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2021 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 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

Limited mileage data: 21 of 131 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Steering. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports

What owners actually said

131 reports
Mileage unknown · May 16, 2023
Back Over PreventionForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

For the past two years, an emergency brake has been activated when an object, such as a car, is close to my front bumper. This is excellent, but occasionally the sensor activates when nothing is in front of me, which is risky and causes my brake pads to wear out more quickly than they should. When I took this up with the Nissan…

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For the past two years, an emergency brake has been activated when an object, such as a car, is close to my front bumper. This is excellent, but occasionally the sensor activates when nothing is in front of me, which is risky and causes my brake pads to wear out more quickly than they should. When I took this up with the Nissan dealer two years ago, they claimed to have rectified it, but they didn't. When I went to another dealership because I was dissatisfied with the service at the prior, I brought up the issue and asked if they could turn off this feature. They said that there wasn't much they could do. They gave it a test drive and found nothing, but since this only occasionally occurs, it is difficult to keep track of it without keeping the car for several weeks, which I cannot afford to do. This seems recall worthy.

NHTSA ODI #11522289

14,000 miles · May 3, 2023
Structure

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while approaching a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the contact heard a sound of water in the rear of the vehicle. Once the contact arrived at the residence, the contact examined the rear passenger’s and driver’s side doors and removed the rubber from around th…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while approaching a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the contact heard a sound of water in the rear of the vehicle. Once the contact arrived at the residence, the contact examined the rear passenger’s and driver’s side doors and removed the rubber from around the doors and water started draining from the doors. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 14,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11520275

Mileage unknown · Apr 20, 2023
Visibility/wiper

Wiper will not function. Turning car on/off multiple times will not cause wipers to function. Turned off car and removed all plugs, wipers still will not function. I have a video trying to fix the problem and issue is not resolved. This has happened 5 times already. Took car to dealer ship and they could not replicate issue. …

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Wiper will not function. Turning car on/off multiple times will not cause wipers to function. Turned off car and removed all plugs, wipers still will not function. I have a video trying to fix the problem and issue is not resolved. This has happened 5 times already. Took car to dealer ship and they could not replicate issue. We are driving car in Oregon where it rains lots, and with wiper not working our visibility is close to none. This can seriously cause an incident due to low visibility.

NHTSA ODI #11518140

Mileage unknown · Apr 6, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

Brake system failed. Car brake petal was all the way to the floor and grinding to stop. The car didn’t fully stop. Car has be inspected 3 times by dealership. No warning lights on. The car automatic brake goes off randomly and breaks out of no where and put me at risk with causing an accident it has been inspected by dealer as w…

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Brake system failed. Car brake petal was all the way to the floor and grinding to stop. The car didn’t fully stop. Car has be inspected 3 times by dealership. No warning lights on. The car automatic brake goes off randomly and breaks out of no where and put me at risk with causing an accident it has been inspected by dealer as well and this continues to happen. Car jerks and looses power while drive check engine light comes on and blinks. The car has been seen twice by dealer for this issue nothing resolved. Almost caused a major accident first time on freeway and again on a busy intersection. Car is very unsafe and not reliable

NHTSA ODI #11515711

Mileage unknown · Mar 26, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

Only the driver side window goes up and down. Took it to Nissan dealer and they made it work for that minute and said they were ordering parts, it’s been 3 weeks and haven’t heard of them.

NHTSA ODI #11513804

20,765 miles · Mar 13, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving in a car wash drive-thru line, the brakes applied independently. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated an unknown yellow and black warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was unable to ope…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving in a car wash drive-thru line, the brakes applied independently. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated an unknown yellow and black warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was unable to open or start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,765.

NHTSA ODI #11511588

Mileage unknown · Mar 12, 2023
Forward Collision Avoidance

AEB SYSTEM ACTIVATED ON IT'S OWN, 3 TIMES RANDOMLY ,BRAKES SLAM ON FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. IF THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN BEHIND ME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. WE JUST TOOK IT TOTHE DEALSHIP TO HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.IT HAS NOT BEEN INSPECT…

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AEB SYSTEM ACTIVATED ON IT'S OWN, 3 TIMES RANDOMLY ,BRAKES SLAM ON FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. IF THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN BEHIND ME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. WE JUST TOOK IT TOTHE DEALSHIP TO HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.IT HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A MANUFACTURER OR OTHERS. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO FAILURE. I CAN NO L,ONGER DRIVE THIS CAR WITH CONFIDENCE.

NHTSA ODI #11511405

Mileage unknown · Mar 1, 2023
Electrical System

Vehicle has a inconsistent overnight battery drain. Called Auto Club for a jump start and technician said some Nissans have been experiencing this issue. Drove the vehicle to get the battery and charging system tested, it passed and no problems were found. There is no pattern and it only happens when the vehicle sits overnight…

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Vehicle has a inconsistent overnight battery drain. Called Auto Club for a jump start and technician said some Nissans have been experiencing this issue. Drove the vehicle to get the battery and charging system tested, it passed and no problems were found. There is no pattern and it only happens when the vehicle sits overnight. There is enough power to lock and unlock the vehicle but not enough to start the car. Had to purchase a battery booster/jumper so I wont get stranded and not keep calling Auto Club. Once I jumped it twice in a week, and the most has been 5 weeks without the need to jump start it.

NHTSA ODI #11509746

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

the car continues to turn off and draining the battery, on the audio there is a constant static, and lights keep shorting out.

NHTSA ODI #11509332

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2023
Electrical System

My window on the passanger side does not roll back up. It is stuck in the down position. All my windows do not function with the exception of the driver window.

NHTSA ODI #11506147

Official recalls

3

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.

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.