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 2015 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, a vehicle had failed to yield into oncoming traffic which resulted in her hitting the side of other vehicle at an angle on the front passenger side bumper. The contact stated that the airbags did not deploy upon impact. No medical attention was given at the scene and a police report was not filed. The contact's vehicle was towed to an independent body shop where it was deemed a total loss. The contact sustained injuries days after the accident and was treated at local hospital. A CT scan and X-ray showed that the contact suffered a concussion. She also experiences pain to her upper and lower back as well as neck but had yet to receive an official diagnosis for that. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. …
Failure of Airbags to deploy after a rear end collision by another car. On 01.31.2025. My vehicle - a Nissan Altima 2015 was hit by an SUV while stopped at an intersection behind another vehicle. My Altima was thrust forward into the vehicle stopped ahead ome causing significant rear damage to the rear and front bumper, the trunk, and left tail lights. Despite the force of the collision and the resulting hit of the front car ahead, none of the Altima airbags deployed to protect me from serious injuries which can be potentially fatal. This indicates that the airbags may be faulty and non-operational. The car has been deemed a total loss and insurance has declined my claim and cannot compensate me because of limited collision coverage for the vehicle, and the offending driver fled the scene and cannot be identified. …
I was on the 15 freeway going home and bent down to pick up something I dropped and hit the car that was stopped in front of me. What I remember is my glasses flying off and I hit my chest and head on the steering wheel and also broke my foot. At that time I realized that the air bag did not deploy and the seat belt did not hold me and I hit the steering wheel with full force. I spent three days in the trauma center being treated for bleeding on the brain. There was 10 recalls on this vehicle, a 2015 Nissan Altima, and 2 former owners did not carry out their responsibilities to get the recalls taken care of. Now I am suffering because the owners where too lazy to be responsable.
My car was hit and airbags did not deploy from driver side. The front driver side of my car is totalled. Not sure what force of an impact is needed for airbags to deploy but if my driver side tire rod broke and tire came off is this not sufficient force. This 2015 Nissan Altima has had many recalls. The last one was my front driver side head lamp almost caught on fire but mechanic found everything burned and melted because of electrical issue which was a recall. With my luck the recall expired apparently because it happened after the fact when it was no longer covered. I called and basically I was told too late. Now my airbags did not deploy.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving with a passenger seated in the front passenger's seat, the air bag warning light illuminated with the "Air Bag Off" message displayed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle and stated that the air bag switch needed to be reconnected. The switch was reconnected to attempt to fix the failure however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the air bag waring light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V681000 (Air Bags) and advised the contact to contact the dealer. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 53,680.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the air bag sensor warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger occupant sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the SRS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a driver's side air bag module internal failure. The dealer recommended replacing the driver's side air bag module and informed the contact that the repair was not covered under the extended warranty. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the dealer information. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 59,256.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH at night, the visibility of the roadway was difficult to see due to the low-beam headlights not providing adequate illumination. The contact used the hi-beam headlights for better visibility while driving. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that with a passenger seated in the front passenger's seat, the "Passenger Air Bag Off" warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Related recalls
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
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…
Remedy: 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,…
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
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.
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Airbag complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2015 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 177 complaints about the air bags of the 2015 Nissan Altima, 19% of the model year's 955 complaints. The component named most often is sensor › occupant classification › front passenger (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Nissan Altima airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-911 (occupant classification, Dec 19, 2016); NHTSA recall 16V-244 (occupant classification, Apr 26, 2016); NHTSA recall 15V-681 (occupant classification, Oct 20, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Altima airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 31,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 23 crashes, 0 fires and 16 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.