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The 2020 Nissan Sentra is no stranger to the marketplace, as the model has been around for many years. This newer version claims owners should “refuse to compromise.” However, that is all that customers feel like that are doing when dealing with the defective electrical system and faulty service brakes.
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Nissan Sentra
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Steering | |
| Suspension | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Wheels | |
| Visibility/wiper |
Problems with the Electrical System
While the Sentra isn’t considered a high-end luxury car, owners are still expecting the basics to work as intended, but that’s not the case.
Just read this NHTSA complaint. “I was switching lanes and the car blind spot sensor usually tells me when someone is in my blind spot, but when I was switching lanes today it failed to tell me, therefore resulting in me getting into an accident.”
Nissan hasn’t issued any communication about this type of problem. With that said, there is a recall that shows the level of quality put into manufacturing this vehicle. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V507000 says that some vehicles have a right-hand LED headlight that wasn’t aligned correctly during production. Because of this, there is insufficient illumination to the roadway at night, which increases the chance of an accident. When this problem is combined with the one illustrated above, a disastrous event is sure to occur. So, it’s agreed that customers should never compromise, which is precisely the reason it’s time to find another brand to drive.
Problems with the Service Brakes
Another basic function that should just work as intended is the service brakes. Yet, the Sentra is just a complete failure in this area.
One more NHTSA complaint reads, “This car’s emergency brake sensors have gone off twice now in the past two months. There is no car or any object in front of me and the sensor applies the brakes while in motion. Also, when slowing down to a stop at city speeds the car jerks and /or surges forward and I have to apply the brakes harder otherwise the car continues to move forward.”
One has to wonder what is going on at the Nissan plant to create such substantial defects; and these aren’t the only systems suffering. In fact, even the wheels create trouble that Nissan has scrambled to fix. Service Bulletin #PM946 2020 Sentra states that dealerships had to stop selling some Sentra models until the wheels could be replaced. It turns out that steel wheels were incorrectly installed with the wrong center caps and/or pressure sensors. To repair this, dealers had to cease sales and inspect all of the wheels in its inventory. Then, the wheels needed to be replaced with aluminum instead of steel, with the appropriate tire pressure sensors and center caps. What a fiasco that cost dealerships countless hours, just because Nissan couldn’t figure out how to install the right wheels. But, that seems to be commonplace with this automaker, as shown through the other defects. It seems it is Nissan that needs to stop making compromises.
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Complaint Data
| Category | Steering |
| Date | Mar 30, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the passenger's side front wheel bearing and passenger's side front axle were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power of steering assist. The contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 21v461000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking, Back Over Prevention: Warnings, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 28, 2023 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Car was on. The original, rear camera display screen, was fully functional when the vehicle was put in reverse previously. The rear camera was always functional/ this is the first time I've seen this occur. The car was put in reverse but this time the rear camera screen was completely blue. I put the car in park, waited a few seconds, and then put it back in reverse; only to have the same result. I came out of the car, opened the trunk, and closed the trunk. When I went back into the car, the rear camera was showing on the screen. I made a video as well. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Mar 26, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Emergency brake applied for no reason |
| Category | Electrical System:adas:autonomous/self Driving, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Mar 15, 2023 |
| State | NE |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the self-driving feature inadvertently activated, and the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The traction control warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the key fob was not detected while inside the vehicle. The display screen intermittently went blank while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the crash collision sensor and speed limit camera were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to woodhouse nissan (7801 nebraska dr, bellevue, ne 68005) where the key fob was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The vin was unavailable. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Wheels |
| Date | Mar 10, 2023 |
| State | IL |
| Description | Was driving down the highway nothing in front of me my car hit the brakes and flashed warning on the dash and made me come to a stop after this happened my fuel economy decreased over 100 miles per tank other times it just activates and taps the brakes for no reason also every window except the driver window gets stuck several times a week another thing some how one of my rims cracked |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 02, 2023 |
| State | VA |
