Reliable Auto DB

2015 Nissan Sentra reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 351 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Nissan Sentra over 12 years — 24 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sentra years here — over the median of the other years, which is 21. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Occupant classification and Latches, locks, and linkages.

2012 Nissan Sentra
Photo by Throwawayacc222, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

351

Per year

24

Recalls

3

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (172 of 351), then Engine (68) and Speed control (49). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 16 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Sentra has 380 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2016 has 270 complaints, 21 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Nissan Sentra. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V244000
Summary 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 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
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. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V242000
Summary 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 passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
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.
Recall Latches, locks, and linkages 2015-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 15V453000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured June 9, 2015, to June 10, 2015, and 2015 Nissan Sentra and Versa Note vehicles manufactured June 5, 2015, to June 13, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the driver side front and rear doors may not fully latch. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the date, lot number, and cavity code on the left front and rear door latches, and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Complaints by component (351 total)

Powertrain
172
Engine
68
Speed control
49
Air bags
44
Electrical system
25
Service brakes
17
Structure
14
Fuel and propulsion system
11
Seat belts
6
Steering
6
Suspension
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Seats
4
Exterior lighting
3
Tires
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Wheels
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Lane departure
1
Other or unknown
1
Visibility
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

23

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

16

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

72015412016252017272018642019442020242021272022302023332024172025122026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and the steering wheel turned independently. The brake pedal…"
    Speed control · filed 2026-08-17
  • "I am writing to report a life-threatening, sudden-onset mechanical defect in my vehicle’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). While driving in heavy traffic, my son experienced a complete and sudden loss of motive…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-06
  • "I bought this item from Temu, took it to the mechanic, the mechanic said it is garbage, the condenser will explode under pressure and the compressor ECV is not working"
    Visibility · filed 2026-07-18
  • "This is for the trailer, your system couldn't recognize VIN or license plates ST 205, 75R15"
    Tires · filed 2026-07-10
  • "I used the jack to lift the car, back almost a year ago, the jack failed and fall on me with the car almost killed me, it was rated at 3 ton but it couldn't handle one side of the car which is 1 ton, it made several…"
    Equipment · filed 2026-07-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Sentra 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050
Sentra 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Sentra FE 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 38 33 MPG $1950

Specs and fitment

7th generation (B17), 2012–2019
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (1.8L and 2.0L) , 4.875 qt capacity
Tire size 205/55R16 to 215/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 17V253000. 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. 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. 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.

Compare

Previous year 2014 Nissan Sentra Next year 2016 Nissan Sentra See every Nissan Sentra model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Nissan Sentra reliable?

Owners have filed 351 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Nissan Sentra over 12 years — 24 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sentra years here — over the median of the other years, which is 21. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Occupant classification and Latches, locks, and linkages.

What are common problems with a 2015 Nissan Sentra?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (172 of 351), then Engine (68) and Speed control (49). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 16 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Nissan Sentra more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Sentra has 380 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2016 has 270 complaints, 21 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Nissan Sentra been recalled?

The 2015 Nissan Sentra has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Nissan Sentra?

Owners have filed 351 complaints about the 2015 Nissan Sentra with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Nissan Sentra get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Nissan Sentra is 31.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Sentra take?

0W-20 (1.8L and 2.0L)

What does NHTSA recall 17V-253 cover on the Nissan Sentra?

NHTSA campaign 17V253000.

What generation is the 2013 Nissan Sentra?

7th generation (B17) (2012-2019).