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:
62,765 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 14 of 15)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #40

Dec 292016

Sentra

  • 63,000 miles

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

Luckily, I was in my neighborhood, but my transmission just stopped working out of nowhere. The vehicle decelerated and then wouldn't accelerate above first gear. I've seen hundreds of complaints of Nissan cvt's that have had the same issue. Many people were affected when entering the highway. Nissan offered to cover half of the new transmission as mine was only 3,000 miles out of warranty.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #39

Oct 012016

Sentra

  • 80,000 miles
This car was purchased brand new from dealership, car start giving acceleration problems about 3 moths ago, we just had it diagnosed with the dealership and the transmission is bad and has to be replaced, this car has about 87,000 miles, no transmission should be replaced at this mileage, and we run out of the guarantee. I owe Nissan for the las 15 years and never had a problem with my vehicles before they start using the cvt (continues variable transmission), I have the same issue with my 2010 rogue, however the power train guaranty into this model and year was extended to 10 years because of the failure in their cvt transmission, I believe that Nissan continues to have issues with this kind of transmission and they should be responsible for fixing all vehicles with this kind of problems.

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #38

Dec 012016

Sentra

  • 82,000 miles
The transmission has a lot of hesitate and bad vibration while driving. Check engine light came on and it's due to small evap leak but have replaced cap and still stays on once awhile U smell gas fumes.

- Winchester, KY, USA

problem #37

Jun 142014

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 2,000 miles

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

While in heavy traffic on a bay area bridge, the car lost acceleration, started to slow down, even while I pumped the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Had it towed to dealer, they said it had to do with cooling fan. After that repair, the same problem happened several more times, always while on the highway, but I found if I kept pumping the gas pedal all the way to the floor it would eventually start to slowly accelerate. After a near-accident on the freeway due to this problem as I drove through san jose, I took the car back in and they replaced the transmission. 2 days later the heat shield fell off while I was driving. 5 days after that, while on the highway traveling at 40mph, the car again lost power, slowly decelerating, despite pumping the gas pedal to the floor. After several attempts to pump the gas it finally started to accelerate again, so I did not pull off the highway.

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #36

Dec 142016

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 101,000 miles
While driving on a highway the vehicle began jerking. It also started jumping forward while taking off and experiencing high rpms. It requires a new transmission to fix at only 101,000 miles. Just out of extended warranty.

- Hartsville, TN, USA

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problem #35

Nov 162016

Sentra

  • 46,000 miles
Purchased a 2013 Nissan Sentra with around 45820 miles on it.2 weeks later the transmission goes out. They replaced because it was still under warranty.received it back with problems. RPM would go up past 5 when acceleraring or passing. Complained and never received a call back was told that was normal.. problem continues. Even had a supervisor test drive and was told nothing was out of order.contact corporate they send me to a new dealer and its gears that are not shifting correctly. Solution another transmission this time they expect me to pay but they are willing to pay half.unacceptable for a problem I been complaining about since receiving the vehicle back.obvious defect in transmission for nisan or in mechanics that work for them

- Selma, AL, USA

problem #34

Nov 102016

Sentra 4-cyl

  • miles

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

'takata recall" I bought my car brand new, I've only had it for 3 years and now I need to replace my transmission. I took my car in for an alignment, I was shown where there is a leak on the transmission. I've taken it to 3 separate mechanics. Unfortunately, because its a cvt type of transmission, only Nissan is able to fix it! Nissan won't budge on the cost of repairs, they have an I don't care attitude about it. It's a [xxx] shame that Nissan is building faulty transmissions and won't stand behind their product. I am literally kicking myself in the [xxx] for buying a Nissan. Once upon a time, Nissan was known to make excellent quality cars that were built to last a lifetime. This is my first brand new car, but not my first Nissan. I am extremely disappointed! I will never again purchase a Nissan! I will discourage everyone I know from buying Nissan vehicles! what a disgrace!!!! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #33

Nov 032016

Sentra

  • 83,000 miles
Vehicle wouldn't accelerate going up a small hill. RPM's increased to 4000-5000 range but no power. Took to dealership said cvt transmission failure. 83,000 miles, 3 years old.