| Description | My backup camera constantly defaults to a blue screen. I have nearly backed into other cars as a result of this malfunction. I also have a toddler at home. While I do normal safety checks around my vehicle prior to leaving my driveway, there is still a possibility that he could dart out of the home and stand behind my car without my knowledge. I have asked hyman brothers nissan on midlothian turnpike in midlothian, virginia to look at this. The service advisor told me that it was "probably due the multiple cell phones trying to connect to my vehicle". All cell phones associated with my vehicle have been removed as well as all charging cables. I still have this issue. My vehicle is not safe at this time. While I do drive it, I am forced to call my house before leaving in the morning to ensure my toddler is being adequately supervised before I put my car in reverse to leave. When parking, I make every attempt to pull through so I do not have to put my car in reverse. Due to the malfunctioning equipment, my vehicle may be breaking the law that states vehicles manufactured after 2018 need to have backup cameras installed. While the law doesn't specify that the backup camera needs to work, it should be assumed. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 02, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Automatic emergency braking and front collision avoidance system has caused the vehicle to brake when there is nothing in front of vehicle, or show "system malfunction" on the dash. Dealer unable to duplicate but said it happens to most nissan sentra's. Found it happens more frequently when there is rain or bad weather. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Lane Departure: Assist, Steering |
| Date | Feb 18, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | My tie rod broke on me 3 days ago |
| Category | Electrical System, Steering |
| Date | Jan 05, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I purchased the vehicle there was a popping sound when you turn the steering wheel either to the left or right I told the dealer and they said they could not hear it. They took it to the service dept and the car was checked out I was told that there was no issue with the steering wheel today the car continues to make the noise somedays it louder than others I took it again to nissa and they still say there is nothing wrong with the car I am concerned and disappointed with the service at nissan something is for sure wrong with the car |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Dec 29, 2022 |
| State | AL |
| Description | The back door lock actuators does not lock automatic or not work at all with fob you have to manual lock the door from the inside button it does not lock when the car reach a certain speed my child open the door going down road and I just happen to see it when he did these need to be looked at before someone child gets hurt the doors does not work at all remotely or when it going certain speed |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 23, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | At 5:44 on hwy 50/elizabeth ave in pueblo, co. The automatic emergency braking system locked up with no reason for it to do so. Thankfully we were not rear ended. I have documented via photograph of this system error alert coming on several times a week while driving this vehicle. It has been to the dealership now twice for this issue and will be making yet another appt to get the car back in again. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 03, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | My daughter was driving her 2020 nissan sentra the other day and was trying to avoid hitting a dog that ran in front of her car she crashed into a park car. Our nissan sentra anti brakes did not stop the car nor make a noise before hitting that parked car. No warning from our car to prevent this head on collision. There is so much damage that our insurance has deemed it a total loss. By the grace of god daughter is physically fine but mentally she is not!! As a parent I felt comfortable with my daughter driving this car at first. I have witness the anti brakes work on our 2020 nissan sentra before, when we would get near an object the car would automatically stop! We are now out of a car and I'm still going to owe a balance to my finance company once the insurance pay whatever they're going to pay. This is so unfair and heartbreaking that this important feature on this car failed my daughter when she needed it the most. Why???????? |
| Category | Structure:body:door |
| Date | Nov 17, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | 1) the front passenger door will not open. This is a recurring problem and I have experienced it four times already. 2) cvt malfunction warning is persistent. Cvt resets when the engine is turned off and comes back on after about 10 to 15 minutes after the engine is started again, which creates a problem when you come to a complete stop. The transmission does not immediately get in gear and there is a very slow start-up in moving forward. The "eco" engaged by itself and this problem started when I disengaged the "eco" when I was headed up a hill. The problem with the "eco" is intermittent. I took the car to a private mechanic and they did not have enough information from nissan to correct this problem. I contacted kimmel- silverman, lemon law attorney, and was told that nissan was aware of the problem and has not issued a recall, as of this moment. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Sep 29, 2022 |
| State | OK |
| Description | The automatic emergency braking light would continue to flash on and off, signaling it wasn't working correctly. I took it into the dealership to be repaired and two days after receiving my car back the light came back on. I have done research and have concluded that this is an ongoing and common issue throughout particular nissan models. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance |
| Date | Sep 26, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently stopped without warning. The contact stated that an audible warning beep was coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. The vin was not available. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 26, 2022 |
| State | MS |
| Description | As we were driving on the highway we noticed a sound in the engine very rubbery. The car started to jerk and we were able to move the car to the side of the road. We were not able to easily drive the car anymore and had to get it towed. The engine and brake light turned on at the same time. Once you took it to the dealership they said that the bolt on the alternator pulley was loose and that's why our belt came off. They said they have never experienced this before and if this is a common problem in these cars that has not been reported properly we would like to report it now. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Sep 19, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | I have documented over 2 years of my aeb failing by photograph and video time stamping the continual occurances of this system failing on my vehicle while driving. The vehicle has self engaged the braking in the middle of driving, thankfully I was draveling on a residential road at aprox 30 mph. It was quite scary to experience. I also now have no back up camera, the screen is completely black when vehicle is in reverse, drive as well as park. I have restarted the vehicle hoping it was just a glitch in the system. I feel like this vehicle has been and continuing to be more insane to operate and I have literally only had it for 2 years, brand new off the lot july 2020. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 15, 2022 |
