2022 Nissan Sentra Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2022 Sentra most often describe steering complaints — vibration, wander, knocking or popping sounds from the front end, and off-center wheels — many of them tied to the open tie-rod recall. A second cluster involves electrical problems: batteries going flat overnight, headlights and windows cutting out, and collision-sensor warning lights that come on intermittently.

1. 1
   Steering

   Tie-rod recall: vibration, wander and front-end knocking

   • 29 complaints (36%)
   • median 43,000 mi at 2.0 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe steering wheel vibration, a wheel that feels loose or off-center, pulling to one side, and knocking or popping from the front end while turning — in some cases the car wandering on its own at highway speed. Many connect this to NHTSA recall 23V581000 for tie rods that may bend. Complaints state that dealers often could not supply the recall parts, told owners nothing was wrong, or closed the recall without replacing the tie rods, so the symptoms continued. Reports span the first few thousand miles up to roughly 76,000 miles, and several owners filed after receiving the recall notice but before a remedy was available.

   Recall 23V5810001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether recall 23V581000 was completed with new tie rods and get documentation; drive the car at highway speed and check for vibration, pull, and clicking or popping when turning lock to lock.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Tire rod recall. My vehicle has been vibrating and there is a knocking sound coming from under the car for over 1 year. Vehicle was inspected by Nissan dealership who notified me there was no vibration during test drive. Dealership says that the tire rod was not bent, so they could not replace the tire rod. Nissan closed the recall on my vehicle however, vibration/knocking sound continue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11560395, filed 2023-12

   “While driving down the highway, the steering wheel moves slightly, almost feels like I am slipping on ice. The steering wheel gives play at that movement, you have to jerk the wheel back to keep the car driving straight. I have 13, 500 miles on the car. It just started about 2 weeks ago. I called the dealer for an inspection, they tell me no recalls on car and its my imagination. I do not want to get a high invoice for them to check this out.”

   NHTSA complaint #11495327, filed 2022-11
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Collision sensor warnings and unexpected automatic braking

   • 11 complaints (14%)
   • median 47,000 mi at 4.6 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe the forward collision or automatic emergency braking warning light coming on with a malfunction message, and in some cases the car braking hard on its own with nothing ahead. Owners also report rear-sensor and lane-departure warnings appearing alongside. Dealers often diagnosed sensor obstruction or found no fault and re-set the system, with the warning returning later. Reported across a wide mileage range, frequently within the first year of ownership and sometimes at very low mileage.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look for a record of software updates for the AEB/forward collision system (TSB 11006996 and related bulletins), ask whether the radar or camera has been replaced, and test-drive at low speed to see whether warnings appear.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving the car this morning at about 30 mph, and with no obstructions around, there was a sudden red flasher on the dashboard (a red long bar with a hazard triangle in the middle, three flashes) and I could feel ABS with the car applying emergency brakes automatically. My wife had told me that she also encountered the same problem about two months ago. At that time, we thought it could have been a one off. I bought this vehicle in April 2022. It has done only 1,800 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11487540, filed 2022-10

   “the pre collision system light kept turning on and off. Also alerting of a malfunction that the system was not working. this happened around sep 7 2022. I took the car to a nissan dealership on sep 16 2022 and inspected. they found out that there was a problem with the system and according to them it was fix. I just want to bring this to your attention because doing some research some nissan owners are having the same problem. In addition, I found out that none of the extended warranties dont cover any electrical system.”

   NHTSA complaint #11484915, filed 2022-09
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Battery drains flat, key not detected

   • 9 complaints (11%)
   • median 26,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the battery going completely flat overnight or shortly after parking, sometimes after normal short trips, requiring a jump start or the physical key to open the door. A common companion message tells the driver to place the key near the start button. Several complaints say dealers tested the battery and charging system and found no fault, or replaced the battery without resolving the drain. Usually described within the first year of ownership and at low mileage, sometimes with only a few thousand miles covered since purchase.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about any history of flat batteries or jump starts, have the battery and charging system load-tested, and confirm whether the key-not-detected bulletin (TSB 10235707) has been addressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle inexplicably drained the battery again. For the 10th time in 1 week. Sunday November 20, 2022. The, the vehicle does not start. I take it to the dealer’s service center and they tell me there is no problem with the car or the charging system or battery.” “Car will not start. Unexplained battery depletion.”

   NHTSA complaint #11494295, filed 2022-11

   “I leased a 2022 Nissan Sentra in February 2022. About two months after leasing the vehicle, I started having problems with the car battery. The car battery would die for no reason at all. I didn't leave anything on the battery would just die. I could be driving and stop and the battery would go completely dead. I've had to get my car jump-started by strangers and through my insurance company roadside so much so that my insurance company cancelled my roadside assistance coverage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11571929, filed 2024-02
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine cuts out or refuses to restart while driving

   • 20 complaints (25%)
   • median 49,000 mi at 2.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe the engine stalling or shutting off at speeds from walking pace to highway speed, sometimes with a 'Vehicle Stalled Stop Safely' message and multiple dashboard lights, then difficulty restarting. Some reports mention shuddering or rough running before the shutdown. Complaints say dealers reprogrammed the engine control module or could not reproduce the fault, and the problem persisted. Reports begin within the first year and continue through higher mileage, with several describing repeated occurrences per week.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the ECM has been reprogrammed for stalling or idle complaints, and check for any stored fault codes or a history of no-start repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car would cut off on me and all the lights would turn on and the engine light. It would shake then slow down and cut off. It happened to me while driving on the freeway. I was able to cut it back on before accident happened. I’d randomly try to start my car and right when I do the engine light would turn on the car would rumble nd shake really bad and cut off so I’ll have to wait like three min and the car would start up. I forgot what day it happened but my car still acts weird”

   NHTSA complaint #11720952, filed 2026-02

   “I was told that the throttle malfunctioned. I was driving on the highway and the car would not accelerate, the dash said malfunctioning and the cars driving beside me had to swerve around me. I took the car back to the dealership where I purchased it and was told that parts had to be ordered and that it was a throttle malfunction. The car has not been inspected by anyone except those at the Nissan dealership where it was purchased. There were no warning signs before the malfunction. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11465069, filed 2022-05

Buying note. Check that the tie-rod recall (23V581000) and the cowl-seal recall (23V421000) were actually completed, since owners report both lingering symptoms and long waits for parts. Also budget time for a battery drain test and a scan for collision-sensor software updates before deciding.

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.