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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,884 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

Jun 072023

Sentra

  • miles

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

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

problem #25

Sep 082022

Sentra

  • miles
At least 7 times I have come across the same Safety issue, where I had to accelerate on to the highway and as I placed my foot o foot pedal. My vehicle wouldn't accelerate as if the engine and transmission were not communicating together. I had several vehicles follow very close to me from behind. I placed my hazard lights on. I even placed my foot all the way down to the floor panel and there was no reaction from the transmission again I had to place my hazard warning light on to inform the vehicles behind me that I was having trouble accelerating. I had to drive slow all the way home, this issue has been occurring for 1 week now.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #24

Jun 102022

Sentra

  • miles
powertrain, speed control transmission slipping won't go forward or reverse slow

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #23

Jul 052021

Sentra

  • miles

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

My car is having transmission issues I-??ll be driving and it will lose power or the speed limit will decrease makes it very unsafe to drive it will do this out of no where will be on the freeway and it will go from 60 to

- Phx , AZ, USA

problem #22

Apr 102021

Sentra

  • 59,000 miles
Vehicle rpms increase during highway speeds- dealership determined it was a known cvt

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #21

Jan 052021

Sentra

  • miles
My car started jerking while driving. After driving for a while, it would suddenly go into lymph mode while being operated. This was very unsafe while I was pregnant. I called Nissan and they said I couldn't be helped because I was passed 84,000 miles. However I looked online and it said something totally different. I'm still making payments, and now have to come out of pocket for a transmission

- Leesville, LA, USA

problem #20

Dec 012020

Sentra

  • 105,735 miles

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

When trying to accelerate the rpms will go up but the speed will not increase. It will take off fine as long as you don't sit still for a long time. But the rpms will rev up and it will not speed

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

problem #19

Aug 152020

Sentra

  • 58,000 miles
Engine rpms are high due to transmission clutches being worm prematurely, cruise control also breaks free and releases due to high rpms at relative operating highway speeds, dangerous loss of power condition

- New Market, AL, USA

problem #18

Jul 272020

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
I had recently driving a 2016 Nissan Sentra I own. I was driving on an interstate in my area and all of a sudden the car significantly decelerated while stalling to about 30 mile per hour. I immediately pulled over from the right lane onto the shoulder. Thank goodness I was in the right lane and had the shoulder just to my right as traffic was relatively heavy. Candidly I thought I was going to crash the vehicle as I did swerve at about 45 miles per hour. Keep in mind I was traveling at 65 mile per hours. The car is now with woodfield Nissan in schaumburg, il since Thursday, July 30. The service department informed me I have to replace the electronic control unit (egi). I did not know what this was and that the cost would be almost $3,000. I asked about recalls and was told that there are recalls for this same model year car but my car did not meet Nissan"S requirement since the VIN #?S were already identified. I have done my research regarding this known defect with this vehicle. Nissan only agreed to voluntarily recall vehicles during a certain timeframe. I'm not clear why my vehicle VIN#[xxx] is not covered under the recall, I'm experiencing what the recall outlined. I have seen numerous cases reported online. I was able to locate campaign code PM6580. Nissan is not willing to cooperate and assit with the current production issue I?M experiencing. My 2016 Nissan has been at woodfiled Nissan since 7/30 with the harness on backorder. I'm not certain why VIN# was not part of the recall as I'm experiencing the defect in a production environment, while it"S a very dangerous production issue. I feel it's unfair and deceptive as a customer that is experiencing a production recall issue. Nissan case # [xxx]. sincerely, [xxx] car under [xxx] at dealer or [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bartlett, IL, USA

problem #17

Oct 172019

Sentra

  • 55,000 miles
When driving down the highway at around 80mph the car's RPM's will spike and the gas pedal will not work. The car just takes over driving itself. This occurs for a few seconds and then the car will drive normally again. I've taken it to the dealership and they say nothing is wrong. I took it to another mechanic and they say it's the cvt transmission slipping. But the transmission is not damaged and there's no diagnostic code so nothing can be done.

