2016 Nissan Sentra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 270 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 26 Sentra model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 18 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 13 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Exterior lighting, brake lights, switchMar 3, 2021
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
Campaign 21V135000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsApr 13, 2017
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 17V253000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringJun 29, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V485000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleJun 15, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.
If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V436000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Representative owner complaints: power train
127 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Jan 20, 2025
The transmission gave out. There was no warning lights given, no issues.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Dec 28, 2024
The problem with the car is that after a stop sign, the car no longer moved forward, it stayed in the road, this was blocking traffic and it was dangerous to get out of the car, the tow truck arrived to move it from the road, several mechanics examined it and said that the transmission was damaged, the car has only traveled 78,140 miles.
Power train, Engine, Dec 14, 2024
My 2016 Nissan Sentra malfunctioned while driving on the Highway three separate times. The car suddenly lost its ability to accelerate and seemed to power down while becoming more difficult to steer. It seemed to start shuddering and I thought it may have been a front end flat tire. After pulling off the road and putting the car in park, when I waited a minute or two, I placed the car in drive and there was no problem until a month later and it hppended again except on an interstate while driving over a long bridge. Two different Nissan dealers could not diagnose any issues and kind of threw up theirs hands with no suggestions except to bring it in again if it happens once more. The auto has become hazardous to drive for two seniors, and no one seems to be able to diagnose or fix the issues. I read online about Nissan CVT transmission recalls for these Sentras, but never received any recall notifications.
Power train, Sep 27, 2024
My Nissan Sentra 2016 (CVT) Transmission Failed while driving in middle of road. Riverside Nissan in Hackensack, NJ and Nissan Consumer Affairs denies allegations, denies the occurrence of the class action lawsuit in 2017, refuses to take accountability, lured me to the Nissan dealership under false pretenses to squeeze money out of me, and denies my right to repairs to a faultily manufactured Nissan transmission, which was undisclosed to me 2 years ago upon purchase of vehicle at full price. In addition to, when I went back to contact the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from, Autoholding 46, 74 US-46, Mountain Lakes, NJ, they were closed down. My attached PDF, "NHTSA General- Nissan" consists of the general description and details for your review. Please convey whatever else is needed.
Power train, Jun 23, 2024, crash
My transmission has been acting up since 40k miles . I have took it to Nissan dealer update tcm same problems . I’ve also too it too ford apple dealership York pa and still have open ticket because they couldn’t figure it out . Me and my family are on our way home from Myrtle beach Sc and our transmission gives out at 60k miles causing us to lose control on highway hours away from home stranded.
Power train, Jun 18, 2024
I was driving about 55 mph in the left lane on Hwy 45S bypass and the transmission just stop working in the middle of the intersection causing traffic to have merge right then it would not accelerate in Drive but would go in Reverse. I had to push the car across traffic to side of the road and have it towed. This was the 3rd transmission that had been put in this vehicle. The Nissan manufacturers have admitted to transmissions are defective but would replace mine because it would have been the 4th transmission put in this vehicle.
Power train, Jun 5, 2024
DTC Code P285A Dealer said out of warranty
Power train, May 30, 2024
The CVT Transmission Bands unaligned themselves around 75,000 miles. Nissan refuses to replace their defective transmission in my vehicle due to not going to Nissan Service Centers for regular maintenance but instead going to smaller more affordable certified mechanics for my regular maintenance. When I did take it to Nissan in June of 2023 I was told to change my transmission fluid and filter and the issues would be resolved. I went to my private mechanic and had this done and my issues were not resolved. Upon further investigation it was a defective transmission and the extended powertrain warranty had expired by time and mileage. I was told to call Consumer Affairs for Nissan and they refused to provide any assistance due to my inability to afford paying for my regular maintenance to be done through their service centers. The cost of their synthetic oil changes is 80$ more than my reputable mechanic charges me. I am a single mother of two kids, a full time employee, and college student I live paycheck to paycheck as is and need to save money where I am able. I am being punished for not paying their outlandish prices for their sub-par mechanics.
Power train, May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled off the highway and attempted to shift the vehicle into park(P) however, the vehicle started moving backwards. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Power train, Apr 15, 2024
I bought a 2016 Nissan Sentra brand new. It has 120,000 miles and the transmission needs replacement. This is a CVT so no way to check on fluid or anything. I was having pickup issues and brought it to the dealership and they are saying that it needs a new transmission which will cost $5600, which is more than the cars worth. This seems to be a defect on their CVT technology from what I understand, now I need help with resolving this issue since I don’t think it’s anything I have done.
Power train, Mar 21, 2024
Ref: NTB19-075 dated October 2019. Hello, I purchased this vehicle 08/03/2019. Less than one year later (April and October 2020), we had to take the vehicle to Nissan of Van Nuys, California for transmission service with only 58,596 miles. Today the vehicle has only 117.000 miles and my transmission is giving me problems again. The faulty transmission code is P17F4, which is considered a manufacturer defect according to NTB19-075, Nissan Service Bulletin Classification AT19-011. Basically, it seems that for this vehicle, the transmission breaks down every 58,000 miles. As mentioned, this is the third time it happens since we purchased the vehicle in 2019.
