CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2016 Nissan Sentra

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

267

Complaints

18

Crashes

2

Fires

13

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Nissan Sentra have filed 267 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2016 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 126 of them (47%). The typical failure was reported at 60,000 miles, the median across the 145 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints fell 33% year on year: 18 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 27 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

21V135000 · March 3, 2021

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
The risk
The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 807,376 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

17V253000 · April 13, 2017

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. 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 risk
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.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 30,038 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

16V485000 · June 29, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
The risk
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.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 1,522 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

16V436000 · June 15, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.
The risk
If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 4,355 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

16V244000 · April 26, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. 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. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
The risk
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.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 3,296,947 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

16V242000 · April 26, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
The risk
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.
The 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 645,898 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 267.

POWER TRAIN 126 47%
ENGINE 47 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 44 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 42 16%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 27 10%
AIR BAGS 24 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 18 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 17 6%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 10 4%
STRUCTURE 10 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 43.

2016 2018 2026
2016 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed · 100,000 miles

The contact's son owned a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown speed, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to operate causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact mentioned that her son sustained bruised chest and the driver from the other vehicle sustained rib inquiries that needed medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to the tow lot. The dealer was not contacted. The contact contacted an independent mechanic and informed them that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 21v135000 ( exterior lights). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and

NHTSA complaint 11440186, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

Airbag did Not deploy when in a multi vehicle accident. Total loss, seat broke during impact, frame bent . Front end and rear end damage. Total hazard. I had maintenance done June 5 at Nissan dealer and was never notified of any open recalls.

NHTSA complaint 11445866. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · 36,000 miles

WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED THE SEAT BELT DIDN'T SUPPORT THE UPPER PART OF MY BODY CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND SEAT BELTS NEVER LOCKED IN PLACE AND NOW SEATBELT LIGHT ON DASH

NHTSA complaint 11020019. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 7,500 miles

I WAS SMASHED IN BETWEEN TWO CARS AT A RED LIGHT. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOTALED.

NHTSA complaint 11115459. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CVT
On Friday, July 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 PM, while driving on the parkway at an approximate speed of 65 miles per hour and preparing to merge onto the highway, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled completely. I was able to safely maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. After a few minutes, once the immediate traffic situation on the highway entrance cleared, I attempted to re-engage the vehicle. While the engine started, it immediately began revving excessively high without corresponding forward momentum. The vehicle moved at an extremely slow pace despite the high engine RPMs, indicating a severe loss of power transfer to the wheels. Current Status: The vehicle is presently

NHTSA complaint 11754961, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

149,244 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Niss. The contact stated that they discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale/dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 107,242. It was later discovered upon checking Carfax, that the mileage was 149,244.

NHTSA complaint 11741557. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The CVT transmission, which Nissan has had many issues with per the large number of class action lawsuits, failed while I was driving the vehicle on a main street in San Diego. The vehicle showed no indication (warning light) that there was any engine failure or issue. The CVT transmission just died unexpectedly while the vehicle was moving with traffic. I brought the vehicle to Mossy Nissan in National City and they confirmed the CVT transmission failed. The vehicle only has 87,762 miles on it. Nissan claimed they are not responsible. I only learned of the large number of CVT transmission lawsuits once this happened. They have broken their lawsuits into different vehicle years, makes, and

NHTSA complaint 11732826, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle stopped accelerating while driving and after stopping, would not exceed 5-10 mph. Vehicle was towed to a mechanic who advised that the transmission had failed.

NHTSA complaint 11728392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

142,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the sunroof exploded and shattered without impact. The contact exited the highway, pulled over to the side of the road, and took pictures of the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not informed of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

NHTSA complaint 11724103. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The CVT transmission went out when I was driving on an interstate. I was driving 65 mph and within seconds my speed dropped with a tractor trailer behind me. I thankfully was able to pull off to the side of the road, but almost crashed in the process. The check engine light also did not come on until 17 minutes after the transmission failed. An independent service center confirmed the problem and stated that they’ve seen many other Sentra’s with the same problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, etc. Very dangerous situation with no warning signs.

NHTSA complaint 11722355. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Sentra

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 13 1
2025 27 4
2024 34 3
2023 19 1
2022 80 2
2021 129 3
2020 204 4
2019 221 2
2018 184 2 1
2017 230 3
2015 350 3
2014 380 5
2013 638 6 1
2012 180 0
2011 142 2
2010 144 3

Other 2016 Nissan models

Every Nissan on this site — 200 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst