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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2019 Nissan Sentra

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

Owners have filed 222 safety complaints about the 2019 Nissan Sentra with the US government. Of those, 16 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 18 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the exterior lighting and back-over prevention.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 64 complaints, 29% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 34,500 miles, the median across the 90 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2018 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

222 complaints on file

222

Complaints

16

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

18

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints fell 36% year on year: 16 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 25 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 64 · 29%
POWER TRAIN 54 · 24%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 46 · 21%
SERVICE BRAKES 37 · 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 35 · 16%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 28 · 13%
ENGINE 20 · 9%
AIR BAGS 14 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 · 5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 5 · 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 · 2%
STRUCTURE 5 · 2%
0 27 54

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 222.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 44.

48 36 24 12
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2019 Nissan SENTRA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

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

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

19V654000 · September 12, 2019

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 1,228,830 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

SERVICE BRAKES

3 injured · crash · 1,862 miles

DRIVING ON FREEWAY LESS THAN 35 MPH, CAR MADE LOUD NOISE FOR 1-2 MINUTES AT SAME TIME I FELT UNDER FLOOR BOARD SOMETHING PULLING. I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN, BRAKES DIDN'T WORK. I REAR ENDED A CAR. THE CAR GEAR SHIFT POPPED INTO REVERSE; I PRESSED HARDER ON BRAKES & THEY FINALLY WORKED. I NOTICED A BIG LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD SAYING 'MALFUNCTION, CHECK OWNERS MANUAL' THERE WAS A GRAY SYMBOL NEAR THESE WORDS. INSIDE THE SPEEDOMETER CIRCLE THAT SAME SYMBOL APPEARED IN BRIGHT YELLOW. AT SOME POINT WITHIN AN HOUR 2 MORE YELLOW SYMBOLS APPEARED ON THE FAR LEFT OF THE DASH, A YELLOW TRIANGLE WITH AN EXPLANATION POINT, AND A CAR WITH 2 CURVED LINES BEHIND THE BACK TIRES. WHEN THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO THE

NHTSA complaint 11281415, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 45,000 miles

I HAD AN ACCIDENT ON JULY 31ST, 2019 WHERE MY CAR WAS TOTALED AND THE MOTOR WAS LOST COMPLETELY. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE NISSAN SYSTEM STATED, 'REFER TO OWNER'S MANUAL.' THANKFULLY I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT AND ONLY HAD MINOR SCRATCHES AND BRUISES.

NHTSA complaint 11292414. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 80,000 miles

LAST MONTH I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF MY SENSORS WERE WORKING PROPERLY, MY EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT EMPLOY AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT I USED MY STANDARD BRAKE THE CAR WENT DOWN BEING REAR-ENDED SOMEBODY BUT I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP WITH ONLY THE FRONT BRAKES TO BULLYING ALLOWED MY CAR TO NOSEDIVE AND SLIDE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT RELEASED AND STOPPED WORKING BECAUSE OF SENSORS WERE NO LONGER TELLING THE CAR TO BREAK I HAD FULL COVERAGE INSURANCE AND INSURANCE AND NOT COVERING MY CAR BECAUSE THE CAR LOT DID NOT ADVISE ME OF HIS PROBLEM OR THE RECALLS ON THIS CAR I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MY CREDIT FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW AND BECAUSE I'M

NHTSA complaint 11387269, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · 2,123 miles

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW ON 1/23/2020. IT HAD 24 MILE ON IT WHEN I PULLED OFF THE LOT. ON 2/15/2020 MY DAUGHTER'S AND I WAS HEADING INTO TOWN AND THE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AT RANDOM. WITHOUT ANY COLLISION, ACCIDENT, OR RUNNING OVER ANYTHING OF ANY KIND. IT BUSTED MY EARDRUM AND MASSIVELY BRUISED MY DAUGHTER. NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS HAVE BEEN VERY RUDE ABD ARE REFUSING TO HELP WITH A RENTAL OF ANY KIND AND HAVE EVEN WENT SO FAR TO ACCUSE ME OF FRAUD. I AM BEING FORCED TO CONTIBUE DRIVING THE CAR AS IS AND THE SEAT BELTS ARE ALSO LOCKED UP. I WAS SUPPOSED TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM 7 DAYS AGO AND CANNOT GET A CALL BACK OR RETURNED EMAIL FROM THEM.

NHTSA complaint 11318592. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a potential safety defect involving my 2019 Nissan Sentra. In June 2025, when my vehicle had approximately 56,000 miles, the overhead console located in the ceiling of my vehicle suddenly detached and fell while I was driving. The console struck me in the face. This was completely unexpected and created a potentially dangerous situation because I was operating the vehicle at the time. A component falling from the ceiling and striking the driver could cause the driver to become distracted, lose control of the vehicle, or potentially cause a crash. After the incident, I examined the overhead console and found that the components/attachment points that secured the console to the

NHTSA complaint 11765147, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Transmission slipping

NHTSA complaint 11752668. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Collision warning sound happens randomly for no reason

NHTSA complaint 11749705. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

256,545 miles

Transmission Failure of drive train Acknowledged by Dealer Inspection by Dealer No warning signs prior to failure

NHTSA complaint 11738925. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

46,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his daughter attempted to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start immediately. The contact's daughter pressed the engine Auto Start/Stop button again, the vehicle restarted. The contact had AAA test that the battery, which had no failure, and it was determined that the brake light switch had failed. The cruise control later failed to operate as needed, and the message "Automatic Emergency Braking Malfunction" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign

NHTSA complaint 11738494, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I am filing this complaint against Nissan North America due to a recurring transmission failure in my 2019 Nissan Sentra VIN#: [XXX] . Timeline of Events: Initial Purchase: November 2022 (61,000 miles). First Failure: September 2023 (~75,000 miles). Nissan replaced the transmission under the extended CVT warranty (84 months/84,000 miles) established by the Martinez v. Nissan class action settlement. Second Failure: March 2026 (109, 497 miles). The replacement unit has failed after only 31,000 miles of use. Nissan will not cover the repairs due to the mileage being out of warranty. The estimated cost per McGrath Nissan Dealer is $8,000, I am unable to afford this service so the car was towed

NHTSA complaint 11735359, quoted in part. 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 16 1 —
2025 30 4 —
2024 41 3 —
2023 20 1 —
2022 81 2 —
2021 132 3 —
2020 205 4 —
2018 185 2 1
2017 230 3 —
2016 270 6 —
2015 351 3 —
2014 380 5 —
2013 638 6 1
2012 180 0 —
2011 142 2 —
2010 144 3 —

Other 2019 Nissan models

Rogue 337 Leaf 259 Altima 232 Kicks 134 Rogue Sport 100 Armada 77 Pathfinder 76 Titan 47

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Nissan on this site — 205 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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