- Dickson, TN, USA

problem #32

Oct 272016

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
The transmission on my car has now been replace twice, the car shakes, jolts and shut off. Now for a third time while driving on the street the car shock hard and the transmission and engine fell. The car was unmovable. It was so dangerous I was in morning traffic and 3 cars almost hit me because the car stop in the middle of the street. Had to get the car towed to the dealership and now waiting to see with what excuse the come out with. Car always shakes since I tog it new in 2013.

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #31

Sep 052016

Sentra

  • 15 miles
The transmission will not come out of gear. Vehicle will start and come out of gear once you hit the gear shift several times. Started the issue last month 09/05/2016. No other incident took place prior. The vehicle was stationary on flat ground in the driveway every time it has taken place. If you put it in park once you finally get it out of park it take about 45 minutes of working with it to get it back out.

- Douglasville, GA, USA

problem #30

Aug 012016

Sentra

  • 103,000 miles

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

My Nissan is a 2013 Sentra the transmission gave out at 103,000K. 3K over the drive train warranty.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #29

Oct 012016

Sentra

  • 100,600 miles
While traveling on the interstate during morning rush hour, my 2013 Nissan Sentra started shaking and vibrating. The engine began making sounds, and since I was in stop-and-go traffic, I noticed that when I stepped on the brakes or tried to accelerate, the vehicle wouldn't respond. The RPM meter was jumping all over the place. When I tried to accelerate, my car wouldn't move, and then would jerk forward suddenly. This all made driving on the highway very scary, especially since the problems came about suddenly. I would have to keep an overcautious distance from other vehicles because I wasn't sure when my car would decide to stop or speed up. All of this was happening and the check engine light never came on. The transmission has had a recall before, and I have seen hundreds of consumer reports of others with the same complaint. My vehicle is only 3 years old, I am the first owner, and I have kept up with all service requirements. Call the dealership and was told the transmission needs to be replace, that this cars continuing to have this issue since the begining of the cvt transmission on the Sentra I think Nissan needs to take responsibility for putting cars with unsafe transmissions on the road, my family own many Nissan vehicles and they are good products with some exceptions

- Radcliff, KY, USA

problem #28

Aug 252016

Sentra

  • 77,000 miles
Transmission jerks accelerating and decelerating between 15-30 mph. Warranty is to 60K, however hundreds (if not thousands) of owners have this issue. Resetting the ems module did not fix the issue. Car needs a new transmission. A car that was pampered for 77K miles should not need a $3,800 transmission. Based the number of owners who have this issue, it is a manufacturer's defect, not an owner's issue. No one should have to deal with problem on a new car. The government should investigate.

- Phillipsburg, NJ, USA

problem #27

Jul 062016

Sentra

  • 55,500 miles
My first indecent occurred while driving down a state highway with my cruise control on, my cruise control was cut off. As I was trying to accelerate back to my driving speed, the gas pedal felt loose and my car was having trouble revving up to accelerate and would not let me accelerate back up to posted highway speeds. The car then "jumped" forward and went back to normal and allowed me accelerate. However, I was not able to engage my cruise control back to normal and would cut it off every time I set it. I took my car to the dealership the next day for an initial recall notice to be fixed and explained also what happened. When I described my issue the service man had said it sounded as if my transmission was slipping, that they would look at it. After recall was cared for and two test drives later, they found nothing wrong with the vehicle. Told me if problem comes back to bring in immediately. On 07/06/2016 on my drive home at night, I came to a light and yielded, upon trying to accelerate to turn my car failed to accelerate and was having issues once again revving up! I drifted in to a nearby parking lot, put my car in park, turned it off for a few minutes then turned it back on. It acted fine until I was further down on a state highway and it was giving issues accelerating again. I contacted the dealership the next day (07/07) and was told to bring it in. They called me after sometime, and made me aware of what was wrong with my vehicle(condensation in the tail lights!) and how it was affecting my vehicle. I was also told that it was a manufacturer issue and that the manufacturer and Nissan are aware of the issue but have yet to issue a recall!! this is a serious issue that can lead to a fatal accident!!

