2017 Nissan Altima airbag problems
73 of the 391 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Nissan Altima name the airbags (NHTSA’s “Air Bags” heading — airbags, their sensors and warning lights). Filed under the same heading: 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the airbags
Source: NHTSA complaint database10 of the 73 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 11 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 18 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 7
Half of the 17 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the airbag problem between 33,000 and 74,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
391 complaints in all about the 2017 Nissan Altima, 7 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Air Bags” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Nissan Altima airbag problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the airbags. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
My airbag light came on 2 weeks ago. I took it to Nissan and was told I had no error codes, but if the airbag light came back on to bring it back. The light came on again yesterday. I returned to Nissan to be informed that the airbag has to be replaced.
At certain times the front impact radar will say it is blocked or not functioning. Twice it has actually applied the brakes with nothing in front of it. Now the air bag light is on and will not go off
On sept. 15th 2020, I was in an accident on the highway, I was rear ended by a tractor trailer and from there pushed across four lanes head on into median cement wall the car then rolled back into traffic where I was hit again by another truck in the front drivers side wheel and hood area, this sent me back into the guard rail on the…
On sept. 15th 2020, I was in an accident on the highway, I was rear ended by a tractor trailer and from there pushed across four lanes head on into median cement wall the car then rolled back into traffic where I was hit again by another truck in the front drivers side wheel and hood area, this sent me back into the guard rail on the…
There was a recall on 2013 to 2016 on supplemental airbag warning lights, which came out in 2017,however they never fixed the 2017 models that were already out under the new recall. The supplumential warning g light stays on, and the nissian will charge $2000 to fix
What is on file about the airbags
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigation
- EA21002 Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Ruptureopened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- 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. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt…
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Nissan Altima names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Nissan Altima
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 133 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre airbag problems common on the 2017 Nissan Altima?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 73 owner complaints naming the airbags on this model year (19% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 NHTSA investigation is filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the airbags on the 2017 Nissan Altima?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 3 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do airbag problems show up on the 2017 Nissan Altima?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 65,000 miles; half of them between 33,000 and 74,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Air Bags" heading cover?
Airbags, their sensors and warning lights. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.