Should I buy a 2016 Nissan Murano with documented airbags problems?

Depends on the price and the specific vehicle. Documented airbags issues should be priced into the purchase — if the seller is asking full retail, negotiate down by the expected repair cost. A pre-purchase inspection from an independent shop tells you whether THIS specific vehicle has already shown the symptoms or not.

2016 Nissan Murano airbags problems

severe Owners of the 2016 Nissan Murano have filed 11 NHTSA complaints about the airbags at roughly $1,100 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See airbags across all vehicles →

Complaints

Recalls

Avg fix

$1,100

airbags complaints on the Nissan Murano, by model year
Model year	airbags complaints
2012 Murano	24
2013 Murano	3
2014 Murano	11
2015 Murano	32
2016 Murano (this page)	11
2017 Murano	6
2019 Murano	5

1crash

Related recalls

severe NHTSA 16V244000 April 26, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc

If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins

The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering airbags on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.

Service Bulletin NTB19-071D Sep 2024

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin NTB19-071C Mar 2023

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin NTB19-071B Apr 2022

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin NTB19-071A Mar 2021

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin NTB19-071 Sep 2019

DTC B00A0-00 STORED IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored And OCS zero point reset cannot be performed (continued on the next page) And The following screen displays: ACTION 1. Check the Occupant Classification System (OCS) control unit using the ODS Analysis tool software. ï· Refer to SERVICE PROCEDURE on page 5. HINT: âOCSâ may also be referred to as âODSâ. 2. Perform â75-zero RESETâ.

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.

The failure pattern owners describe

The 2016 Murano's front passenger occupant sensor has a documented pattern of failing to recognize when a passenger is seated, causing the airbag warning light to remain on (indicating the airbag is "OFF") even with an adult or child belted in. Owners report this happens unpredictably—some experience it at every startup, others intermittently during drives at any speed. The warning sometimes clears after shutting off and restarting the engine, but recurs within the same drive or at the next startup.

At least one passenger airbag failed to deploy during a collision. One owner provided dealership diagnostic code B00A0-00 (occupant sensor unit, abnormal voltage). The sensor malfunction affects passengers across different weights: a 67-pound child, a 150-pound adult, and a 190-pound adult all triggered false "airbag off" warnings. A Nissan dealer replaced the sensor on a loaner vehicle, only to have the same problem occur, suggesting this is not isolated to individual cars. Nissan has consistently told owners they cannot find anything wrong, and at least one dealership stopped responding to complaints despite videos documenting the failure over months. The underlying cause—whether sensor calibration, wiring, occupant detection module failure, or something else—remains undiagnosed.

Same Nissan Murano airbags reports on nearby years: 2014 · 2015

Failure modes owners describe

Passenger airbag sensor misidentifies or fails to recognize passenger presence

The front passenger occupant detection sensor fails to correctly identify when a passenger is seated, causing the airbag to deactivate (warning light on) even when an adult passenger is present and belted in. The issue occurs intermittently and unpredictably—sometimes during startup, sometimes during driving at all speeds. Restarting the vehicle occasionally clears the warning, but the problem recurs frequently.

When: Occurs at startup and intermittently during driving; reported from 600 miles to within a year of ownership; owners purchased vehicles starting June 2016

Symptoms owners cite: Passenger airbag warning light remains on (indicating airbag 'OFF') when passenger is seated; Airbag deactivates randomly while passenger is seated and belted, including during highway driving; Warning light does not turn off despite passenger presence, seat belt engagement, or passenger position changes; Passenger airbag fails to deploy during collision despite no prior warning lights; Problem resolves temporarily only after shutting off and restarting engine; Sensor malfunction affects different weight passengers (67 lbs, 150 lbs, 190 lbs)

Codes mentioned: B00A0-00 (occupant sensor unit, abnormal voltage)

Repairs/costs cited: Dealer performed sensor 'update and recalibration' on at least one vehicle; dealer recommended occupant sensor unit replacement and sensor replacement on another vehicle; repairs have not resolved the issue in reported cases

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Nissan has stated they cannot find anything wrong with the vehicle; dealership did not diagnose root cause in multiple visits; manufacturer stopped responding to owner complaints in at least one case

Electrical system intermittent malfunction affecting occupant sensor and infotainment

Broader electrical system malfunction affecting both the occupant sensor and the infotainment/communication system. The passenger airbag sensor deactivates intermittently while the touchscreen also fails to respond to commands and cell phone pairing drops.

When: Occurs as soon as car starts at rest and continues while in motion at all speeds; problem documented over many months

Symptoms owners cite: Passenger airbag deactivates randomly while in motion; Touchscreen does not follow commands; Cell phone pairing intermittently fails to communicate; Malfunctions occur on highway and city streets at all speeds

Repairs/costs cited: Dealership attempted multiple diagnostics and failed to resolve; owner documented problem with multiple videos over many months

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealership no longer returns calls; Nissan does not respond to complaints

Synthesized from 11 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.

What owners are reporting 0 most recent

Had airbags trouble with your 2016 Nissan Murano? File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.

Common questions

How serious is the airbags problem on the 2016 Nissan Murano?

It's a meaningful issue. 11 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $1,100.

At what mileage does the airbags typically fail?

Based on the 11 complaints filed, airbags issues most often appear around 24,100 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.

What does it cost to fix?

Independent shops typically charge around $1,100 for airbags repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.

Are there any recalls related to airbags?

Yes — 1 active recall(s) cover airbags issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.

Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public records database. Verify the raw federal record at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Nissan/Murano. Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.