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 2021-10Related service bulletins
- 11013281Jan 13, 2025SERVICE INFORMATION If one of the APPLIED VEHICLES has DTC P2100 for “ETC MOT PWR-B1” or P2101 for “ETC FNCTN/CIRC-B1” stored in the Engine Control Module (ECM) with a customer…
- 11007655Sep 4, 2024ENGINE SUPPORT TOOLS APPLIED VEHICLES: 2020-2024 Sentra (B18) SERVICE INFORMATION A new Engine Support Bracket is now available to allow the CVT to be removed from the APPLIED…
- 10177214Jun 29, 20202020 SENTRA; REMOTE ENGINE START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- 10172246Feb 4, 20202020 SENTRA; REMOTE ENGINE START SERVICE INFORMATION To use the Remote Engine Start (RES), the following conditions must be met: ï· - The ignition is OFF. ï· - The RES feature…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 11% |
| 2025 | 4 | 13% |
| 2024 | 3 | 7% |
| 2023 | 3 | 15% |
| 2022 | 7 | 9% |
| 2021 | 7 | 5% |
| 2020 | 9 | 4% |
| 2019 | 20 | 9% |
| 2018 | 22 | 12% |
| 2017 | 48 | 21% |
| 2016 | 48 | 18% |
| 2015 | 69 | 20% |
| 2014 | 62 | 16% |
| 2013 | 87 | 14% |
| 2012 | 39 | 22% |
| 2011 | 30 | 21% |
| 2010 | 35 | 24% |
| 2009 | 4 | 7% |
| 2008 | 15 | 9% |
| 2007 | 11 | 7% |
| 2006 | 19 | 16% |
| 2005 | 33 | 19% |
| 2004 | 26 | 13% |
| 2003 | 24 | 13% |
| 2002 | 27 | 9% |
| 2001 | 16 | 7% |
| 2000 | 5 | 3% |
| 1999 | 2 | 3% |
| 1997 | 1 | 1% |
| 1992 | 1 | 2% |
Other parts of the 2020 Nissan Sentra
60 complaintsSteering
55 complaintsOther or unknown
48 complaintsElectrical system
45 complaintsBrakes
25 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
11 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsLane departure
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsWheels
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