CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013-2017 Nissan Sentra has an expensive CVT transmission failure defect that shows up plainly in our complaint data from the earlier model years in this same 7th generation Sentra.

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:
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,806 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.

2016 Nissan Sentra drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #96

Jun 162024

Sentra

  • miles

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

My transmission has been acting up since 40k miles. I have took it to Nissan dealer update tcm same problems. I-??ve also too it too ford apple dealership York pa and still have open ticket because they couldn-??t figure it out. Me and my family are on our way home from Myrtle beach Sc and our transmission gives out at 60k miles causing us to lose control on highway hours away from home stranded.

- Red Lion , PA, USA

problem #95

Apr 252024

Sentra

  • miles
I was driving about 55 mph in the left lane on Hwy 45S bypass and the transmission just stop working in the middle of the intersection causing traffic to have merge right then it would not accelerate in Drive but would go in Reverse. I had to push the car across traffic to side of the road and have it towed. This was the 3rd transmission that had been put in this vehicle. The Nissan manufacturers have admitted to transmissions are defective but would replace mine because it would have been the 4th transmission put in this vehicle.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #94

Jun 052024

Sentra

  • miles
DTC Code P285A Dealer said out of warranty

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #93

May 152024

Sentra

  • miles

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

The CVT Transmission Bands unaligned themselves around 75,000 miles. Nissan refuses to replace their defective transmission in my vehicle due to not going to Nissan Service Centers for regular maintenance but instead going to smaller more affordable certified mechanics for my regular maintenance. When I did take it to Nissan in June of 2023 I was told to change my transmission fluid and filter and the issues would be resolved. I went to my private mechanic and had this done and my issues were not resolved. Upon further investigation it was a defective transmission and the extended powertrain warranty had expired by time and mileage. I was told to call Consumer Affairs for Nissan and they refused to provide any assistance due to my inability to afford paying for my regular maintenance to be done through their service centers. The cost of their synthetic oil changes is 80$ more than my reputable mechanic charges me. I am a single mother of two kids, a full time employee, and college student I live paycheck to paycheck as is and need to save money where I am able. I am being punished for not paying their outlandish prices for their sub-par mechanics.

- Mount Wolf, PA, USA

problem #92

Mar 092024

Sentra

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled off the highway and attempted to shift the vehicle into park(P) however, the vehicle started moving backwards. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

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problem #91

Apr 152024

Sentra

  • miles
I bought a 2016 Nissan Sentra brand new. It has 120,000 miles and the transmission needs replacement. This is a CVT so no way to check on fluid or anything. I was having pickup issues and brought it to the dealership and they are saying that it needs a new transmission which will cost $5600, which is more than the cars worth. This seems to be a defect on their CVT technology from what I understand, now I need help with resolving this issue since I don-??t think it-??s anything I have done.

- Colonia, NJ, USA

problem #90

Mar 202024

Sentra

  • miles

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

Ref: NTB19-075 dated October 2019. Hello, I purchased this vehicle 08/03/2019. Less than one year later (April and October 2020), we had to take the vehicle to Nissan of Van Nuys, California for transmission service with only 58,596 miles. Today the vehicle has only 117.000 miles and my transmission is giving me problems again. The faulty transmission code is P17F4, which is considered a manufacturer defect according to NTB19-075, Nissan Service Bulletin Classification AT19-011. Basically, it seems that for this vehicle, the transmission breaks down every 58,000 miles. As mentioned, this is the third time it happens since we purchased the vehicle in 2019.

- Granada Hills, CA, USA

problem #89

Mar 032024

Sentra

  • miles
This incident occurs when driving between 65-75mph on the interstate. When there is a slight incline or hill that requires the transmission to downshift, it seems the transmission gets stuck trying to find the right gear and loses power. The transmission tries to shift gears a few times, which causes the vehicle to slow down to about 50-55mph. I then have to fully step on the accelerator to get the transmission to stop shifting and actually accelerate up the remainder of the hill. This nearly caused an accident as I was passing a slow vehicle up the hill. When my vehicle slowed down due to the transmission trying to continuously shift gears, a semi truck that was following too closely came dangerously close to rear ending me. I don't frequent the interstate, but this incident has happened a handful of times since I've owned this vehicle. I've adjusted my driving habits by trying to not accelerate up hills while going at those higher speeds. However, if it becomes necessary to accelerate to avoid a collision, I fear my vehicle will not accelerate properly.

