NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 223 owner complaints for the 2019 Nissan Sentra.
Recalled components: exterior lighting and backover prevention and rearview camera. Most-described problem: transmission failure or replacement (18 complaints, 8%). Most-reported area: electrical system (65 complaints, 29%; median mileage when it happened: 30,400).
More complaints than a typical Sentra year
The 2019 drew 85 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.
Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 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 2019 Nissan Sentra.
What owners report
Owners have filed 223 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 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 replacement18 · 8%
Won't start17 · 8%
Loss of power or limp mode12 · 5%
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting12 · 5%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages12 · 5%
Median 30,400 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Powertrain54 · 24%
Median 62,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
Brakes38 · 17%
Forward collision avoidance35 · 16%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (23); warnings (20)
Exterior lighting28 · 13%
Median 46,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Engine20 · 9%
Air bags14 · 6%
Unknown or other46 · 21%
Median 12,000 miles at failure, from 20 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 2019 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 2019 drew 85.
Owner complaints
2019: 223 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
2019: 2 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 223 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Nissan Sentra, the problems described most are transmission failure or replacement (18), the engine not starting (17), and loss of power or limp mode (12). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2019 Nissan Sentra safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2019 Nissan Sentra earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2019 Nissan Sentra?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2019 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.