If as you state the recall program has ended per Nissan, how much time did Nissan allow for owners to bring in their vehicles to be fixed? Your post sounds rather fishy without further details.
Usually recalls are for the life of the vehicle unless there is another circumstance such as the VIN is restricted (being declared a total for example)
I have a feeling you have a dealer trying to screw you. I’ve had this happen before. They don’t want to eat the expense of repairing your vehicle so they lie (to put it bluntly).
From the NHTSA.com website—
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
The offer of a free repair for a recalled vehicle extends eight years from the date the recall is announced. If you find out that your car has been recalled but the time allowed by law to have the free repair made has elapsed, don’t give up. Car manufacturers have goodwill policy programs. Repairs called for by expired recalls may still be paid for, at least in part, by the manufacturer. Therefore, contact a dealer to get in touch with the manufacturer.
If your passenger wears a seat belt, he/she won’t have any need for the airbag.
Check your handbook/Internet for Nissan HQ phone number. Have your VIN, dealer info, dates, etc. all together when you call. They should work with you. If not? Tell them you are going to buy a Toyota... then they should come around...
Tell your SOB Nissan dealer to fix it considering the NHTSA’s statute of limitations has another two years to go. If they refuse, tell them politely you will no longer consider them as an honorable business and you will report them to the State Consumer Affairs Division for violating the NHTSA recall agreement.
Do you know how many decades we drove cars and survived without having any airbags? I have been driving for nigh onto 50 years and the only injury I ever suffered was caused by an airbag.
Make a video explaining the situation. Put lots of crash test dummies hitting dashboards with their face. Explain how you’ve contacted Nissan over and over about this, but they don’t value your life any more than a crash test dummy.
Post what they say in their correspondence.
Then post some pictures of the head of their North American operations, along with contact info.
Then, post it on Youtube and send the link to every media outlet you can think of.
If you do it right, someone from Nissan will be calling you to make good.
Don’t believe me? Look up “United breaks guitars” on Youtube.
Yours doesn’t need that kind of production value. It just has to be clever enough that people pass it around and it gets a lot of views. Make it lighthearted and a little ridiculing of the company, but not so serious that it isn’t clearly parody.
How about copying Direct TV?
“When you buy a Nissan, it might have a defect.
When it has a defect, they issue a recall.
When they issue a recall, you might not respond until after the recall.
When you respond after the recall, they won’t honor the recall.
And when they don’t honor the recall, your face might go through the windshield.
Don’t let your face go through the windshield. Buy a Toyota.”
Honestly, if you find one thing that makes people laugh or strikes a chord (and who doesn’t want to get justice from a company that they perceive to be unfair? It’s a popular cause) then you could very well get the results you’re looking for.
“Nissan says that the safety recall campaign has ended, and they will not be responsible for my truck or any other 2004 Nissan Titans on the road today, which means that the passenger side airbag will not deploy in case of an accident.”
I would LOVE to figure out a way to keep those pyrotechnics from firing in my (newer) cars. You should be thankful. You may get a broken nose or detached retina from hitting a squirrel, but your passenger will be fine, providing she’s wearing her seat belt.
What took you so long?