2011 Leaf OCS sensor failing, class action

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

elektra369

New member
Joined
Feb 12, 2019
Messages
3
I'm considering starting a class action lawsuit because I was told by Nissan that they won't be able to replace the OCS sensor that has failed in my 2011 Nissan Leaf without replacing the entire seat, which will cost me a minimum of $2700 just for the seat itself, never mind labor. It's ridiculous that the 2013-2015 Nissan Leafs have been part of the recall, but ours hasn't. Nissan itself (I called and spoke to a lovely customer service agent who tried to get me a courtesy replacement) said that he totally agreed with me, and that his hands were tied. I'm guessing that they need to have a few deaths due to airbags not deploying before they'd be willing to do a recall. Probably they moved the OCS sensor in later models so they don't need to replace the entire seat, which is why they'd be willing to get those done. Just not 2011 and maybe 2012.

I know I'm not the only one who has had this issue after doing a bunch of research online. I just need to find others so a class action would be viable.

Please post here if you're having this issue and I can figure out whether I can move this forward.

Thanks.
 
As you said you found others online with the same issue on their 2011 Nissan LEAFs, you've likely found this one already, but posting it just in case:

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2011/nissan/leaf/

Looks like someone already successfully sued Nissan and got a settlement:

https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510627247-nissan-sued-over-alleged-defect-that-disables-passenger-airbag

https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/8531318/Senci_v_Nissan_North_America,_Inc
 
elektra369 said:
I'm considering starting a class action lawsuit because I was told by Nissan that they won't be able to replace the OCS sensor that has failed in my 2011 Nissan Leaf without replacing the entire seat, which will cost me a minimum of $2700 just for the seat itself, never mind labor. It's ridiculous that the 2013-2015 Nissan Leafs have been part of the recall, but ours hasn't. Nissan itself (I called and spoke to a lovely customer service agent who tried to get me a courtesy replacement) said that he totally agreed with me, and that his hands were tied. I'm guessing that they need to have a few deaths due to airbags not deploying before they'd be willing to do a recall. Probably they moved the OCS sensor in later models so they don't need to replace the entire seat, which is why they'd be willing to get those done. Just not 2011 and maybe 2012.

I know I'm not the only one who has had this issue after doing a bunch of research online. I just need to find others so a class action would be viable.

Please post here if you're having this issue and I can figure out whether I can move this forward.

Thanks.

I am also having this issue on my Leaf, and had exactly the same experience that you did. I keep meaning to report it to safercar.gov. I will go do that. I am likely not willing to join a class action suit, but you can drop me a private message if you want to chat. I can certainly provide a supporting example that this is not a one-off defect.
 
Information on my vehicle was filed on safercar.gov here:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=11103556

Best of luck getting your issue resolved.
 
I've owned our 10/2013 manufactured LEAF since 12/2016. I have not had any recalls performed and the Nissan website reports no open recalls or campaigns. So I either missed a recall, the recall is partial, or OP's information is incorrect.
 
SageBrush said:
I've owned our 10/2013 manufactured LEAF since 12/2016. I have not had any recalls performed and the Nissan website reports no open recalls or campaigns. So I either missed a recall, the recall is partial, or OP's information is incorrect.

Here's a press release on the recalled OCS sensors for 2013-2016:
https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/nissan-airbag-sensor-recalls-100157/

Recall campaign number: 16V244000
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2013/NISSAN/LEAF/5%252520HB/FWD#recalls

I have no idea if it only affected certain cars from those years, or all of them.
 
I found a solution, or at least a workaround, for the problem with the failing OCS sensor. It would work on any car.

There's a part that is available through the website below that keeps your airbags on all the time. It's an easy fix - remove the part that is in the car and plug this one in instead. I just received mine yesterday, plugged it in, and was dismayed to see the light still on. I visited my wonderful mechanic, who plugged the car into a little device and turned off the flashing lights. Then he tested the sensor - yup! It's working!

The only teeny negative is that the passenger seat belt light is on all the time, as well as another warning light to tell me there's a problem. Those lights go off when I plug in my passenger seat belt.

The part is less than $100 with tax. Way better than the $3000 for a seat replacement.

https://airbag360.com/nissan-leaf--occupant-classification-system-ocs-sensor-emulator--bypass-578-p.asp
 
elektra369 said:
I found a solution, or at least a workaround, for the problem with the failing OCS sensor. It would work on any car.

