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 1996 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
"Takata recall". Mad a right hand turn and both front airbags randomly deployed.they caused the front windshield to crack badly. Didnt hit another car nor anything with making the turn. Was moving in a city street at 9 pm so not much traffic. Turned into an empty street luckily.
My husband was in an accident in July of this year. He collided head on with some 50 gallon barrels on the side of the road going 60 MPH. He came to a complete stop within 10 feet. Neither the driver side nor passenger side airbag deployed in the accident. Nissan was contacted and responded saying that the conditions were not met to allow the airbags to deploy. I do not know where to go from here. Our car would have been totaled if the airbags would have deployed. Howerver, because they did not the insurance company repaired the vehicle and now we are driving around in a death trap. I am paying full price for a vehicle that is defective and no one at Nissan seems to care. Where do I go from here..what do I do?
Consumer was involved in a head-on crash traveling at 50 MPH and hitting a deer. Neither driver's side nor passenger's side air bags deployed. Also, driver's side seat belt did not operate correctly which forced the driver forward. Consumer has contacted dealer. Please provide any further details.
I was hit from behind (while stopped) and was pushed into the person in front of me. The mechanics and the other person's insurance co. Said the air bags should not have deployed. We weren't going fast enough. Well they did, and now I'm stuck with the bill.
While driving at 55-60 MPH, had a frontal accident, the defective driver's and passenger's airbag system in which the driver's side deployed, and the passenger's did not deploy, causing extreme injuries to the occupant, including bone breakage in the face.
Consumer was involved in a collision in which the vehicle was hit from the side, resulting in a frontal collision. Vehicle, in turn, hit a pole. Upon impact, driver's and passenger's air bags did not deploy. Please give any further details.
In an accident vehicle went under a truck, and none of the air bags deployed on impact, the driver sustained a cuncussion, facial and chest bruises, three broken bones in the right foot and now suffers from headaches (sometimes severe).
During vehicle collision violent deployment of driver and passenger air bag resulted in injury to consumers (ear, hand, face and body), driver has suffered hearing damage, passenger suffered slight brain damage. Mjs
Air abgs: sitting at traffic light when vehicle came up behind and hit in rear/slammed into a vehicle in front of consumer and the air bags did not deploy. Dealer doesn't know why air bags did not go off.
On 2/17/2000 the airbag light was flashing it was taken to Nissan 112 (730 rt.112) for repairs.on 7/6/2001 the vehicle was involed in a accident where it was strck in the front the air bag never deployed.
Airbag complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1996 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the air bags of the 1996 Nissan Sentra, 38% of the model year's 141 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (32 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Nissan Sentra airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 1996 Nissan Sentra, though it has 3 recalls 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 1996 Nissan Sentra airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 148,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 28 crashes, 0 fires and 24 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.