Nissan Sentra Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2013 At least twice the 63.5 complaints of a typical Sentra year. Most described: transmission failure.
Best years: 2023 Under three quarters of the 63.5 complaints of a typical Sentra year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 34 mpg combined, arrived in 2024.

Sentra problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Sentra year drew 63.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (63.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2013 Sentra Avoid Most described: transmission failure or replacement	150	638	6
2019 Sentra Most described: transmission failure or replacement	85	223	2
2014 Sentra Most described: transmission failure or replacement	77	381	5
2015 Sentra Most described: transmission failure or replacement	73	352	3
2021 Sentra Most described: suspension part problems	70	133	3
2018 Sentra Most described: driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages	69	185	2
2016 Sentra Most described: transmission failure or replacement	64	270	6
2020 Sentra Most described: suspension part problems	63	208	4
2017 Sentra Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	60	231	3
2022 Sentra Most described: suspension part problems and shaking, shuddering or vibration	58	81	2
2012 Sentra Most described: loss of power or limp mode and transmission failure or replacement	43	180	0
2010 Sentra Most described: stalling or shutting off	32	144	3
2011 Sentra Most described: stalling or shutting off	32	142	2
2023 Sentra Best Most reported: electrical system	14	20	1

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Sentra for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	1	20	Not rated
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	4	32
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	3	41
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	1	20
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	2	81
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	3	133
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	4	208
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	2	223
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	2	185
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	3	231
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	6	270
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	3	352
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	5	381
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	6	638
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	0	180
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	2	142
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	144	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2013: 638 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Sentra
Model year	Complaints
2010	144
2011	142
2012	180
2013	638
2014	381
2015	352
2016	270
2017	231
2018	185
2019	223
2020	208
2021	133
2022	81
2023	20
2024	41
2025	32
2026	20

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 29 to 34 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2024.

2026: gas 33 mpg

Show as a table

Nissan Sentra best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	29
2011	29
2012	29
2013	33
2014	33
2015	33
2016	33
2017	32
2018	32
2019	32
2020	33
2021	33
2022	33
2023	33
2024	34
2025	34
2026	33

Every Sentra year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Nissan Sentra years should you avoid?

The 2013 Sentra is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 63.5 owner complaints of a typical Sentra year in its first three years. Owners of the 2013 most often describe transmission failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Nissan Sentra years?

The 2023 Sentra is the best year: it drew 14 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 63.5 complaints of a typical Sentra year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Nissan Sentra years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2013 (150) drew the most, then the 2019 (85). Owners of the 2013 most often describe transmission failure or replacement.

Which Nissan Sentra years have the most recalls?

The 2013 and 2016 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (6 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Nissan Sentra problems?

In the 3,281 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe transmission failure or replacement (405 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2014, and 2015); jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (292 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2014, and 2015); and stalling or shutting off (291 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Nissan Sentra year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 34 mpg combined, first reached by the 2024 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.