I am reporting a severe safety hazard and manufacturer database error involving the Takata driver airbag recall on a 2009 Nissan Versa (VIN: [XXX]). The manufacturer’s recall database falsely reports that the driver's airbag recall has been completed, showing zero open recalls for this vehicle. However, a physical inspection of the steering wheel assembly reveals that the original, defective Takata airbag module was never replaced. The physical module currently installed carries part identifier YTYAA270098 and specification code BAM PT1-1085 HERST:2010. The module was physically present but entirely un-hooked and disconnected from the system. The manufacturer's records are incorrect. They indicate a completed remedy while leaving a lethal, shrapnel-producing defective Takata inflator inside the vehicle. Local dealerships refuse to service the vehicle because the corporate database shows a clean VIN report. Nissan Corporate Consumer Affairs has been notified under reference case ref:!XXX :ref, but immediate federal oversight is required to address this dangerous component mismatch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2009 Nissan Versa airbags problems
180 complaints (36% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 88,000. 19 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 180
- of this car's complaints
- 36%
- typical mileage
- 88,000
- crashes
- 19
- recalls
- 5
Which part fails
- Frontal1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Versa airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Nissan Versa airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888‑737‑9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888‑810‑3715.
Recall number 20V008000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Versa Hatchback, and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Nissan is also recalling certain 2009 Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 18V044000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temperatures, and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 17V449000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 and 2009 Nissan Versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on June 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 17V028000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2008 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 16V349000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
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 rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.
EA21002
What 2009 Nissan Versa owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving 3 MPH, the front driver’s side air bag unexpectedly deployed. The contact was left with a bruised face and a nosebleed from the air bag deployment. The contact used tissues to stop the nosebleed, but no medical attention was sought. The contact stated that after the failure, while starting the vehicle, the horn would activate unless the brake pedal was depressed. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V349000 (Air Bags). The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driver’s air bag module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact was referred to a dealer and to the federal safety agency Hotline for further assistance. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.
dealership nissan would not closed recall campaign on my crs repairs done already
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's and passenger's side air bag warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the driver's side air bag. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22E066000 (Air Bags), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 299,000.
Indicator light appeared week of March 19, 2023. Took vehicle to the dealership March 24, 2023, and after a $225 diagnostic was told, “90626 FOUND DTC B1054. CUSTOMER NEEDS AIRBAG AND THE MODULE” (from invoice). Parts need to be ordered and will cost ~$1,000 less the diagnostic. Concerned about how a safety feature no longer functioning properly and needing replacement is the responsibility of the customer for an amount of this size.
Airbags failed to deploy in an accident at 55 mph.
Airbag inflator recall was repaired but the airbag light on the dash did not go off or clear, further diagnostic tool showed airbag sensor was flashing and broken clock spring was listed on diagnostic sheet. Nissan dealership did not repair the airbag sensor or change or fix clock spring therefore still being a safety hazard during deployment, which can lead to metal fragments breaking and bursting thru causing possible threat by shooting metal fragments to car occupants. Nissan airbag recalled the inflator for the specific reason of repairing it completely free of possible injury from metal fragments breaking during deployment and Nissan did not repair it. The recall states dealership is not to release vehicle until successful inspection. It is not repaired and still poses the same threat the recall states. It's now reported as fixed to manufacture, stating zero recalls. The 97.7 million dollar lawsuit Amended requirements Sept 2017 for dealership to repair to full inspection regulations. Dealership should fix the clock spring free because it directly impacts deployment of airbag and inflators. It's been a little over 30 days since recall repair, how can I get help making Nissan dealership responsible to replace clock spring?
Before we can get the car fixed while the airbag recall was in effect, while driving the car caught on fire.
Defective air bags
Questions about the 2009 Nissan Versa airbags
Does the 2009 Nissan Versa have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 180 complaints about the airbags of the 2009 Nissan Versa, 36% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2009 Nissan Versa airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 88,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Nissan Versa airbags?
Yes, 5 recalls: 20V008000, 18V044000, 17V449000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Nissan Versa have bad airbags?
The Nissan Versa model years with the most airbags complaints are 2009 (180 complaints), 2008 (171 complaints) and 2012 (167 complaints).
Other 2009 Nissan Versa problems
Suspension 182Engine 41Fuel system 28Steering 28Wheels 26Transmission 20Body 18Tires 18Electrical 14Brakes 12Acceleration 10Visibility 7Lights 2Locks 2Seat belts 2Seats 2Driver assistance 1
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