2013 Nissan Sentra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 638 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 26 Sentra model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 24 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 20 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
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 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
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 may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Campaign 16V242000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalOct 20, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V681000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareMar 25, 2014
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V138000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsMar 1, 2013
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 13V069000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assemblyMar 1, 2013
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Sentra vehicles manufactured from September 11, 2012, through October 4, 2012. Some fuel tank assemblies were not properly sealed during the manufacturing process. As a result, a small amount of gasoline may leak from the tank when it is full.
A gasoline leak in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a vehicle fire.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 1, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 13V068000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
311 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Visibility/wiper, Jan 14, 2023
The transmission just went out while I was driving. I tried accelerating and my car was not accelerating and now it is not going into gear
Power train, Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the transmission inadvertently shifted from drive(D) to neutral(N), causing the vehicle to decelerate. The contact stated that occasionally the transmission randomly shifted from drive(D) to reverse(R) causing the vehicle to change direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Steering, Power train, Dec 17, 2022
I purchased my vehicle in July of 2017 from Ron Craft Chevrolet; the transmission became inoperable and failed in Nov2019; I had my vehicle shake and immediately the power stop on the highway, almost causing an accident. Due to pandemic; OEM parts were on hold due to processing. In September of 2021 and after a thorough review of the vehicle the purchased of the OEM directly from Nissan was validated and installed by an authorized Nissan dealer. Now been only 13months the OEM Transmission installation. There was once again a transmission failure on the highway going 60; with my children and partner. the vehicle shake and the vehicle immediately pulled back causing a powerful pull and immediately lost power and control over the steering; Almost Causing an accident on the Houston toll highway.
Power train, Dec 9, 2022
My car had warning light code p285a clutch pressure control selonoid valve b service bulletin stated that Nissan reprogram recall would fix this issue with car computer and cvt computer. But instead software causes major communication with car computer and 2013 cvt. It pull different code p17bo with cvt shrudder stating hard shifting dealer solution after paying 182.00 is new cvt that understand new programming was update 4300.00 on various internet owners forums same senario is played this could lead to accident since computer of and cvt cannot communicate correctly in shifting making money for Nissan at expenses of owners cause by recall remedy Nissan must put correct update for 2013 transmission and if they cannot do that they must replace all cvt damage by recall by placing wrong gm software
Power train, Dec 8, 2022
Nissan extended cvt warranty on 2003 to 2010 from 5 yrs or 36k to 10 yrs to 150k but in the cvt from 2010 to 2017 they did not match same Extention only gave 7 yrs or 84k not an equal remedy to the defective cvt the major year 2013 has worst cvt problems which has led to lawsuits but Nissan did not admit to wrong doing instead settle out court and gave unequal remedy to owners of all 2013 Nissan fleet a recall of all 2013 cvt must be done regardless of time or mileage
Power train, Dec 7, 2022
2003-2010 WARRANTY EXTENSIONS When Nissan realized there were problems that affected a small percentage of owners, they immediately took steps to relieve the financial burden of repairing the affected continuously variable transmissions. One big piece of their plan involved extending the warranty free of charge. The extension applied to all Nissan vehicles manufactured between 2003 and 2010 equipped with a continuously variable transmission. This extension doubled the original powertrain warranty from five years or 60,000 miles up to 10 years or 120,000 miles. This extension is fully transferrable to new owners should the original owner sell the vehicle. Owners are not required to do anything. Should a problem with your continuously variable transmission arise simply bring your vehicle to a Nissan repair facility and they will handle everything. Another step Nissan took was to reimburse owners who had already paid for any continuously variable transmission repairs that would be covered by this new warranty, even if they had sold their Nissan. Owners just need to download the reimbursement form and follow the instructions. Additionally, Nissan reduced the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of a new continuously variable transmission and any affected parts to further help those who might need repairs after this extended warranty period expires. 2012-2017 WARRANTY EXTENSIONS Again, Nissan’s response was swift and decisive as they looked to relieve the burden of repairing these continuously variable transmissions. They extended the original manufacturer’s warranty from five years or 60,000 miles up to seven years or 84,000 miles. This Nissan continuously variable transmission warranty extension covers a variety of items. Torque converters, Transmission Control Module reprogramming, seals, gaskets, and more are all covered under this extension. Rental vehicles or loaner vehicles are also covered while your vehicle undergoes these covered repairs.
Power train, Dec 6, 2022
Cvt transmission defect
Power train, Oct 11, 2022
Transmission problem lose of power and unexpected noise even with regular maintenance like transmission fluid change regularly in summer
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Oct 9, 2022
I have repaired the mass airflow sensor 3x’s by the dealership who sold me the car the last 2 times they didn’t make me pay for it.and I’m still having the same issue. My car will jerk and idle and I was driving and all of a sudden I loss speed and I was accelerating but the car was only moving about 5 miles per hr the cars behind me almost hit me in the rear end. The longer I drive the car the worst it gets. Then if u pull to the side and cut the car off and back on again it would run hard but it would get speed. Until I try to accelerate then it will stall again. This is a safety hazard especially on the interstate.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jul 17, 2022
I bought the car in May 2019. The dealership I bought it from said they worked with a Nissan dealership and replaced the transmission just before I purchased the car. Shortly after I got the car I noticed problems. I had my mechanic tell me it was the transmission slipping. In August I took it back to where I bought it and they sent it back to the Nissan dealership to check. The Nissan dealership said there was nothing wrong with it. They said it showed no codes. It continued to be a problem. I eventually took it to another mechanic and a transmission shop. Both confirmed a transition problem. I then took it to a different Nissan dealership. Lamb Nissan. They looked at it and said the program that will show error codes was not up to date and the original Nissan dealership should have updated and it was not updated. They said there is a problem but the program needed to be updated for them to know more. They updated it and I have been driving it with continued problems. I will be taking it back to Lamb Nissan in a couple weeks to have them check it out again. The problems have been after stopping at a stop sign on an incline, when I accelerate it gives a rurring sound as if it is going fast, but it barely moves. Then it will finally kick in and drive a normal speed. It also jerks. Especially when I take my foot off the brake. I have occasionally smelled a burning smell. Not sure if it is related. Answering the questions: 1) transmission - I can arrange for it to be available for inspection. 2) my safety is in question because I don’t know the exact problem and when/if it will just shut down and possibly cause an accident. 3) the problem has been confirmed by 4 places as described above. 4) it has not been inspected other than above as far as I know. 5) no warning lights have come on.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 17, 2022
WAS DRIVING TO WORK BUSY ROAD CAR BASICALLY SHUT DOWN TO LIMP MODE COULD NOT ACCELERATE VERY CLOSE CALL TWO CARS NEARLY SIDE SWIPED ME HAD TO CREEP AT 2MPH TO CURB. CALLED TOW TRUCK TOOK VEHICLE HOME WHERE IT SAT PROCEEDED TO TRY AND FIX CAR OVERTIME. HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME SINCE.
Power train, Other or unspecified, May 22, 2022
While driving my car will act like it's running out of gas, then it will kill, sometimes it starts right back up other times it won't, I have had the feul pump replaced and it's still doing it now have not had any codes till yesterday now it is saying my camshaft sensor is malfunctioning, it has killed in the middle of an intersection and almost killed on the highway, it acts like it can't switch gears but it is a cvt transmission, it cant seem to accelerate to well and has a hard time getting up to 60 mph and going up hills.
Power train, Engine, Apr 22, 2022
Problem with transmission slipping
Power train, Feb 14, 2022
Purchased the vehicle used in February 2018. For the first 3 years, no issues and serviced as on schedule. Driven less than 5000 miles per year. December of 2021, the vehicle randomly started to lose acceleration when trying to turn, posing a definite hazard. Taken for service and advised the entire transmission needs to be replaced. Though a used vehicle, I have seen several reports of the CVT transmissions failing and think this a recall issue.
Power train, Jan 4, 2022
Car has 79000 miles and is dangerous to drive the transmission lunges in and out of gear and it seems to be a common problem with this cvt transmission.
Power train, Dec 11, 2021
Transmission/Powertrain: Transmission slips throughout various stages of acceleration and deceleration exchange. Vehicle has not stalled (yet) but condition is worsening. Vehicle transmission does not deliver appropriate throttle response, resulting in risk to driver/passengers. In heavy traffic conditions, driver expects vehicle to respond to certain throttle pressure but vehicle will inconsistently deliver resulting in unexpected delays and/or lurches in movement, which has caused me to almost make contact with other vehicles moving at high speeds.
Power train, Nov 30, 2021
Transmission failed to shift during a left turn stalled in the street in the wrong side of the road. Diagnosis CVT transmission failure. Same issue I had two years and fully replaced the transmission in 2019.
Power train, Nov 17, 2021
The CVT transmission failed at 83011 miles. My symptoms included whining and gurgling noises and bucking. Symptoms occurred at all speeds. Minor noises began several months before diagnosis by dealer. Did not cause an accident but unexpected total failure in highway conditions could have been deadly. This is a well know problem with Nissan CVT transmissions as evidenced by multiple class action lawsuits across multiple models and countless owner complaints reported including total, sudden transmission failure. Diagnosed as a failed transmission by dealer. Repair shop returned failed transmission to Nissan.
Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 4, 2021
It says my vehicle has 0 unrepaired recalls, however I've noticed that these vehicles have reported fuel leakage due to faulty seals when the tank is full. I got the car used & I was wondering if I have any chance of getting this issue fixed
Power train, Oct 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact had to depress the brake pedal aggressively and the vehicle would lurch forward. The failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure recurred at various speeds. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Power train, Oct 8, 2021
The car shudders, makes a whining sound while driving seems to be transmission related
Power train, Oct 2, 2021
The transmission is failing. The car is slipping, hesitating when accelerating . Also jerks like it punches into gear when driving and wants to stop at times. The car just now is getting 75,000 miles. I see this problem is the same among everyone else, this problem should be fixed as it seems pretty common. The Car sometimes wants to stop while I’m driving. I brought it to a mechanic and he said it’s the transmission is failing
Power train, Sep 29, 2021
My car would shake, the rpm gauge jumps at 2, starts slowing down and jerking, doesn’t accelerate at times even when stepping on the gas. I almost caused an accident on the guest with a big rig. Maintained every oil change and tune up and service required. This started at 95,000 miles. With all the same complaints where is the recall to make things right
Power train, Sep 28, 2021
The transmission has broken down at 68,224 miles. We put it into Drive and it did not move however Reverse works. The transmission repair shop said that they have had several of these model years in over the last few months, all around 66k miles. There are not parts available so an entire transmission has to be ordered and replaced.
Suspension, Power train, Air bags, Sep 3, 2021
2013 Nissan sentra sr 66,000 miles transmission blew out, while driving on the street it sputtered, choked and lost power and started making a loud clanking noise.