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2021 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.

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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

Limited mileage data: 21 of 131 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Steering. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

6 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2024
Electrical SystemExterior LightingForward Collision Avoidance

When the sun is out and there is no clouds obscuring the sunlight my vehicle has night time lights running, dimming the interior of my car making it difficult to see the speed and other dashboard requirements while perfectly bright and sunny outside and 0800AM as well as 1500PM. This has been going on for two months and I took i…

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When the sun is out and there is no clouds obscuring the sunlight my vehicle has night time lights running, dimming the interior of my car making it difficult to see the speed and other dashboard requirements while perfectly bright and sunny outside and 0800AM as well as 1500PM. This has been going on for two months and I took it in to two dealerships. One told me check your manual and the other went further and told me "by Nissan standards it is functioning normally." This doesn't make sense to me as the sun is out, it isn't dark or dim and yet when on automatic lighting my Night lights, not my normal running lights,,are on and causing me unable to see what's on my dash. Also whe. The sun is hitting the front of my car my Nissas blinks the collision indicator showing it won't do it as something is obstructing it but this happens when the sun is directly pointing in certain areas of the sky. More so early morning and late evening just as the sun is rising and falling.

NHTSA ODI #11563312

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

the car continues to turn off and draining the battery, on the audio there is a constant static, and lights keep shorting out.

NHTSA ODI #11509332

Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

The air conditioning turns off by itself and the high beams don't work

NHTSA ODI #11489346

Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2021
Exterior Lighting

Headlights turn off at night while driving and in most cases will still not work after moving the headlight switch or power cycling the switch. Have to shut down and restart multiple times for headlights to work. This problem affects the low beam lights and not the high beams or parking lights as they continue to work and funct…

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Headlights turn off at night while driving and in most cases will still not work after moving the headlight switch or power cycling the switch. Have to shut down and restart multiple times for headlights to work. This problem affects the low beam lights and not the high beams or parking lights as they continue to work and function with the switch. Has happened 3 nights in a row returning from work in the dark.

NHTSA ODI #11432852

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2021
Exterior Lighting

Only happens when driving at night. When driving and keeping your foot on the gas pedal the lights go dim and when you remove your foot of the gas pedal the lights go back to bright. Also the engine is making a rattling noise. Was seen a couple times at the dealership for the lights but was told nothing wrong with it. Its not no…

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Only happens when driving at night. When driving and keeping your foot on the gas pedal the lights go dim and when you remove your foot of the gas pedal the lights go back to bright. Also the engine is making a rattling noise. Was seen a couple times at the dealership for the lights but was told nothing wrong with it. Its not normal for lights to do that whole driving on the road. Especially for a brand new car that has only gotten 15,000 miles

NHTSA ODI #11422533

Mileage unknown · Jun 26, 2021
Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

Car will not start. Unexplained battery depletion. Trunk will not close when car is not on. Awful customer service at ORR Nissan in Shreveport Louisiana Address: 1240 E Bert Kouns, Shreveport Louisiana, 71105 Their entire operations need to be shut down. Bunch of incompetent druggies.

NHTSA ODI #11422409

Official recalls

3

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.

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.