AutoUtility currently tracks 129 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Nissan Sentra. Driver Assistance & Safety Tech issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 43 complaints (33.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 14 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 8 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
43 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
40 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
38 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
24 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"My 2021 Nissan Sentra has experienced multiple false Automatic Emergency Braking (phantom braking) events where the vehicle suddenly applies the brakes despite there being no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle in its path. This issue occurred before and after my vehicle was serviced by AutoNation..."
"The scope of repair required fixing a recalled tie rod that suffered a catastrophic failure, which directly caused the vehicle’s ADAS, Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), and collision detection systems to crash. Berman Nissan promised a legally compliant, safe repair but breached this agreement by..."
"Alternator needed replacement Front windshield needed replacement Unfortunately this kicked off the malfunction warning. All Nissan can say is it’s the ADAS 2 controller. They are unable to determine part numbers. However the alternator and windshield replacement kicked off the malfunction warning."
"Several issues since purchasing vehicle. The front collision sensor malfunction. Came to an abrupt stop several times while on the freeway due to failed sensor. Narrowly avoided major collisions. Also, have had to replace batter every year along with brakes and tires. My suspension is awful. The..."
"Hello, I am reporting a steering-related issue involving the inner tie rods on my 2021 Nissan Sentra. Nissan previously issued safety recall campaign PM985 for bent inner tie rods on certain Sentra vehicles from the same model year. Two separate repair facilities inspected my vehicle and confirmed..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Nissan Sentra | 351 | 23 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Nissan Sentra | 268 | 18 | 6 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Nissan Sentra | 230 | 29 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Nissan Sentra | 185 | 17 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Nissan Sentra | 221 | 16 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Nissan Sentra | 204 | 8 | 4 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Nissan Sentra Current Page | 129 | 14 | 3 | Current |
| 2022 Nissan Sentra | 80 | 1 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Nissan Sentra | 19 | 1 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Nissan Sentra | 35 | 5 | 3 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Nissan Sentra | 28 | 6 | 4 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Nissan Sentra | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 51 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 22 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,STRUCTURE,WHEELS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Nissan Sentra
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Nissan Sentra is Driver Assistance & Safety Tech, appearing in 43 records (33.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Steering System (40) and Electrical System (38).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 129 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Nissan Sentra.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Nissan Sentra, 14 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 8 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.