There's a part that is available through the website below that keeps your airbags on all the time. It's an easy fix - remove the part that is in the car and plug this one in instead. I just received mine yesterday, plugged it in, and was dismayed to see the light still on. I visited my wonderful mechanic, who plugged the car into a little device and turned off the flashing lights. Then he tested the sensor - yup! It's working!

The only teeny negative is that the passenger seat belt light is on all the time, as well as another warning light to tell me there's a problem. Those lights go off when I plug in my passenger seat belt.

The part is less than $100 with tax. Way better than the $3000 for a seat replacement.

https://airbag360.com/nissan-leaf--occupant-classification-system-ocs-sensor-emulator--bypass-578-p.asp

elektra369:

It's a good fix, with a few downsides:
1) The passenger airbag will always deploy in a crash, potentially causing injury to children in the front seat. Note: Children should not be located in the front seat anyway.
2) The passenger airbag will always deploy in a crash, potentially causing a dispute with your insurance company because it may cost more to repair in a non-total loss situation, or reduce the valuation of the car in a total loss situation.
3) IANAL, but I believe selling your car with this device installed is illegal under Federal and most State laws because it would be altering a vehicle safety system. I would personally recommend removing it before selling the car.
4) IANAL, but I believe it is NOT illegal under Federal law to install this device on your own car, however, certain states DO have criminal statues for this. You can get 1 year jail time and a $5000 fine in CA for installing such a device, for instance. [1] My state doesn't prevent owners from installing such a device on their own vehicle.

You can also buy a clip on ebay for ~$5 that you can plug into the passenger seatbelt slot so you don't have to use the actual seat belt to disable the warning. These are typically made for idiots (ie: people who don't want to wear seatbelts while driving). Yes, I just did call everyone who doesn't wear a seatbelt while driving an idiot. No, I'm not sorry. Wear your seatbelt.

[1] https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/vehicle-code/veh-sect-27317.html


Another inexpensive option would be to buy a seat from a wrecked Leaf on LKQ and install it. The seats attach with 4 bolts and are not hard to replace. You MUST make sure you get a seat with a non-deployed & functioning side airbag, and it must match your car's heated seat option. The seat would then have to be programmed by a Nissan dealer because the airbag will have to be paired to the car.
 
Lothsahn said:
These are typically made for idiots (ie: people who don't want to wear seatbelts while driving). Yes, I just did call everyone who doesn't wear a seatbelt while driving an idiot.

They are NOT idiots.

Darwin award finalists.
 
I'm having the same problem on a 2013 LeafSL. Few years ago I had the recall done on the OCS, nothing is outstanding now but since I know have the problem again (since they changed the part no. or some BS liket that) the Nissan dealer is giving me the run around to fix the problem and wants to charge $2400 for full seat replacement. I got on to Nissan consumer affairs, they did offer to pay half but this is not enough considering the value of the car!
I am considering the bypass box from the company in Ireland but concerned about it's overall effectiveness and safety.
What did you guys do to resolve the problem? Any info. appreciated.
Nick
 
nickboardman1039 said:
I'm having the same problem on a 2013 LeafSL. Few years ago I had the recall done on the OCS, nothing is outstanding now but since I know have the problem again (since they changed the part no. or some BS liket that) the Nissan dealer is giving me the run around to fix the problem and wants to charge $2400 for full seat replacement. I got on to Nissan consumer affairs, they did offer to pay half but this is not enough considering the value of the car!
I am considering the bypass box from the company in Ireland but concerned about it's overall effectiveness and safety.
What did you guys do to resolve the problem? Any info. appreciated.
Nick

I love how they won't sell the OCS as a component outside the recall. Just buy a whole new seat. That's really awesome.

You have a few options to fix it:
1) Let the dealer deal with it for $1200 (half paid by Nissan)
2) You may be able to argue that the recall did not sufficiently repair the problem and have Nissan pay for the repair. Might involve taking them to court, and I have no idea how successful you may or may not be.
3) Buy a used seat from a Junkyard and have it installed in your car. The dealer will still have to pair the new seat to the car because they contain airbags. You'd want to verify that your dealer would agree to such a thing before you did this.
4) Drive the car as is. I don't know if the passenger airbag would deploy in a collision. I would NOT recommend this unless you never have a passenger.
5) Install the airbag360 Ireland thing you mentioned. If you do this, the behavior of the car will be that it thinks someone is always sitting in the seat. This means if you get into a crash, the passenger airbag will always deploy. As long as you never put kids in the front seat, this would be safe. However, if you got in a collision without a passenger you could end up in a fight with your insurance. The passenger airbag would deploy unnecessarily, causing damage to the dashboard and other expenses.

It also means that the Leaf will always yell at you to buckle the passenger seat belt and put up the red triangle on the dash. You'll need to either always buckle the passenger seat belt or buy a seat belt defeat device (basically a seat-belt buckle without a strap) to silence this error. You can find these devices on ebay--please don't ever use them outside of this situation.

IANAL, and this is NOT legal advice: Also, while modifying the safety restraint systems in your car does not violate federal law, it may violate state law. For instance, California has jail time and a fine ($5000?) for modifying car safety restraint systems, IFIRC. This is a well-intentioned law to prevent people from selling improperly repaired cars to buyers; however, this law may affect you. You will need to look up and decide how the laws may or may not affect you.

If you choose option 4, it should be easy to install. You would need to be careful to not damage the airbag plug located under the passenger seat, and the box would just plug right in. Nothing else is required.
 
nickboardman1039 said:
I'm having the same problem on a 2013 LeafSL. Few years ago I had the recall done on the OCS, nothing is outstanding now but since I know have the problem again (since they changed the part no. or some BS liket that) the Nissan dealer is giving me the run around to fix the problem and wants to charge $2400 for full seat replacement. I got on to Nissan consumer affairs, they did offer to pay half but this is not enough considering the value of the car!
I am considering the bypass box from the company in Ireland but concerned about it's overall effectiveness and safety.
What did you guys do to resolve the problem? Any info. appreciated.
Nick

What did you end up doing Nick? I've had this same problem since this past summer. I have a 2013 Nissan Leaf SL that started having problems with the red air bag blinking since this past spring. I've been putting off doing anything about it and just not having anyone sit in the front passenger seat, but that is getting annoying. They want to charge me $1000 to replace the OCS control unit and sensor at my Nissan service center. I had them print me out a parts list that they would be charging me for and then looked up those pieces online.

I'm thinking it wouldn't be hard to replace the sensors myself. My only concern is if that does not actually fix the issue. I found all the parts online for about $366.

98853-3JA0A OCS Sensor - $37.82 (Need 2 of these)
https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-sen-occupant~98853-3ja0a.html

98856-5HA0A OCS Control Unit $288.33
https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-controller-assy-occupant-sensor~98856-5ha0a.html

23188-3JA0A M8 Nut Flange Hexagon - $0.60 (Need 2 of these)
https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-m8-nut-flange-h~23188-3ja0a.html

Total Price $366
 
My 2011 Leaf has the same problem. After the 12-volt battery died, I had it towed to a dealer who replaced the battery. Since then, the warning lights started flashing. I tried the on/off starting switch routine in the videos. No luck. I finally took it to a dealer and was informed (after a $189 diagnosis charge) that I need to have the whole seat replaced for over $5000. I declined and just drive it solo most of the time.
 
arcboot said:
My 2011 Leaf has the same problem. After the 12-volt battery died, I had it towed to a dealer who replaced the battery. Since then, the warning lights started flashing. I tried the on/off starting switch routine in the videos. No luck. I finally took it to a dealer and was informed (after a $189 diagnosis charge) that I need to have the whole seat replaced for over $5000. I declined and just drive it solo most of the time.

Keep in mind the manual says the airbag system disables itself in this situation. It's unclear if that just means the passenger airbag or the driver's too. I would fix or workaround the problem using one of the above solutions.
 
elektra369 what actually is the issue with the OCS system. I am one of the Master Techs for our Nissan store and do all of the Leaf's. Just curious as to what the issue is on the 2011?
 
sarge4680 said:
elektra369 what actually is the issue with the OCS system. I am one of the Master Techs for our Nissan store and do all of the Leaf's. Just curious as to what the issue is on the 2011?

The airbag comes on and throws a code for the passenger seat occupancy sensor. At first, it starts intermittently (the code can be cleared via consult or LeafSpy), but then eventually it starts happening more and more often, and eventually, the code won't clear at all.

Once the code won't clear, removing 12V power for a few minutes and re-applying it will allow the code to once again clear via consult, but it will return in hours or days.

Basically the passenger seat OCS sensor is failing. It was recalled on 2013+, but never on 2011/2012. The only solution provided by the dealerships is a complete seat swap, in the range of $3-$5k.
 
Back
Top