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2020 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2020 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

57 reports with mileage · 147 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

204 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2023
Electrical SystemSteering

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THERE WAS A POPPING SOUND WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EITHER TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT I TOLD THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT HEAR IT. THEY TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE DEPT AND THE CAR WAS CHECKED OUT I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO ISSUE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TODAY THE CAR CONTINUES TO MAKE THE NOISE …

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I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THERE WAS A POPPING SOUND WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EITHER TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT I TOLD THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT HEAR IT. THEY TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE DEPT AND THE CAR WAS CHECKED OUT I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO ISSUE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TODAY THE CAR CONTINUES TO MAKE THE NOISE SOMEDAYS IT LOUDER THAN OTHERS I TOOK IT AGAIN TO NISSA AND THEY STILL SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR I AM CONCERNED AND DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SERVICE AT NISSAN SOMETHING IS FOR SURE WRONG WITH THE CAR

NHTSA ODI #11500235

Mileage unknown · Dec 29, 2022
Electrical System

The back door lock actuators does not lock automatic or not work at all with fob you have to manual lock the door from the inside button it does not lock when the car reach a certain speed my child open the door going down road and i just happen to see it when he did these need to be looked at before someone child gets hurt the …

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The back door lock actuators does not lock automatic or not work at all with fob you have to manual lock the door from the inside button it does not lock when the car reach a certain speed my child open the door going down road and i just happen to see it when he did these need to be looked at before someone child gets hurt the doors does not work at all remotely or when it going certain speed

NHTSA ODI #11499302

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

At 5:44 on Hwy 50/Elizabeth Ave in Pueblo, CO. The automatic emergency braking system locked up with no reason for it to do so. Thankfully we were not rear ended. I have documented via photograph of this system error alert coming on several times a week while driving this vehicle. It has been to the dealership now twice for th…

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At 5:44 on Hwy 50/Elizabeth Ave in Pueblo, CO. The automatic emergency braking system locked up with no reason for it to do so. Thankfully we were not rear ended. I have documented via photograph of this system error alert coming on several times a week while driving this vehicle. It has been to the dealership now twice for this issue and will be making yet another appt to get the car back in again.

NHTSA ODI #11498722

Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesCrash

My daughter was driving her 2020 Nissan Sentra the other day and was trying to avoid hitting a dog that ran in front of her car she crashed into a park car. Our Nissan Sentra anti brakes did not stop the car nor make a noise before hitting that parked car. No warning from our car to prevent this head on collision. There is so m…

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My daughter was driving her 2020 Nissan Sentra the other day and was trying to avoid hitting a dog that ran in front of her car she crashed into a park car. Our Nissan Sentra anti brakes did not stop the car nor make a noise before hitting that parked car. No warning from our car to prevent this head on collision. There is so much damage that our insurance has deemed it a total loss. By the grace of God daughter is physically fine but mentally she is not!! As a parent I felt comfortable with my daughter driving this car at first. I have witness the anti brakes work on our 2020 Nissan Sentra before, when we would get near an object the car would automatically stop! We are now out of a car and I'm still going to owe a balance to my finance company once the insurance pay whatever they're going to pay. This is so unfair and heartbreaking that this important feature on this car failed my daughter when she needed it the most. WHY????????

NHTSA ODI #11495913

Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2022
Structure

1) The front passenger door will not open. This is a recurring problem and I have experienced it four times already. 2) CVT Malfunction warning is persistent. CVT resets when the engine is turned off and comes back on after about 10 to 15 minutes after the engine is started again, which creates a problem when you come to a com…

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1) The front passenger door will not open. This is a recurring problem and I have experienced it four times already. 2) CVT Malfunction warning is persistent. CVT resets when the engine is turned off and comes back on after about 10 to 15 minutes after the engine is started again, which creates a problem when you come to a complete stop. The transmission does not immediately get in gear and there is a very slow start-up in moving forward. The "ECO" engaged by itself and this problem started when I disengaged the "ECO" when I was headed up a hill. The problem with the "ECO" is intermittent. I took the car to a private mechanic and they did not have enough information from Nissan to correct this problem. I contacted Kimmel- Silverman, Lemon Law Attorney, and was told that Nissan was aware of the problem and has not issued a recall, as of this moment.

