Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact called on behalf of her son who owned a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that her son was driving at an unknown MPH, when he crashed into a concrete structure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. Her son had a concussion but later started driving to his residence; then was assisted by a police officer. The contact was not sure if a police report was filed. The police notified the contact regarding the accident. Her son was sent to the hospital with bruised lungs, and other minor injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the salvage lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
1. Front passenger side seat fails to activate the air bag once a passenger has occupied the seat, and buckled up. The airbag "off" indication light remains illuminated at all times, and if it isn't being activated, may cause bodily harm, injury, or death to any passenger of the vehicle in the unfortunate event of a collision. Vehicle was requested to be checked out at Lorenzo Nissan in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in November 2023, but was refused. FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG, FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATION LIGHT 2. 2015 Sentra CVT transmission slips, shakes and stalls. On numerous occurrence this has caused near tragic collisions with multiple vehicles. One such instance forced the vehicle into 'limp mode' in a high speed area of a busy freeway and nearly caused numerous vehicles to collide into the stalled Sentra at rates of speed over 70 MPH. …
My wife was rear ended and side collision accident. She was injured with side airbags both arm was severely cut. The steering airbag did not deploy as a result she had head injury and the upper teeth was push up when her head hit the steering wheel. She had to be pry out with a Crowbar tool.
On [redacted] I was driving my 2015 Nissan Sentra S (manual transmission) in Los Angeles, CA. While traveling at a moderate speed on a city street, another vehicle crossed into my lane, resulting in a direct, head-on collision. The impact caused severe damage to the entire front end of my vehicle: the hood crumpled, the front bumper and grille detached, and internal components such as the radiator support and crash bar were visibly deformed. The damage was so extensive that vehicle two's (at-fault driver's) insurance company declared the car a total loss. Despite the severity of the frontal impact, none of the airbags deployed. This was unexpected, as the collision was strong enough to stop both vehicles instantly-pushing my vehicle backwards until both vehicles came to a halt, resulting in significant structural deformation. …
The airbag sensor fails to register the weight of a grown adult in the passenger seat. I have brought my car into a Nissan dealership to get this issue checked out, but I was told that there is no issue. I first noticed this issue approximately 5 years ago and has occasionally occured since. If the airbag sensor does not light up when there is a passenger (who is over 100 lbs and over 13 y/o) and does not deploy the airbag in the event of an accident, the passenger of my car could be seriously injured or killed.
When a passenger sits in the passenger seat it doesn't register them in the seat and doesn't turn passenger airbag on. It always stays off and my air bag light on the dash never turns off. It's been like that since I bought the car in May of 2025. So any additional details are unknown.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 Nissan Sentra. While driving 30 MPH an unknown vehicle stopped unexpectedly as a result the contact crashed into an unknown Ford. The driver' s seat lunged forward and the contact hit the steering wheel. The contact sustained injuries to the face and chest medical attention was not provided. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There was no police report filed. The contact called the local dealer carmax (7180 n palm ave, fresno, ca 93650 [phone]) but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 43,000. The insurance company deemed vehicle a total loss.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 Nissan Sentra. While driving approximately 40 MPH over a dip in the road, the air bags deployed without warning or impact. The contact sustained shoulder burn from the air bag deployment, but did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and later towed to a collision center. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V242000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. ..updated 05/23/17 ....updated 06/21/17 updated 10/19/2017 updated 9/28/18
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 Nissan Sentra. While driving 30 MPH, the contact's vehicle was struck head on by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the ribs and back, and suffered a whiplash. The passenger sustained injuries to the head, back, and neck. The rear passenger sustained injuries to the lip, which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed and destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,475. The VIN was not available. Updated 04/19/17
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. While driving various speeds, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained back injuries, which did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The contact was able to resume driving. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.
Related recalls
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS).
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016.
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,…
Airbag complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the air bags of the 2015 Nissan Sentra, 13% of the model year's 352 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 Nissan Sentra airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-242 (occupant classification, Apr 26, 2016); NHTSA recall 16V-244 (occupant classification, Apr 26, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Sentra airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 17,000 miles, and 72% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 16 crashes, 1 fire and 17 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.