FaultScore

Worst years for a Nissan Sentra

Owners have filed 8,300 complaints about the Nissan Sentra with NHTSA across model years 1982 to 2026. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2015 Nissan Sentra

501 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.

Cleanest on record

2023 Nissan Sentra

34 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Nissan Sentra year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2026 C 22 3 0 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2025 C 47 12 0 6,000 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2024 C 59 11 0 30,000 Steering
2023 B 34 1 0 Electrical System
2022 C 141 3 0 36,000 Steering
2021 D 214 27 3 25,000 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2020 D 320 17 0 18,500 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2019 D 360 27 2 25,500 Electrical System
2018 D 286 29 4 39,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2017 D 341 43 10 42,200 Transmission & Drivetrain
2016 D 404 29 4 55,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2015 F 501 35 8 50,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2014 D 526 33 11 65,889 Transmission & Drivetrain
2013 D 871 35 6 58,850 Transmission & Drivetrain
2012 D 260 22 4 62,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2011 D 201 26 8 75,000 Engine & Cooling
2010 C 212 18 4 76,328 Electrical System
2009 C 81 18 0 56,000 Airbags
2008 D 233 31 7 67,318 Airbags
2007 D 215 32 18 61,000 Airbags
2006 C 155 29 1 80,000 Engine & Cooling
2005 C 224 16 4 77,650 Engine & Cooling
2004 D 235 27 0 75,000 Engine & Cooling
2003 C 240 17 1 66,956 Engine & Cooling
2002 D 372 19 7 69,000 Engine & Cooling
2001 D 309 38 3 60,500 Engine & Cooling
2000 D 236 27 5 53,800 Engine & Cooling
1999 C 74 19 0 78,987 Electrical System
1998 C 76 21 3 102,000 Airbags
1997 C 138 34 2 113,500 Airbags
1996 C 177 47 1 63,000 Airbags
1995 C 158 38 3 157,994 Airbags
1994 C 130 29 6 180,000 Seat Belts
1993 C 89 11 2 110,439 Transmission & Drivetrain
1992 81 10 17 107,500 Electrical System
1991 77 10 11 202,299 Seat Belts
1990 45 8 3 Seat Belts
1989 49 6 1 Seat Belts
1988 40 4 4 Seat Belts
1987 46 2 4 Seat Belts
1986 9 0 0 Steering
1985 6 0 0 Seat Belts
1984 4 1 0 Seat Belts
1983 1 0 0 Seat Belts
1982 1 0 0 Body & Structure

What breaks on a Nissan Sentra

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 1,360 16.4%

Worst in 2002

Worst in 2013

Electrical System 847 10.2%

Worst in 2019

Airbags 796 9.6%

Worst in 2013

Brakes 621 7.5%

Worst in 2013

Worst in 2013

Worst in 2013

Steering 342 4.1%

Worst in 2020

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2020

Seat Belts 236 2.8%

Worst in 1994

Suspension 187 2.3%

Worst in 2001

Body & Structure 177 2.1%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 1997

Exactly what failed on a Nissan Sentra

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Engine 183 19.1%
Frontal 146 15.2%
Automatic Emergency Braking 126 13.2%
Body 106 11.1%
Warnings 85 8.9%
Gasoline 80 8.4%
Automatic Transmission 77 8.0%
Buckle Assembly 64 6.7%
Foundation Components 53 5.5%
Ignition 38 4.0%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Nissan Sentra, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 80 Aug 2026

Nissan Sentra problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Nissan Sentra

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.