NHTSA ODI #11493985

Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 2022
Forward Collision Avoidance

The automatic emergency braking light would continue to flash on and off, signaling it wasn't working correctly. I took it into the dealership to be repaired and two days after receiving my car back the light came back on. I have done research and have concluded that this is an ongoing and common issue throughout particular Niss…

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The automatic emergency braking light would continue to flash on and off, signaling it wasn't working correctly. I took it into the dealership to be repaired and two days after receiving my car back the light came back on. I have done research and have concluded that this is an ongoing and common issue throughout particular Nissan models.

NHTSA ODI #11487051

19,000 miles · Sep 26, 2022
Forward Collision Avoidance

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently stopped without warning. The contact stated that an audible warning beep was coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions; however, the mechanic…

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The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently stopped without warning. The contact stated that an audible warning beep was coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11486408

Mileage unknown · Sep 26, 2022
Unknown Or Other

As we were driving on the highway we noticed a sound in the engine very rubbery. The car started to jerk and we were able to move the car to the side of the road. We were not able to easily drive the car anymore and had to get it towed. The engine and brake light turned on at the same time. Once you took it to the dealership the…

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As we were driving on the highway we noticed a sound in the engine very rubbery. The car started to jerk and we were able to move the car to the side of the road. We were not able to easily drive the car anymore and had to get it towed. The engine and brake light turned on at the same time. Once you took it to the dealership they said that the bolt on the alternator pulley was loose and that's why our belt came off. They said they have never experienced this before and if this is a common problem in these cars that has not been reported properly we would like to report it now.

NHTSA ODI #11486400

Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance

I have documented over 2 years of my AEB Failing by photograph and video time stamping the continual occurances of this system failing on my vehicle while driving. The vehicle has self engaged the braking in the middle of driving, thankfully I was draveling on a residential road at aprox 30 mph. It was quite scary to experience.…

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I have documented over 2 years of my AEB Failing by photograph and video time stamping the continual occurances of this system failing on my vehicle while driving. The vehicle has self engaged the braking in the middle of driving, thankfully I was draveling on a residential road at aprox 30 mph. It was quite scary to experience. I also now have no back up camera, the screen is completely black when vehicle is in reverse, drive as well as park. I have restarted the vehicle hoping it was just a glitch in the system. I feel like this vehicle has been and continuing to be more insane to operate and I have literally only had it for 2 years, brand new off the lot July 2020.

NHTSA ODI #11485354

Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2022
Unknown Or Other

UNKNOWN While switching gears from Park to drive and any other gears my gear shift lifts out of the column. Apparently the pins become loose that hold the gear shift together. This causes the gear shift to completely come out of the gear column and may cause you to accidentally shift gears if the shift is hit by and other objec…

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UNKNOWN While switching gears from Park to drive and any other gears my gear shift lifts out of the column. Apparently the pins become loose that hold the gear shift together. This causes the gear shift to completely come out of the gear column and may cause you to accidentally shift gears if the shift is hit by and other objects.

NHTSA ODI #11484562

Official recalls

4

23V628000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 8, 2023

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

23V581000 · Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly

Aug 15, 2023

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A bent tie rod can break and cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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. This recall replaces and expands recall number 21V-461. Vehicles previously repaired under 21V-461 will need to have the new remedy completed.

22V244000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Apr 13, 2022

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Sentra vehicles, equipped with LED headlights. The right-hand headlight aim may be misaligned. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamp, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly aimed headlight may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the right-hand headlight, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 10, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R20B4.

21V461000 · Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly

Jun 17, 2021

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.