CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013-2017 Nissan Sentra has an expensive CVT transmission failure defect that shows up plainly in our complaint data.

In late 2019, the CVT defect was subject to a class action settlement. However the settlement only covers transmission repairs up to 7 years after purchase or 84,000 miles (whichever occurs first).

Because many owners commonly drive 20,000 miles/year or more, Sentra owners experiencing CVT transmission problems may find they are not covered by this settlement due to the mileage limitation.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,368 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Nissan Sentra drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 11 of 16)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #103

Jun 212018

Sentra

  • 150,220 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving the car will suddenly stop accelerating, causing you to have to let off and press down again on the accelerator. This occurs during driving and after turns.

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #102

Jun 022018

Sentra

  • miles
My car has a defective transmission and after further research, I found out that Nissan North America was aware of the defect of the cvt transmissions and hit it from customers. I got a quote from my dealership for $4,300.17 for a new transmission. I had to come out of pocket to fix it becaise I need my car for work.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #101

Apr 292018

Sentra

  • 87,900 miles
My 2013 Nissan Sentra began having problems with acceleration as well as shuddering hesitating, down shifting above 50mph.,whining sound followed by the check engine light. Carried the vehicle to the dealer ship to be checked out. I was told the transmission was failing. I would need a new one. I have enclosed the invoices as well as my different steps to try to resolve this as a warranty issue.

- Mccalla, AL, USA

problem #100

Nov 052015

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that there was an intermittent failure progressing with the cvt, which caused a strong jerking vibration. The vehicle was also slow to change gears while shifting. As a result, the contact to have to change gears from drive into park and back into drive to try to prevent the failure, which had not worked in most instances when the failure occurred. The dealer (conyers Nissan, 1420 iris dr. Sw, conyers, ga 30094, (678) 233-2448) initially stated that the power train/transmission assembly needed to be replaced; however, the manufacturer instructed the dealer not to replace the transmission assembly and to replace the valve body. The valve body was replaced by the dealer and, within fifteen days of obtaining the vehicle from the dealer, the condition worsened and the vehicle randomly stalling. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon changing gears. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer where the contact was advised that the transmission assembly needed to be replaced and that the vehicle was not included in a warranty campaign. The vehicle was at the dealer awaiting repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

problem #99

May 212018

Sentra

  • 70,000 miles
I have a 2013 Nissan Sentra sv I purchased used. Now two years later and outside of my warranty period I am going on 3 times within the last month and a half at the shop for what appears to be a transmission issue. They updated the transmission computer, didn't fix it, then they thought it was the mass airflow sensor, this also didn't fix the issue, now one week from my last visit to the shop its back in. There are no recalls however this is clearly a safety issue. While driving if I press on the gas it randomly doesn't go anywhere or struggles to accelerate. At one point this left me in the line of traffic and I could have been hit or even killed if the car driving toward me had not slowed down. While on the freeway I went from 65mph to struggling to get to 20-40 mph and have also experience after a 15min freeway drive it refusing to accelerate when turning onto a main street after a short stop. After multiple repair attempts and reading online it seems this is a common issue with this car. Please recall!

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

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problem #98

Apr 272018

Sentra

  • 89,964 miles
I was on thr highway going 65 mph but once the traffic slowed down, without warning I could no longer get going once I came to a stop. The car squeeled and even though I floored it, it stalled out. Only after cutting the car off anf back on did it allow me to resume but it was a nightmare because traffic was backed up.

- Powdersprings, GA, USA

problem #97

Apr 252018

Sentra

  • 25 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall driving on the highway and my car stall in front of an 18 wheeler. It scared the life out of me but as I drove little bit more it started to jerk and I could not go over 25. I pulled over cut the car off and turned it back on and tried to pull off and it jerked some more before it pulled off and then I could go only 25. At every red light I had to cut the car off and on just to get the car out the road. I finally made it to the dealer ship today and they want to charge a arm and a leg say my warranty ended at a 100K and I got the car with 37K miles on it. I dont think that is right. They tell me I had a warranty for a 100K miles but when it time to fix something the warranty is up. I should still have 30K left before my warranty goes out. By the way this started on April 23rd 2018 this and the same thing happened to me on my way to the dealer ship on April 25th.

- Greenville, MS, USA

problem #96

Apr 212014

Sentra

  • 46 miles
Takata recall on multiple occasions while driving on streets and highways, the vehicle seems to be stuck on a lower gear or not transitioning to a higher gear. The most noticeable issue is related to the RPM's getting extremely high with little or no increase in overall speed. The most recent incident occurred while on the freeway, as I was attempting to increase my speed the vehicle slowly accelerated up to 45 - 50 mph but the RPM's reflected 6,500+ before the vehicle would start to jerk at this point I had no choice but to move towards the emergency lane/shoulder fearing that it would abruptly stop working or lose momentum. This instance happened on two occasions during this drive while on the freeway and it seemed to stop after the second time I pulled over but only after I cycled through the park/neutral/reverse/drive/low gears a few times. Based on this second instance, I feel this issue is related to the transmission for the vehicle.

- Queens, NY, USA

problem #95

Apr 232018

Sentra

  • 77,000 miles
On multiple occasions while driving on streets and highways, the vehicle seems to be stuck on a lower gear or not transitioning to a higher gear. The most noticeable issue is related to the RPM's getting extremely high with little or no increase in overall speed. The most recent incident occurred while on the freeway, as I was attempting to increase my speed the vehicle slowly accelerated up to 45 - 50 mph but the RPM's reflected 6,500+ before the vehicle would start to jerk at this point I had no choice but to move towards the emergency lane/shoulder fearing that it would abruptly stop working or lose momentum. This instance happened on two occasions during this drive while on the freeway and it seemed to stop after the second time I pulled over but only after I cycled through the park/neutral/reverse/drive/low gears a few times. Based on this second instance, I feel this issue is related to the transmission for the vehicle.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #94

Apr 112018

Sentra

  • miles
Transmisssion is not shifting correctly it sticks and stop. Our car has. 44,000 miles on it. It sometime will not go forward

- Eagle Mountain, UT, USA

problem #93

Mar 312018

Sentra

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a lack of engine power and would not accelerate even with the accelerator pedal depressed. The failure occurred without warning. Trophy Nissan (5031 N galloway ave, mesquite, tx) diagnosed that the cvt was defective, but did not offer further assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Sachse, TX, USA

problem #92

Oct 262015

Sentra

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the transmission failed multiple times. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. The vehicle was taken to berman Nissan of Chicago (3456 N kedzie ave, Chicago, il 60618) where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was not provided.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #91

Mar 312018

Sentra

  • 74,000 miles
Cvt transmission problem when getting on ramps onto the highway, and normal acceleration, my vehicle is not accelerating. It is delayed in acceleration from stops or when needing to pick up speed such as on a ramp or when passing. It is not driving how it should under normal circumstances. It is very dangerous when the vehicle doesn't accelerate properly. This will become fatal if nothing is done by Nissan who is aware that the cvt transmissions in this vehicle are failing and needing replacement far sooner than they should and that consumers are aware of.

- Hyannis, MA, USA

problem #90

Mar 222018

Sentra

  • miles
I had to replace tbe tie rod and steering gear at 70,000 miles in Nov 2017. I've just been told that the transmission needs to be replaced and I am only at 76,000 miles. T am in an active bankruptcy so I can't replace the car because the car dealership will approve me for a loan that has 18 percent interest. This is cost me a lot of stress. A lawsuit needs to be filed.

- Sherwood, AR, USA

problem #89

Mar 282018

Sentra

  • 98,000 miles
Complete transmission failure with no warning sign at all. A failure so traumatizing, it feels like I've been in an accident, and I'm weary of getting behind another wheel. I was driving along the interstate at 70mph when all of a sudden, with literally no warning whatsoever, no dash lights, no noises, just boom! my car began to shake so violently I thought I'd just been rear ended. So I'm driving at 70mph in the middle lane of I-4, and my car violently died. Thank god the man behind me was paying attention, and had thought I'd just been in an accident. If it wasn't for him, there would have been no way I could have gotten over to the break down lane. If it wasn't for him, I surely would have been in an accident and possibly died. How does a transmission fail in such a spectacular fashion with zero warning" does someone need to die before Nissan finally steps up for their error and stops selling these death traps? is it any coincidence warranties are being doubled across the board for all 2003-2010 Nissan cvt vehicles"

- Port Orange, FL, USA

problem #88

Mar 272018

Sentra

  • 96,562 miles
Car failed to move forward. Loss of transmission while going up hill was very dangerous. Ideals high and intermittent working.

- Barnegat, NJ, USA

problem #87

Mar 012018

Sentra

  • 33 miles
Car is jerking shifting is not happening. While stepping on gas pedal car is not moving. Then all of a sudden it jerks forward. Very dangerous. Car transmission is going. Nissan says no recall. This company is horrible.

- Jackson, NJ, USA

problem #86

Feb 282018

Sentra

  • miles
The car started jerking and then making a loud hissing noise. The car was towed to aaa and they confirmed it needed a new transmission. I contacted Nissan to see if they would help pay for the $3,000 repair after reading the numerous complaints from other owners. After 12 days they declined because it was no longer under warranty and they did not recall the transmission. All things they knew prior to having me get a diagnostic from a Nissan dealership. I believe Nissan is knowingly defrauding consumers and costing them additional money when they know they are not going to assist in paying the repair cost. Also, there are so many complaints about this transmission, yet they refuse to recall the transmission. Someone needs to step in and stop this.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #85

Feb 082018

Sentra

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. While driving various speeds, the transmission slipped out of gear on more than one occasion. Cerritos Nissan in cerritos, California was made aware of the failure and scheduled a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with case number: 30086087. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

- Bell Gardens, CA, USA

problem #84

Feb 252018

Sentra

  • 63,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. While driving at a slow speed and attempting to make a left turn at an intersection, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to university Nissan (248 cox creek pkwy, florence, al 35630, (256) 740-5100) where it was diagnosed that the cvt transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 29964786. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

- Lawrenceburg, TN, USA

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