2016 Nissan Sentra vs 2016 Toyota Corolla
On the public data alone the Corolla edges it 5–0.
| 2016 Nissan Sentra | 2016 Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|---|
| Segment | Midsize car | Midsize car |
| Powertrains | Gas | Gas |
| Best combined mpg | 33 | 34 |
| Safety Signal | 52 | 92 |
| NHTSA recalls | 6 | 1 |
| Critical recalls | 0 | 0 |
| Owner complaints | 269 | 213 |
| NHTSA overall stars | 4 | 5 |
2016 Nissan Sentra
The 2016 Nissan Sentra is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Sentra FE, is EPA-rated at 33 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model y
A2016 Toyota Corolla
The 2016 Toyota Corolla is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Corolla LE Eco, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this mo
Recalls at a glance
Sentra
Exterior Lighting
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
Air Bags
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical System
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
Risk: If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Corolla
Air Bags
highProblem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Green cells mark the better value on that row. Complaint counts scale with sales volume; treat them as a pattern signal, not a verdict. Sources: EPA, NHTSA.