2016 Nissan Sentra Problems

267 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Power Train · verdict AVOID 25/100

Source NHTSA public complaint and recall record · methodology

What breaks, by owner reports

Power Train126
Engine47
Electrical System44
Unknown Or Other42
Vehicle Speed Control27
Air Bags24

In the owners’ words

“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”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Sentra owner
“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.”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Sentra owner
“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”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Sentra owner

Recall campaigns

ReportedComponentSummary
13/04/2017Air Bags SAFETYNissan 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
15/06/2016Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module SAFETYNissan 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 h
29/06/2016Electrical System:Wiring SAFETYNissan 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 connec
26/04/2016Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification SAFETYNissan 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
26/04/2016Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification SAFETYNissan 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 secur
03/03/2021Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights:Switch SAFETYNissan 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.

Questions owners ask

Is the 2016 Nissan Sentra reliable?

On the federal record it scores 25/100: 267 owner complaints (26.7 per year on the road) and 6 recall campaigns, 6 touching safety-critical systems.

What is the most common problem with the 2016 Nissan Sentra?

The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Power Train, with 126 of 310 categorised reports.

Share this verdict

The 2016 Nissan Sentra scored 25/100 on the federal record.

Full 2016 data pagecosts, verdict, every numberAll Sentra yearswhich year to avoid Most complained-about carsthe national ranking