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2016 Nissan Sentra

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
4
of 5 stars
Recalls
6
on record
MPG
32
combined

Open recalls on record

6 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2016 Nissan Sentra

6 recalls
266 complaints
32 MPG combined
4/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 6 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 18 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 266 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
6
Owner complaints
266
Complaints citing a crash
18

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

6 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 17V253000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V436000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

    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 the dual-stage passenger air bag.

    Consequence

    If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    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. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V485000high

    Wiring harness issue

    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

    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).

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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 1-800-647-7261.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V244000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

    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 Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

    Consequence

    If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy

    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 Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V242000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

    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 deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.

    Consequence

    If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.

    Remedy

    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 began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V135000high

    Brake system issue

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Nissan Sentra.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    11.8%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
No

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2016 Nissan Sentra 4 out of 5 stars overall, below the 5-star median for the 17 comparable 2016 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 11.8% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2016 Nissan Sentra Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2016 Nissan Sentra Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2016 Nissan Sentra Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

29

City

37

Hwy

32

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,900
Tailpipe CO₂
278 g/mi

How this compares

At 32 MPG combined, the 2016 Nissan Sentra ranks 1st of 20 midsize cars EPA rated for 2016 — 6 MPG better than the 26 MPG median for that group.

That places it among the most efficient vehicles in its class. Fuel cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor against its direct rivals.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $1,900, $650 less than the $2,550 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $9,500, a $3,250 difference against a class-median vehicle.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 278 grams per mile — about 4.2 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

266 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

266
Total
18
Crashes
2
Fires
13
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE150
  • OTHER29
  • AIR BAGS24
  • BRAKES21
  • ELECTRICAL20

Notable Issues

266 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 13 reports involve injuries. 18 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)150
miscellaneous issues29
airbag concerns (warning light, deployment issues)24

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 21V135000

    The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 17V253000

    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.

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V485000

    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.

  4. Recall

    Recall 16V436000

    If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  5. Recall

    Recall 16V244000

    If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

  6. Recall

    Recall 16V242000

    If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Midsize Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
1.8L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

29

City

37

Hwy

32

Comb

Annual cost
$1,900
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 21V135000

    The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 17V253000

    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.

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V485000

    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.

  4. Recall

    Recall 16V436000

    If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  5. Recall

    Recall 16V244000

    If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.