2018 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (40) · Service Brakes (22) · Vehicle Speed Control (19)
🧭 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
97 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
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.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2019-09-12 · campaign 19V654000 · 1,228,830 vehicles
Defect: 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 an
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (145)
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 145 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-25 · Exterior Lighting · 75,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start one day after several attempts and was accompanied by the aeb (automatic emergency braking) sensor and check engine warning lights. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery and brake light switch due to a suspected battery dra…”
2026-07-10 · Power Train“on wednesday july 8, 2026 at approx 7:45 am the powertrain system failed entirely due to a catastrophic malfunction of the xtronic cvt (continuously variable transmission), which completely and instantly failed with absolutely no prior dashboard warning lamps, check engine lights, or symptoms. while traveling at approximately 40 mph on a public ro…”
2026-04-29 · Power Train“at right under 67,000 miles, the car made a loud pop when i went to accelerate from a stop light. the car would only work in reverse at that point. i'm being told that the cvt needs to be replaced. the car isn't even worth the cost of a new transmission. …”
2026-04-12 · Unknown Or Other“my vehicle stalled. i had to get someone to help me move it out if a busy traffic thoroughfare. it was making odd noises then was stuck in reverse only. i took it to my mechanic who informed me the transmission had failed and that i needed a new one. i work from home and do not drive my vehicle consistently.…”
2026-02-05 · Service Brakes“my brake lights suddenly wouldn’t turn on and my car wouldn’t start. we replaced the brake light switch and it worked for a short while, but it stopped working the same day almost causing several collisions as brake lights won’t turn on. there was a recall on this issue with this year and model, but my vin number was not included regardless of the …”
2025-12-01 · Unknown Or Other“the engine will not crank when pressing the push-button ignition switch and applying the brake pedal. i took it to the nissan dealership and they told me it needed a new stop lamp switch which is exactly what the recall for other nissans during this time frame is for: make: nissan number: pm971 title: stop lamp switch voluntary safety recall campa…”
2025-11-19 · Power Train“transmission replacement - the transmission system requires replacement due to issues identified during inspection, including judder in the cvt and auxiliary gearbox. replacing the transmission can help address these concerns and improve the smoothn…”
2025-10-30 · Steering“the horn does not work when pressing the steering wheel, even though the horn itself and the fuse are functional. i got my car inspected yesterday, and the initial diagnosis points to a faulty clock spring.…”
2025-10-14 · Unknown Or Other“i have all lights on in the dashboard. i had 2 diagnostic checks. one from byerly ford and the other from jeff wyler in louisville, ky. byerly says rf wheel speed sensor c1103. i had it done by someone else, and they said lf sensor c1104. got both done by the same person still abs, skid icon, warning, brake icon. second diagnostic check done by je…”
2025-09-23 · Vehicle Speed Control“when i first get in the car and hit the gas it's ok a if i'm trying to move it but if i'm trying to leave my driveway and i hit the gas it will stall and the rpm will go up to a 5 , and this happens exiting the interstate, it's almost caused me to wreck because i can't pick up the speed it is like it's stuck . the same thing happens at a stop li…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.