne. I had purchased a set of Michelin tires and they were a 70,000 mile tire and had 23,000 miles on them when this occurred. After investigation it was determined a blowout as there was no damage to wheel indication of road hazard that would have caused this type of damage to tire. In other words, the tire and wheel were in perfect condition other that the blown part in the sidewall and if I would have hit something hard enough to cause the tire that type of damage, they said it would have definitely affected my wheel. The tire had to be defective as there is reports are all over internet that these incidents are occurring with Michelin tires. Buyer beware! …
I was involved in a collision with a 2014 Dodge Ram and it was a front impact collision. My car was totalled ( the impact even crumbled the rear quarter panel) but the airbag on the driver's side did not deploy. The repair company was confused with the amount of damage to my vehicle and the airbag did not deploy. Ii sustained injuries to my neck, back and left side. I still have back pain but I'm getting better. Confused as to why the airbag did not deploy.
Vehicle hydroplaned from heavy rain and wet road into a ditch alongside of the main highway & the airbags did NOT deploy. This IS a safety malfunction in the airbag system on a 2011 Nissan Altima.
The passenger side airbag warning light is flashing and showing as turned off even when the seat is occupied. I searched for recalls dealing with this safety issued and find recalls for this issue on the 2007 to 2008 Altima (recall 08V521000) and a new recall is just read about on the 2013 to 2016 Altima,but none on my year. I opened a case (#23576396) and took it to my Nissan dealer as instructed by the person I spoke with at the corporate number to have the issue analized. The service manager at the dealer told me the sensor in the passenger seat is defective and the fix is to replace the seat at a cost of $550.00 plus labor. I told him I would talk to the corporate contact and was charged $121.50 for diagnosis when I pick my car up. I spoke to allise at corp. …
I was in a bumper to bumper accident and the front end of my car was smooched in. My chest hit the steering wheel (my seat belt was buckled) knocking the air out of me, but my airbags did not deploy. We have taken our car into the dealership several times to complain about the passenger airbag sensor. Every time we get it back we get the same answer "we don't see anything wrong with the sensor". We recently took our car in 2 weeks prior to the accident and we asked them if our car was on the air bag recall list that was all over the news. They told us not to worry about anything because our car was not on that list. I ended up in urgent care after the accident with muscles spasms and a bruised chest. Why didn't my airbags go off?!
There is a fault in the sensor for the front passenger-side seat airbag. It fails to properly sense that an adult is occupying the seat. The airbag-off indicator light often is lit when an adult who weighs approximately 102-105 pounds, is sitting in the front passenger seat. I brought this to the attention of our dealer, clay Nissan of newton, mass. In December 2015. The dealer charged me $99.99 but failed to fix the problem. Their report stated that the airbag system was "operating as designed." obviously it wasn't. Newer Altima models have been recalled for this exact problem. The 2011 Altima also should be recalled asap.
While driving vehicle with adult passenger in front right seat "passenger airbag off " light was on. When operating with no passengers light is off indicating the airbag is working. I immediately brought vehicle to my mechanic who scanned system and could ot find any codes. After reading several complaints on NHTSA regarding this issue I feel Nissan needs toimplement a service recall. As I and I am sure others do not feel safe operating vehicle with my children. We were operating said vehicle on city streets under 30 MPH when first noticed however this problem is consistent on highways at higher speeds as well.
Airbag complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2011 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the air bags of the 2011 Nissan Altima, 9% of the model year's 242 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Nissan Altima airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2011 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 2011 Nissan Altima airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 2 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.