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Nissan SentraModel year report

2019 Nissan Sentra Problems

Compared with other Nissan Sentra years

Typical for this model

54/100 1.1× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2022

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
223filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
34,500miles, 90 complaints with mileage
Recalls
2campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
4 / 5stars overall
EPA fuel economy
29 mpgcombined, 1.6L 4-cyl FWD · 27 city / 33 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2019 Nissan Sentra (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Sentra most often report that the car will not start because the brake light switch fails to sense the pedal, which is also tied to brake lights staying dark, and they describe CVT transmission shuddering, jerking and loss of power at higher mileage. A second cluster of complaints covers random forward-collision and automatic braking warnings or unexpected braking on clear roads, along with radio and climate-control display glitches.

  1. Transmission and drivetrain

    CVT shudder, jerk, slip or loss of power

    • 63 complaints (28%)
    • median 60,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (20 state mileage)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2019–2026

    Complaints describe jerking and hesitation on acceleration, RPM rising without the car speeding up, lunging, unexpected downshifts and in some cases a complete loss of drive power while moving. Several owners say dealers diagnosed transmission failure and needed replacement, with some reporting a second or third replacement, and others describe repeated service visits that did not resolve the symptom. Most reports cluster between roughly 45,000 and 170,000 miles, with some owners noting the first symptoms around 60,000 miles.

    4 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask for transmission service records and whether the CVT fluid and TCM calibration were updated; drive at steady and light throttle and note any shudder, slip or delayed engagement. A CVT warranty extension bulletin applies to this era, so ask whether the car qualifies.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Since I purchase the vechile I have had it back at the dealer to several times. It jerks when I accelerate, then it will surge and the RPM go high while im driving and rapidly jerks. Hesitate all the time.this happens anytime I am in motion driving.”

    NHTSA complaint #11350191, filed 2020-08, 38,000 miles

    “While driving and slightly moving right or left there was a clicking noise and the car kicks back. Then as the wheels are turned left or right it felt as if you lose control of turn. You have to really keep extra control of the steering wheel.”

    NHTSA complaint #11406981, filed 2021-04, 46,000 miles
  2. Electrical system

    No start / brake lights out (stop lamp switch)

    • 76 complaints (34%)
    • median 26,000 mi at 2.5 yrs old (31 state mileage)
    • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2019–2026

    Owners describe pressing the start button and getting nothing, sometimes needing to press the brake pedal very hard or jump-start the car, while other drivers warn them their brake lights were not lighting. Several complaints say a dealer diagnosed a failed stop-lamp switch, and some note the car had already been through recall 21V135000 or that the part was not yet available at the time. A few owners mention the cruise control and automatic braking warning appearing once the switch acts up. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a handful of miles to well past 100,000, and often described as intermittent and random.

    Recall 21V1350001 related service bulletin

    What to check: Confirm whether recall 21V135000 was completed on the specific car, and test that the brake lights come on with the pedal and that the car starts with a normal pedal press. Ask whether the stop lamp switch has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Our 2019 Sentra won't start and we ended up buying a battery and it still won't start. From the research I've done looks like a breaking sensor. Due to the. Real lights not lighting up at all. Seems to be a reoccurring thing for sentras. This is a safety issue and potential lawsuit due to the car turning off on the road.”

    NHTSA complaint #11387628, filed 2021-01, 20,010 miles

    “Brand new Nissan with less than 11k miles and been having nonstop issues with starting the car. There's been multiple occasions where the brake becomes very stiff and hard even though the car haven't sat for long. I've brought it to the dealership and called several roadside assistance and still have no solution to fix it. I've seen and read hundreds of forums online and decided to change my brake switch and I'm still having the same problem.”

    NHTSA complaint #11362491, filed 2020-10, 10,500 miles
  3. Forward collision avoidance

    Forward collision / AEB warnings or unexpected braking

    • 40 complaints (18%)
    • median 13,274 mi at 1.5 yrs old (20 state mileage)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2018–2026

    Owners report the front radar or AEB warning light coming on with nothing in front of the car, a radar obstruction message, and occasional sudden braking over small bumps or while pulling away. Some say the dealer found diagnostic codes covered by a service bulletin yet still charged for the repair, and a few describe automatic braking engaging when there was no obstacle. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 80,000, and typically described as intermittent or tied to bumps in the road.

    1 related service bulletin

    What to check: Drive over a rough patch or speed bump and see whether the AEB or collision warning light comes on; ask whether the radar bracket and sensor were checked or recalibrated and whether bulletin 11014471 work was performed.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “My cars aeb system engages for no reason. This is the second time it has done this and now the malfunction light and alarm stays on continuously. My warning light saying unavailable front radar has been on since third month after I bought it.. I'm scared to put my children in car due to the fear of it braking suddenly for no reason and bringing my car to a complete stop.”

