NHTSA has received 185 owner complaints about the 2018 Nissan Sentra, or 21.1 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.52, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2018 vehicles we track, it ranks #36 of 76 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Nissan models its rate is 25% lower; against other Compact cars it is about the same.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2018-05-19 and 2026-08-25. Median delay from incident to filing: 8 days.
185Complaints
21.1Complaints per year on the road
0.52Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
2Recalls
10.8%Share involving a crash or fire
8Last 12 months
Analysis
The following model year (2019) drew 28.5 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2018 model collected 31 complaints, 64% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (23.2% of complaints), followed by Electrical (16.2%) and Brakes (13.0%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 2.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 20 reports (10.8%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 11 injuries and 1 death.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 42 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (30% of incidents). In the last 12 months 8 new complaints were filed, versus 17 in the 12 months before — down 53%.
NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.52
vs. other Nissan models0.75
vs. other 2018 models0.45
vs. other Compact cars0.96
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (31)0.36
On [XXX], my 2018 Nissan Sentra was involved in a severe accident on [XXX] in Maryland. Despite the high-impact nature of the collision, none of the airbags deployed.
incident I would like to report involves the crash of a 2018 Nissan Sentra (VIN: [VIN]) that occurred on the morning of November 28, 2024, coinciding with Thanksgiving Day on Highway 270 at the Eisenhower Memorial (IS-270) location.
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start one day after several attempts and was accompanied by the AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) sensor and check engine warning lights.
Lighting · 2026-08-25 · ODI 11759395
On Wednesday July 8, 2026 at approx 7:45 AM The powertrain system failed entirely due to a catastrophic malfunction of the Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which completely and instantly failed with absolutely no prior dashboard warning…
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-07-10 · ODI 11749670
At right under 67,000 miles, the car made a loud pop when I went to accelerate from a stop light. The car would only work in reverse at that point. I'm being told that the CVT needs to be replaced. The car isn't even worth the cost of a new transmission.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-04-29 · ODI 11734517
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
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.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Campaign 19V654000 · 2019-09-12
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
