2016 Nissan Sentra: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 266 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 6 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
266
Complaints
6
Recalls
18
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
13
Injuries
70.7
Severity index
Severity index 70.7 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Nissan Sentra ranks 60 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 57% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 125 | 47.0% |
| ENGINE | 47 | 17.7% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 44 | 16.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 42 | 15.8% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 27 | 10.2% |
| AIR BAGS | 24 | 9.0% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 21 | 7.9% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 17 | 6.4% |
The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 125 of 266 complaints (47.0%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2018 | 43 |
| 2019 | 36 |
| 2020 | 34 |
| 2021 | 22 |
| 2022 | 36 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 23 |
| 2025 | 27 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 6 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17V253000 | 13/04/2017 | AIR BAGS | 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. |
| 16V436000 | 15/06/2016 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenge |
| 16V485000 | 29/06/2016 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU). |
| 16V244000 | 26/04/2016 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 N |
| 16V242000 | 26/04/2016 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket |
| 21V135000 | 03/03/2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 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. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.