NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Nissan Sentra. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
When driving the transmission it shudders/hesitates when pressing the accelerator.
My car would we still in the middle of the road and one day I was turning to go home and it cut off with everything on the dashboard was still on and the power steering went out and I tried to turn real fast to get my driveway and next thing I know my Cortizone fire meanwhile every now and then I would see a light blinking my dashboard fast and then go away. It was the battery light barely show up.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled while in traffic. There was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the vehicle. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The transmission was shifted into reverse(R), but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was shifted into drive(D), and the vehicle lunged forward and then started moving slowly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was a loose bearing inside the transmission. While completing a road test, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact was offered a partial refund and warranty. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The transmission failed to operate properly. The component is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle jerks when shifting gears and upshifts on its own, causing unpredictable changes in speed and loss of smooth acceleration. This creates a risk of sudden acceleration or hesitation, especially in traffic, increasing the potential for a collision. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, the problem has not yet been formally confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? No, the vehicle and transmission have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Prior to the failure, the vehicle began jerking during gear shifts. The transmission does not properly shift gears in relation to engine upshifting and will upshift by itself. These symptoms appeared before the failure and have continued since.
Car has 72000 miles in it it has given no indication on dash except cruise control went out. The transmission is slipping and both the front passenger and drivers door handles are messed up up.
while actively pressing on brake at a stop sign, car started moving. car only stopped when it bumped into car in front and had to be completely turned off. even with hand brake and in park, car kept moving.
Between 75-85 miles an hour, the car gets sluggish, acting like it cannot "stay in gear" and the rpms shoot around wildly. It gets worse when it is hotter outside. It feels like it loses power and then shoots up in power erratically, typically in that speed range. My car has only 54620 miles on it
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal beeping sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stopped independently. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,520.
On [XXX] I was driving my 2015 Nissan Sentra S (manual transmission) in Los Angeles, CA. While traveling at a moderate speed on a city street, another vehicle crossed into my lane, resulting in a direct, head-on collision. The impact caused severe damage to the entire front end of my vehicle: the hood crumpled, the front bumper and grille detached, and internal components such as the radiator support and crash bar were visibly deformed. The damage was so extensive that vehicle two’s (at-fault driver’s) insurance company declared the car a total loss. Despite the severity of the frontal impact, none of the airbags deployed. This was unexpected, as the collision was strong enough to stop both vehicles instantly—pushing my vehicle backwards until both vehicles came to a halt, resulting in significant structural deformation. There were no warning lamps, error messages, or previous issues with the airbag system prior to the accident. Photographs and video footage of the incident are available. As a direct result of the airbag non-deployment, my head and jaw made contact with the steering wheel, causing chest, jaw, neck, back, and shoulder pain, as well as severe headaches. After the accident, the vehicle was inspected by vehicle two’s insurance company and reviewed by Nissan’s Incident Investigation Specialist, Dakota McGregor. Nissan denied my claim for non-deployment of airbags verbally via landline. Nissan’s specialist, Dakota McGregor, refused to provide written documentation, technical justification, or a written denial of my claim, despite my requests. Furthermore, the specialist did not provide or disclose the threshold for airbag deployment in this vehicle, and no crash data or event data was collected or reviewed from the vehicle’s onboard computer. As a result, I am unable to determine the exact cause of the airbag system’s failure to deploy. I am filing this complaint because I believe this incident represents a potential safety defect with the air INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When a passenger sits in the passenger seat it doesn't register them in the seat and doesn't turn passenger airbag on. It always stays off and my air bag light on the dash never turns off. It's been like that since I bought the car in May of 2025. So any additional details are unknown.
No check engine lights or any kind of warning signs. My car randomly will jerk, lose power, accelerate, and makes noises! Issue caused car to slow down rapidly and I was almost rear-ended twice this week! I don't feel safe in my car!
I took this vehicle to the dealership, and the dealership said that the transmission needs to be replaced. I sold this car to Surburban Chevrolet of Ann Arbor, but they appear to be selling the car without fixing the transmission. It is not safe to drive this car because the vehicle is jerky and may not change the gear properly in the highway.
See attached document for complaint.
Vehicle began making a whining noise when starting with car in park, accelerating or decelerating. Didn’t seem to drive like normal. I Immediately took car to my usual mechanic and was notified it was the CVT transmission and it would need to be replaced. I was made aware of the recall by my mechanic. I contacted Nissan and was told they would not cover it. I’ve kept regular maintenance on my car and it only has 131,000 miles. .
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
The was engine stalling, shuddering, jerking, and after a while I had loss of power, all of this happened when I was driving 65 mph on the highway.
The transmission failed. The car just stopped moving forward while My son was driving in traffic. It was 12:00 in the afternoon on a Friday so local traffic was a bit heavy. Traffic had to go onto the other side of the road creating a hazard. Luckily the car behind was following at a safe distance and was able to stop. There was no previous warnings that this was going to happen. The car had to be towed to a repair shop. The repair shop called NIssan but they said they could not offer any assistance with repairing the transmission even though this is a known problem to them.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact stated that the engine revved up to high. While driving, the vehicle stopped suddenly, drove, and then stopped again. The contact continuously moved the gear shifter and the vehicle moved forward. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission solenoids were defective. The contact called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
When I started the car it sounded like the engine was clicking. I turned it off thinking it may have been from the cold. After restarting the car, the sound did not start again. About 10 minutes into my drive, it started to feel like the the car was shaking each time I braked. About 5 minutes later, it felt like the car was fighting me to accelerate. After I stopped at a red light, it would not accelerate past 20 mph and started dropping as I pulled to the side of the road. It would not accelerate but I could hear the engine revving. No service engine light came on, or any other light. I turned off the car and called AAA to have my car towed to the dealership I purchased the car (Piazza Nissan). They did a diagnosis on the car which gave the diagnostic of P2859 and P0746. Upon searching these codes, a recall for Nissan Sentra with manufacture dates of 2013-2017 came up stating CVT judder and transmission issues. I called the dealer to ask about this recall, since they told me I need a new transmission with the cost of $6640.87. I was told the recall (Classification #AT19-011, NTB #NTB19-075 [XXX] ) for this expired in 2022. When asked why I never received a notice about this recall, I was informed they are sent by VIN. When I checked my VIN, no active recalls came up. Clearly, my car is experiencing the same issues as this recall and my vehicle (2015 Nissan Sentra) was manufactured in that time frame. I was lucky I was able to move my vehicle to the side of the road safely without causing as accident. I am deeply annoyed that I was not made aware of this issue that clearly effected my vehicle and could have caused a serious accident had I not been able to pull to the side of the road and thankfully the car behind was not close to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the vehicle jerked, and the contact noticed an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed CVT failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The dealer advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
2015 Nissan Sentra SV jerks when accelerating
This particular vehicle exhibits a very strong, almost dash rattling judder when moving from the 1st to 2nd gearing ratio. This is especially dangerous in traffic and intersections where the vehicle is known to be in 1st or 2nd gear ratio, as Nissan likes to ratio out their CVT in software through the TCM to produce what feels like shifting from gear-to-gear as in a normal automatic transaxle. What makes this situation extremely bad is that when entering an on-ramp to the interstate (I-20 for example) it will intermittently judder from 1st to 2nd and then no power. After the judder it takes another few seconds for the TCM to figure out what happened and engage maybe more valve body pressure? I'm not sure completely, but it's extremely unsafe to drive. The Altima/Rogue with the same transaxle and model year run was issued a TSB and subsequently a TCM update was issued to rectify the early shudder, but the Sentra did not receive that update. The TCM output data shows that when this shudder is happening that there is a loss in hydraulic pressure somewhere in the unit. As Nissan says you never are supposed to change the fluid, this creates a very serious issue not only with the transmission, but warranty as well. The safety risk to others is high on this one because this could cause major rear-end conditions and city driving collisions as the car is supposed to be accelerating but can't because the transaxle was slipping and not gaining speed with the rest of the vehicles as expected.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle began jerking and lost motive power. The vehicle was steered into a parking lot and restarted. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle in for the emissions test, the vehicle failed to pass the State emissions test. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the continuously variable transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 152,000.
Bought 2015 Nissan Sentra SR from Nissan West in Dickson, TN. The car didn't even a lot of miles on it. Not even a month after having the car, the transmission went out. Car started acting up on the interstate. Would not shift gears, wouldn't go over a certain amount of speed, almost caused us to be hit multiple times. Finally got it to Nissan West dealership where they did confirm transmission was no good. Nissan West, reworked the transmission instead of giving us a new transmission. Now, over a year and 3 months later, the transmission went out again. Has been confirmed by Nissan West in Dickson, TN. The transmission had only a little over 10,000 miles on it. This time I was pulling out onto a busy street when the car out of the blue would not go forwards or backwards. Luckily we did not get hit and we had to push the car out of the middle of the road.
Excessive transmission slipping. I can be driving and it slips so bad and won’t gain speed or anything
When driving, the car started to stutter when accelerating and while driving any speed below 60 mph, while trying to get the car home it would not accelerate up a hill after I stopped at a light and I was in the middle of the street stuck on a blind spot. My husband had to get out and direct the traffic before they came pst the blind spot and hit me.
Unknown
The car is losing power when j try accelerate its very dangerous and the handle from driver side door kicked off and don't wanna hold and unlock the car in [XXX] that the car got.nk throttle and power it nukes risk for me my kids and ny family and other passengers Thank you have a fantastic evening
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 10058388 (Transmission Control Module); however, the vehicle was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.
The car keeps throwing a P0101 code. The MAF Sensor has been replaced and the throttle body has been clean and the engine light and code keep showing up. It is causing acceleration issues making it dangerous to start moving or going fast to get up to speed on the interstate.
Car lost power going 70 on the freeway and started shuttering and jerking when accelerating. The rest of the 20 minute drive home, my vehicle would not stop jerking and wouldn’t go over 30mph.
Me and my daughter was pulling out onto a bypass highway and the car wouldn't go anywhere and we were stuck in the middle of the highway with cars coming towards us. So I had to jump out and while it was still in drive I had to push it out of the highway so we wouldn't get hit by the on coming traffic. I finally pushed it fast enough and jumped back into the car and pressed the gas pedal and it caught so I could drive it home and I parked it.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact and his daughter exited the vehicle while the transmission was in drive(D) and pushed the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact then shifted the transmission from park(P) to drive(D) but the vehicle failed to move immediately. Eventually, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact related the failure to the transmission; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 176,635.
My car's transmission gave out in November 2023. It was returned the day before Thanksgiving. For the second time on January 11, 2024, the transmission blew. It was towed to the dealership where they notified me that the car would need another transmission. The car received another transmission and the car was returned to me on February 13, 2024. On February 14, 2024, after only driving 65 miles the car stalled after exiting the highway during rush hour. The car would not accelerate properly and was jerking. The car wouldn't accelerate past 15 mph. I was able to get the car to a safe location where I parked and called to get the car towed back to the dealership. On February 15, 2024, the dealership notified me that the transmission blew again. There were no warning signs or lights when the car stalled. It was driving fine until I exited the highway and was sitting at a red light. When I tried to accelerate at the change of the light the car jerked and would not pick up speed past 15 mph. Having my system fail unexpectedly in the middle of traffic put me and my passengers in danger.
I’m getting the code P0101 which is saying I have a bad MAF sensor. I have replaced this sensor and im still having problems. Getting worse than average gas mileage, engine RPM’s going crazy while accelerating. Not idling properly, hesitant and jerky movements. I’m getting tired of searching every little thing and I know lots of people with this same problem. Sounds like a manufacturers mistake.
Airbags did not deploy
The car began to jerk when driven. One day, it stopped working; the engine was still running but it wouldn't shift gears. The transmission was repaired, and several parts were replaced. However, the car still jerks when reaching 50 miles per hour, the horn doesn't sound, not even the alarm, and it makes a loud noise when making a tight turn.
Car started with a light vibration and after driving for a few feet would no longer accelerate when pressing the gas. For the first few days it would violently jolt like if someone hit me before gaining speed, but when i hit the brake it lags to accelerate. Now the fastest it goes it 20mph. If I press the gas pedal the engine makes a loud noise but does not speed. The dealer provided a code P2895 and suggested changing the whole transmission. The car has kept up with all maintenance checks and fluid changes and is in good condition it just reached 100,000 no accidents. The stalling happened while I was in traffic on the freeway and jolting of the car made it feel unsafe luckily I was able to use the shoulder to exit and call a tow truck. No accident but does not feel safe to continue to drive Cruise control never worked since I bought it. Bought the car new and got it fixed while it was still under warranty but stopped working again. Didn’t bother to cont. getting it fixed since I don’t use it
Transmission has went out twice on my vehicle in 3 years. Was wondering if there are underlining transmission issues that Nissan has not informed me on.
Mass air flow sensor code keeps coming on. I have replaced the sensor with the Nissan brand and the check engine light comes on again being the MAF sensor. Also the radio screen is blank.
The transmission started with acceleration speed issues, after about a week, it started stuttering and failing to accelerate at all. Today the car would not accelerate through a traffic light which could have caused an accident. A mechanic has confirmed that the transmission is the issue. Initially there were no check engine lights or anything that showed up but now the check engine light is on.
While pulling out in an intersection, my car would not accelerate as normal and I was almost hit by incoming traffic. When accelerating from stop, the vehicle moves slowly and hesitates. Once over a certain speed the car will function properly. The CVT is an issue in models 2013-2015 Nissan Altima also, but the manufacturer issued an extension for the powertrain warranty. The same should be done for the Sentra. It's a safety concern, because the CVT can go out at any time putting the driver at risk.
2015 Nissan Sentra with only 83000 CVT transmission failed
Without any warning electric fuel pump failed it show no signs of failing or going bad with fuel being flammable and the pump being electric aside from the risk of the car loosing power while in use the fact of it being flammable and faulty resorts to much bigger issues.
1.Engine malfunction/Transmission failure .Yes, available for inspection upon request. 2. While driving my car in traffic my car started to hesitate then it started to slow down on its own I pressed on the gas pedal and it did not move forward at all the speedometer went to zero ,so I quickly turned on my hazard lights and pull over on the side of the road. Thank god I was in the lane close to the shoulder of the road. I cut the car off for a minute then started it back up and put it in drive and drove it down the street to my brother’s house where it is still sitting there now. This was very frightening and very unsafe experience , there were no warning signs far as dashboard icons emergency. I’m afraid to drive my car again and now have pay someone to take me to work and back home this is so inconvenient for me when I have a car of my own . All because of this faulty situation with the transmission 3. No inspections by anyone. 4. Prompt actions and attention to the matter of my car is of the importance to me and my Nissan Sentra to ensure the safety of myself and others.
1. Front passenger side seat fails to activate the air bag once a passenger has occupied the seat, and buckled up. The airbag "off" indication light remains illuminated at all times, and if it isn't being activated, may cause bodily harm, injury, or death to any passenger of the vehicle in the unfortunate event of a collision. Vehicle was requested to be checked out at Lorenzo Nissan in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in November 2023, but was refused. FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG, FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATION LIGHT ••••••••••••••••••••••• 2. 2015 Sentra CVT transmission slips, shakes and stalls. On numerous occurrence this has caused near tragic collisions with multiple vehicles. One such instance forced the vehicle into 'limp mode' in a high speed area of a busy freeway and nearly caused numerous vehicles to collide into the stalled Sentra at rates of speed over 70 MPH. Furthermore, the 2015 Sentra has an issue shifting from park, and will not move out of park, even with the brake applied, unless the gear release button is applied. Vehicle was requested to be examined by Lorenzo Nissan in November 2023, but the dealership refused to inspect any possible safety or equipment issues without the promise of purchasing a new Nissan from their dealership. POWERTRAIN, CVT TRANSMISSION, AUTOMATIC GEAR-SHIFT INDICATION, LIMP MODE, NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and failed to accelerate as needed. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated to approximately 30 - 40 MPH. The vehicle was repaired however, while driving at speeds of 50 MPH or more, the vehicle would start to shake and hesitate while accelerating. The contact stated that over time the vehicle started failing to accelerate to speeds exceeding 50 MPH. On another occasion while driving up to a red light at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking while idling at the traffic light. The vehicle then failed to accelerate above 20 MPH and was shaking and losing motive power while driving. The contact pulled to the side of the road to have the vehicle towed. While parked and waiting to be towed, the "Check Engine" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The transmission was replaced after the first failure however, the transmission was not repaired or replaced with the failure persisting. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
CVT is failing leaving the car unable to start and runs rough. Will not shift. Been towed several times.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026