Power train, Mar 7, 2024
This incident occurs when driving between 65-75mph on the interstate. When there is a slight incline or hill that requires the transmission to downshift, it seems the transmission gets stuck trying to find the right gear and loses power. The transmission tries to shift gears a few times, which causes the vehicle to slow down to about 50-55mph. I then have to fully step on the accelerator to get the transmission to stop shifting and actually accelerate up the remainder of the hill. This nearly caused an accident as I was passing a slow vehicle up the hill. When my vehicle slowed down due to the transmission trying to continuously shift gears, a semi truck that was following too closely came dangerously close to rear ending me. I don't frequent the interstate, but this incident has happened a handful of times since I've owned this vehicle. I've adjusted my driving habits by trying to not accelerate up hills while going at those higher speeds. However, if it becomes necessary to accelerate to avoid a collision, I fear my vehicle will not accelerate properly.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Feb 29, 2024
I have been having this problem for years and no one has been able to tell me what is wrong or how I can fix it. My RPM’s will fluctuate rapidly and I am unable to accelerate and it feels jumpy. It stopped accelerating completely one time on the freeway. I was only able to get back up to 25mph, it was so scary. Luckily I was close to an exit and got off. Replaced mass air flow sensor and it started working normally for about a month. It has not completely stopped working since then but the RPM’s still fluctuate most days. I feel scared it will give out one day or cause me to crash. I have taken it to different mechanics as well as the Nissan dealership and they all say nothing seems wrong. They recommend a transmission drain and fill, which I have done. The problem still persists. I see this is a common issue with others as well. It needs to be addressed as it is extremely scary and puts peoples lives at risk.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 31, 2024
I read all of the 214 complaints by consumers who have had the same scary incident occur to them. I have completed all of my recalls and for the life of the vehicle I have had the maintenance plan. The car has been well taken car of. After reading the complaints, I also have had an incident where the vehicles RPM's increased for no reason almost causing me to hit another vehicle in front of me and I quickly swerved to miss the vehicle. Then as quick as this happened the car just slowed down to a complete stop. I tried putting my foot on the accelerator and the vehicle would not move. I then pressed the accelerator all the way down to the floor of the vehicle. Nothing. This halting stop almost caused several vehicles to get in an accident. This is a serious problem and Nissan needs to rectify this horrible safety issue and fix all of our cars. I am going to talk to a lawyer. This is going to kill someone or cause serious harm to others.
Power train, Jan 23, 2024
Transmission stopped producing power in the middle of the highway. I was unable to accelerate and could have gotten into a serious accident with another vehicle. This is the 2nd time this has happened. Nissan had a class action lawsuit against them but now they won’t do anything else even though it’s the same issue as before.
Power train, Jan 12, 2024
While driving my car on the turnpike in [XXX] , my Sentra began surging with RPMs jumping higher then lower. Decelerating with heavy traffic around and behind me. Exited at the first opportunity. Car began to lunge forward and decelerate again. Car began making grinding noises. Able to slowly get car to my house before it stopped driving all together. Difficulty placing car into drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Jan 6, 2024
No indicator light came on, I was crossing a dangerous intersection and I lost all ability to drive the RPMs stopped increasing and my foot was pressed on the gas hard!
Power train, Nov 22, 2023
Replaced catylc converter. No the car is power surging and slipping, took vehicle to my regular auto shop. They reported car needs a new transmission, the CVT is out. Took car to transmission specialist for a second opinion said the same thing. Both shops reported this is common for this make and model. I'd thought I should report it.
Power train, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 14, 2023
I was driving the car and leaving a red light. The car lost power, abs light came on and the traction light came on. I was unable to turn and move out of traffic. It finally jerked and released so i could drive. I was in a cross section and thank God we did not get hurt. It did this to me twice on my way to work.
Power train, Nov 4, 2023
CVT shuddering, slipping while shifting gears; lack of acceleration, then lunging into gear.
Power train, Oct 17, 2023
I was driving my 2016 Nissan on the highway and it randomly started showing signs of a transmission defect that lead to sudden shaking and jerking while the vehicle was being driven. It would also shift itself into neutral. I had to have the car towed to a dealership that advised there were transmission issues that due to Nissans’s high cost and unreliability of transmissions it would be safer to buy a new vehicle than replace the transmission.
Power train, Sep 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated before losing motive power and failed to exceed 20 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Power train, Aug 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would jerk or stall upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had appeared on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had gone into reverse after placing the gear shifter into drive(D). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle related to the transmission. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jun 22, 2023
The CVT Transmission has a bad shudder while driving and shifting into gears. It jerks when trying to accelerate and is extremely slow trying to accelerate the vehicle. The safety of me and other vehicles were in danger because the vehicle failed to accelerate when going up an incline or just driving down an even lane road with no inclines or hills. The vehicle has been inspected by a certified auto repair shop and after inspection, I was told that the CVT Transmission needs to be replaced. The first instance of trouble happened on June 7th, 2023 while I was driving to work. The check engine light came on and the accelerator was hesitant. The car could barely maintain a safe speed. I was travelling on the highway when this occurred.
Power train, Jun 19, 2023
Car throttle stop responding while RPM rev high, have car tow to nearest auto shop and was told that transmission have fail. No warning light or anything before failing. Car is regular maintain.