Complaint volume
126 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Nissan Sentra Complaints
126 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Nissan Sentra, grouped by component category.
126 Total complaints
14 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
8 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are steering, electrical system, forward collision avoidance. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 14 crash reports, 1 fire report, 8 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 21 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 31,151 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to steering, electrical system, forward collision avoidance?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Nissan Sentra?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Nissan Sentra
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Nissan Sentra complaints?
14 Crash
1 Fire
8 Injury
0 Fatality
13 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Nissan Sentra complaint categories?
STEERING 22
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
SERVICE BRAKES 4
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3
ENGINE 3
POWER TRAIN 3
126 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The AEB system will activate sporadically in traffic and open road (I.e interstate) this can cause a serious crash if the car locks it up running 70 mph and tries to emergency stop It has been to the dealer for this issue with no resolve No prior warning when this happens and has been continuously more frequent since 30k miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1. Automatic Emergency Braking - System - System Failed /or Malfunctioned Car is available for examination (28,000 miles) 2. Collision alert sounded, with warning indicator (red bar with two white bars below), Emergency braking triggered (no apparent ABS, but driver felt the vehicle decelerate), stopped the vehicle, and turned the vehicle engine off (electrical systems remained on). The vehicle was traveling on a city street at approximately 35 MPH at a slight incline, at dusk. No signs, pedestrians, other vehicles, or signs within visible distance present in front of the vehicle, or on either side of the road. There were no obstruction, debris, speed bumps, trees or pot holes on either side of the road within visible distance in front of the vehicle. Injuries may have occurred if another car was closely following, or could not stop in time. 3. The problem has been reported to the Suntrup Nissan (dealer from whom we purchased the vehicle) and Nissan Consumer Affairs (case [XXX]). The Consumer Affairs representative did not seem to understand the problem (initially thought it was ABS)or safety concern though (she said we should not worry as the vehicle was under waranty). We are awaiting a call back from the dealer though. However, in searching for an explanation we saw similar issues reported by a law firm (LemonLawExperts.com) 4. Vehicle has not been inspected. 5. This was the first such incident we experienced in the car. Other than the warning alert during the incident, there was no indication of this problem. The car had been in for routine service about a month ago though. At the service I mentioned the radio spontaneously turning off while traveling in a parking lot, and then turning back on a minute or two later in the same parking lot. To our knowledge the only repair work was a faulty window switch that was replaced. “INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).” | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | I brought this car in January 2023. I was driving on a residential street and after I made a left turn, I loss control of the steering because the tire rods had broke on the right side. I could have gotten into a serious accident; but luckily I only hit the curb. Please the attached picture. This happened on 7/30/23 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Automatic emergency braking has happened 3 times in the last 2 months without any reason. The 1st time there was a person who stepped off a side walk but I wasn’t to close to them. The last 2 times there was nothing around and all 3 times I was doing 40 or less. What happens if it happens doing 65+ on the highway. I’m worried this is going to cause someone to rear end me because it happens so suddenly with no warning really. I have made an appointment with the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,382. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,382 |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1. My brakes locked up on my and the warning light came on saying I hit something 2.the only windows that works is the drivers identified 3.my warning lights came on and it started smelling inside the car I shut the car off and the warning light went off so I thought it was OK finished driving home and became sick opened the hood and my battery had smoke pouring out of each side my sinuses were burning, my throat was on fire i was sick the rest of the night i called poison control and they told me what to do | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN | My car has a recall for the left and/or right tie rod may be bent. A bent tie rod can break, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash. I brought the car in two days prior (July 3rd) to get fixed but the dealership wasn’t allotted enough mechanics to be able to get to my car, (july 5th) I turned out of a hotel parking lot and my front left tie rod broke. The recall number for Nissan is PM985 and is supposed to be fixed by Nissan with no cost to me. At the moment it is under review and Nissan is trying to find any way to not fix it for free. I live in atlanta with no family and am a female, my car is my only means for transportation. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 21V461000. With 138,736 already affected, I am number 138,737. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I brought this car 1/28/2023. The car emergency brake or stop was activated for no reasons at all. There was zero objects in front of my bumper. This happened to me twice. Once in May 2023 and then again on the 4th of July 2023. I called the dealership on 1st incident in May 2023 and I was told that the brakes will be applied if the car thinks it’s getting ready to crash. This is very dangerous and can cause an accident if the emergency braking system is causing the car to stop for no reasons. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car emergency stops with no reason. Dangerous. Will cause accident. Needs recalled. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I bought this car and have had issues with the heat not working. The air not working and now the latest the windows not working. A few months ago the windows stopped working when it was 40-45 degrees or colder out. Now today I went to open the windows and at 80 degrees they won't open. This is a major safety concern if a accident occurs and people can't get out. The dealership has looked at all issues and claim nothing is wrong every time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | For the past two years, an emergency brake has been activated when an object, such as a car, is close to my front bumper. This is excellent, but occasionally the sensor activates when nothing is in front of me, which is risky and causes my brake pads to wear out more quickly than they should. When I took this up with the Nissan dealer two years ago, they claimed to have rectified it, but they didn't. When I went to another dealership because I was dissatisfied with the service at the prior, I brought up the issue and asked if they could turn off this feature. They said that there wasn't much they could do. They gave it a test drive and found nothing, but since this only occasionally occurs, it is difficult to keep track of it without keeping the car for several weeks, which I cannot afford to do. This seems recall worthy. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while approaching a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the contact heard a sound of water in the rear of the vehicle. Once the contact arrived at the residence, the contact examined the rear passenger’s and driver’s side doors and removed the rubber from around the doors and water started draining from the doors. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 14,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 14,000 |
| Apr 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Wiper will not function. Turning car on/off multiple times will not cause wipers to function. Turned off car and removed all plugs, wipers still will not function. I have a video trying to fix the problem and issue is not resolved. This has happened 5 times already. Took car to dealer ship and they could not replicate issue. We are driving car in Oregon where it rains lots, and with wiper not working our visibility is close to none. This can seriously cause an incident due to low visibility. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Brake system failed. Car brake petal was all the way to the floor and grinding to stop. The car didn’t fully stop. Car has be inspected 3 times by dealership. No warning lights on. The car automatic brake goes off randomly and breaks out of no where and put me at risk with causing an accident it has been inspected by dealer as well and this continues to happen. Car jerks and looses power while drive check engine light comes on and blinks. The car has been seen twice by dealer for this issue nothing resolved. Almost caused a major accident first time on freeway and again on a busy intersection. Car is very unsafe and not reliable | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Only the driver side window goes up and down. Took it to Nissan dealer and they made it work for that minute and said they were ordering parts, it’s been 3 weeks and haven’t heard of them. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving in a car wash drive-thru line, the brakes applied independently. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated an unknown yellow and black warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was unable to open or start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,765. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,765 |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | AEB SYSTEM ACTIVATED ON IT'S OWN, 3 TIMES RANDOMLY ,BRAKES SLAM ON FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. IF THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN BEHIND ME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. WE JUST TOOK IT TOTHE DEALSHIP TO HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.IT HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A MANUFACTURER OR OTHERS. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO FAILURE. I CAN NO L,ONGER DRIVE THIS CAR WITH CONFIDENCE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Vehicle has a inconsistent overnight battery drain. Called Auto Club for a jump start and technician said some Nissans have been experiencing this issue. Drove the vehicle to get the battery and charging system tested, it passed and no problems were found. There is no pattern and it only happens when the vehicle sits overnight. There is enough power to lock and unlock the vehicle but not enough to start the car. Had to purchase a battery booster/jumper so I wont get stranded and not keep calling Auto Club. Once I jumped it twice in a week, and the most has been 5 weeks without the need to jump start it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | the car continues to turn off and draining the battery, on the audio there is a constant static, and lights keep shorting out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My window on the passanger side does not roll back up. It is stuck in the down position. All my windows do not function with the exception of the driver window. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | STEERING | 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. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 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 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | STEERING,SUSPENSION | 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. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 25,000 |
| Dec 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | 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. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 17,000 |
| Oct 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 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |