2009 Nissan Maxima

THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON WHILE A 160LB ADULT IS SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT. THIS LIGHT INDICATES THAT THE AIR BAG WILL NOT OUT IN AN ACCIDENT. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE NISSAN DEALER WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND THEY SAID THE LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON WITH THEM. WHEN I GOT BACK HOME IT CAME ON AFTER ABOUT FOUR DAYS AND I HAVE IT ON VIDEO WHILE I'M SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT AND THE LIGHT IS ON. IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING NOW. ALSO, THE CAR FELLS LIKE ITS SHAKING LIKE SLIDING AS IF YOU WERE HYDRO PLANNING WHILE DRIVING. THE LIGHT I THINK VDS COMES ON A GOES OFF FROM TIME TO TIME. *TR

I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO FAIRFAX NISSAN FOR REPAIRS AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. 12/23/2010 - PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS STAYING ON WHEN AN ADULT PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT - RESET SYSTEM. 07/30/2011 - PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS STAYING ON .......10/20/2011 PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT STAYING ON WHEN AN ADULT PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT- FOUND INTERNAL DEFECT WITH OCCUPANT SENSOR IN SEAT AND REPLACED. 05/01/2012- ETC 01/15/13 - PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS STAYING ON WHEN AN ADULT PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. VIDEOED THIS OCCURRING SEVERAL TIMES. ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT EXHAUST SMELL IN CABIN AND WAS TOLD TO CHANGE CABIN FILTER. UNABLE USE OUTSIDE AIR FOR AC OR EXHAUST SMELL ENTERS THE CAR AND CREATES EXTREME HEADACHES. ONLY CAN USE RECIRCULATED AIR. THESE CONTINUED TRIPS WITHOUT RESOLUTION HAVE PUT A STRAIN ON MY EMPLOYMENT (WORK IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY). I JUST WANT THESE ISSUES RESOLVED SO THAT NO INJURY TO MY FAMILY OCCURS FROM THIS. *TR

I PURCHASED THE 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA FROM THE DEALER, BRAND NEW, IN NOVEMBER, 2008. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, I NOTICED THAT AS I SAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. I AM 5'4" AND 140 POUNDS AND NOT A CHILD OR EVEN A SMALLER ADULT. THROUGHOUT THE PAST 5 YEARS, THE SAME PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN WHEN SOMEONE SAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE LIGHT WILL COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE I SAT THERE AND MY HUSBAND DROVE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ON 2 OCCASIONS (FIRST TIME IN 2009 AND AGAIN IN 2010) AND EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND THAT I FELT UNSAFE SITTING IN THAT SEAT SHOULD WE HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND UNLESS THE COMPUTER SPITS OUT AN ERROR CODE, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO (EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY). NOW THE CAR IS OVER 5 YEARS OLD AND HAS 85,000 MILES ON IT. MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY IS EXPIRED (AS IT ENDED AT 60,000 MILES). IT IS NOW THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY, EVEN WHEN NOBODY IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. ALSO, THE FLASHING AIR BAG LIGHT ON MY DASHBOARD STAYS ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY SAID IT'S THE SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THAT HAS FAILED. IT GAVE AN ERROR COD B1018. SINCE IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, IT WILL COST ME $1,900 OUT OF POCKET. I CONTACTED NISSAN'S CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND ASKED THEM TO COVER IT?THEY DENIED THE CLAIM AND WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. I WANT TO ALERT THE NHTSA THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM NOT ONLY ON NEWER NISSANS, BUT ALSO ON THE OLDER NISSANS, INCLUDING THE 2009 MAXIMA. MY HOPE IS THAT THIS YEAR AND MODEL WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR AN EXPANDED RECALL TO THE CURRENT RECALL. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND ONE THAT NISSAN SHOULD AGREE TO TAKE CARE OF FOR ALL CARS THAT SHOW THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN I AM DRIVING MY CAR, MY "FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND STATUS LIGHT" IS ON; WHICH INDICATED THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF, WHEN THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THE FRONT SEAT. IT WILL TURN OFF IS SOMEONE IS IN THE SEAT INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IS ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT, THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND THE SYSTEM IS OPERATING AS IT SHOULD. THEY EVEN CHECK FOR CODES. ACCORDING TO THE OWNERS MANUAL PGS 1-44 AND 1-45, "UNOCCUPIED PASSENGER'S SEAT: THE LIGHT IS OFF AND THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF AND WILL NOT INFLATE IN A CRASH." "USING THE PASSENGER AIR BAG STATUS LIGHT, YOU CAN MONITOR WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG IS AUTOMATICALLY TURNED OFF WITH THE SEAT OCCUPIED. THE LIGHT WILL NOT ILLUMINATED WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS UNOCCUPIED." I READ THE OWNERS MANUAL BEFORE AND AFTER I TOOK MY CAR THERE JUST SO I WOULD KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER THE INSPECTION. I QUESTIONED THEM ON WHAT THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAID AND THEY SAID THE LIGHT SHOULD BE ON IF THE SEAT IS UNOCCUPIED. THE TECH EVEN SAID THAT. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE I NEED MY CAR'S SAFETY FEATURES TO WORK PROPERLY AS IT SHOULD. *TR

PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT RANDOMLY GOES ON AND OFF, WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IN THE SEAT. AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, I WAS TOLD THAT "IT WAS JUST MY PURSE"; I INSISTED THAT IT WAS NOT AND FOR IT TO BE CHECKED. THE LOWER SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY WITH PRESSURE BLADDER WAS REPLACED AND COVERED BY WARRANTY IN 2011. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS UNTIL RECENTLY, IT STARTED DOING THE SAME THING AND IT HAS BEEN TESTED BY NISSAN SERVICE TECHNICIANS TWICE AND I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS CONCERNS ME, AS SAFETY FEATURES SHOULD NOT BE QUESTIONABLE IF THEY MAY FUNCTION PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TILT STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN THE EXTREME UP POSITION WHEN DRIVERS DOOR WAS OPENED AT APPROX 2 YEARS/52,000 MILES. TILT STEERING WHEEL COULD NOT BE LOWERED UNTIL DISASSEMBLED BY THE DEALER. DRIVER VISIBILITY WAS SERIOUSLY OBSTRUCTED, ESPECIALLY FOR SHORTER DRIVERS. POTENTIAL AIR BAG EFFECTIVENESS WAS ALSO SERIOUSLY DEGRADED. NISSAN IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENT MOTORS (TILT OR TELESCOPE) IN SERVICE BULLETIN NTB09094. HOWEVER, NISSAN HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL AND REFUSED TO REIMBURSE THIS FIRST-TIME NISSAN OWNER FOR THIS SAFETY DEFECT. THERE IS NO CERTAINTY OF WHETHER REPLACEMENT NISSAN STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENT MOTORS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME UNDERLYING DESIGN DEFECT AND WILL NOT FAIL SHORTLY AFTER INSTALLATION. THE TELESCOPE ADJUSTMENT MOTOR FAILED AT APPROX 1 YEAR/38,000 MILES. TOTAL REPLACEMENT COST FOR PARTS AND LABOR FOR BOTH ADJUSTMENT MOTORS WAS APPROXIMATELY $400+. I REQUEST NISSAN AND NHTSA ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT. *TR

2009 NISSAN MAXIMA PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG ISSUES. EVERYTIME I SIT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON SAYING THAT IS NOT ON. I WEIGH 145LBS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM IN ANY OF OUR OTHER CARS. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY REPLACED THE SEAT ONCE, IT IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. IF I CAN'T SIT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR THAT I'M PAYING $500 A MONTH TO DRIVE, THEN THEY NEED TO TAKE IT BACK. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON SAYING IT WOULD NOT WORK. WIFE OF 140 POUNDS WAS SITTING IN SEAT. IT WAS TURNED ON ALL THE TIME. SHE GOT IN AND OUT A FEW TIMES, THE LIGHT STILL CAME ON. THE NEXT DAY IT WENT OFF AND HAS STAYED OFF SINCE. TOOK CAR TO NISSAN DEALER THEY CHECKED IT,SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING CAR BACK IF IT OCCURRED AGAIN. *TR