    NHTSA complaint #11396079, filed 2021-02, 60,000 miles

    “The buttons on my steering wheel works when they want to.. They front radar sensor cuts of and says it's obstructed and the crash light comes on I was driving out of state the first time the radar quit working until I could shut the car off and started it again.. The buttons was the same time it started in january the first time then hasn't done it till now 02-28-2020 constantly”

    NHTSA complaint #11312150, filed 2020-02, 3,600 miles
  4. Electrical system

    Radio and dashboard display glitches

    • 44 complaints (20%)
    • median 8,875 mi at 1.3 yrs old (18 state mileage)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2018–2026

    Complaints describe the factory radio turning itself on or rebooting repeatedly, including when the car is parked and off, and concerns about battery drain. Others report the climate-control display blanking or freezing, steering-wheel audio buttons working only intermittently, and headlights and brake lights flickering after shutdown. Owners say dealers sometimes could not reproduce the issue or told them no fix was available yet. Mostly reported under about 55,000 miles and often described as random rather than tied to a specific condition.

    8 related service bulletins

    What to check: With the car off, listen for the radio playing and check the climate display and steering-wheel buttons; ask whether the infotainment software updates described in the service bulletins were applied.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The radio will randomly come on for a second when the car is off. I have went out to get something out of the trunk & this has happened & I have also went out to leave & when I walk outside the radio in the car is playing when the car has not been driven since the prior day. I am concerned about this issue draining the car battery. This is random & has happened more than a dozen times.”

    NHTSA complaint #11385043, filed 2020-12, 4,100 miles

    “I purchased my vehicle 4/2019 and taken it back to the dealer at least 4 times for other problems and they tell me there's nothing going on when they check it. I am now experiencing a new problem and I took it back to the dealer concerning the radio coming on and off when the car wasn't in use. When I would get into the car it wouldn't start and I would have to get it boosted to start. The battery keeps running down. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11306409, filed 2020-01, 13,475 miles
  5. Air bags

    Airbags that did not deploy in a crash

    • 17 complaints (8%)
    • median 37,500 mi at 2.2 yrs old (12 state mileage)
    • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2019–2023

    Owners describe front airbags that did not inflate in collisions at highway or low speed, with the airbag light reportedly on or no warning at all. A small number also describe curtain airbags deploying without an impact. Dealers are described as providing little or no assistance after these events. Reported from a couple of thousand miles up to about 80,000, generally in the first years of ownership.

    What to check: Check that the airbag warning light behaves normally on start-up, and ask for any repair or body-shop records if the car was previously in a collision.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I had an accident on july 31st, 2019 where my car was totaled and the motor was lost completely. My airbags did not deploy and the Nissan system stated, 'refer to owner's manual.' thankfully I was wearing my seatbelt and only had minor scratches and bruises.”

    NHTSA complaint #11292414, filed 2020-01, 45,000 miles

    “I was recently in a car accident. I was injured due to the front air bag not going off. The light turned on but the airbag didn't come out. I was driving on the freeway at the moment of the accident.”

    NHTSA complaint #11378589, filed 2020-12, 30,000 miles

Buying note. Look for documented CVT service records and confirm the brake-light switch recall was completed, since those two items account for most of the owner reports here. A test drive over bumpy roads and a check of the dash and radio behavior will surface most of the remaining complaints quickly.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 223 consumer complaints for the 2019 Nissan Sentra. 90 of the complaints include a mileage, and 66% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 34,500 miles. Of all complaints, 16 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 18 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns and 124 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 14 Nissan Sentra model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 54 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Electronic stability control (5), Body and structure (5), Seat belts (4), Suspension (4), Steering (3), Equipment (2), Lane departure (2), Seats (2), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (2), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1).

Example complaints

Electrical system: “Everytime I drive about 4 miles the front radar sensor gets disabled and displays a warning, this disabled the cruise and turns of automatic emergency braking, this is dangerous for me to drive with, I have taken the car to the dealership 3 times and its still happening, the dealership claims they fixed it but did not”

NHTSA complaint #11308425, filed 2020-02, 12,000 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: “Driving on freeway less than 35 MPH, car made loud noise for 1-2 minutes at same time I felt under floor board something pulling. I tried to slow down, brakes didn't work. I rear ended a car. The car gear shift popped into reverse; I pressed harder on brakes & they finally worked. I noticed a big light on the dashboard saying 'malfunction, check owners manual' there was a gray symbol near these words. Inside the speedometer circle that same symbol appeared in bright yellow. …”

NHTSA complaint #11281415, filed 2019-11, 1,862 miles

Other or unknown: “2019 Nissan Sentra purchased in july 2019 - my stereo will reboot on its own completely shutting down and rebooting with the Nissan/nissanconnect logos. Typically does this on any mode of the stereo and will happen after about 4 songs on bluetooth or if you skip more than two songs at a time. Does not really impact driving as I've yet to see it impact use of the backup camera.”

NHTSA complaint #11257899, filed 2019-09, 5,750 miles

Brakes: “Faulty radar on front of my car caused speed control and emergency braking system to malfunction while in motion. This occurred sporadically since new and then constantly for last 3 months. I finally took the car in for troubleshooting last week and the radar unit on the front of the car was replaced. This fixed the problem but it should be brought to someones attention because of the safety hazards involved.”

NHTSA complaint #11207263, filed 2019-05, 2,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

66% of the 90 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 5,750 and 58,000 miles.

29%0–1014%10–2522%25–5019%50–756%75–1006%100–1504%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (90 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 34,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

20182019202020212022202344202420252026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2019 Nissan Sentra. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Sentra · sedan FWD★★★★☆4 / 4554 · 11.8% risk
Sentra Nismo · sedan FWDnot rated———4 · 11.8% risk
Sentra SR Turbo · sedan FWDnot rated—554 · 11.8% risk

Driver aids listed by NHTSA for the 2019 model year: forward collision warning optional, lane departure warning not available, automatic emergency braking not available.

Neighbouring years: 2018: same overall rating; 2020: 5 stars overall. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2019 Nissan Sentra version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Sentra FWD1.6L 4-cylCVT273329$2,850
Sentra FWD1.8L 4-cylCVT293732$2,100
Sentra FWD1.8L 4-cyl6-speed manual273530$2,250
Sentra Nismo FWD1.6L 4-cyl6-speed manual253127$3,050
Sentra Nismo FWD1.6L 4-cylCVT253027$3,050

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2019 Nissan Sentra → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 124 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 124 bulletins →

Other model years of the Nissan Sentra

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2026193001—33—Too new
2025317,9504534Too new to compareToo new
20244130,0003534Too new to compareToo new
20232075,3001533—Too new
20228136,000253327 · FewerRising
202113324,000353364 · TypicalRising
202020728,879453371 · MoreRising
201922334,500242954 · TypicalStable
201818540,000242938 · TypicalFalling
201723144,000342950 · TypicalStable
201627060,255643269 · MoreFalling
201535255,500343259 · TypicalStable
201438067,000543371 · MoreFalling
201363861,000643397 · MoreFalling
201218064,000042610 · FewerFalling
201114271,000242627 · FewerStable
201014469,3163—2731 · FewerFalling
20095557,0001—270 · FewerFalling
200816767,0003—2739 · TypicalFalling
200715460,0001—27Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200611678,8325—27Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200517076,2005—27Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200419777,0004—27Not compared (before 2008)Rising
200318069,0127—23Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200230471,00010—23Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200123661,0007—26Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200017157,1106—26Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19995972,9000—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199858102,5001—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1997108105,0003—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199614166,5003—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1995117157,9943—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199499180,0000—26Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199358100,0000—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199262107,5000—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199163120,0002—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19903982,9582—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198941—1—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198837122,4871—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198736—1—26Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19866—0—30—Not enough data
19856—0—29—Not enough data

All Nissan Sentra model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2019 Nissan Sentra?

Owners of the 2019 Sentra most often report that the car will not start because the brake light switch fails to sense the pedal, which is also tied to brake lights staying dark, and they describe CVT transmission shuddering, jerking and loss of power at higher mileage. The issues reported most often: CVT shudder, jerk, slip or loss of power; No start / brake lights out (stop lamp switch); Forward collision / AEB warnings or unexpected braking.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2019 Nissan Sentra have?

NHTSA recorded 223 consumer complaints for the 2019 Nissan Sentra as of Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2019 Nissan Sentra is reported most often?

Electrical system is named most often, in 65 complaints (29% of the total), followed by transmission and drivetrain with 54.

Has the 2019 Nissan Sentra been recalled?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How did the 2019 Nissan Sentra do in NHTSA crash tests?

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2019 Nissan Sentra 4 out of 5 stars overall. Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.

What gas mileage does the 2019 Nissan Sentra get?

The EPA rates the 2019 Nissan Sentra (Sentra, 1.6L 4-cyl) at 29 mpg combined, 27 city and 33 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,850 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2019 Nissan Sentra reported?

Among the 90 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 34,500 miles and the middle half falls between 5,750 and 58,000 miles; 66% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.