Nissan Sentra automatic emergency braking problems, 2016–2027
227 of the 1,432 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Nissan Sentra 2016–2027 name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). The loudest years: 2020 (76), 2021 (46), 2019 (45). Filed under the same heading across these years: no document yet. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.
Nissan Sentra automatic emergency braking problems by model year
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsOne row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.
| Model year | Complaints naming the automatic emergency braking | Share of the year’s | Typically at | On file under the heading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2026 | 2 | 12% | — | — | the year → |
| 2025 | 4 | 13% | — | — | the year → |
| 2024 | 0 | — | — | 4 TSBs | the year → |
| 2023 | 5 | 25% | — | 5 TSBs | the year → |
| 2022 | 18 | 22% | — | 8 TSBs | the year → |
| 2021 | 46 | 35% | — | 13 TSBs | the year → |
| 2020 in depth | 76 | 37% | 6k | 15 TSBs | the record → |
| 2019 | 45 | 20% | — | — | the year → |
| 2018 | 31 | 17% | — | — | the year → |
| 2017 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2016 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the automatic emergency braking. Nothing here is a rate.
When the automatic emergency braking complaints were filed, and at what mileage
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled per calendar year, every model year together: 2018: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 43 · 2022: 43 · 2023: 57 · 2024: 31 · 2025: 26 · 2026: 16
Across the model years, half of the 40 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 5,000 and 40,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking, from the model years with the most to say. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking inadvertently activated. The Automatic Emergency Braking warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on five separate occasions.
The emergency braking system has gone off on this car 4 times. After the first two we took the car into the dealership and they said that they could not find any problems with it. Yesterday we had two more incidents. I am taking the vehicle in tomorrow. I have asked that they replace the sensors but was told that it is up to Nissan.
The automated break system came on while I was driving 2 times within 3 days without anything being in front, the back or on the side of the car. When this happened there was a few beeping noise and a quick red flash on the dashboard that said maintenance.
This has happened twice while driving down the road, 2021 Nissan Sentra AEB system locked up the brakes with nothing in front of vehicle to cause the system to be activated
while i was driving, the front collision warning and emergency brake went off out of nowhere when there was no cars in front of me as the street was empty
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking, across the years
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNothing filed under this heading on these model years.
Other systems with a record on the Nissan Sentra
Source: the same filesEvery system, every model year: Nissan Sentra problems by year →
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Nissan Sentra years have the most automatic emergency braking complaints?
2020, 76; 2021, 46; 2019, 45. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2020 (37%).
Is there a recall for the automatic emergency braking on the Nissan Sentra?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading on any of these model years. A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the Nissan Sentra?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 15,500 miles across the model years; half of them between 5,000 and 40,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Forward Collision Avoidance" heading cover?
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.