2013 Nissan Sentra Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 638 owner complaints for the 2013 Nissan Sentra.

Recalled components: air bags, electrical system, and fuel system. Most-described problem: transmission failure or replacement (127 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: powertrain (311 complaints, 49%; median mileage when it happened: 75,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

6 safety recalls for the 2013 Nissan Sentra

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2013 Nissan Sentra; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 638 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Sentra. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Transmission failure or replacement127 · 20%
  Median 74,000 miles at failure, from 94 reports with mileage
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting95 · 15%
  Median 75,000 miles at failure, from 79 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration74 · 12%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 61 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off65 · 10%
  Median 55,500 miles at failure, from 51 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode60 · 9%
  Median 71,900 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration52 · 8%
  Median 69,200 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Airbag warning light or airbag fault42 · 7%
  Median 11,500 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
• Transmission slipping31 · 5%
  Median 75,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Powertrain311 · 49%
  Median 75,000 miles at failure, from 246 reports with mileage
• Brakes97 · 15%
  Median 20,000 miles at failure, from 87 reports with mileage
• Air bags96 · 15%
  Median 16,000 miles at failure, from 69 reports with mileage
• Engine87 · 14%
  Median 45,000 miles at failure, from 63 reports with mileage
• Speed control51 · 8%
  Median 68,500 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Electrical system43 · 7%
  Median 29,000 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system33 · 5%
  Median 57,700 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other64 · 10%
  Median 60,100 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Nissan Sentra recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2013 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2013 Sentra drew the most (150).

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2013 Sentra MPG

Questions