2016 NISSAN SENTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 265 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (103 complaints · 38.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 17
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 11
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2015 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 103 of 265 owner complaints (38.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 103 complaints, 38.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 103 · 38.9% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 21 complaints, 7.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 · 7.9% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 20 complaints, 7.6% of reports ENGINE 20 · 7.6% · 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 19 complaints, 7.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 · 7.2% AIR BAGS: 17 complaints, 6.4% of reports AIR BAGS 17 · 6.4% · 8 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 12 complaints, 4.5% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 12 · 4.5% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 2.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 7 · 2.6% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 5 complaints, 1.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 · 1.9% STEERING: 4 complaints, 1.5% of reports STEERING 4 · 1.5% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 60 complaints, 22.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 60 · 22.6% · 1 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 103 38.9% 3 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 7.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 20 7.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 7.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 17 6.4% 8 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 12 4.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 7 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 4 1.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 60 22.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2016; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2016. 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2018-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2018-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2019-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2020-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2020-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2022-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2022-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2022-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2024-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2024-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2025-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2016 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 16V242000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V242000 Recall campaign 16V244000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V244000 Recall campaign 16V436000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V436000 Recall campaign 16V485000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V485000 Recall campaign 17V253000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V253000 Recall campaign 21V135000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V135000
  • Campaign 21V135000 was reported 690 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 5
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 6
2018-Q1 Owner reports 10
2018-Q2 Owner reports 6
2018-Q3 Owner reports 12
2018-Q4 Owner reports 15
2019-Q1 Owner reports 5
2019-Q2 Owner reports 13
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 13
2020-Q1 Owner reports 8
2020-Q2 Owner reports 4
2020-Q3 Owner reports 10
2020-Q4 Owner reports 12
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 7
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 6
2022-Q1 Owner reports 12
2022-Q2 Owner reports 7
2022-Q3 Owner reports 11
2022-Q4 Owner reports 5
2023-Q1 Owner reports 3
2023-Q2 Owner reports 5
2023-Q3 Owner reports 6
2023-Q4 Owner reports 4
2024-Q1 Owner reports 9
2024-Q2 Owner reports 8
2024-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 13
2025-Q2 Owner reports 5
2025-Q3 Owner reports 5
2025-Q4 Owner reports 3
2026-Q1 Owner reports 4
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 16V242000
Recall campaign 1 16V244000
Recall campaign 1 16V436000
Recall campaign 1 16V485000
Recall campaign 1 17V253000
Recall campaign 1 21V135000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V242000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V244000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V436000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V485000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V253000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
    Remedy:
    Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V135000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
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EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources