Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 132 safety complaints
about the 2021 Nissan Sentra with the US government. Of those, 14 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 8 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering back-over prevention and the steering.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 40 complaints, 30% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 23,000 miles,
the median across the 21
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers June 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
132 complaints on file
132
Complaints
14
Describe a crash
1
Mention fire
8
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 rose by half year on year: 24 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 15 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
STEERING 40 · 30%
40 30%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 39 · 30%
39 30%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 38 · 29%
38 29%
SERVICE BRAKES 24 · 18%
24 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 · 14%
19 14%
ENGINE 7 · 5%
7 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 · 5%
6 5%
SUSPENSION 6 · 5%
6 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 5%
6 5%
WHEELS 5 · 4%
5 4%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 3%
4 3%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 2%
3 2%
01938
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 132.
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 42.
48 36 24 12
212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2021 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 2021 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
9.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. 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."
The risk
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 153,376 vehicles across all model years covered
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend.
The risk
A bent tie rod can break and cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 236,238 vehicles across all model years covered
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent.
The risk
A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 138,736 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.
STEERING
1 injured · fire · crash · towed
My accident was with Nissan Sentra veering out of control. I was lucky, see others who weren’t in past few weeks: Nissan Sentra’s have lost control resulting in fatal crashes against guardrail, train, snowbank, tree (fire), garbage truck, patrol car(s), highway wall, jeep, pedestrian, & some drove into a ditch, little river, river bank, heavy duty truck, injured police officer. Humble Request to investigate please: Nissan recalls + reported accident’s in past month (+ unreported\private), only NHTSA can identify a pattern
NHTSA complaint 11450320. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
1 injured · crash · towed
The contact owned a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated their daughter was driving at 30 mph, when the driver was merging into a lane when the driver heard an unidentified noise and lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into a telephone pole. The air bags did deploy. The driver had a laceration and bruise and swelling in the left knee. The driver declined medical treatment at the scene. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was later deemed as a totaled loss. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint 11430740. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed
Out of control
NHTSA complaint 11450217. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
1 injured · crash · towed
bent tie rod condition impaired the driver's ability to steer the vehicle
NHTSA complaint 11450285. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
I purchased this vehicle brand new in 2021. Since then, I have experienced a very concerning safety issue on multiple occasions involving the automatic emergency braking system. While driving normally, with the vehicle operating without any apparent problems, the emergency braking system has suddenly activated and warning lights have appeared on the dashboard, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, object, or other obstruction in front of me that would have required emergency braking. This has happened to me several times and is extremely frightening. During the most recent incident, the vehicle behind me had to quickly go around my car to avoid rear-ending me after my vehicle …
NHTSA complaint 11768165, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
My vehicle previously had the tie rod issue repaired under the original recall\. However, the same problem has now returned\. I am experiencing a sharp/clunking noise when turning left while the vehicle is moving, which is very concerning because this involves the vehicle’s steering and suspension\. I checked Nissan’s recall information online using my VIN, and it currently states that there are no open recalls\. However, I have only had this issue repaired **once**, under the original recall, and the same problem is happening again\. I am concerned that the original recall repair did not permanently correct the problem, or that the replacement component may have developed the same defect\. …
NHTSA complaint 11763094, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Drivers of the car pulled out of a plaza without blinker and almost ran into our vehicle. Passenger and driver continued to harass and make rude comments whenever they pass by us. And we felt very offended.
NHTSA complaint 11760768. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
My 2021 Nissan Sentra has experienced multiple false Automatic Emergency Braking (phantom braking) events where the vehicle suddenly applies the brakes despite there being no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle in its path. This issue occurred before and after my vehicle was serviced by AutoNation Nissan Chandler on June 12, 2026. Despite recent dealership service, the problem continues to occur. The unexpected braking creates a serious safety hazard because it can cause the vehicle to slow or stop unexpectedly in traffic, increasing the risk of a rear-end collision or other accident. I am also concerned that these repeated sudden braking events may be causing excessive stress or premature …
NHTSA complaint 11751232, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
The scope of repair required fixing a recalled tie rod that suffered a catastrophic failure, which directly caused the vehicle’s ADAS, Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), and collision detection systems to crash. Berman Nissan promised a legally compliant, safe repair but breached this agreement by returning an unsafe vehicle, failing to road-test the steering component (verified by identical check-in/out mileage), and intentionally scrubbing trouble codes to conceal active safety failures. Staff explicitly refused all safety assistance, failed to secure my signature on any authorization paperwork from tow to pick-up, and Nissan corporate stated they were 'not legally required' to resolve the …
NHTSA complaint 11750579, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Alternator needed replacement Front windshield needed replacement Unfortunately this kicked off the malfunction warning. All Nissan can say is it’s the ADAS 2 controller. They are unable to determine part numbers. However the alternator and windshield replacement kicked off the malfunction warning.
NHTSA complaint 11742845. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed September 8, 2023.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst