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2018 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

97 reports with mileage · 88 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.

  • Power Train. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports3 fire reports9 injury reports

Power Train complaints

46 reports
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Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2023
Power Train

I took a left turn going below 10 mph when it had immediately stalled like a a manual. I was stuck in the middle of an intersection where I had to push the car out of the road. The car no longer wants to be put in drive. it just sits like it is in neutral even when I press on the gas

NHTSA ODI #11508538

Mileage unknown · Feb 20, 2023
Power Train

Transmission is constantly slipping. The car has randomly stopped and I have had to shift into park then back to drive in order for the vehicle to move out of traffic. There is no type of warning. I have no engine lights or any other warnings. This has almost caused 3 accidents. I have taken the car to the dealer and an independ…

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Transmission is constantly slipping. The car has randomly stopped and I have had to shift into park then back to drive in order for the vehicle to move out of traffic. There is no type of warning. I have no engine lights or any other warnings. This has almost caused 3 accidents. I have taken the car to the dealer and an independent mechanic for diagnostics and they are unable to find the issue even with having repeated the problem to some degree. This has been going on for the past 2 months.

NHTSA ODI #11508118

Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2023
Power Train

While my husband was driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power. He was almost hit by the vehicle that was behind him. He was able to nurse it to the side of the road. There were no warning lights or any other indicators that there was something wrong. We called AAA and had it towed to the nearest independent service dealer. We we…

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While my husband was driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power. He was almost hit by the vehicle that was behind him. He was able to nurse it to the side of the road. There were no warning lights or any other indicators that there was something wrong. We called AAA and had it towed to the nearest independent service dealer. We were told that the transmission was gone. It only had 88,000 miles on it. It has not been reviewed by anyone else at this time. The repair bill is for almost as much as what we owe on the loan.

NHTSA ODI #11502758

113,000 miles · Nov 15, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to shift out of drive(D). The contact stated that he was able to manually push the vehicle out of the roadw…

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The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to shift out of drive(D). The contact stated that he was able to manually push the vehicle out of the roadway with the assistance of bystanders. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to his residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI #11493617

Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2022
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

My 2018 Nissan Sentra is currently in the shop at my local Nissan dealership because it needs a transmission replacement. The car lurched ahead causing me to run into my garage door causing damage. It also while driving loses power, the rpm meter will drop for a few seconds and you will see and feel it re engage a few seconds l…

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My 2018 Nissan Sentra is currently in the shop at my local Nissan dealership because it needs a transmission replacement. The car lurched ahead causing me to run into my garage door causing damage. It also while driving loses power, the rpm meter will drop for a few seconds and you will see and feel it re engage a few seconds later. It does this frequently at various speeds.

NHTSA ODI #11493432

Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2022
Power Train

My car stopped accelerating normally and was losing power so eventually I deemed it unsafe to drive. I was told by a mechanic that it was just a speed sensor or the computer needed reprogramming. I took it to the Nissan dealership and they said that the entire transmission needed to be replaced. Mind you I had only had th…

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My car stopped accelerating normally and was losing power so eventually I deemed it unsafe to drive. I was told by a mechanic that it was just a speed sensor or the computer needed reprogramming. I took it to the Nissan dealership and they said that the entire transmission needed to be replaced. Mind you I had only had the car about 10 months. I declined the warranty since it’s a 2018 and was not told the car had any major concerns. I had the transmission replaced and it’s $4,391. It’s been in the shop since July 2022 and the place I bought it from is permanently closed so I couldn’t take it back or exchange it. I haven’t been able to work without a car. I’ve been working sporadically so the bills fell behind and now I’m going through eviction stuff and facing repossession etc… it all started with this transmission replacement. I’ve been so stressed out. I hope things turn around. 🧿✨️ CVT transmissions are not my first go with Nissans.

NHTSA ODI #11493278

81,200 miles · Oct 27, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while making a left turn, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact was able to pull over on the side of road and turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle still would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the…

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The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while making a left turn, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact was able to pull over on the side of road and turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle still would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall on the vehicle related to the failure. The manufacturer stated that 30% of the repairs would be covered by them and the contact would assume responsibility for the remaining 70% of the cost. The failure mileage was 81,200.

NHTSA ODI #11491200

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2022
Power Train

There needs to be a safety recall on Nissan CVT transmissions. The company can not knowingly continue to sell a faulty/detective product and pass the cost onto customers. I purchased my 2018 Nissan Sentra brand new October 2018. I had began to have transmission issues May 2019. I brought the car in several times and finally go…

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There needs to be a safety recall on Nissan CVT transmissions. The company can not knowingly continue to sell a faulty/detective product and pass the cost onto customers. I purchased my 2018 Nissan Sentra brand new October 2018. I had began to have transmission issues May 2019. I brought the car in several times and finally got a replacement in October 2019. July 2022 its the same issues again, hesitation when getting on the freeway, the car will jerk while driving and the RPMS will began to spike. I don't we are suppose to replace transmission every year or year in a half. My car is not even 4 years old I shouldn't have this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11485627

Mileage unknown · Mar 25, 2022
Power Train

Car will only go in reverse. While driving down a busy road my car stopped accelerating in forward and now no longer will drive forward at all. I have kept up with all routine maintenance, and had no warning sign that this was going to happen. My warranty expired at 60,000 miles and I am at 64,000. I bought the car brand new in …

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Car will only go in reverse. While driving down a busy road my car stopped accelerating in forward and now no longer will drive forward at all. I have kept up with all routine maintenance, and had no warning sign that this was going to happen. My warranty expired at 60,000 miles and I am at 64,000. I bought the car brand new in October of 2018, and still owe on it. So now I am stuck with a car payment for a car that I cannot even drive.

NHTSA ODI #11458293

68,000 miles · Mar 17, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift into gear as designed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to…

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The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift into gear as designed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Winners Circle Nissan (1134 W Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666, (757) 838-6111) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI #11457116

Official recalls

2

21V135000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Mar 3, 2021

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

19V654000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 12, 2019

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.