Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Nissan Sentra Nismo problems

Owners filed 172 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Sentra Nismo with NHTSA between May 2018 and Jul 2025. The most-cited component is power train (42).

Complaints
172
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
17
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
11
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train42
  2. Service brakes37
  3. Electrical system32
  4. Forward collision avoidance24
  5. Engine21
  6. Vehicle speed control18
  7. Exterior lighting14
  8. Air bags9
  9. Electronic stability control (esc)7
  10. Seat belts5
  11. Fuel/propulsion system5
  12. Steering4
  13. Structure3
  14. Suspension3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20187
201924
202038
202124
202229
202320
202421
20259

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

42 reports
“Driving down the road with a lot of traffic then my car didn't want to shift into gear the it went into gear real hard then I hear load noise under the the car then I was no longer moving. So me and some friends push it out of the road and I call tow truck to take to my house I know a lot of people have the same issue with cvt transmission”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 30, 2025Power trainODI 11677383

Service brakes

37 reports3 crashes2 fires
“Car won't start, stranded in parking lots, on road. Have seen hundreds of complaints about the same thing ,saying it's either a brake switch or ignition switch.Very scary to be stranded somewhere.Nissan is aware and said it's common problem? Hard to believe Nissan or the nhtsa does not believe this to be a safety issue.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 10, 2024Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11607682

Electrical system

32 reports1 crash
“Unknown, ICC module is out on Sentra is known issue from Nissan, needs to be recalled as it can cause some cars to brake on there own from what I’ve seen online. Nissan wants over 2000 to make repair on a part they know from the factory is likely to fail”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 14, 2025Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11642737

Forward collision avoidance

24 reports2 crashes
“My 2018 Nissan Sentra has under 60,000 miles on it and is on its 3rd set of brake rotors, as well as had both front and rear brake pads replaced 2 times. The vehicle has always given the warning , front radar not detected alert, until the last 12 months where I began receiving a malfunction warning. My car has been brought to 2 different Nissan dealerships to work on this issue. The current one stating my front sensor is failing & will need to be replaced however there is no warranty on it. I am the only owner of my vehicle and it has not been in any forward collisions. As for the power train/transmission, I received a transmission flush in May of 2023, and now 15 months later was told by a different Nissan dealership it needed a flush as it appeared the transmission was going bad. The vehicle has stalled several times, continuously has a high RMP when accelerating and the AC has gone out a couple of months ago.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 7, 2024Power train, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11607148

Engine

21 reports2 fires
“I am having problems with my vent control valve. I recently took my car in to get an engine light looked at Rand they told me that the vehicle was have problems with the control valve assembly and they replaced the part and fixed the problem temporarily. That incident occurred on October the seventh of 2024 and now I’m facing another problem with the vent control valve again only 3 months later. I am unsure if the issue is a recall but I would definitely like it to be checked out.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 23, 2025EngineODI 11637875

Vehicle speed control

18 reports3 crashes
“The CVT can cause the car to shake, judder, stall during sudden acceleration, or completely lose power. My car jurked and stop completely while at a turning signal in the middle of the street . This was cause by the recall on their cvt. I’ve called a Nissan dealer and they said they can’t fix the recall problem for free because my car is over 80,000 miles. No it hasn’t been inspected . Yes my car has been jurking for the last past month . I’ve been called Nissan about it but they said i had to pay $210 for diagnostic even tho the problem was the transmission recall . The car will not drive foward or backwards . It’ll start up but that’s just about it. Now I have no transportation to go to work or doctors appointments.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 19, 2024Vehicle speed controlODI 11584106
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.