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.

4.6

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,431 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.

2017 Nissan Sentra engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #17

Apr 172021

Sentra

  • 46,000 miles

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

I was driving on the highway and noticed that as I accelerated, my RPM would increase but my speed-O-meter wouldn't. and if it did move, it moved very slowly.

- Ferguson, MO, USA

problem #16

Feb 062021

Sentra

  • 93,121 miles
The car was in motion when I loss 90% acceleration and velocity while driving. Very, very scary! I was on the highway when this occurred. I proceeded to check the battery, alternator, and starter by aaa when a service call was placed to inspect the vehicle at my home. Aaa's. they informed me that the battery, alternator and starter are great and that these things were not the reason why the check engine light came on and has remained on. The car is only 3yrs 11mnths old. I get the standard oil change but Nissan has discontinued to use conventional oil. Which is the recommended oil for my car. I also get the car serviced as needed. It is extremely dangerous to drive my car. I cannot drive it period. It suddenly loses power 60 to 120 seconds when the car is in motion.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #15

Oct 232020

Sentra

  • 41,606 miles
My car have been giving me problems such as cutting off in the middle of driving and I don't seem to be going over 45 when this happen I took it to Nissan to get it fixed and still does the same thing without warning the car locks the steering wheel and brakes the lights on the dash light up and the car cuts off.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #14

Sep 232020

Sentra

  • 0 miles

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

On multiple occasions upon entering the car, pressing on the brakes, and pushing the start button, the car will not start. I have to wait several minutes, sometimes as long as an hour and eventually the car starts. It starts after multiple attempts. This has happened late at night, since I travel and work multiple different shifts as a travel nurse. It's extremely scary to leave work in the middle of the night, get to the dark parking lot, and your car not start.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #13

Jul 012017

Sentra

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that when the vehicle shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated. The contact then stated that while driving at highway speeds while accelerating, the RPM revved up to 5,000 RPM and the vehicle failed to shift gears as designed. The vehicle was taken to Nissan 24 (1016 belmont St, brockton, MA 02301, (508) 588-9520) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that approximately 80% of the transmission was replaced however, the failure recurred intermittently. Additionally, the vehicle sputtered while driving 25 mph. The battery became drained and the vehicle had to be jump started. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer and the battery was replaced. The contact stated that additional unknown repairs were performed however, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and the contact was informed that the engine wiring harness needed to be replaced. The repair was still pending. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure and a case was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- East Bridgewater, MA, USA

problem #12

Feb 272020

Sentra

  • 2 miles
My transmission is skipping when driving it has skipped and when stop then I go it skips like if jumps a speed today 2/27/20 it has happed twice while stopes and then

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #11

Feb 102020

Sentra

  • 7,500 miles

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

Purchased my car in Aug. Of 2017. Jan. 2018 was the first of 7 times I have taken my car in for the check engine light. Case is at Nissan North America in arbitration where they want to 'compensate' me $1500 to essentially shut my mouth. There is a significant lag in the acceleration not only from a standstill, but also while in motion trying to accelerate to higher speeds. The car will not go faster than 55 mph up a hill. When the car is on slight inclines the vehicle loses power in attempting to climb and the engine tachometer readings climbs well above the designed RPM specifications. This happens on level ground. When accelerated from 45 mph to 55 mph the tachometer would approach 6000 rpms prior to switching gear. It doesn't occur 100% of the time, the vehicle consistently reaches close to 6000 rpms prior to shifting to a higher gear. As I drive I also start to notice a burning smell. My car is consuming excessive fuel compared to another 'loaner' 2019 Nissan Sentra sv which has the same exact specifics. My car requires 3 times the fuel to drive a similar distance. When telling Nissan Consumer Affairs this I was told 'this is normal because my car is older and has more mileage on it.' Normal wear and tear over a 2 to 3 year period would not account for such a disparity in fuel mileage. Nissan tech support has physically gone to the dealership to try to fix my vehicle and I since taken it in on February 10 for the 7th time. Nissan called because my arbitration poc didn't call them like she was supposed to 4 days ago so now my vehicle sits at the dealership because they don't know how to fix it.. my vehicle is not safe to drive on a public roadway or to Transport my 8yo. I have submitted my case to the attorney general's office and BBB auto-line claim. I just want to be in a safe vehicle. I have all the service docs but file is too big to attach.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #10

Jan 132020

Sentra

  • 23,000 miles
The idle on my 2017 Nissan Sentra sr turbo surges every now and then, and when it is below ~55 degrees outside, it feels like it runs rough when it is in neutral (6 speed manual).