| State | KY |
| Description | Unknown while switching gears from park to drive and any other gears my gear shift lifts out of the column. Apparently the pins become loose that hold the gear shift together. This causes the gear shift to completely come out of the gear column and may cause you to accidentally shift gears if the shift is hit by and other objects. |
| Category | Suspension |
| Date | Sep 05, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tie road both |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 25, 2022 |
| State | MP |
| Description | My vehicle is a 2020 nissan sentra sv | vin # [xxx] | I have about 7,200 miles on my vehicle. It is making a weird noise within the front end or sides of the vehicle. I've reported it to the nissan dealership by the name of joeten motors here in the northern mariana islands, saipan mp. Where I am residing and they are the dealership that I've purchased the vehicle. I am still on stand by before anything is being done to help assist figuring out what's wrong with my vehicle. I am afraid that something may happen while driving the vehicle with my kids or just myself. My vehicle is still brand new but I am dealing with this issue. I've brought up the fact that I've reviewed information from the nhtsa but still nothing has been done. I am afraid if I continue to drive my vehicle it may get damaged more or something horrible could happen. Please email me information to provide to them to get this taken care of? My vehicle only has about 7,200 miles on it and all I do is drive from home and work or my kids school. My name is [xxx] or my son as well [xxx]. | address -[xxx] | [m] [xxx] | email. [xxx] please help us. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Aug 12, 2022 |
| State | CT |
| Description | My car on two occasions came to a stop while driving . Nothing was in front of me at all. A flashing light came on on the dashboard and my car came to a hault. This was very frightening and now I am afraid to drive the car. The dealership said nothing they can do. This issues needs to be addressed and fixed and a recall needs to be done. This is a huge safety issue!! |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jul 10, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Car suddenly stops while driving down the road. There were no obstacles or other vehicles in front of the car. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jun 14, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving my 2020 nissan sentra, my car proceeded to brake on its own while I was depressing the accelerator. A red warning light flashed across the dash that looked like 2 cars colliding. I was able to maintain control of the vehicle, even though it was acting erratically. The braking occurred abruptly startling me and the drivers around me. Thankfully, the car did not cause a collision. The incidence scared me immensely causing my heart to palpitate and raising my blood pressure. I looked for the indicator light in my manual after I had come to a complete stop and was able to calm down after the scare. The warning was the automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection system warning light. The thing was, there were no pedestrians anywhere near my vehicle, nor were there any other vehicles or objects that could've possibly set the system off. It was clear that this system in my car was malfunction. I'm truly scared to drive my car now. I took the car to the dealer to have it looked at and fixed, however, a couple of weeks later, the same incidence occurred. This time I had my child and husband in the car with me they so scared and were immediately tied by the seat belt. They will were able to witness what I had previously experienced. It scared her as well. This malfunction is going to cause unnecessary collisions that will result in harm to someone. This malfunction could easily induce an accident. It is also causing unnecessary wear and tear on vehicle due to the forceful nature of the abrupt braking. My child and I spend a great deal of time in my car, and I cannot take the risk that this car imposes. Please help me! |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | May 10, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Today 5/10/2022 was the second time our car is said there was a malfunction with the emergency braking system. We believe we depend on our cars safety features and believe all nissans should be investigated for possible sensor malfunctions. Thank you. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | May 04, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | Experienced odd vibration in front tires when making a slight turn or on a winding road. This vehicle currently has a recall for bent tire rods (21v-461) so primary concern was that tire rods were either faulty and/or bent. Vehicle was brought into dealership for inspection on january 22, 2022 and was inspected for the recall, but dealership confirmed issue was not present (see attachment-1). Over the course of 4 months, vibrations continued and issue remained. The car was then brought into service to address the issue again as it did not seem mechanically correct. After inspection the following was noted: "passenger side has excessive play due to inner tire rod being loose or popped out of place" (see attachment-2). Dealership and nissan have refused to correct the issue as they do not believe the faulty tire rods are caused by manufacturer defect, although, there is no indication that an outside force has caused such defect. Vehicle was driven on for four months with tire rods that are loose and/or popped out of place as vehicle was not initially inspected properly. A loose tire rod could have caused loss of control to vehicle and/or the tire rod could snap (identical to symptoms of a bent tire rod). Nissan is attempting to argue that this is not covered under the initial tire rod recall as the tire rod is not bent, it is loose and/or popped out of place. |
