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EnginePart report

2020 Nissan Sentra Engine Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
4%of 207 total for the year
Median mileage
15,794miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine of the 2020 Nissan Sentra, 4% of the 207 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 15,794 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“This car's emergency brake sensors have gone off twice now in the past two months. There is no car or any object in front of me and the sensor applies the brakes while in motion. Also, when slowing down to a stop at city speeds the car jerks and/or surges forward and I have to apply the brakes harder otherwise the car continues to move forward.”

NHTSA complaint #11340801, filed 2020-07, 2,710 miles

“I was at a stop light in a busy area and I got a message saying critical engine malfunction warning, engine power reduced. I had to floor the car to get it to 5 mph, then when I got it in the only minimally safe area I could the emergency braking system was the only thing that stopped it. My brakes failed too. My car has only 71K miles and is not quite 5 years old. It's been meticulously maintained as well. This is NOT acceptable.”

NHTSA complaint #11644377, filed 2025-02

“This Vehicle was bought back in Jun of this year. Since purchasing the vehicle with only 49,933 miles this Sentra has broken down 4 times, been in the shop for 1Month 2weeks consecutively. The first incident was 4.5 hrs after purchase. The Passenger side Tide Rod snapped in half on the highway causing the jam and slow down along with leaving me in fear for my life. The passenger rim was inverted facing the driver. The second time happened to be the same issue but at a different dealership. …”

NHTSA complaint #11615120, filed 2024-09

“On May 23, 2023, I have parked to pick up a grocery order. I did not shut the engine off. Once the order was loaded, I put my car in reverse. The car started to back up, and then completely shut off. An error message related to the key fob came on. I was able to successfully start the car again. I currently have the car at Hyman Brothers Nissan. Their diagnostics indicate a failure, however, they are unable to determine the source of the failure at this time. My main concern is having this happen again while driving with my 2 year old in his car seat. …”

NHTSA complaint #11523696, filed 2023-05

“I had brought my car up to the dealership for an oil change, and they said there was a recall on the tie rods. They said they checked them out, but never gave me paperwork for it. And I’ve looked it up and it said no recall have been serviced on. A week or two later me and another passenger got in my car and put it in reverse, and heard a small pop as I turned the wheel I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then we started heading down the road we got to a stop light and my car was stalling the transmission didn’t sound right for a little while. …”

NHTSA complaint #11438576, filed 2021-10

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026211%
2025413%
202437%
2023315%
202279%
202175%
202094%
2019209%
20182212%
20174821%
20164818%
20156920%
20146216%
20138714%
20123922%
20113021%
20103524%
200947%
2008159%
2007117%
20061916%
20053319%
20042613%
20032413%
2002279%
2001167%
200053%
199923%
199711%
199212%

Other parts of the 2020 Nissan Sentra

Forward collision avoidance
60 complaints
Steering
55 complaints
Other or unknown
48 complaints
Electrical system
45 complaints
Brakes
25 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
11 complaints
Suspension
10 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
10 complaints
Lane departure
6 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Exterior lighting
5 complaints
Wheels
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2020 Nissan Sentra

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology