Problems · by component

2017 Nissan Sentra power train problems

76 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2017 Nissan Sentra cite power train, 33% of all 231 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
76
33% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving the vehicle he could tell the vehicle gears were slipping, on a different occasion the vehicle downshifted on its own suddenly almost causing a crash. The contact stated there were times where the vehicle would downshift suddenly and would slow all the way down causing the vehicle to come to a stop, having to shift into neutral then back into drive, and the contact stated he could hear very loud grinding noise from the gears. The vehicle was towed to a residence, and the dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,600.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 1, 2026Power trainODI 11741244
“I have been experiencing the cvt transmission slipping the last two weeks. I contacted Nissan so see if my vin was a vehicle affected by 2017 cvt transmission recalls. They advised me it was not affected because my vin did not match their systems affected vehicles. Today my vehicle transmission broke down completely on my way home and had to get towed home. This could have been prevented had Nissan honored my vehicle cvt transmisson recall since it is a 2017 model as the ones affected. Now i have a vehicle i cant drive.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 31, 2026Power trainODI 11741125
“The CVT transmission on my 2016 Nissan Sentra is failing. This seems to be an ongoing issue with Nissans CVT that I have researched. Dealerships are saying they are not replacing the transmissions because it is outside the warranty. The CVT issues started shortly after the warranty ended. Funny. The fact that the failure of transmission is causing potential life threatening accidents and nothing is being done to resolve the issue. My car will stop accelerating while on an interstate where traffic is traveling 70-80mph. Nissan is an 8 billion dollar company and is building and selling cars risking the safety of families. To get the transmission replaced would cost more than the value of my car currently. My 2016 Nissan Sentra has right under 120,000 miles. I do hope that Nissan Company has a tad bit of integrity and helps their customers resolve these issues.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 14, 2026Power trainODI 11737793
“My 2017 Nissan Sentra is experiencing CVT transmission problems. The vehicle hesitates when accelerating, slips between gears, and sometimes loses power while driving. This creates a dangerous situation when entering traffic or driving at highway speeds. I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs, but they stated there was nothing they could do because the vehicle is slightly over the 84,000-mile extended CVT warranty. Many owners are reporting the same CVT transmission failures with this model. This issue creates a safety risk because the vehicle struggles to accelerate properly and may unexpectedly lose power while driving. I believe this CVT transmission defect should be investigated for a potential recall.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 16, 2026Power trainODI 11724817
“the transmission has failed with hardly any warning. Stops without warning, while driving down the road. The car will start just fine but will not rev. or respond to the accelerator. When it stops will driving, it will rev way up but will not have any power to move.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 2, 2025Power trainODI 11702511
“The 2017 Nissan Sentra is part of a recall due to significant transmission issues, including sudden loss of power and jerking motions while driving. Overview of the Recall Nissan has issued a recall for certain 2013 to 2017 Sentra models due to problems with their continuously variable transmissions (CVT). Owners have reported various issues, including: Sudden loss of power while driving, which can occur without warning, posing a serious safety risk. Jerking or shuddering motions during acceleration, making the vehicle feel unstable. Transmission slipping out of gear, which can lead to loss of control. this has seriously affected my vehicle VIN number is [XXX] , 2017 Nissan Sentra. I called the local dealership and was told that since it was a 'rebuilt' title recalls didnt apply. My research shows that this is not true. The damage that occurred to my vehicle that affected the title was not even in the area of the recall of transmission. It was in the rear of the vehicle. Can you help me with this problem please?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2025Power trainODI 11676675

Showing 6 of 76 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

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