2021 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (27) · Electrical System (17) · Service Brakes (14)
🧭 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
22 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2023-09-08 · campaign 23V628000 · 153,376 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly 2023-08-15 · campaign 23V581000 · 236,238 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend.
Risk: A bent tie rod can break and cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly 2021-06-17 · campaign 21V461000 · 138,736 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent.
Risk: A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (132)
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 · NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
automatic emergency braking warning light blinking applied systems: vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see figure 1) service information if the automatic emergency braking (aeb) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and there are no rel
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
Engine 2025-01-13 · NTB25-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service information if one of the applied vehicles has dtc p2100 for “etc mot pwr-b1” or p2101 for “etc fnctn/circ-b1” stored in the engine control module (ecm) with a customer complaint of loss of power, perform the revised electronic service manual (esm) procedure noted on page 2 for "perform dt
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)
Showing the 6 most recent of 132 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking · 75,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2021 nissan sentra. the contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 30-35 mph, a yellow triangle warning light illuminated, and the vehicle independently applied the brakes forcefully and made a sharp left turn. the vehicle then rolled over twice and landed upside down in a ditch. the driver crawled out through…”
2026-09-30 · Service Brakes“i purchased this vehicle brand new in 2021. since then, i have experienced a very concerning safety issue on multiple occasions involving the automatic emergency braking system. while driving normally, with the vehicle operating without any apparent problems, the emergency braking system has suddenly activated and warning lights have appeared on t…”
2026-09-09 · Suspension“my vehicle previously had the tie rod issue repaired under the original recall\. however, the same problem has now returned\. i am experiencing a sharp/clunking noise when turning left while the vehicle is moving, which is very concerning because this involves the vehicle’s steering and suspension\. i checked nissan’s recall information online usi…”
2026-08-30 · Unknown Or Other“drivers of the car pulled out of a plaza without blinker and almost ran into our vehicle. passenger and driver continued to harass and make rude comments whenever they pass by us. and we felt very offended.…”
2026-07-18 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“my 2021 nissan sentra has experienced multiple false automatic emergency braking (phantom braking) events where the vehicle suddenly applies the brakes despite there being no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle in its path. this issue occurred before and after my vehicle was serviced by autonation nissan chandler on june 12, 2026. despite recent deal…”
2026-07-15 · Steering“the scope of repair required fixing a recalled tie rod that suffered a catastrophic failure, which directly caused the vehicle’s adas, advanced emergency braking (aeb), and collision detection systems to crash. berman nissan promised a legally compliant, safe repair but breached this agreement by returning an unsafe vehicle, failing to road-test th…”
2026-06-08 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“alternator needed replacement front windshield needed replacement unfortunately this kicked off the malfunction warning. all nissan can say is it’s the adas 2 controller. they are unable to determine part numbers. however the alternator and windshield replacement kicked off the malfunction warning. …”
2026-05-26 · Suspension“several issues since purchasing vehicle. the front collision sensor malfunction. came to an abrupt stop several times while on the freeway due to failed sensor. narrowly avoided major collisions. also, have had to replace batter every year along with brakes and tires. my suspension is awful. the brakes are crap and have consistently had to address …”
2026-05-25 · Steering“hello, i am reporting a steering-related issue involving the inner tie rods on my 2021 nissan sentra. nissan previously issued safety recall campaign pm985 for bent inner tie rods on certain sentra vehicles from the same model year. two separate repair facilities inspected my vehicle and confirmed problems involving the inner tie rods and steering …”
2026-05-11 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch“the door swung open while in drive, once was able to pull over and close it never opened back up due to a faulty door actuator. this was the third time the door had been “fixed”.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.