California buyers and lessees of 2016, 2017 and 2018 Nissan Altima sedans may be covered by a proposed class action alleging Nissan hid a passenger seat sensor defect that can switch off the front passenger airbag with an adult seated, sometimes with no warning light. No class has been certified and there is nothing to file yet.
Allegations Only · No Settlement Yet
This article describes a class action complaint. The statements below are unproven allegations. Nissan North America, Inc. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. have not been found liable, there is no certified class, and nothing to claim at this time. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
Nissan North America, Inc. and its Japanese parent, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., were sued in a proposed class action on September 23, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The case, Cass v. Nissan North America, Inc., Case No. 5:26-cv-05613, alleges the front passenger occupant classification system in later 2016, 2017 and 2018 Altima sedans can misread an adult passenger and switch off that passenger’s frontal airbag.The complaint says Nissan recalled the same system in earlier Altimas and other models several times between 2013 and 2016, but never recalled the Altimas built afterward and never told their owners about the problem. Nissan has not been found liable, and none of the allegations has been tested in court.
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How the Passenger Airbag Sensor Is Supposed to Work
Sensors under the Altima’s front passenger seat weigh whoever is sitting there. A control unit uses those readings to decide whether the seat is empty, holds a child or holds an adult, and the airbag computer only arms the passenger’s frontal airbag for an adult. When the airbag is switched off, a “PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF” light on the center of the dashboard is meant to tell the occupant.The complaint alleges two ways this goes wrong. If the system mistakes an adult for a child, the airbag is switched off and the light comes on. If it mistakes an occupied seat for an empty one, the airbag is also switched off, but the light stays dark, so the passenger has no sign that the airbag will not fire in a crash. Nissan described that second scenario in its own 2014 and 2016 recall filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), according to the complaint.
Nissan’s Earlier Recalls of the Same System
The complaint lays out a string of recalls and investigations involving the occupant classification system in Altimas and other Nissan and Infiniti models:- February 2013: recall 13V-069 replaced seat sensors that may have been made out of specification in 2013 models
- March 2014: recall 14V-138 reprogrammed the system’s software in 2013–2014 models
- 2015: NHTSA opened an inquiry into whether the 2014 software fix worked, then upgraded it to an engineering analysis; Nissan also recalled vehicles that had received the wrong control unit during the earlier repair
- April 2016: recall 16V-244 covered more than 3 million vehicles. The complaint says the Altima portion got a software update only, while some other models got new hardware
- May 2016: a dealer bulletin changed the light so it also comes on when the seat is empty, which the complaint says made it harder for owners to tell what it means
- December 2016: another recall replaced wrong control units installed in some cars
- August 2017: a dealer bulletin offered a hardware retrofit for 2013–2016 Altimas and some Murano models whose problems continued after the recall, but the complaint says owners were never told about it
What the Owners Say Happened
The three named plaintiffs bought their Altimas from Nissan dealers in California: a used 2017 model and two 2018 models, one new and one certified pre-owned. Each says an airbag warning light or the passenger airbag light came on years after purchase. One says a dealer quoted about $2,000 just to diagnose the problem and about $5,000 more for a possible airbag replacement, and that the light returned after an independent shop replaced both the sensor and the airbag. Another says a dealer twice cleared the light without replacing the sensor.The complaint notes that the plaintiffs are not alleging the cars violate a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Their argument is that Nissan’s design choices within those standards produced a system that can shut off a needed airbag without the passenger knowing.
The Legal Claims and What the Case Asks For
The lawsuit asserts breach of the implied warranty of merchantability under California’s Commercial Code and the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, unjust enrichment, fraud by omission, and violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and Unfair Competition Law.It asks for damages, restitution and punitive damages, along with a court order requiring Nissan to repair, recall or replace the cars and extend their warranties, or at least send owners a notice explaining the defect. The plaintiffs mailed Nissan notice letters on September 21 and 22, 2026. For now they seek only equitable relief under the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and they say they will add damages under that law if Nissan does not offer a fix within 30 days.
What Altima Owners Can Do Now
There is nothing to file. A class has not been certified, and there is no settlement or claim form. Owners of any Altima can check for open recalls by entering their VIN on NHTSA’s recall lookup. Anyone who sees the passenger airbag light stay on with an adult in the seat can have the system inspected, and owners who have paid for airbag sensor repairs may want to keep their invoices in case the case settles later.This case is separate from Nissan’s earlier transmission and engine cases, including the Nissan VC-Turbo engine lawsuit, which covers a different part and different models.
What Happens Next?
As of September 30, 2026, the docket showed only the opening filings: the complaint, a summons request, the civil cover sheet and a notice of interested parties. Nissan has not responded. The complaint anticipates that Nissan Motor Co. may challenge the California court’s jurisdiction over a Japanese company and asks for discovery on that question if it does.Read the Complaint
The full Cass v. Nissan North America, Inc. complaint is embedded below:Cass v. Nissan North America, Inc. — Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand (PDF, September 23, 2026)
Questions
Which Nissan Altimas are included in the lawsuit?
The complaint covers all 2017 and 2018 Nissan Altima sedans and 2016 Altimas built after April 1, 2016, each equipped with Nissan’s front passenger occupant classification system. The proposed class is people and entities who bought or leased one of those cars in California.
Were these Altimas recalled for the airbag sensor?
Not according to the complaint. Nissan recalled the occupant classification system in 2013 through early-2016 Altimas and other models several times between 2013 and 2016, but the lawsuit says Altimas built after the April 2016 recall’s production cutoff were never recalled for it. Owners can check any open recall for their car by VIN on NHTSA’s recall lookup.
What does the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mean in an Altima?
The light means the system has switched the front passenger airbag off, which is intended when the seat holds a child or is empty. The lawsuit says the light sometimes stays on with an adult seated, and that when the system reads an occupied seat as empty the airbag is switched off with no light at all. Owners who see the light with an adult passenger can have the system inspected by a dealer.
What does the lawsuit ask for?
It seeks damages, restitution and punitive damages, plus a court order requiring Nissan to repair, recall or replace the cars, extend warranties, or at least notify owners about the defect. Under California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act it currently seeks only equitable relief and says it will add damages if Nissan does not fix the problem within 30 days of the plaintiffs’ notice letters.
Is there money available for Altima owners now?
No. The case was just filed, no class has been certified and there is no settlement or claim form. Owners who have paid for airbag sensor repairs may want to keep their repair invoices in case the case settles later.
Sources
• Class Action Complaint — Cass v. Nissan North America, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 5:26-cv-05613 (filed September 23, 2026): Complaint (PDF)• Docket for Cass v. Nissan North America, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-05613 (C.D. Cal.), via CourtListener: CourtListener Docket
• Nissan Part 573 Safety Recall Report, NHTSA Campaign No. 16V-244 (April 28, 2016): NHTSA Recall Report (PDF)
• Nissan Technical Service Bulletin NTB17-006b, Occupant Classification System Retrofit (August 25, 2017): NHTSA-Filed Bulletin (PDF)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — recall lookup by VIN: NHTSA Recalls
