2021 NISSAN SENTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 127 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (29 complaints · 22.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 13
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2020 →
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 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE appears in 29 of 127 owner complaints (22.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 29 complaints, 22.8% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 29 · 22.8% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 25 complaints, 19.7% of reports STEERING 25 · 19.7% · 4 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 23 complaints, 18.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 18.1% SERVICE BRAKES: 7 complaints, 5.5% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 5.5% · 3 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 4 complaints, 3.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 3.2% ENGINE: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports ENGINE 3 · 2.4% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 2.4% STRUCTURE: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports STRUCTURE 3 · 2.4% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports SUSPENSION 3 · 2.4% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 54 complaints, 42.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 54 · 42.5% · 5 crash reports 1 fire 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)
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 29 22.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 25 19.7% 4 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 18.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 7 5.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 3 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 3 2.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 3 2.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 54 42.5% 5 crashes · 1 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 Apr 2021; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2021. 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2022-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2023-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2023-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2024-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2024-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2026-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 2021 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 21V461000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V461000 Recall campaign 23V581000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V581000 Recall campaign 23V628000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V628000
  • Campaign 23V581000 was reported 718 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 8
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 7
2022-Q3 Owner reports 4
2022-Q4 Owner reports 3
2023-Q1 Owner reports 9
2023-Q2 Owner reports 6
2023-Q3 Owner reports 16
2023-Q4 Owner reports 11
2024-Q1 Owner reports 9
2024-Q2 Owner reports 9
2024-Q3 Owner reports 6
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 4
2025-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 5
2025-Q4 Owner reports 9
2026-Q1 Owner reports 4
2026-Q2 Owner reports 6
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 21V461000
Recall campaign 1 23V581000
Recall campaign 1 23V628000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V461000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the left and/or right tie rods as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 5, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PM985.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V581000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    A bent tie rod can break and cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised to contact their dealer for transport assistance if they are experiencing an off-center steering wheel or vibration. As an interim repair, dealers will inspect and replace any bent or broken tie rods, free of charge. Once newly designed parts are available, dealers will replace both left and right tie rods, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 27, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23B3. This recall replaces and expands recall number 21V-461. Vehicles previously repaired under 21V-461 will need to have the new remedy completed.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V628000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.
    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
Showing 0 of 127 complaints · page 1 of 6

No complaints match the current filters.
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