On January 25, 2024 my son was driving this truck and hit a dog on the highway. His driver side airbag deployed, the driver side seatbelt would not retract, and there was some minor body damage. The engine of the vehicle is fine and completely operational. Since then, we have been waiting for repairs to be made. Per USAA, repairs will be approx $5000 or less. The vehicle is worth over $12,000 so they decided to repair it. The problem is that part number 98820-ZP78A (air bag control module) is no longer being manufactured by Nissan. All other parts, including the *actual* air bag can still be purchased from Nissan, but they are not making the sensor we need to fix this vehicle. We are not the only ones who cannot obtain this part.
Nissan Frontier seat belt problems
25 of the 3,369 owner complaints about the Nissan Frontier describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 25
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 67,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20201
- 20141
- 20131
- 20121
- 20112
- 20081
- 20071
- 20063
- 20022
- 20015
- 20002
- 19991
- 19984
Often reported together
What owners say
In Summer 2023 driving on uneven country road in Upstate New York hit a pothole and my airbag warning light came on. Then started to flash. Truck is still drivable BUT now The seatbelts no longer lock in place during a sudden stop Did research online Nissan has a Voluntary Service Campaign for this exact issue. Campaign ID P7318 I made appointment with Koeppel Nissan. Had to wait weeks then They canceled my scheduled appointment on September 4 and reschedule for September 12. Probably not safe to drive truck with airbag light on and seatbelt issues. I go to my regular mechanic. He tells me seatbelt retractors do not seem to be working. He tests them by extending seatbelt slowly. Then tugging hard. He said they should lock in place. They do not. He also put a scan tool into OBD port. There are zero codes Nothing showing why airbag light flashing. Informs me there is a 10 year Warranty on seatbelts. He said wait for dealer to do their replacement of air bag diagnostic sensor unit. HE SAID THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY IN STAGES. YOUR LIGHT COMING ON IS FIRST STAGE SECOND STAGE IS SEATBELT LOCKING IN PLACE. Yours did not lock in place but your retractor might have been damaged or a sensor in buckle part of seatbelt related to airbags. On September 12 I bring truck in. The dealer first tries to tell me there is a diagnostic fee of $200. I refuse to pay telling them it is a Nissan Voluntary Service Campaign and seatbelts are under warranty. They agree to waive fee. They call me up an hour or two later said “they are unable to perform recall the software update is no longer available. The problem with seatbelt related to software or sensor unit”. I complain to Nissan of America. The person on phone tells me a manager will call me back and e mail me. Case number 49514132 I have never received a call or e mail from anyone at Nissan regarding this safety issue. Perhaps a full recall is necessary for all affected Vehicles under campaign ID P7318
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the passenger’s side seat belt pretension sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the passenger’s side belt assembly tongue pretension and the passenger seat belt retractor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,624. The contact stated that this failure has occurred 4 times while both the driver and the passenger was occupied.
driver's side seat belt receptacle failed in fall of 2021. Nissan initially said they would replace it, but in May of 2022 reported that the part is "unavailable."
Seat belt light on the dash turned on and continued flashing. The diagnosis read on it was tensioner on system restraint. Sensor was replaced but the SRS light continued to flash and now has locked my seat belts. Driver's seat belt will not release so I have been having to drive without a seat belt. All wiring on sensors on the seat belt and under the seat have been checked and are fine so there must be a faulty sensor someplace or an electrical issue causing the seat belt to lock in place.
Driver seat belt doesn't retract. Passenger front airbag warning lights on. A/c switch has dead spot position #2.
The driver's side seatbelt does not retract correctly. I contacted a local dealership and nissan america. The dealership gave me an estimate, without seeing the truck of $100-$1500.00 to replace the current seatbelt. This is a safety issue and should be for the life of the vehicle, not based on the milage/age of the vehicle. I will certainly let all know about nisaan's lack of concern for the general public which choose to purchase their cars, new or used! Not good customer service. I had a honda accord that was 20+ years old and honda replaced the seatbelt and assembly for free, being it was a safety issue!!!!!
The passenger seat warning light.and seat sensor malfunctioned and now the passenger seat belt will not engage.I cannot have a passenger in my truck because of thi problem.I don't understand how thi could be safe at all.the manual says that when this happens to bring it in to the dealer because the sensor and the seat belt latch must be replaced. I've owned.many vehicles in my life and never ever had a seat belt failure like this .this is dangerous what if this occurs when I have a passenger in the vehicle and the seat belt.unmatched or won't unmatched. How can this be safe. No one gets into my vehicles without putting on the seat belts in n.y.it is a violation
Seat belt buckle will not engage seat belt buckle. Nissan dealer maintenance department examined, says buckle must be replaced ($200, outside 30,000 mile warranty).
Side airbags deployed while my wife was driving on a smooth county road without a collision at approximately 20 MPH. Driver only in the vehicle, ears are ringing. Had to cut the air bags to be able to drive the vehicle home. In drive way, unusable at this point. Seat belt retractors activated so cannot use seatbelt at this point.
Related recalls
Seat belts: critical fasteners
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Frontier vehicles. The seat belt bracket mounting bolts on the left-rear seat may have been incorrectly tightened. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 207, "Seating Systems," 209, "Seatbelt Assemblies," and 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
- Risk
- During a crash, a loose seat belt bracket may break, causing a loss of seat belt restraint and increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bolts on the left-rear seat and repair any damaged threads as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC856.
Recall number 21V958000 · Recall details
Seat belts: rear/other
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Frontier Crew Cab vehicles manufactured June 11, 2014 to June 26, 2014. The affected vehicles were manufactured with an out of specification anchor nut installed on the weld nut plate where the rear seat belt anchor is attached. The seat belt anchor bolt may not be attached as designed.
- Risk
- If the seat belt anchor bolt is not attached as designed, that increases the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt anchor attachment and repair it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 14V418000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: webbing
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty passenger trucks equipped with bucket seats. In certain frontal crashes, the front seat belt can slip between the seat bottom finisher and the seat back plastic recliner handle where it can be cut by the sharp edge of the metal portion of the recliner lever.
- Risk
- If the seat belt is completely severed, it can increase the risk of serious injury to an occupant in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the plastic handle on the end of the seat back reclining lever fwith a different shape handle which will prevent the seat belt from slipping between the handle and the seat.
Recall number 98V065000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Frontier seat belt
Which Nissan Frontier years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (5 complaints), 1998 (4 complaints) and 2006 (3 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix seat belt won't latch or retract on the Nissan Frontier?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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