Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2013 Nissan Sentra: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 638 safety complaints about the 2013 Nissan Sentra with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

638
Complaints
6
Recalls
3
Investigations
4★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 24 crashes, 4 fires, 20 injuries, 1 death.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 311 of 638 complaints, followed by Brakes & stability.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 72 of the 638 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 5 years after the model year (115 filed in 2018) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2013 Nissan Sentra, power train / transmission issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 638 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
311
Brakes & stability
109
Airbags & restraints
101
Engine & cooling
91
Other / unspecified
65
Speed control
51
Electrical
43
Fuel & propulsion
37

"Transmission has failed. The car will not change speed when pressing on gas. Causing danger on the road when driven. The issue has been confirmed by an independent auto service. No warning lamps or identifiers has been present with this issue. The vehicle itself has only 97000 miles. This transmission issue with this vehicle is a known problem and many owners of this vehicle has reported this exact issue."

Owner complaint filed March 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA ODI 11646508

"The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 65,000."

Owner complaint filed March 2025 · Power Train,Vehicle Speed Control · NHTSA ODI 11646532

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2013 Nissan Sentra peaked later than usual, in 2018.

Complaints filed per year — 2013 Nissan Sentra
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
1
43
52
54
44
63
115
107
50
33
26
25
12
8
5
121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

Recall history: 6 recalls

6 recalls apply to some or all 2013 Nissan Sentra vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Mar 201313V-069
Air Bags

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airb…

Mar 201313V-068
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Sentra vehicles manufactured from September 11, 2012, through October 4, 2012. Some fuel tank assemblies were not properly sealed during the manufacturing process. As a result, a small amount of gasoline may leak from the tank when it is full.

Mar 201414V-138
Electrical System:Software

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may i…

Oct 201515V-681
Air Bags:Frontal

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant c…

Apr 201616V-242
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 Occupan…

Apr 201616V-244
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…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★☆
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2013 Nissan Sentra have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 638 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Sentra with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2013 Nissan Sentra have?

The 2013 Nissan Sentra has 6 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2013 Nissan Sentra safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2013 Nissan Sentra an overall crash rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.