2018 Nissan Altima · symptom sheet
Airbag warning light or recall
- 36owner reports
- 36,000median miles
- $3,241median quote
- 2involved a crash
Newest report Aug 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
36 of the 225 complaints on this car describe airbag. Only brake wear is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 36 reports
Airbag on other Altima years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024.
What this problem usually is
Airbag complaints split into a few kinds. The most common is an airbag warning light that won't go out. Others involve the passenger seat sensor switching the passenger bag off with an adult sitting there, an airbag that didn't deploy in a crash, or one that went off without a crash at all. A large share also come from owners waiting on a recall part.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the occupant sensor (12 reports) and the module (4 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the airbags covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the airbags on the Altima
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture. Open.
Occupant classification system failure. Closed may 2, 2017, led to recall 15V-681.
Occupant classification system failure. Closed sep 1, 2015.
Autoliv air bag propellant mixture. Closed may 8, 2012.
Passenger air bag-related facial/eye inj. Closed apr 24, 2003, led to recall 03V-150.
Passenger air bag-related eye injuries. Closed aug 9, 2001.
What owners paid
9 of the 36 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $2,500 to $5,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 33,000 and 55,000 miles, from the 9 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Nissan Altima that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
DTC B00A0-00 STORED IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed,
DTC B00A0-00 STORED
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHING INDICATING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC MODE IF YOU CONFIRM The air bag warning light is flashing slowly (repeating 2 seconds ON, 2 seconds OFF). NOTE: If this should occur, the Air Bag Diagnosis Sensor Unit is in Diagnostic Mode and needs to be returned to User Mode. ACTION 1.
What owners wrote
“I purchased this vehicle last month from Anderson in cockeysville, Md. last week the airbag light came on. I was able to take it to them today 9-15-25 where they at first told me I was over the 1,000miles warranty so Iâd have to deal with it on my own. After speaking with a manager, he agreed to take it to Nissan to get a determination.”
Filed Sep 15, 2025 · 1,000 miles
“The airbag light in the dashboard always stays lit. It has been worked on at the dealership multiple times and they get it to go out only for it to come back on. Itâs concerning not knowing if there is a problem with the airbags itself. This has been on going for years. It started around when my car had 34000-35000 miles on it.”
Filed Jun 6, 2025 · 35,000 miles
“Cuando lo encendà en la mañana ya Marcava la luz de advertencia de las bolsas de aire”
Filed Mar 1, 2024
“Occupant Sensor for Airbags is not working and airbag light is on, this is a safety issue which can cause loss of life in an accident this needs recalled immediately”
Filed Sep 18, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 2 of 36 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 49 reports