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2020 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2020 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

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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

57 reports with mileage · 147 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.

  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

204 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

I was driving down the highway and my Automatic emergency brakes system decided to kick in. Scared the hell out of me. nobody was hurt thank God! Luckily there was no cars around me. Or im sure i could have been seriously hurt or even killed. I took the vehicle to nissan dealership they kept my car for 3 months and supposedly t…

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I was driving down the highway and my Automatic emergency brakes system decided to kick in. Scared the hell out of me. nobody was hurt thank God! Luckily there was no cars around me. Or im sure i could have been seriously hurt or even killed. I took the vehicle to nissan dealership they kept my car for 3 months and supposedly they fixed the problem. But i have proof of the messages and lights on my dash telling me malfucntion. Like wth?

NHTSA ODI #11449964

39,800 miles · Feb 2, 2022
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 15 mph the rear passenger side child safety lock did not activate and the 9-year-old grandchild was able to open the rear passenger side door. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The…

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The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 15 mph the rear passenger side child safety lock did not activate and the 9-year-old grandchild was able to open the rear passenger side door. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the rear driver-side door was serviced previously for the same failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 39,800.

NHTSA ODI #11449922

Mileage unknown · Dec 7, 2021
Wheels

On July 16 2021, I took my car to the dealer for an oil change and for a recall on a bent tie rod. They told me my tie rod was fine and did nothing. On November 15, I took my car back because my wheel was vibrating. They said my hub bearing assembly is loose so, they will order the part which takes 3 days to come in and advised …

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On July 16 2021, I took my car to the dealer for an oil change and for a recall on a bent tie rod. They told me my tie rod was fine and did nothing. On November 15, I took my car back because my wheel was vibrating. They said my hub bearing assembly is loose so, they will order the part which takes 3 days to come in and advised me "not to drive on highways". Now 4 weeks later, they told me that's not the problem and its my tie rod. I asked how this was misdiagnosed? They said the person who looked at it didn't know what they were doing. This put my children and I at risk!

NHTSA ODI #11442958

Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2021
Forward Collision Avoidance

A few times, my car has sensed that there's a car in front of me and suddenly breaked. I find this completely bizarre as there have been no cars in front of me. I took the car to the dealership to see if there was any electrical malfunction. But the dealership did not find anything. However, the issue still appears from time to …

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A few times, my car has sensed that there's a car in front of me and suddenly breaked. I find this completely bizarre as there have been no cars in front of me. I took the car to the dealership to see if there was any electrical malfunction. But the dealership did not find anything. However, the issue still appears from time to time. I am concerned because if my car were to suddenly stop again, and there is a car behind me, a car could easily hit me. Aside from this, I have had some issues with the moonroof not closing, and the backup camera freezing too. Both of those issues were solved at the dealership though.

NHTSA ODI #11442916

Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2021
Back Over PreventionElectrical SystemSuspension

Vehicle first developed a issue the following day I got it. The first issue was "Engine Malfunction, Power Reduced, Service Now". So I took it to the service center at Mossy Nissan in El Cajon, CA where they service the vehicle, but I continued to get that error on numerous occasions. Another issue, the instrument cluster an…

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Vehicle first developed a issue the following day I got it. The first issue was "Engine Malfunction, Power Reduced, Service Now". So I took it to the service center at Mossy Nissan in El Cajon, CA where they service the vehicle, but I continued to get that error on numerous occasions. Another issue, the instrument cluster and infotainment system would randomly restart while driving that has happened numerous times as well. Another issue, the panorama vehicle camera system would crash and not function any more, that occured numerous times. Another issue, while driving the vehicle I noticed the lane keep assist stopped functioning on numerous occasions. Another issue, while deriving the vehicle I felt the car would sway to certain side, I don't remember what side though. All of these issues have been addressed at the service center, but some of them still continued. So I filled a complaint with Nissan Motors and they were initially gonna repurchase the vehicle back as a lemon. But they backed out of the deal. Since I feel the car is unsafe to drive due to electrical issues, the car has been sitting at the Nissan service center since April 2021. They also refuse to address the recent recall associated with the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11441419

Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2021
Forward Collision Avoidance

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking inadvertently activated. The Automatic Emergency Braking warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on five separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed n…

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The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking inadvertently activated. The Automatic Emergency Braking warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on five separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact left a voicemail for the dealer informing them of the failure but had not received a callback. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11440774

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2021
EngineUnknown Or OtherWheelsCrash

I had brought my car up to the dealership for an oil change, and they said there was a recall on the tie rods. They said they checked them out, but never gave me paperwork for it. And I’ve looked it up and it said no recall have been serviced on. A week or two later me and another passenger got in my car and put it in reverse, a…

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I had brought my car up to the dealership for an oil change, and they said there was a recall on the tie rods. They said they checked them out, but never gave me paperwork for it. And I’ve looked it up and it said no recall have been serviced on. A week or two later me and another passenger got in my car and put it in reverse, and heard a small pop as I turned the wheel I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then we started heading down the road we got to a stop light and my car was stalling the transmission didn’t sound right for a little while. And then we where going about 35 mph and started slowing down to about 10-15 mph to make a turn, as I started turning the wheel we heard a loud pop. All of a sudden I had lost control of the car, the right front side tire had broke off and barely holding only by the wires and piece of metal. Then we hit the curb almost hitting another car and smoke started coming out of the A/C vents. And also no warning for anything ever came up. the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The dealership has inspected it.

NHTSA ODI #11438576

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2021
Back Over PreventionUnknown Or Other

Back-up camera display intermittently displays "blue screen" when car in reverse (has been on-going issue since taking delivery of car 3-2020 and, as a result of current pandemic, do not drive as much as I might otherwise have driven - 9,500 miles on car a this point). Have taken to dealership several times for them to diagnose…

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Back-up camera display intermittently displays "blue screen" when car in reverse (has been on-going issue since taking delivery of car 3-2020 and, as a result of current pandemic, do not drive as much as I might otherwise have driven - 9,500 miles on car a this point). Have taken to dealership several times for them to diagnose and fix problem - no success. One visit to dealer they witnessed failure and supposedly documented in their tracking system. As mentioned, this is intermittent problem which makes it all the more aggravating as does not fail all the time. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection, if needed. Currently trying to find convenient time to take car back to shop for additional review as requested by Nissan regional team. Thanks,

NHTSA ODI #11438468

Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2021
Unknown Or Other

When accelerating, the entire vehicle jerks vigorously. Causing the vehicle to temporarily stall. After few seconds it gains control. Big orange error message displays. Saying vehicle malfunction with 6 different error messages.

NHTSA ODI #11437080

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

I was driving the 60mph speed limit on the highway. The car automatically braked and said an object was on the road. The cruise control was not available due to the error message that popped up. My safety and the safety of my 3 children were at risk because if there were a car behind me, they would have rear ended me, especially…

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I was driving the 60mph speed limit on the highway. The car automatically braked and said an object was on the road. The cruise control was not available due to the error message that popped up. My safety and the safety of my 3 children were at risk because if there were a car behind me, they would have rear ended me, especially going for 60mph to a sudden jerking stop such as that. I was told that some nissan's distance sensors are malfunctioning this way, but my car is not added to the recall, so I will have to save up to get it corrected. I bought this car brand new last year.

NHTSA ODI #11435030

Official recalls

4

23V628000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 8, 2023

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

23V581000 · Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly

Aug 15, 2023

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A bent tie rod can break and cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

22V244000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Apr 13, 2022

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Sentra vehicles, equipped with LED headlights. The right-hand headlight aim may be misaligned. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamp, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly aimed headlight may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the right-hand headlight, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 10, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R20B4.

21V461000 · Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly

Jun 17, 2021

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

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.