2017 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (57) · Vehicle Speed Control (31) · Air Bags (20)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Sentra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
104 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2021-03-03 · campaign 21V135000 · 807,376 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:ignition 2018-08-21 · campaign 18V551000 · 153,047 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air Bags 2017-04-13 · campaign 17V253000 · 30,038 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (183)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent cruise control inoperative and aeb/feb warning light on or radar obstruction message displayed with dtc c1a16 or c2582 if you confirm important: the purpose of action (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. you must closely follow the entire ser
Air Bags 2024-09-19 · NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dtc b00a0-00 stored this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin. if you confirm dtc b00a0-00 (occupant detection sensor unit) is stored, and ocs zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)
Power Train 2024-06-07 · NTB12-103I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
cvt/tcm calibration data “write” procedure this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 183 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-06 · Unknown Or Other“premature cvt failure. on xxx the cvt transmission in my vehicle was replaced at 95,126 miles. i paid $4,754.00 for the repair. on xxx while traveling out of [xxx], the replacement cvt transmission failed suddenly on the highway. the vehicle lost power without warning, forcing me to immediately move onto the shoulder with hazard lights to avoid be…”
2026-07-23 · Service Brakes“my 2017 sentra is suffering from the exact silicone outgassing defect detailed in recall 21v135000. my replacement switches keep failing because the car requires the updated protective grommet, but nissan is excluding my vin from receiving the campaign kit.…”
2026-07-16 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“my car was legally parked on the street near my apartment, and was hit about a month ago that left my car totaled and my trunk completely crushed in, and the back seat caved in. my car was then hit a 2nd time two weeks ago, from the back, and both times, my car ricocheted and hit the car parked in front of mine. both times. police said first driver…”
2026-06-01 · Power Train · 129,600 mi“the contact owns a 2017 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving the vehicle he could tell the vehicle gears were slipping, on a different occasion the vehicle downshifted on its own suddenly almost causing a crash. the contact stated there were times where the vehicle would downshift suddenly and would slow all the way down causing the vehi…”
2026-05-31 · Power Train“i have been experiencing the cvt transmission slipping the last two weeks. i contacted nissan so see if my vin was a vehicle affected by 2017 cvt transmission recalls. they advised me it was not affected because my vin did not match their systems affected vehicles. today my vehicle transmission broke down completely on my way home and had to get…”
2026-05-14 · Power Train“the cvt transmission on my 2016 nissan sentra is failing. this seems to be an ongoing issue with nissans cvt that i have researched. dealerships are saying they are not replacing the transmissions because it is outside the warranty. the cvt issues started shortly after the warranty ended. funny. the fact that the failure of transmission is causing…”
2026-04-10 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch · 98,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was able to be restarted later. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brake light switch had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was m…”
2026-03-19 · Unknown Or Other“when driving in the highway my hood opened up it hand unhinged on its own.…”
2026-03-16 · Power Train“my 2017 nissan sentra is experiencing cvt transmission problems. the vehicle hesitates when accelerating, slips between gears, and sometimes loses power while driving. this creates a dangerous situation when entering traffic or driving at highway speeds. i contacted nissan consumer affairs, but they stated there was nothing they could do because t…”
2026-03-05 · Power Train“cvt failed after only 94k miles. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.