| Category | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 01, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The radio will turn it volume up own its own and the doors will lock you in the car and sometimes will not let you unlock the doors from inside or outside. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Mar 23, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | On three separate occasions, the vehicle stops for no reason. It beeps and flashes the warning and slams on the breaks. There are no vehicles in front of the car when this occurs that would warrant emergency braking to enable. This has occurred when driving at around 30-50 mph. |
| Category | Electrical System, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 14, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Locks on doors would not work with remote, and to get out keys to get fixed. When to nissan 2 times for them to fix. Dark at night could not get in car safely. No warning signs windows would not go up or down, had to get windows fixed, due to rain can hinder my vison while driving. No warnings, nissan fixed after going back two times back up camera had to be replaced or fixed. Car would not start. Said it was a break lamp sensor, which was recalled on 2019 and prior nissan sentra's. I have a 2020 no recall yet no incident has happened yet, but could cause grave danger if not fixed! This whole car needs to be recalled! |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 02, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was driving down the highway and my automatic emergency brakes system decided to kick in. Scared the hell out of me. Nobody was hurt thank god! Luckily there was no cars around me. Or im sure I could have been seriously hurt or even killed. I took the vehicle to nissan dealership they kept my car for 3 months and supposedly they fixed the problem. But I have proof of the messages and lights on my dash telling me malfucntion. Like wth? |
| Category | Latches/locks/linkages |
| Date | Feb 02, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 15 mph the rear passenger side child safety lock did not activate and the 9-year-old grandchild was able to open the rear passenger side door. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the rear driver-side door was serviced previously for the same failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 39,800. |
| Category | Wheels |
| Date | Dec 07, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | On july 16 2021, I took my car to the dealer for an oil change and for a recall on a bent tie rod. They told me my tie rod was fine and did nothing. On november 15, I took my car back because my wheel was vibrating. They said my hub bearing assembly is loose so, they will order the part which takes 3 days to come in and advised me "not to drive on highways". Now 4 weeks later, they told me that's not the problem and its my tie rod. I asked how this was misdiagnosed? They said the person who looked at it didn't know what they were doing. This put my children and I at risk! |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Dec 06, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | A few times, my car has sensed that there's a car in front of me and suddenly breaked. I find this completely bizarre as there have been no cars in front of me. I took the car to the dealership to see if there was any electrical malfunction. But the dealership did not find anything. However, the issue still appears from time to time. I am concerned because if my car were to suddenly stop again, and there is a car behind me, a car could easily hit me. Aside from this, I have had some issues with the moonroof not closing, and the backup camera freezing too. Both of those issues were solved at the dealership though. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Camera System, Electrical System, Suspension |
| Date | Nov 23, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Vehicle first developed a issue the following day I got it. The first issue was "engine malfunction, power reduced, service now". So I took it to the service center at mossy nissan in el cajon, ca where they service the vehicle, but I continued to get that error on numerous occasions. Another issue, the instrument cluster and infotainment system would randomly restart while driving that has happened numerous times as well. Another issue, the panorama vehicle camera system would crash and not function any more, that occured numerous times. Another issue, while driving the vehicle I noticed the lane keep assist stopped functioning on numerous occasions. Another issue, while deriving the vehicle I felt the car would sway to certain side, I don't remember what side though. All of these issues have been addressed at the service center, but some of them still continued. So I filled a complaint with nissan motors and they were initially gonna repurchase the vehicle back as a lemon. But they backed out of the deal. Since I feel the car is unsafe to drive due to electrical issues, the car has been sitting at the nissan service center since april 2021. They also refuse to address the recent recall associated with the vehicle. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Nov 17, 2021 |
| State | MN |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the forward collision-avoidance automatic emergency braking inadvertently activated. The automatic emergency braking warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on five separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact left a voicemail for the dealer informing them of the failure but had not received a callback. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Camera System, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 28, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Back-up camera display intermittently displays "blue screen" when car in reverse (has been on-going issue since taking delivery of car 3-2020 and, as a result of current pandemic, do not drive as much as I might otherwise have driven - 9,500 miles on car a this point). Have taken to dealership several times for them to diagnose and fix problem - no success. One visit to dealer they witnessed failure and supposedly documented in their tracking system. As mentioned, this is intermittent problem which makes it all the more aggravating as does not fail all the time. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection, if needed. Currently trying to find convenient time to take car back to shop for additional review as requested by nissan regional team. Thanks, |
| Category | Engine, Unknown Or Other, Wheels |
| Date | Oct 28, 2021 |
| State | AL |
| Description | I had brought my car up to the dealership for an oil change, and they said there was a recall on the tie rods. They said they checked them out, but never gave me paperwork for it. And I've looked it up and it said no recall have been serviced on. A week or two later me and another passenger got in my car and put it in reverse, and heard a small pop as I turned the wheel I didn't think anything of it at first. Then we started heading down the road we got to a stop light and my car was stalling the transmission didn't sound right for a little while. And then we where going about 35 mph and started slowing down to about 10-15 mph to make a turn, as I started turning the wheel we heard a loud pop. All of a sudden I had lost control of the car, the right front side tire had broke off and barely holding only by the wires and piece of metal. Then we hit the curb almost hitting another car and smoke started coming out of the a/c vents. And also no warning for anything ever came up. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The dealership has inspected it. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 17, 2021 |
| State | LA |
| Description | When accelerating, the entire vehicle jerks vigorously. Causing the vehicle to temporarily stall. After few seconds it gains control. Big orange error message displays. Saying vehicle malfunction with 6 different error messages. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 30, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was driving the 60mph speed limit on the highway. The car automatically braked and said an object was on the road. The cruise control was not available due to the error message that popped up. My safety and the safety of my 3 children were at risk because if there were a car behind me, they would have rear ended me, especially going for 60mph to a sudden jerking stop such as that. I was told that some nissan's distance sensors are malfunctioning this way, but my car is not added to the recall, so I will have to save up to get it corrected. I bought this car brand new last year. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Sep 28, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The emergency braking system has gone off on this car 4 times. After the first two we took the car into the dealership and they said that they could not find any problems with it. Yesterday we had two more incidents. I am taking the vehicle in tomorrow. I have asked that they replace the sensors but was told that it is up to nissan. This is a very dangerous thing especially if you are on the freeway and the brakes go on. On incident 2 I was travelling 45-50 mph. Here is information on incidents 3 and 4 this is the 3rd and 4th incident we have had with the neb going off while driving our 2020 nissan sentra. Documentation on the first two incidents have already been provided to future nissan of folsom. The latest incidents occurred on sept 27 2021 at approximately 7 pm. Mileage on the vehicle was 2795 at the time of incident 3. Location was zip code 95608- carmichael ca on both occasions the vehicle was traveling west bound with no traffic in either direction and course driven had no direct sunlight hitting the vehicle. My wife had driven the vehicle approximately 17 miles when the third activation occurred. The maximum speed she had driven the vehicle was 46 mph during the course of the trip. She was on california ave. And turned right onto van alstine. Her speed was between 20 – 25 mph when she encountered a 15mph speed bump. She lowered her speed to 15 mph and just after she crossed the speed bump the neb went off. I was not jarring but slowed the vehicle down. Approximately 100 feet further a red light went off on the right hand side of the dashboard and there was a beeping but the car did not slow down again. She then stopped at the light on the intersection of van alsine and fair oaks blvd. She proceeded west onto el camino ave for about 200 yds and reached a speed of approximately 30-35 mph. (speed limit is 40 mph) when the emergency braking system again went off. She does not recall any light going on. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Sep 20, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the contact noticed a vibration while depressing on the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to continue to drive to her destination; however, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer to be inspected however, the dealer was not yet able to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Sep 09, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Nissan sentra 2020 automatic emergency braking system engages for no apparent reason and brings car to complete stop while driving. This has happened about 10 times within the past year. Appears aeb sensors are faulty. Luckily was not rear-ended during incidents. Informed dealership where I bought the car and was told there was nothing they could do to fix the problem unless there is a recall for this issue. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 02, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | While driving my 2020 nissan sentra, my car proceeded to brake on its own while I was depressing the accelerator. A red warning light flashed across the dash that looked like 2 cars colliding. I was able to maintain control of the vehicle, even though it was acting erratically. The braking occurred abruptly startling me and the drivers around me. Thankfully, the car did not cause a collision. The incidence scared me immensely causing my heart to palpitate and raising my blood pressure. I looked for the indicator light in my manual after I had come to a complete stop and was able to calm down after the scare. The warning was the automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection system warning light. The thing was, there were no pedestrians anywhere near my vehicle, nor were there any other vehicles or objects that could've possibly set the system off. It was clear that this system in my car was malfunction. I'm truly scared to drive my car now. I took the car to the dealer to have it looked at and fixed, however, a couple of weeks later, the same incidence occurred. This time I had my elderly mother in the car with me. She was able to witness what I had previously experienced. It scared her as well. This malfunction is going to cause unnecessary collisions that will result in harm to someone. This malfunction could easily induce an accident. It is also causing unnecessary wear and tear on vehicle due to the forceful nature of the abrupt braking. I will likely be trading this car in because the dealership cannot seem to remedy the problem. I spend a great deal of time in my car, and I cannot take the risk that this car imposes. |
| Category | Suspension |
| Date | Aug 17, 2021 |
| State | MO |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the front passenger's side tie rod fractured rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who replaced the damaged tie rod and the failure was remedied. The contact later received a recall notice for the nhtsa campaign number 21v461000 (suspension) which was related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,500. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | Jul 19, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | The contact's daughter owned a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving the vehicle at an unknown rate of speed, she lost control of the vehicle without warning. Her daughter hit a curb which caused the vehicle to flip over. A fellow motorist saw the failure and called the authorities to the scene. The contact's daughter was treated for unknown injuries at the scene. The contact was uncertain if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was destroyed. The dealer was notified of the failure, the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure the contact recently discovered that her daughter's vehicle had been placed under nhtsa campaign number: 21v461000(steering) which she linked to her daughter failure. The vehicle had been destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jul 13, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Purchased car in 2020 and within a couple of weeks of purchase I was thrown on brakes warnings flashing that there was an obstruction. This happened in the middle of traffic and I was almost hit. I returned the car and was told because they could not mimic what happened with me there as nothing wrong. Was I sure that paper or something did not fly into the car. I assured them there was nothing. No resolution.... Again friday, 7/9/2021 it happened. I was driving at a slow pace because I was in an unfamiliar area, soon to make a right turn. I was the only car on the street, no type objects in or around the street and suddenly my car brakes and lights are flashing. No objects. Once again sunday, 7/11/2021. Driving and suddenly braking as before. Nothing in sight that could have caused it to brake. No objects, people, no rain.... Nothing to cause a sudden braking once again barely missed being hit. There should be a recall for whatever the issue is with the camera. There were no warnings lamps prior to either incident. Only as it is happening does the warning lamps appear. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 04, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Driving 40 mph car for no reason slams on break. Flashing large red warning across the screen. The car is unsafe to drive. Can cause a fatal accident. Passenger and driver at risk for injury due to unaware sudden stop on road while driving. When this happened driver has no control of car. Before the car was purchased I saw a yellow buzzing light. The seller said to leave it over night for repair. The next day I was told by the seller the car was inspected and repaired by manufacturer. The seller said the car was fixed. When I drove it off the lot, the yellow light was still coming on buzzing. Then the car malfunctioned on the road. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | Jul 02, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated while reversing to park the vehicle, the vehicle spun out. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where she was informed that the driver's and passenger's side front tie rods were bent. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where she was informed that there were no defects on the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle back to an independent mechanic where both tie rods were repaired. The contact stated that after the repair was performed, she was informed by the insurance company that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 21v461000 (steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jun 07, 2021 |
| State | AR |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the full brake assist radar illuminated independently. The contact mentioned that the emergency brake illuminated and was only able to operate the steering wheel. In addition, once the vehicle was stopped, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the failure was caused by a bug splatter. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The approximate failure mileage was 24,700. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jun 06, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | The car has automatically braked on its own with nothing in front of it, it happened on sunday, may 30th, took the car to dealership on saturday june 5th, they ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong and on my way home from the dealership the car unprompted braked on its own again. Causing me to stop short in the middle of a road, and again there was nothing in front or near me to cause this. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | May 18, 2021 |
| State | LA |
| Description | Extremely poor lighting condition. It only illuminates approximately 10 feet ahead. Would have to manually use high beams to make night time driving even possible. Extremely poor design and not even sure how it passed safety tests and ratings. I have been warning nissan since I purchased the car. Now I have learned that the 2021 is improved because of this major defect. This will definitely cause an accident. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Apr 29, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the emergency automatic braking system failed and activated independently without an object or another vehicle nearby. The failure was experienced on several occasions. The contact stated that on one occasion the contact avoided a near rear crash. The vehicle was taken to larry h miller nissan corona (2575 wardlow rd, corona, ca 92882, (951) 383-3933). The dealer replaced the front radar and windshield camera. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 23, 2021 |
| State | VA |
| Description | During the day when raining or snowing & windshield wipers are used, headlights are supposed to come on automatically after several wipers swishes. I'm having to turn the headlights on manually (state law lights must be on when wipers on). There's no consumer note that says 2020 sentra is exempted from this. I believe they put wrong module in all new models & it doesn't function properly, so instead of a recall they just tell everyone they're not supposed to have that particular feature. Most drivers won't realize they don't have it. It was perfect storm of events for me to discover. It has to be daylight, raining or snowing and the car in front of me on the highway was my spouse, who noticed my headlights were not on. Took me a while to figure it out. Very difficult to look down while driving in storm & manually turn headlights to appropriate headlight mode, not a simple switch. There's 3-4 modes (auto, headlights, parking lights, off and fog lights). The car is equipped with 'intelligent auto headlights' (stated in car brochure, also on nissan website). According to nissan website, with 'auto intelligent headlights' headlights are supposed to turn on automatically when front windshield wipers used due to rain. I also received confirmation of this via twitter from nissan. The factory rep, looked at it for several hours and concluded it doesn't have it, and he thinks it supposed to be that way, even while acknowledging the website and brochure say otherwise. This is a safety issue as this car normally runs in automatic headlight mode. When driving in a rain or snow storm during the day, the driver has to remember the lights will not come on automatically and they will need to be turned on manually while driving in a storm. Driver also has to remember to shut them off, and there is no warning system that lets you know lights are still on and in manual mode. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Service Brakes, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Apr 11, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The front radar (obstruction detector) is not working properly. The car will randomly break even when there is no obstruction in front of the car. This happened 3 times in february 2021. Each time I took the car to the dealership. They initially brushed me off and blamed snow, rain and soot. I called nisan corporate office and the told the dealership to take a look at the car. The dealership stated that the detector was changed. However, three weeks later it happened again twice within a two-week period. A sudden break, the detector warning flashing and no obstruction. Each time this happened the vehicle was in motion. Fortunately, I was driving on local roads and I was not going over 45 miles per hour because this can present a serious problem. I can be rear ended. The car literally came to a sudden stop. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Apr 07, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The car automatically engages the braking system while in motion, each time this has occurred I was driving on a city street between 25-40mph. I have taken the vehicle to nissan service center 3 times and they have been unable to fix the issue. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 31, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Vehicle delivered with 220 miles from dealer at 5:30pm. Awoke following morning and it registered 221 miles. Vehicle was kept in locked garage overnight and never driven. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Mar 31, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Automatic emergency braking engaged while was approximately 4 car lengths behind a white ford f150 making a left turn. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 12, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The car brakes on its own when nothing is around . I was on city street |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 17, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | I purchased this car in february of 2020. I have had three incidents where my car has engaged the emergency breaking system while I was driving on the road. Two times I was going approximately 30 mph and the last time I was doing approximately 60 mph. During these times, I was driving with no other cars around me. The car slams on the brakes automatically. I have an appointment for service with nissan tonight. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Feb 14, 2021 |
| State | LA |
| Description | After purchasing the 2020 nissan sentra. I noticed the led headlights were not bright at projecting on the road correctly. Compared to traditional bulbs and other sedans of year 2020 models. I complained to nissan was told that it was a recall for the left headlight due to misalignment. After they replaced it, they both were not aligned. Took it back to the dealership to mention it. They could not perform any tests because it daylight and told me that there is no way since the dealer hours are in daylight hours and to self diagnose and correct it myself showing my how to align it. I tried to alight which worked. But the brightness of led of far less than other cars. Which is safety issue because you can only see the road and any objects approximately 20 feet ahead. The light is focused all the center of the vehicle ahead and leaves the side and main areas dark. I would have to manually use my high beams to navigate on streets. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 06, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | When driving in bright sunlight automatic braking system kicks in randomly. Has happened over 10 times now since I bought the car a few months ago each time on a city street. Yesterday while driving 45 in heavy traffic on a city street (heading southbound on el camino ave at san bruno ave in san bruno ca) the emergency front braking system turned on randomly, causing my car to suddenly brake and almost causing a traffic collision. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 21, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Purchased car in october 2020. Car started braking involuntary while driving 10-25 mph. No objects were in front of the car. This has happened 4 times. This happened on my last vehicle and nissan had a major recall to change the sensors/camera. At this time there is no fix. I have taken my car in 5 times regarding the 4 times it has braked involuntarily. I am over it. The a/c also blew hot air due to too much freon. My battery died less than 90 days from purchase. This car has been a nightmare!! I live in miami and traffic is bad. I am worried that an suv will slam into the back of me when there is traffic and rain. (rains most of the year). I have a 7 yeat old. And frar we will get rear ended. |
