Reliable Auto DB

2016 Nissan Sentra reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Nissan Sentra holds 270 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 21 per year. Sentra years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 22 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Switch, Air bags, and Wiring.

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

270

Per year

21

Recalls

6

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (127 of 270), then Engine (48) and Electrical system (45). Those filings include 18 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Sentra has 351 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2017 has 230 complaints, 20 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017.

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 2016 Nissan Sentra. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall exterior lighting, brake lights, switch 2021-03-03 · NHTSA campaign 21V135000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Air bags 2017-04-13 · NHTSA campaign 17V253000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall electrical system, wiring 2016-06-29 · NHTSA campaign 16V485000
Summary 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).
Remedy 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.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2016-06-15 · NHTSA campaign 16V436000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
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 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.

Complaints by component (270 total)

Powertrain
127
Engine
48
Electrical system
45
Speed control
27
Air bags
24
Fuel and propulsion system
18
Service brakes
18
Electronic stability control (ESC)
10
Structure
10
Exterior lighting
8
Forward collision avoidance
5
Steering
5
Hydraulic brakes
3
Seat belts
3
Suspension
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Wheels
3
Seats
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Visibility
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

18

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

10

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

52016162017432018362019342020222021362022182023232024272025102026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The ECU problem is a major issue the vehicle is stalling, not starting, just malfunctioning tremendously while on the road in traffic while driving it stalls in traffic, shuts off in traffic. I was told this was a issue…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an AutoZone and DTC: C1116 “Stop Lamp…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-02
  • "In 2023, my vehicle experienced a transmission/CVT-related failure that resulted in a loss of propulsion. The vehicle became unable to continue driving and was stopped in Chino Hills, California. A neighbor called the…"
    Powertrain, Unknown or other, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-21
  • "On Friday, July 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 PM, while driving on the parkway at an approximate speed of 65 miles per hour and preparing to merge onto the highway, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled completely. I was…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-05
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Niss. The contact stated that they discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale/dealer sale. At the time of purchase,…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-06-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 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 Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Sentra 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050
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 2015 Nissan Sentra Next year 2017 Nissan Sentra See every Nissan Sentra model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Nissan Sentra reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Nissan Sentra holds 270 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 21 per year. Sentra years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 22 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Switch, Air bags, and Wiring.

What are common problems with a 2016 Nissan Sentra?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (127 of 270), then Engine (48) and Electrical system (45). Those filings include 18 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Nissan Sentra more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Sentra has 351 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2017 has 230 complaints, 20 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017.

Has the 2016 Nissan Sentra been recalled?

The 2016 Nissan Sentra has 6 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 2016 Nissan Sentra?

Owners have filed 270 complaints about the 2016 Nissan Sentra with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Nissan Sentra get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 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).