110 of the 904 complaints about the Nissan Sentra (12.2%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's third-largest problem area. That share is 1.1× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
110Complaints · Transmission / powertrain
12.2%Share of complaints
1.05×vs. all vehicles
14Last 12 months
2.7%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
By model year, Transmission / powertrain complaints peak with the 2019 model (44, 20% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2023 model (1). 14 Transmission / powertrain complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 18 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.
Owners most often describe: “transmission”, “cvt”, “gear”, “seems cutting” and “owe”. 3 of these reports (2.7%) describe a crash or fire, with 4 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V410000 (2026-06-26, model years 2025).
The 2025 Nissan Sentra lost control in the steering wheel or driveshaft while driving down hill. The vehicle lost power lost steering and crashed. The vehicle stated "malfunction " when the crash occured.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-19 · ODI 11757931 · Crash
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway and shifted to park(P), the vehicle started to slowly roll backwards unexpectedly.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-03-20 · ODI 11725886
The front left axle was replaced twice and the right axle replaced twice. Both have broken consistently. They were replaced by Nissan Dealer all times. My safety was put at risk by having to drive the vehicle with broken axles.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-08 · ODI 11755621
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
Transmission Failure of drive train Acknowledged by Dealer Inspection by Dealer No warning signs prior to failure
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-05-20 · ODI 11738925
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering was difficult to maintain as the vehicle drifted and the steering wheel was stiff.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-05-19 · ODI 11738716
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT Campaign 26V410000 · 2026-06-26 · Model years: 2025
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The front left-side driveshaft may not be fully seated in the continuously variable transmission (CVT) assembly, which can cause a transmission fluid leak and loss of drive power.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front left driveshaft, and if necessary, replace the driveshaft and CVT assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 12, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA68. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 30, 2026.
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT Campaign 24V304000 · 2024-04-29 · Model years: 2024
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Sentra vehicles. The front left-side driveshaft may not be fully seated in the continuously variable transmission (CVT) assembly, or may have a loose or missing retaining clip, which can cause a transmission fluid leak and loss of drive power.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front left driveshaft, and if necessary, replace the driveshaft and CVT assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 26, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA37.
How common are Transmission / powertrain problems on the Nissan Sentra?
110 of the 904 complaints about the Nissan Sentra (12.2%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's third-largest problem area. That share is 1.1× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
Which Nissan Sentra model years have the most Transmission / powertrain complaints?
By model year, Transmission / powertrain complaints peak with the 2019 model (44, 20% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2023 model (1).
Is there a recall for Nissan Sentra Transmission / powertrain problems?
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V410000 (2026-06-26, model years 2025).