| Category | Suspension, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 06, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | On the morning of december 6, 2020. I left my parking lot and proceeded up warwick ave, towards franklin st and I slowed to go over a bump , when I went over the bump as I have many times , my steering wheel shifted to the right , sending me into a parked car and even though I tried to turn my wheel my car wouldn't go left. When I got out of my car to look I noticed a clean break on my inner outer tie rods which is weird because this is a 2020 car and I just got it in march 2020. I need help because I cannot afford to get this fixed. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Dec 13, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Bought this vehicle on 12/8/20; the next day, the aeb light for pedestrian kept flashing in the morning. Eventually went off. Happened every day thereafter - despite varying weather conditions; brought back to dealer on 12/12 to service department and was told it was a faulty sensor, that it did not recognize my vehicle was no longer in park. Requested to swap with new vehicle - which I did. Same thing happened on new one!!! |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Dec 13, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | After returning on 12/12/20 a sentra purchased on 12/8/20 - I swapped out with another sentra. Reason for return - aeb pedestrian light kept going on every morning despite varying weather conditions (warm vs. Cold). Received this car (gun metallic color) and on 12/13/20 - same thing happened! Will be contacting the service department tomorrow to request a replacement sensor. Could it be a faulty batch of cars at this dealership? |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 25, 2020 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The back up camera fails to display. The camera goes out for days at a time. When it comes back on it works for a while then fails again |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 20, 2020 |
| State | CT |
| Description | We have owned the car for about 7 weeks, on two separate occasions the automatic front collision braking system has activated although there were no obstacles in the roadway at the time. On both occasions I was travelling at less than 25 mph going up hill. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 20, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Back camera and front one does not work, in august when the weather went to 122 degrees camara went blue, the I went took it on the second wee of 10/16/2020. Torre nissan kept the car for 5 days and then gave it back to me saying the engeeniers have found no solution for the car part. The back camera sometimes works but sometimes it does not. But I can not see the front of the back cars. I can crash against them. |
| Category | Electrical System, Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 28, 2020 |
| State | CO |
| Description | System malfunction detection activated while driving. Icon advising aeb brake failure detected light engaged and stays on. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train, Service Brakes |
| Date | Jul 22, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | This car's emergency brake sensors have gone off twice now in the past two months. There is no car or any object in front of me and the sensor applies the brakes while in motion. Also, when slowing down to a stop at city speeds the car jerks and/or surges forward and I have to apply the brakes harder otherwise the car continues to move forward. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 02, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Crash warning light, blind side light, and lane departure not working. All warning lights came on and systems no longer operating.. Took vehicle in to get camera recalibration. Worked for 2 driving trips, lights came back on following morning. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 30, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Collision alarm sounds, brakes are automatically applied car almost stops when there is nothing close to the front of the car. This has occurred about 4 or 5 times since I got the car in april 2020. It has happened on a major highway, sometimes in an urban area. The dealer takes it on a test drive, and proclaims "no trouble found". This happened at 45 mph and less than 30. Time of day doesn't seem to matter, nor does weather. Last time this happened was about 2 or 3 june. *tr |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | May 08, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was switching lanes and the car blind spot sensor usually tells me when someone is in my blind spot but when I was switching lanes today it failed to tell me, therefore resulting in me getting into an accident. *tr |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Before switching to an Accord i would say the 2020 Sentra is the absolute most unsafe car. Multiple times have i had the automatic breaks deploy for no apparent reason slowing me to 15mph on 45mph road. Cars have come extremely close to rear ending me. Also the transmission was very wonky, and the engine bay sounded disgusting, not in a good way. I will never go back to another Nissan in my life no matter what. (The Sentra had 8,000 miles when purchased).
Dealer replaced Radio/Back up Display Monitor.
*Various times screen turned to blackout mode during back up or radio in operation. Few times radio did not turn on at all and of course back up camera did not work. Also, when turning the radio knob/dial static noise heard. One time Front Display flashed white/red warning and car braked unexpectedly but there were no cars in front of me. At times when driving a car is next to me but Alert did not display.
My work car is a 2020 Nissan Sentra SV. I received it from my job on July 10th 2020, and after 101,000 miles it still runs like a top. Only issue I have seen was that the main window switch fails at time, and have to bang on it. And my back up camera turns blue at times. But from 2020 till now it has not been in a mechanical shop except for routine maintenance and new tires. Not like my previous company card 2018 Ford Focus SE, so I do not see what other people are talking about
Had a little bit of snow and rain rip my skidplates off the bottom of my sentra. Its second snow and havent even had it for a year, not including it vears to the right and i have to fight with it
I had it one for a year, intimate wipers work crazy, no room inside, sits way too low..no clearance at all. Can’t see out the back window, watch the trunk so you don’t hit your head.. This vehicle is overall junk… Never again