The Used Car Index

2013 Nissan Sentra problems

NHTSA lists 638 complaints for the 2013 Nissan Sentra, 24 of them mention a crash and 4 mention a fire. 17 complaints mention an injury, with 20 injuries and 1 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as NISSAN SENTRA.

At a glance

Complaints
638
With crash
24
With fire
4
With injury (complaints)
17
Injuries
20
Deaths
1
Recalls
6
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
3,296,947
Investigations
3
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
201

Complaints per 100k sold: 494.026. Units sold: 129,143; sales year: 2013; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN31148.7%
AIR BAGS9615.0%
SERVICE BRAKES9514.9%
ENGINE8713.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER6410.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL518.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM436.7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM335.2%
STEERING162.5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)132.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY4
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
AIR BAGSFRONTAL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMWIRING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDELIVERY1
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHERSTORAGE1
LANE DEPARTUREWARNING1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure28144.0%0.83
loss of control19330.3%0.81
restraint or airbag7912.4%0.91
electrical electronic335.2%0.81
noise or comfort203.1%0.76
unclear111.7%0.87
fluid or fuel leak91.4%0.72
visibility or lighting60.9%0.87
fire or overheating40.6%0.90
structural or corrosion20.3%0.46
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate46773.2%0.84
low13320.8%0.70
high284.4%0.95
critical50.8%0.70
none50.8%0.83

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 638 tagged complaints of 638 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

6 recalls.

16V244000

Date: 2016-04-26. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehi (excerpt)

Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Inter (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V242000

Date: 2016-04-26. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front pa (excerpt)

Consequence: If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS. (excerpt)

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V681000

Date: 2015-10-20. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly c (excerpt)

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger. (excerpt)

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V138000

Date: 2014-03-25. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

13V069000

Date: 2013-03-01. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.

Consequence: If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

13V068000

Date: 2013-03-01. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Defect: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Sentra vehicles manufactured from September 11, 2012, through October 4, 2012. Some fuel tank assemblies were not properly sealed during the manufacturing process. As a result, a small amount of gasoline may leak from the tank when it is full.

Consequence: A gasoline leak in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a vehicle fire.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 1, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

3 investigations; 0 open.

EA15004

Opened: 2015-08-31. Closed: 2017-05-02.

Occupant Classification System Failure

In May 2016, Nissan North America issued a safety recall (16V-244) to address the problem of improper classification of adult front seat passengers in approximately 3.3 million vehicles, including those in the scope of this investigation when it was opened (almost one million vehicles) and additional vehicles, as shown below.Nissan models: certain model year 2013-2016 Altima, 2013-2016 LEAF, 2016-

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: 15V681000, 16V242000, 16V244000.

RQ15001

Opened: 2015-03-18. Closed: 2015-09-01.

Occupant Classification System Failure

In April 2014, Nissan North America launched Safety Recall 14V-138 to address problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS) algorithm in the following vehicles: model year (MY) 2013-2014 Nissan Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra and LEAF; MY 2013 Infiniti JX35; MY 2014 Infiniti QX60 and Q50; and MY 2013 Nissan NV 200/Taxi vehicles.According to Nissan, the OCS may misclassify adult front passenger

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

PE14014

Opened: 2014-05-20. Closed: 2015-05-13.

Excessive Brake Pedal Travel

On May 20, 2014, ODI opened PE14-014 based on eight complaints alleging incidents of excessive brake pedal travel in model year (MY) 2013 through 2014 Nissan Sentra, Versa Sedan and Versa Note passenger cars (Figure 1) and information in Early Warning Reporting field reports indicating issues with master cylinder internal seals.In response to an information request letter sent by ODI, Nissan ident

Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

201 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
POWER TRAIN48
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM47
EQUIPMENT44
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING24
ENGINE14
WHEELS14
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE11
AIR BAGS10

11031704

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement a Certification Labela or a VIN Plate/Labela may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be

11031705

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement a Certification Labela or a VIN Plate/Labela may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be

11009068

Date: 2024-09-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)

11004960

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

CAN COMMUNICATION CODES a DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11004961

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

CAN COMMUNICATION a NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11004962

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001191

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001194

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001201

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

10243708

Date: 2023-09-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.

DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
SENTRA638

Same model, other years

All model years | All Nissan models

Other Nissan models, 2013

Sources

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