- Elm Grove, LA, USA

problem #26

Jun 182016

Sentra

  • 135,000 miles
Weston Nissan Volvo / to whom it may concern in December 2013, I bought a 2013 Nissan Sentra, from your dealer services weston Nissan. So far, I received forever the services from your specialized department, maintenance required by your people in the same place where it was purchased. A few days ago, the vehicle presented a fault according to reports by the mechanic of weston Nissan; corresponds to a failure of transmission. That person notified me that the transmission (powertrain) is damaged and have to be replaced at a cost of $ 4000. This transmission was damages because proper maintenance was not performed, as reported by the mechanic. Now, as can this be possible?, if the car constantly carry to service according to the warranty and maintenance requirements upon miles. And in the service record, you can see that there is no service for this part. Nissan should stand behind their transmission product, reputation and do what is right for all consumers who experience a traumatic and costly situation due to the poor quality and failed transmission. Nissan decline to take any responsibility. Also, I'm very disappointed because in that short time the car suffered air conditioning problems, replacement gas pump, air bag problems (many times) and more recently serious transmission problem. In my car's service record, there is no evidence of changing air filters and other important car's parts, which gives serious doubts about your service's quality. Personally, replace the air filter was never changed. I think there is no reason, if there is been a properly service, to have all this issues with my car. Best regards, NHTSA recall 14V-138

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #25

Jul 022016

Sentra

  • 78,000 miles
While driving my 2013 Sentra car started to rev amd sputter and hestitating. Stepped on gas no power, no check engine lights, radio works but car wuldnt drive driftted out of traffic put car in park. Car then would not reverse or drive I believe transmission needs work. Car only has 78K on

- Swedesboro, NJ, USA

problem #24

May 192016

Sentra

  • 73,000 miles
While traveling on the interstate during morning rush hour, my 2013 Nissan Sentra started shaking and vibrating. The engine began making sounds, and since I was in stop-and-go traffic, I noticed that when I stepped on the brakes or tried to accelerate, the vehicle wouldn't respond. The RPM meter was jumping all over the place. When I tried to accelerate, my car wouldn't move, and then would jerk forward suddenly. This all made driving on the highway very scary, especially since the problems came about suddenly. I would have to keep an overcautious distance from other vehicles because I wasn't sure when my car would decide to stop or speed up. All of this was happening and the check engine light never came on. The transmission has had a recall before, and I have seen hundreds of consumer reports of others with the same complaint. My vehicle is only 3 years old, I am the first owner, and it has less than 70,000 miles on it. I have kept up with all service requirements. I think Nissan needs to take responsibility for putting cars with unsafe transmissions on the road.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #23

Mar 092016

Sentra

  • 59,625 miles
When the car sped sometimes begins to vibrate this does at startup until 15 miles and then the car works normally. It is as if in this situation start to happen. By putting the car in neutral does not have this problem.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #22

Mar 092016

Sentra

  • 48,000 miles
Purchased Nissan Sentra 2013 five months ago at 47,000 miles. I have had my transmission replaced 3 times in 4 months. The first 1 time I was on the highway going 65 mph and the vehicle suddenly decelerated, traffic would not allow me to pull over in time. It came to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. I was pushed to the side after people pulled over. The second time I was on the highway and was able to pull to the side when the car decelerated. Towed both times. The 3rd time I was pulling into a rest stop a safe area. I was able to start the car back up but it jerked to the garage. I will be afraid to drive the vehicle and my warranty will be over, I am amazed that a car company ignores this with hundreds of complaints.

- Agawam, MA, USA

problem #21

Mar 042016

Sentra

  • 22,500 miles
Left rear tail light was broken, moisture affected propulsion causing an immediate inability to sustain any acceleration almost resulting in an accident with the sudden loss of power while vehicle was in motion.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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