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 2006 Nissan Frontier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Air bag warning light comes on, stays on. Also, the "passenger air bag not on" light comes on, stays on. Took vehicle to a Nissan dealership (ABC Nissan, Phoenix, AZ) back in April, 2015, and they stated not sure what problem was. They "reset" the warning light? However, the same problem has returned. Feel unsafe driving vehicle with the airbag warning light coming on. Also, not sure if the driver side airbag is being also affected. I am unable to locate the "repair invoice" from ABC Nissan at this time to include with this report. My vehicle only has 43,000 miles at this time. It had around 33,000 miles back in April, 2015.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I have two recalls, I m living in [redacted] and I drive this vehicle here. I don t know where they can solve this problems. NHTSA Recall Number23E-012 NHTSA Recall Number10V-517 I have set a letter in the Upload Files section
Weather turned from rain to icy. South bound on street that overpass interstate. Truck spun around several times first in south bound lane hitting guard rail on west side, went over the curb and median into north bound lane spin again before coming to rest against 4ft high concrete divider on bridge. The driver side air bag is the only one that deployed. My wife was in passenger seat. No other air bags deployed. This truck had dual stage supplemental front air bags and Nissan aabs.. Thankfully our seat belts were probably what protected us from being thrown from the truck. As I stated only the air bag in steering wheel deployed. This should be looked into with all the recalls going on. I had not received any notice about this problem. I went to emergency room the following Tuesday to get xray of chest because of pain. My wife went to her dr also.
My friend and I were traveling on the I-40e in new Mexico. He was driving my truck and feel asleep at the wheel. He woke up and oversteered and caused us to crash my truck into the right side highway ditch at about 70 miles per hour. We hit first with the front right of my truck and then tumbled 3 times smashing all sides of the truck especially the front. We had our seat belts on so we weren't ejected, but air bags never deployed. My dog was in the backseat of the 4 door truck and was ejected and died shortly after. I sustained several injuries to my face, head, arms, shoulders, and back.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Nissan Frontier. While the contact's vehicle was stationary, a second vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The contact's vehicle was pushed into a third vehicle, which caused significant damage to the front end. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the hands, back, and head and was transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 93,000. Updated 10/05/16
Passenger seat belt light flashes on, dealer says connected to computer under passenger seat (reset several times), light still flashes, dealership service says problem with seat sensor and not sure if air bag on passenger side will work or defective (want $800 to $3,000 to diagnose-fix-replace), Nissan corporate refuses to fix (says out of warranty), technician unable to say if air bag will deploy in an accident, service manager I deal with told me she had seen at least 10 similar problems with similar vehicles (x 8 service writers means at that dealership alone they have had at least 80 complaints in a month of the same nature x all dealerships??), Nissan corporate sent me a $250 gift card for other services at the dealership but refuses to acknowledge or address or attempt to fix a problem they admit they know they have (and I am only referring to Nissan frontiers - not all other …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH a vehicle crashed into the rear of her vehicle causing her to crash into an embankment and the air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained a one inch laceration over her eye, a black eye and bruising. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 65,000. Updated 11/28/12 the consumer stated the seat belt failed to restrain her. Updated 12/3/2012 the vehicle was totaled. Updated 02/14/13 the consumer stated the passenger seat belt/ air bag assembly was found to be defective in January 2012, and was replaced under warranty. It May also suggest the possibility of a defect on the driver's side. Updated 07/01/13
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to legend Nissan (268 jericho turnpike, syosset, ny 11791, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the front crash zone sensor was degraded and needed to be repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failure as listed in NHTSA campaign number: 08V690000 (air bags). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 182,376.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
Nissan is recalling 242,720 my 2005-2009 pathfinder, frontier and xterra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island,…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front czs with a redesigned sensor. The recall began on January 26, 2009. Owners in the other states will receive extended warranty coverage for the sensor to 10 years.
Airbag complaints in other Frontier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Nissan Frontier?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Nissan Frontier, 4% of the model year's 617 complaints. The component named most often is side/window (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Nissan Frontier airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-690 (frontal, Dec 29, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Nissan Frontier airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 9 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.