NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 270 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Sentra.
Recalled components: exterior lighting, air bags, and electrical system. Most-described problem: transmission failure or replacement (52 complaints, 19%). Most-reported area: powertrain (127 complaints, 47%; median mileage when it happened: 87,000).
More complaints than a typical Sentra year
The 2016 drew 64 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 64 for a typical Sentra year.
Years to avoid: 2013; best year: 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles.
Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles.
The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
Risk: If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016.
The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.
Risk: If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan 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 front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
Risk: If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016.
In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Nissan 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 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SENTRA.
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's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Nissan Sentra.
What owners report
Owners have filed 270 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 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 replacement52 · 19%
Median 96,000 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off39 · 14%
Median 74,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Loss of power or limp mode36 · 13%
Median 91,000 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting29 · 11%
Median 100,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Hesitation or slow acceleration27 · 10%
Median 81,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Most named: automatic transmission (4) · Median 87,000 miles at failure, from 71 reports with mileage
Engine48 · 18%
Median 54,500 miles at failure, from 24 reports with mileage
Electrical system45 · 17%
Median 47,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Speed control27 · 10%
Median 46,800 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Air bags24 · 9%
Brakes21 · 8%
Fuel and propulsion system18 · 7%
Unknown or other43 · 16%
Median 47,500 miles at failure, from 15 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 2016 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) and the 2016 drew 64.
Owner complaints
2016: 270 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2016: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Sentra
Model year
Recalls
2010
3
2011
2
2012
0
2013
6
2014
5
2015
3
2016
6
2017
3
2018
2
2019
2
2020
4
2021
3
2022
2
2023
1
2024
3
2025
4
2026
1
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.
In the 270 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, the problems described most are transmission failure or replacement (52), stalling or shutting off (39), and loss of power or limp mode (36). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Nissan Sentra safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Nissan Sentra earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Nissan Sentra?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Nissan Sentra.
How do I check if my Sentra has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SENTRA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.