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #16

Mar 022019

Sentra

  • 32,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph or with the cruise control set for 75 mph, the rpms revved up. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had overheated. The contact took the vehicle to greenway brunswick Nissan located at (231 chapel crossing road, brunswick, ga 31525, (912)289-8701) who diagnosed that the heater core and the heater core box needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the heater core was replaced 3 times and the heater box, along with the heater core, was replaced 2 times. The failure continued. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

- Brunswick, GA, USA

problem #15

Feb 172020

Sentra

  • 43,500 miles
When driving on highways above 70 mph, the car loses speed and tries to shift gears without accelerating causing my car to slow down and not pick up my speed again

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #14

Dec 082019

Sentra

  • 58,000 miles
When driving down the road one minute my car is driving fine then when you come to a stop and press on the gas my car doesn't want to go anywhere. The RPM will accelerate but my speedometer will not go up. I have even pressed the gas all the way to the floor and it still won't get up in speed. My car will also act like it's trying to dye when sitting at at light or stop sign. It's also started making a rattling noise in the engine. The has happened in town, on the highway. This is very scary especially when trying to get on a highway with kids in the car and trying to merge into on come traffic with huge semi's. I have taken my car in several times and they tell my that it needs to be reprogrammed. Well obviously reprogramming it doesn't work. I'm fed up with this problem. I will never by another Nissan again. I have taken my car

- Geronimo, OK, USA

problem #13

Jan 022020

Sentra

  • miles
This car is very dangerous, I will be going down the highway and it loses speed for no reason. I try to get it gas and my speed decreases. I have almost been in several accidents due to this scary problem. I've called the dealership and they say nothing is wrong with this vehicle. It's gonna take someone losing there life before Nissan will admit this be vehicle needs to be recalled. Will never buy another Nissan

- Middleburg, FL, USA

problem #12

Jul 292019

Sentra

  • 4 miles
Car cvt transmission slipping and shuddering while in motion also stahling while entering freeway, crossing intersections, and while turning.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 282016

Sentra

  • 247 miles
Takata recall

- Van Nuys, CA, USA

problem #10

Apr 202017

Sentra

  • miles
H had problems with noise and brakes, apart with the transmission I have take 9 times to the dealers for nothing.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

problem #9

Nov 012017

Sentra

  • 3,500 miles
Nissan is selling vehicles knowing that transmissions will only last 2 years but overcharging consumers and consumers are stuck with vehicle repairs which is not affordable. No consumer should be charged 22,000 and over for a Nissan Sentra and 2 years later transmission goes out. Something needs to be done because this is a rip-off to consumers. The car has been sounding strange since driving it but all I keep hearing nothing wrong.

- Forest Park, GA, USA

problem #8

Apr 022018

Sentra

  • 65,000 miles
Car is slow to accelerate on highway.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #7

Apr 092018

Sentra

  • 26,000 miles
New car with several incidences when traveling at low speeds and needing to stop the vehicle the breaks felt sluggish, the vehicle would not stop where I intended, and it made sounds. I went to several Nissan dealerships and they each told me the break system was ok and I just needed to get the feel of a Nissan Sentra. I told them that was not the case because I owned several Nissan Sentra. They said there was nothing they could do. I increased my stopping distance because I didn't trust the car. I got into a minor fender bender. The car in front of me only had a small scratch. I was going at low speeds when the car in front of me stopped. Under normal conditions I had plenty of room to stop. However, my car didn't behave normally. I hit the break as hard as I could, but it was sluggish and still moving. The front-end emergency breaking system started beeping. I couldn't swerve the car because there where cars on my sides. I continued hitting the break as hard as I could, and my system beeped and flashed again. The system couldn't fully stop the car either. Before moving my car I called the Nissan number the manual says to call. I told them what happened and asked them to get the event data recorder information. They told me to bring it to a dealership. The dealership said they only downloaded codes and what I was describing was the transmission and after looking into it they decided they would replace a valve in the transmission under warranty. They said that a part also needed replacing because of the accident. They said the part was on backorder. I asked for documentation of what they were going to do to my car and they refused and said I would get it at the end. Now the part is further backordered. They won't pay for a rental and are now saying that if I want out of my lease they need to do an 8 week investigation. I wanted the investigation over 2 months ago!

- Belleville, NJ, USA

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