My car was hit and airbags did not deploy from driver side. The front driver side of my car is totalled. Not sure what force of an impact is needed for airbags to deploy but if my driver side tire rod broke and tire came off is this not sufficient force. This 2015 Nissan Altima has had many recalls. The last one was my front driver side head lamp almost caught on fire but mechanic found everything burned and melted because of electrical issue which was a recall. With my luck the recall expired apparently because it happened after the fact when it was no longer covered. I called and basically I was told too late. Now my airbags did not deploy.
Nissan Altima fire or smoke problems
225 of the 15,494 owner complaints about the Nissan Altima describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 225
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 78,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 24Check engine light 23Oil consumption 21Engine failure 16Loss of power 14Overheating 11Jerking 10Won't start 9
Trouble codes mentioned
P17F1 1
What owners say
I was driving down the freeway at about 70 miles an hour. When a warning came up, saying engine malfunction power reduced, the car then started the shaking a bit and not getting any power. Smoke started pouring out of the hood. I then pulled over open the hood. It was then on fire(small).I put it out with some water. And then the car was unable to start. I then towed it to my house and i'm waiting here on inspection.
Vehicle caught on fire my be a electrical problem
I had my seat warmer on and smelled something burning my coat had caught fire and wires in back of seat were smoking.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the expressway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the engine started knocking significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to slowly pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was later driven to the dealer, where it was test-driven. The dealer informed the contact that there was smoke coming from the vehicle, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Driving on the freeway and I noticed smoke coming from under the hood so I pulled over and didn't know what caused the fire
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact became aware that warm air was coming through the vents while the A/C unit was activated. The contact then stated that the vehicle started jerking with the "Engine Malfunction, Power Reduced" message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where water was added to the coolant reservoir, and the contact was informed by the mechanic that there was likely an engine coolant leak and to monitor the coolant level. The contact then stated that there was white smoke coming from the vehicle at start up. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Altima. The contact stated after the vehicle received brakes services, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact smelled smoke. The contact stated that two weeks later while inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke coming the wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the driver’s side rear caliper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated her son was driving on the highway at 70 MPH, when an abnormal smell of garbage was followed by smoke being emitted from a hole in the rear side of the front passenger seat. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was an occupant seated in the front passenger seat when there was a burning sensation was felt. The contact's son immediately pulled over onto the side of the road to exit the vehicle, where the contact then proceeded to extinguish the fire with a beverage. The contact mentioned her jacket and a pillow case caught on fire during the incident. A fire department report was not filed. A police department report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the wiring on the passenger seat was of probable cause for the failure, and that the passenger seat would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Drivers side seat heater switch caught fire and burned winter jacket sleeve. Fire was extinguished before car was lost.
Related recalls
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
- Risk
- If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 14V138000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling 204,361 my 2007-2008 altima, altima hybrid, 350z, 350z roadster, my 2008 altima coupe, rogue, my 2009 murano, and infiniti my 2007-2008 g35 sedan, my 2008 g37 coupe and ex35 passenger vehicles equipped with continental automotive systems' occupant classification system (ocs) control units. A varistor in the ocs control unit located in the passenger seat cushion may have been manufactured out of specification. Under certain conditions, this could cause an interruption of signal between the ocs and the air bag control unit (acu).
- Risk
- This could result in the passenger air bag being suppressed which could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the signal between the ocs and acu systems using a special tool to check that it is functioning as designed. If necessary, the seat cushion (containing ocs hardware) will be replaced with a new one manufactured to specification. The recall began on november 4, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 or infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.
Recall number 08V521000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: module
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles that have had the body control module (bcm) replaced during service at a dealership, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may have been inadvertently deactivated due to an issue with the dealer service software. If the TPMS is turned off, it would not alert the driver to a decrease in the tire pressure as designed.
- Risk
- Driving on under-inflated tires is unsafe and could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will check the TPMS function and reactivate it if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 07V599000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Altima fire or smoke
Which Nissan Altima years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (38 complaints), 2007 (21 complaints) and 2006 (18 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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