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The 2016 Nissan Sentra has 270 NHTSA owner complaints and 6 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2016 Nissan Sentra has 270 NHTSA owner complaints and 6 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of September 2026). The most-reported system is powertrain at 127 complaints (~$2,500 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Sentra | 638 | 6 |
| 2014 Sentra | 380 | 5 |
| 2015 Sentra | 351 | 3 |
| 2016 Sentra (this page) | 270 | 6 |
| 2017 Sentra | 230 | 3 |
| 2018 Sentra | 185 | 2 |
| 2019 Sentra | 221 | 2 |
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: Optional · Lane departure warning: No
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2016 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: powertrain is flagged severe on this model . Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 6 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 6.2/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
This 2016 Nissan Sentra has parasitic battery draining. There is a great safety issue in not having a ready vehicle for emergency situations. I am also not confident the vehicle will start when away from home. The highest grade AGM battery was purchased to replaced the…
The push button start is very unreliable I have had to have aaa twice for starting problems and towed twice to the Nissan service garqage I thik this is a serious saftey issue I am not comfortable going anyplace and knowing that it may not start after parked it has…
The problem with the car is that after a stop sign, the car no longer moved forward, it stayed in the road, this was blocking traffic and it was dangerous to get out of the car, the tow truck arrived to move it from the road, several mechanics examined it and said that the…
When driving on the interstate above 45 miles per hour, the car jerks and does not want to go. The car almost did not make it thru the intersection with another vehicle coming on more than one occasion. Car finally stopped and had to be towed. Informed that a new transmission…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk 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.
If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.2 out of 10 based on 270 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2016 Nissan Sentra has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2016 Nissan Sentra is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Powertrain: 127 complaints, classified severe; Reliability score 6.2/10 — around the segment average; 6 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the powertrain first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 127 owner complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 6.2 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 270 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is powertrain. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is powertrain, with 127 complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop.
The powertrain is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 270 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $2,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.