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Nissan Sentra

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

31 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

1,439 Complaints owner reports, all years

A^* Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2018 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Sentra →Which years to avoid Compare it

Nissan Sentra — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Nissan Sentra · Photo: Deathpallie325 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Nissan Sentra model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Gas	A^*	0	0	—	33 mpg
2026	Gas	A	1	19	—	33 mpg
2025	Gas	C	4	31	★★★★★	34 mpg
2024	Gas	B	3	41	★★★★★	34 mpg
2023	Gas	A	1	20	★★★★★	33 mpg
2022	Gas	B	2	81	★★★★★	33 mpg
2021	Gas	B	3	132	★★★★★	33 mpg
2020	Gas	C	4	206	★★★★★	33 mpg
2019	Gas	B	2	223	★★★★☆	32 mpg
2018	Gas	B	2	185	★★★★☆	32 mpg
2017	Gas	C	3	231	★★★★☆	32 mpg
2016	Gas	D	6	270	★★★★☆	33 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2018

On the filed record so far, the 2018 is the cleanest Sentra year we hold, and the 2020 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2018	B	0.2	23
2019	B	0.3	32
2023	A	0.3	7
2017	C	0.3	26
2022	B	0.5	20
2021	B	0.6	26
2016	D	0.6	27
2020	C	0.7	34

Which Nissan Sentra years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2017 engine complaints at 0.72× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 41,606 miles). Latest: 2018 power train at 2.31× (80,000 miles).

Year	Power Train	Electrical System	Service Brakes	Engine	Vehicle Speed Control
2019	2.3×	2.23×	2.0×	—	—
2018	2.31×	1.73×	1.07×	—	—
2017	1.5×	1.21×	1.27×	0.72×	1.49×
2016	1.75×	1.22×	1.2×	0.97×	1.67×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Nissan Sentra, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

transmission and drivetrain problems 332 complaints, every model year electrical problems 305 complaints, every model year automatic emergency braking problems 227 complaints, every model year steering problems 142 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: best combined mpg 34 → 33; 2 → 3 EPA configurations
2024: best combined mpg 33 → 34
2020: best combined mpg 32 → 33; 5 → 2 EPA configurations
2019: 6 → 5 EPA configurations
2017: best combined mpg 33 → 32; 3 → 6 EPA configurations

Compare

All Sentra head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Sentra vs Tesla Model 3 · Midsize Sedan	Model 3 +28.9
2027 Sentra vs Kia K4 · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2027 Sentra vs Hyundai Ioniq 6 · Midsize Sedan	Ioniq 6 +25.6
2027 Sentra vs BMW 3 Series · Midsize Sedan	Sentra +24.7
2027 Sentra vs Porsche Taycan · Midsize Sedan	Sentra +54.6
2027 Sentra vs BMW 5 Series · Midsize Sedan	Sentra +37.8
2026 Sentra vs Toyota Camry · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2026 Sentra vs Hyundai Elantra · Midsize Sedan	Elantra +9.3
2026 Sentra vs Honda Civic · Midsize Sedan	Civic +5.4
2026 Sentra vs Toyota Crown · Midsize Sedan	Crown +3.1
2025 Sentra vs Polestar 2 · Midsize Sedan	2 +37.5
2025 Sentra vs Lexus ES · Midsize Sedan	Sentra +8.1

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 65 of 79 1.8× the mileage of same-age vehicles Nissan Sentra owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 38,000 miles across 2018–2020 (fleet 23,512), later than vehicles of the same model year. 235 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +4.7% at the median across 3 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Nissan Sentra against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $21,590 → $22,600. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Nissan Sentra

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Nissan Sentra year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2018 Sentra comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade B (89/100), 2 recalls and 185 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Nissan Sentra years should I avoid?

2016 has the weakest recall record in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Sentra model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Nissan Sentra have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 31 recall campaigns for the Nissan Sentra. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.