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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.

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

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

What owners actually said

131 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 2023
SteeringCrash

2021 NISSAN SENTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHSTA SAFETY RECALL 21V-461. THE CONSUMER STATED HER GRANDDAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, WHILE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, STEERING WENT OUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI #11504851

Mileage unknown · Jan 30, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Every since I bought my car there has been times were my car refused to start. Every time it happened my car was sitting in park for about 10-15 minutes and I would turn off my car but when the time to turn on came it started to seem like my battery was dying and would not start. I had to wait 30 minutes to an hour before it wou…

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Every since I bought my car there has been times were my car refused to start. Every time it happened my car was sitting in park for about 10-15 minutes and I would turn off my car but when the time to turn on came it started to seem like my battery was dying and would not start. I had to wait 30 minutes to an hour before it would start again. The second time it did this which was 1 week ago, my car started reading system malfunction I have pictures and videos.I was able to get my car to get to Nissan after a jumpstart. Of course I assumed it was the battery however Nissan said my battery was in perfect health and is not dying. They proceeded to do a diagnostic but again they said they could not replicate the problem and was unable to find out what was wrong with my car. My concern started to rise when two days ago I turned on my car and it was on and not in idle but it started to read malfunction then said not available system malfunction. This happened without it even sitting in idle. I am concern that my car will do this while I’m on the road and shut down. I was unable to upload the video.

NHTSA ODI #11504355

25,000 miles · Jan 25, 2023
SteeringSuspensionCrash

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality without warning, causing the steering wheel to become stiff. The vehicle then crashed into another vehicle. No one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mecha…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality without warning, causing the steering wheel to become stiff. The vehicle then crashed into another vehicle. No one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the axle had fractured causing the failure. the axle was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ODI #11503579

17,000 miles · Dec 19, 2022
Service BrakesCrash

The contact owned a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in cruise control mode, the brakes applied independently without being depressed. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated, and the cruise control mode was deactivated. The contact made a local dealer aware of th…

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The contact owned a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in cruise control mode, the brakes applied independently without being depressed. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated, and the cruise control mode was deactivated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle in front suddenly braked and the contact applied the brake pedal but they failed to respond and he rear-ended the vehicle. The contact stated that all air bags had deployed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11498065

Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2022
Unknown Or Other

The windows will not go down only the driver front side goes down and I bought this car brand new with only 6 miles on it

NHTSA ODI #11490688

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

23,000 miles · Sep 23, 2022
Suspension

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving in a parking lot and turning the steering wheel, there was a popping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the tie rod had fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer w…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving in a parking lot and turning the steering wheel, there was a popping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the tie rod had fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who stated that the failure was due to off-road driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company adjuster stated there was no damage to the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V461000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI #11486042

33,000 miles · Aug 18, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel in either direction, a crackling type noise was present coming from the steering column and the wheel would not immediately turn. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering box needed to be replaced. The…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel in either direction, a crackling type noise was present coming from the steering column and the wheel would not immediately turn. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

NHTSA ODI #11479913

Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2022
Forward Collision Avoidance

Intermittently the Automatic emergency braking system randomly engaging with no obstructions present.

NHTSA ODI #11474689

Mileage unknown · Jul 15, 2022
Service BrakesSteeringCrash

On 2 July 2022, I was traveling southbound on Interstate 95 in a rented 2021 Nissan Sentra. While DRIVING the brakes unexpectedly LOCKED and did NOT release, affecting the steering, and causing the vehicle to spin out in a circle across major highway lanes crashing head on into a guardrail on the left side of the interstate. …

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On 2 July 2022, I was traveling southbound on Interstate 95 in a rented 2021 Nissan Sentra. While DRIVING the brakes unexpectedly LOCKED and did NOT release, affecting the steering, and causing the vehicle to spin out in a circle across major highway lanes crashing head on into a guardrail on the left side of the interstate. This is a MAJOR SAFETY concern as when an individual is DRIVING a vehicle, they need to be able to control NOT ONLY the direction of the vehicle, but when that vehicle brakes. When the brakes LOCKED while DRIVING, so did the steering, causing there to be NO CONTROL of a vehicle traveling down a major Florida interstate. Had there been impact by another vehicle while the 2021 NissanSentra brake malfunction caused it to spin out across major highway lanes, such would have been fatal to both me & the unexpected driver also traveling southbound on I95. If this malfunction exists in other 2021 Nissan Sentras, a MAJOR motor vehicle safety risk also exists for both drivers & riders of the 2021 Nissan Sentra, as well as any other motorist driver traveling with passengers in the same direction. This vehicle was a rental car through Budget and is NOT personally owned.Rental company was informed of mechanical malfunction & also aware that the brakes LOCKED while driving the 2021 Nissan Sentra. Service history/ maintenance of rental vehicle is personally unknown. It is also unknown if the problem / component has been inspected by dealer or independent service center. If the same malfunction exists in a group of vehicles used commercially for one time rentals by rental companies, the posed safety risk for motor vehicle safety SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES. Drivers are unknowingly renting dangerous vehicles posing a major risk for personal safety of themselves & their families, but also to other motorists around them.

NHTSA ODI #11474075

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.