NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 185 owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan Sentra.
2Safety recalls
185Owner complaints
17Complaints citing a crash
3Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: exterior lighting and backover prevention and rearview camera. Most-reported area: powertrain (46 complaints, 25%; median mileage when it happened: 75,500).
2 safety recalls for the 2018 Nissan Sentra
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles.
Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SENTRA.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 185 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Sentra. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain46 · 25%
Median 75,500 miles at failure (18 reports)
Brakes40 · 22%
Median 30,400 miles at failure (29 reports)
Electrical system32 · 17%
Median 39,000 miles at failure (23 reports)
Forward collision avoidance24 · 13%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (13); warnings (10)
Engine22 · 12%
Speed control19 · 10%
Exterior lighting15 · 8%
Unknown or other38 · 21%
Median 23,000 miles at failure (19 reports)
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Nissan Sentra recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Sentra drew the most (85) and the 2018 drew 69.
Owner complaints
2018: 185 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Sentra
Model year
Complaints
2016
270
2017
230
2018
185
2019
222
2020
205
2021
131
2022
81
2023
20
2024
40
2025
30
2026
16
Safety recalls
2018: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Sentra
Model year
Recalls
2016
6
2017
3
2018
2
2019
2
2020
4
2021
3
2022
2
2023
1
2024
3
2025
4
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 11.8%
Nissan Sentra NISMO 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 11.8%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Nissan Sentra Turbo 4 DR FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Sentra problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (46), brakes (40), electrical system (32). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 Nissan Sentra safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Nissan Sentra earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Sentra has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SENTRA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.