- Racine , WI, USA

problem #88

May 252022

Sentra

  • miles
I have been having this problem for years and no one has been able to tell me what is wrong or how I can fix it. My RPM-??s will fluctuate rapidly and I am unable to accelerate and it feels jumpy. It stopped accelerating completely one time on the freeway. I was only able to get back up to 25mph, it was so scary. Luckily I was close to an exit and got off. Replaced mass air flow sensor and it started working normally for about a month. It has not completely stopped working since then but the RPM-??s still fluctuate most days. I feel scared it will give out one day or cause me to crash. I have taken it to different mechanics as well as the Nissan dealership and they all say nothing seems wrong. They recommend a transmission drain and fill, which I have done. The problem still persists. I see this is a common issue with others as well. It needs to be addressed as it is extremely scary and puts peoples lives at risk.

- Arroyo Grande, CA, USA

problem #87

Jan 292024

Sentra

  • miles
I read all of the 214 complaints by consumers who have had the same scary incident occur to them. I have completed all of my recalls and for the life of the vehicle I have had the maintenance plan. The car has been well taken car of. After reading the complaints, I also have had an incident where the vehicles RPM's increased for no reason almost causing me to hit another vehicle in front of me and I quickly swerved to miss the vehicle. Then as quick as this happened the car just slowed down to a complete stop. I tried putting my foot on the accelerator and the vehicle would not move. I then pressed the accelerator all the way down to the floor of the vehicle. Nothing. This halting stop almost caused several vehicles to get in an accident. This is a serious problem and Nissan needs to rectify this horrible safety issue and fix all of our cars. I am going to talk to a lawyer. This is going to kill someone or cause serious harm to others.

- Arcata, CA, USA

problem #86

Jan 192024

Sentra

  • miles

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

Transmission stopped producing power in the middle of the highway. I was unable to accelerate and could have gotten into a serious accident with another vehicle. This is the 2nd time this has happened. Nissan had a class action lawsuit against them but now they won-??t do anything else even though it-??s the same issue as before.

- Elizabeth, PA, USA

problem #85

Jan 102024

Sentra

  • miles
While driving my car on the turnpike in [XXX], my Sentra began surging with RPMs jumping higher then lower. Decelerating with heavy traffic around and behind me. Exited at the first opportunity. Car began to lunge forward and decelerate again. Car began making grinding noises. Able to slowly get car to my house before it stopped driving all together. Difficulty placing car into drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Yukon, OK, USA

problem #84

Jan 032024

Sentra

  • miles
No indicator light came on, I was crossing a dangerous intersection and I lost all ability to drive the RPMs stopped increasing and my foot was pressed on the gas hard!

- Shirley, NY, USA

problem #83

Nov 202023

Sentra

  • miles
Replaced catylc converter. No the car is power surging and slipping, took vehicle to my regular auto shop. They reported car needs a new transmission, the CVT is out. Took car to transmission specialist for a second opinion said the same thing. Both shops reported this is common for this make and model. I'd thought I should report it.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #82

Nov 092023

Sentra

  • miles
I was driving the car and leaving a red light. The car lost power, abs light came on and the traction light came on. I was unable to turn and move out of traffic. It finally jerked and released so i could drive. I was in a cross section and thank God we did not get hurt. It did this to me twice on my way to work.

- Petal , MS, USA

problem #81

Jun 032023

Sentra

  • miles
CVT shuddering, slipping while shifting gears; lack of acceleration, then lunging into gear.

- East Orange, NJ, USA

problem #80

Oct 132023

Sentra

  • miles
I was driving my 2016 Nissan on the highway and it randomly started showing signs of a transmission defect that lead to sudden shaking and jerking while the vehicle was being driven. It would also shift itself into neutral. I had to have the car towed to a dealership that advised there were transmission issues that due to Nissans-??s high cost and unreliability of transmissions it would be safer to buy a new vehicle than replace the transmission.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #79

Aug 312023

Sentra

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated before losing motive power and failed to exceed 20 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Highland, CA, USA

problem #78

Aug 162023

Sentra

  • 109,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would jerk or stall upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had appeared on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had gone into reverse after placing the gear shifter into drive(D). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle related to the transmission. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #77

Jun 072023

Sentra

  • miles
The CVT Transmission has a bad shudder while driving and shifting into gears. It jerks when trying to accelerate and is extremely slow trying to accelerate the vehicle. The safety of me and other vehicles were in danger because the vehicle failed to accelerate when going up an incline or just driving down an even lane road with no inclines or hills. The vehicle has been inspected by a certified auto repair shop and after inspection, I was told that the CVT Transmission needs to be replaced. The first instance of trouble happened on June 7th, 2023 while I was driving to work. The check engine light came on and the accelerator was hesitant. The car could barely maintain a safe speed. I was travelling on the highway when this occurred.

- Delaware, OH, USA

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