IllustrationMY VEHICLE TURNS OFF BY ITSELF AND BLACK SMOKE COMES OUT OF THE MUFFLER.THE CAR BRAKES ARE ACTING WEIRD. THE CAR OVERHEATS
2011 Nissan Sentra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2011 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sentra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
330–25K
1025–50K
1850–75K
2175–100K
31100–150K
3150K+
116 reports with mileage · 26 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports6 fire reports11 injury reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints
17 reportsCAR RUNS FINE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, SKIPS INTO THE TRACTON CONTROL MODE AND VEHICLE SLOWES TO AROUND 10 MPH. CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE. DASH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON . CAR CANNOT CONTINUE. AFTER STOPPING, SHUT ENGINE OFF, CAR WILL RUN FINE, THEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. SAFETY ISSUE, TRAVELING AT 40 MPH AND HAVE YOUR ENGINE SHUT DOWN. NO…
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CAR RUNS FINE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, SKIPS INTO THE TRACTON CONTROL MODE AND VEHICLE SLOWES TO AROUND 10 MPH. CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE. DASH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON . CAR CANNOT CONTINUE. AFTER STOPPING, SHUT ENGINE OFF, CAR WILL RUN FINE, THEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. SAFETY ISSUE, TRAVELING AT 40 MPH AND HAVE YOUR ENGINE SHUT DOWN. NO WARNING, JUST HAPPENS.
ENGINE TO STALL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND IT WAS NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE SOON AFTER IT STOPPED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER, THE ECM MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THESE SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO RECALL#10V555000 AND #11V579000.
I'VE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE. AT TIMES, THE ENGINE STALLS AND IT CANNOT GO ABOVE 15-20 MPH, EVEN WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO LOCKS UP, AS WELL. THE VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL INDICATOR THEN TURNS ON. LUCKILY, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO A SAFE LOCATION WHEN THIS HAPPENS, BUT I FIND IT ALARMING. …
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I'VE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE. AT TIMES, THE ENGINE STALLS AND IT CANNOT GO ABOVE 15-20 MPH, EVEN WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO LOCKS UP, AS WELL. THE VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL INDICATOR THEN TURNS ON. LUCKILY, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO A SAFE LOCATION WHEN THIS HAPPENS, BUT I FIND IT ALARMING. I ALSO THINK THIS DEFECT IS AFFECTING OTHER IMPORTANT COMPONENTS IN MY VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SPORADICALLY FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW.
RECALL ON BATTERY CABLE IMPACTED ECM AND CAUSED FIRE ON WIEINGOF CAR AND IMPACTED CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND VALVE SOLENOID AND O2 SENSORS AND DAMAGED CAR
DRIVING ALONGON A MAJOR HIGHWAY 301 IN THE STATE OF GEROGIA AND THE CAR CUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. TOWED TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD THAT BATTERY TERMINAL CAUSED COMPUTER TO MALFUNCTION.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 138 UNION CITY WHEN MY VEHICLE STARTED TO SHUTTER LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. WHEN I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT THE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL LOAD DROPPED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT CRANK BACK UP. I WAS ABLE TO JUMP IT OFF AND THE CAR HAD NO ISSUES I HAD THE BATTERY TESTED AND ALTERNATOR TESTED BOTH ARE GOOD/. *TR
Official recalls
211V579000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery:cables
Dec 15, 2011
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 SENTRA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MR20 ENGINES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 11, 2010, TO MAY 22, 2010, AND JULY 8, 2010, TO OCTOBER 25, 2010. THE ZINC COATING APPLIED TO THE TERMINAL STUD BOLT WAS THICKER THAN SPECIFICATION. THIS CAN RESULT IN A VOLTAGE DROP THAT MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY STARTING THE VEHICLE AND COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AFTER IT STOPPED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL AND COVER, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALLBEGAN ON JANUARY 23, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
10V555000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery:cables
Nov 12, 2010
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 SENTRA VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 22, 2010, THROUGH JULY 8, 2010. DUE TO A MACHINING IRREGULARITY, THE BOLT/WASHER SURFACE ON THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CABLE END MAY ALLOW FOR A GAP TO OCCUR IN THE CONTACT AREA OF THE TERMINAL. THIS CAN RESULT IN A VOLTAGE DROP THAT MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY STARTING THE VEHICLE AND COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT LOW SPEED WITH A DIFFICULT OR NO START INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CABLE END WITH A NEW ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN PN NOVEMBER 29, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.