Nissan
Nissan Sentra years to avoid
No year to avoid stands out. Best years: 2023 and 2024.
No Nissan Sentra model year stands out. None from 2014 to 2024 draws 1.5 times the median of 23 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
- 1,971complaints
- 16recall campaigns
- 9model years with a page
Newest report Sep 21, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
- No year stands out.
Best years
2023
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2024
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- No single year holds most of the file. The busiest, the 2014, has 18% of the 1,971 complaints across 9 model years.
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Transmission shudder leads in 3 of the 9 model years and has the most reports overall, 242. Pooled across the years, half of the 153 owners who gave a mileage for transmission shudder were under about 84,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9% of Nissan Sentra complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2017, 35 of its 230 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- None of the 6 model years where owners report transmission shudder has a recall on the same system.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2019 at 243 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 175. So far in 2026, 99 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Seventh generation (B17)
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 361 | 28 | 5 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (75) | 75,000 |
| 2015 | 351 | 29 | 3 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (63) | 60,000 |
| 2016 | 270 | 25 | 6 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (51) | 64,000 |
| 2017 | 230 | 23 | 3 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (27) | 49,000 |
| 2018 | 185 | 21 | 2 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (40) | 43,837 |
| 2019 | 222 | 28 | 2 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (38) | 39,000 |
Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Deathpallie325, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2022 (81), 2023 (20), 2024 (41), 2025 (30).
Year by year
2026 Nissan Sentra
16 owner complaints so far; too new to call. 1 report involved a crash and 1 person was hurt. 1 recall: 26V-145 on the seats.
2021 Nissan Sentra
131 owner complaints, 22 for each year on the road (0.9 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (23 reports), phantom braking (21 reports) and false collision warning (15 reports). 14 reports involved a crash and 8 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 23V-628 on the backup camera and 23V-581 on the steering system.
2020 Nissan Sentra
205 owner complaints, 29 for each year on the road (1.3 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (33 reports, median 16,000 miles), phantom braking (26 reports) and brake wear (25 reports). 8 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 23V-628 on the backup camera and 23V-581 on the steering system.
2019 Nissan Sentra
222 owner complaints, 28 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (38 reports, median 20,010 miles), infotainment (34 reports, median 13,475 miles) and dead battery (22 reports). 16 reports involved a crash and 18 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 21V-135 on the exterior lighting and 19V-654 on the backup camera.
2018 Nissan Sentra
185 owner complaints, 21 for each year on the road (0.9 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (40 reports, median 39,000 miles), phantom braking (20 reports, median 44,088 miles) and stalling (13 reports, median 61,000 miles). 17 reports involved a crash and 10 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 21V-135 on the exterior lighting and 19V-654 on the backup camera.
2017 Nissan Sentra
230 owner complaints, 23 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (27 reports), airbag (26 reports, median 48,000 miles) and transmission shudder (25 reports, median 64,810 miles). 29 reports involved a crash and 21 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 18V-551 on the electrical system and 21V-135 on the exterior lighting.
2016 Nissan Sentra
270 owner complaints, 25 for each year on the road (1.1 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (51 reports, median 96,000 miles), stalling (49 reports, median 74,000 miles) and transmission failure (29 reports, median 96,400 miles). 18 reports involved a crash and 13 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 21V-135 on the exterior lighting and 17V-253 on the airbags.
2015 Nissan Sentra
351 owner complaints, 29 for each year on the road (1.3 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (63 reports, median 80,000 miles), stalling (57 reports, median 60,000 miles) and airbag (44 reports, median 17,389 miles). 23 reports involved a crash and 23 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 16V-244 on the airbags and 16V-242 on the airbags.
2014 Nissan Sentra
361 owner complaints, 28 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (75 reports, median 82,000 miles), airbag (47 reports, median 43,800 miles) and stalling (44 reports, median 77,800 miles). 25 reports involved a crash and 18 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 17V-253 on the airbags and 16V-242 on the airbags.
Recalls that cover several model years
The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS).
In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied.
The left and/or right tie rod may bend.
Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Compare the Sentra with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Sentra vs Toyota Corolla2014 to 2026
- Sentra vs Hyundai Elantra2014 to 2021
- Sentra vs Honda Civic2014 to 2026
Questions
What Nissan Sentra years should you avoid?
No Nissan Sentra model year stands out. None from 2014 to 2024 draws 1.5 times the median of 23 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
What are the best years for the Nissan Sentra?
The 2023 and 2024 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2023 has 20 (5 a year) and 2024 has 41 (14 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Nissan Sentra?
Transmission shudder, with 242 reports across the 9 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014, 2015 and 2016.
How many recalls does the Nissan Sentra have?
16 recall campaigns cover the Nissan Sentra model years 2014 to 2026 on this site. The widest, 21V-135 on the exterior lighting, covers 4 model years.
How many Nissan Sentra complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2017 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for transmission shudder on the Nissan Sentra?
No. None of the 6 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.