2016 Nissan Sentra: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
267 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
267 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 26.7
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
On Friday, July 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 PM, while driving on the parkway at an approximate speed of 65 miles per hour and preparing to merge onto the highway, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled completely. I was able to safely maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. After a few minutes, once the immediate traffic situation on the highway entrance cleared, I attempted to re-engage the vehicle. While the…
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Niss. The contact stated that they discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale/dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 107,242. It was later discovered upon checking Carfax, that the mileage was 149,244.
The CVT transmission, which Nissan has had many issues with per the large number of class action lawsuits, failed while I was driving the vehicle on a main street in San Diego. The vehicle showed no indication (warning light) that there was any engine failure or issue. The CVT transmission just died unexpectedly while the vehicle was moving with traffic. I brought the vehicle to Mossy Nissan in National City and they…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V135000 | Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights:Switch | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, … |
| 17V253000 | Air Bags | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing err… |
| 16V436000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, an… |
| 16V244000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, a… |
| 16V242000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. … |
| 16V485000 | Electrical System:Wiring | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016… |
EPA combined 32 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,900
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (126 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 25/100, computed from 267 NHTSA complaints and 6 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, 6 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 03/03/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.