2021 Nissan Sentra: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
129
Complaints
3
Recalls
14
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
8
Injuries
97.7
Severity index
Severity index 97.7 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 90 2021 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2021 Nissan Sentra ranks 16 of 90 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 82% of its model-year peers. See the full 2021 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 40 | 31.0% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 38 | 29.5% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 38 | 29.5% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 23 | 17.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 18 | 14.0% |
| ENGINE | 7 | 5.4% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 | 4.7% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | 4.7% |
The single most-reported system is STEERING, cited in 40 of 129 complaints (31.0%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 42 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 21 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 12 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 3.2x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21V461000 | 17/06/2021 | STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent. |
| 23V581000 | 15/08/2023 | STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend. |
| 23V628000 | 08/09/2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 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 |
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.