2016 Nissan Sentra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
401 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 49/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2016 sits among all Sentra years
What owners report
“Powertrain , speed control transmission slipping won't go forward or reverse slow”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sentra
“Check engine light is on. Rpm is high when driving less than 40 mph. Low mileage transmission problems. I drive a 2016 Nissan Sentra sv with less that 60,000 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sentra
“The car would not start.Yes it was inspected at the car repair shop.I have had to jump start the car many times”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sentra
“When driving on interstate or any road of 45 mph or more the transmission? Engine? Goes up in speed on cruise and tachometer goes up and down and it sounds weird”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sentra
“My car is having transmission issues I’ll be driving and it will lose power or the speed limit will decrease makes it very unsafe to drive it will do this out of no where will be on the freeway and it will go from 60 to 15”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sentra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 195 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 60,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 31,700 and 92,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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.
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).
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
Technical service bulletins
197 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2016 Nissan Sentra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 Sentra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2016 Nissan Sentra reliable?
The 2016 Nissan Sentra drew 401 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 49/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2016 Nissan Sentra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Nissan Sentra are transmission & drivetrain (126 complaints), other (52), and electrical (51).
At what mileage do 2016 Nissan Sentra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Nissan Sentra problems around 60,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 31,700 and 92,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Nissan Sentra have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Nissan Sentra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.