- Biloxi, MS, USA

problem #9

Nov 062017

Sentra

  • 10,000 miles
Bought 2017 Nissan Sentra brand new from dealership and was very unfairly overcharged. I was charged $23,014.53 for a car that was only worth $16,000 and has so many issues. Gas tank sometimes will stop at 200 miles and will not fill up, speedometer shoots up and down while driving, speed does not stay at a certain speed and slows down automatically. The engine jerks and sputters while driving on freeways and streets.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #8

Dec 032019

Sentra

  • 32,892 miles
When in a stationary position and off the car's automatic start will not start the car even when pressing on the brake petal and pressing the automatic start button. The car will cycle through the electronic warning on the dashboard to say - press the brake pedal and press the start button. The car will not start. Instead it will cycle through the radio coming on and the dash illuminating and then to off. The car will not start. It first occurred on 11/26/19, on two separate occasions. First occasion was attempting to leave our home garage. Second occasion was directly following occasion 1 as we attempted to leave the grocery store parking lot. The third was on 12/3/19, as we attempted to leave a metro parking garage. The vehicle will take 3-4 attempts and full cycles (5 minutes) to start the car.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #7

Oct 012018

Sentra

  • 80,000 miles

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

Transmission problems, some tomes it does not change gear. Some times in stationary the gear will not change, sometime wile in motion the car wil slow down. This happens, in the city and on the freeway

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #6

Jul 072019

Sentra

  • 30,000 miles
While driving 60mph on the highway in the left lane, the car suddenly turned off. The instrument panel suddenly went dark, engine turned off, everything suddenly just shut off with no warning. We had difficulty maneuvering the car over to the right shoulder. After we pulled over it restarted & we were able to drive away. Ironically we had our 30,000 mile service the next day but Nissan said nothing is wrong. Online we've noticed previous years with the same problem but the tsb only covers Nissan up to 2016.

- Kaneohe, HI, USA

problem #5

Jun 152019

Sentra

  • 42,000 miles
Brake pedal sensor is defective, it interemittently detects the brake pedal being pressed and allows the car to start. Sometimes the brake pedal will go completely to the floor and sometimes it woll not activate at all. Sometimes the brake light will not go out and the car will not start. Sometimes if I pump the brake pedal the light will go out and the car will start. Sometimes if I have the door open and press the pedal the car will start=, sometimes there is no problem at all

- Florence, AZ, USA

problem #4

Apr 122018

Sentra

  • miles
Third time in the past month, push button start ups, engine is falling to start properly, engine is falling to start, smoothly. Vechile is in the stationary position.

- Lowell, MA, USA

problem #3

May 012017

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 17,836 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted an abnormal odor when the air conditioner was activated. As a result, the fumes caused her to almost fall asleep. Lynch Nissan of auburn (140 w creek pkwy, auburn, al) was contacted, but the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,836.

- Union Springs, AL, USA

problem #2

Jul 312017

Sentra

  • 5,114 miles
I"M documenting the scary situations I've experinced with my 2017 Nissan Sentra sr turbo. On 7/31/17 the vehicle started to stall at an intersection, then came to a complete stop. The engine turned off and I was left without any ability to controll the car. I was able to get it started again trying to make it back home it barely made it at a maximum speed of 10 miles/hr. It had to be towed to a dealer for serviced it was completelly undrivable. They said the battery needed to be replaced. I drove back to work after the repairs. That evening leaving work the same thing happened. Had to call again to have the car towed to the dealer again. The next day I got a call from the service person telling me the alternator had gone out, and that the part would take 2 weeks to come in. Meanwhile I contacted Nissan Corp. To le them know of the situation and the other various times I'd to bringin the car in for repairs since I purchsed it brand new in 1/14/17. I told them this car is putting my life and others in danger and that I belived it was a lemmon. A few days later I got a call telling me that my case had been moved up in their priority list, however they did't let me know that this situation was happening to other custormers. Last week I got a call telling me that Nissan Corp was in no possition to take the car back, but that they were willin to offer me either $1000 back or an extended warranty on the car of 100.000 miles/8 years, which at this point I'm not willingto comit to either one.

- Apopka, FL, USA

problem #1

May 052017

Sentra

  • 3,400 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. While driving various speeds or while parked, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to united Nissan (3025 E sahara ave, las vegas, nv 89104 (702) 832-5480), but the failure could not be duplicated or diagnosed. The dealer advised the contact to change the fuel from 87 to 91 octane. The contact did as the dealer suggested, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the cause of the failure was still unable to be diagnosed. The contact stated that diagnostic testing was completed and the results were sent to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and an investigation was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 3,400.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

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