Air Bag Not Deploy problems of the 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

I purchased a 2009 Nissan altima in sept. 2009. I noticed immediately that the passenger airbag remains off 50% of the time when my girlfriend (approx. 100 pounds) sits in it. I tried to follow up with the dealership where I purchased the car and a separate dealer as well. My dealership where I purchased the vehicle told me it was a common problem and that there is no way to leave the airbag on or to adjust the sensitivity. He also stated that other people had similar complaints. I tried bringing it in to another dealership, who told me that at least 2 or 3 people had brought their cars in with the same complaint and Nissan could not resolve the problem. The frequency of this problem seems relatively common. How can such a hazardous situation be in compliance with NHTSA standards? even if it is safe for 99% of the population, the lack of control by the NHTSA is severely endangering the lives of the other 1%. I am only one person and hope that the NHTSA helps issue a recall on this problem. I do not want to spend the time and effort to explore media outlets and am really hopeful that this can be addressed. I cannot imagine the lawsuits that would result from an airbag not deploying when I see this complaint all over message boards and on the NHTSA site. Please help us protect our loved ones.