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Nissan Sentra Recall 16V242: Passenger Air Bag May Not Turn Off With Child Seat

NHTSA campaign 16V242, reported April 26, 2016, 645,898 vehicles potentially affected.

What this recall means for you

The front passenger seat belt bracket can become deformed when it is used to secure a child restraint system. A deformed bracket can cause the occupant classification system to misread the child seat, so the front passenger air bag may stay active when it should be switched off.

If the front passenger air bag deploys in a crash while a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, a child in that seat faces an increased risk of injury. Owners are warned not to install a child restraint system in the front seat.

The repair is free at an authorized Nissan dealer: the seat belt bracket will be reinforced and the air bag control unit and occupant classification system electronic control unit will be reprogrammed. Nissan will notify owners, or you can contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Check your VIN for open recalls on your vehicle.

Check whether this recall is open on your vehicle

The repair is normally free at an authorized dealer.

Official recall notice

Safety recall 16V242Nissan North America, Inc.
Component
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Problem
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
Risk
If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Affected vehicles

Nissan Sentra2013201420152016