Nissan Sentra Electrical System Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 790 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 790 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Nissan Sentra across 32 model years. The 2019 model year has the most (64).

How much does it cost to fix?

Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the Nissan Sentra at $910, and half of them between $440 and $1,250.

Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.

At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?

Based on 430 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles55 · 13%
10k–25k miles44 · 10%
25k–50k miles80 · 19%
50k–75k miles77 · 18%
75k–100k miles74 · 17%
100k–150k miles76 · 18%
150k+ miles24 · 6%

How serious are the reports?

Of 790 complaints, 16 mention a crash, 38 a fire, 11 an injury.

Nissan Sentra electrical system complaints by model year

Peak: 2019, with 64 complaints
1995: 819951996: 111997: 101998: 319981999: 122000: 292001: 4420012002: 542003: 352004: 2820042005: 172006: 102007: 1120072008: 112009: 62010: 5020102011: 342012: 132013: 4320132014: 322015: 252016: 4520162017: 332018: 322019: 642019642020: 452021: 382022: 2420222023: 82024: 102025: 420252026: 1

n = 790 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearElectrical System complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2026 Sentra16%—
2025 Sentra413%9,900
2024 Sentra1024%31,490
2023 Sentra840%75,300
2022 Sentra2430%38,850
2021 Sentra3829%47,930
2020 Sentra4522%4,505
2019 Sentra6429%30,394
2018 Sentra3217%39,000
2017 Sentra3314%42,200
2016 Sentra4517%47,000
2015 Sentra257%36,000
2014 Sentra328%72,750
2013 Sentra437%29,000
2012 Sentra137%45,000
2011 Sentra3424%81,013
2010 Sentra5035%82,960
2009 Sentra611%72,000
2008 Sentra117%87,026
2007 Sentra117%48,697
2006 Sentra109%83,500
2005 Sentra1710%86,500
2004 Sentra2814%79,000
2003 Sentra3519%69,478
2002 Sentra5418%79,300
2001 Sentra4419%67,550
2000 Sentra2917%86,000
1999 Sentra1220%54,608
1998 Sentra35%89,067
1997 Sentra109%84,000
1996 Sentra118%70,000
1995 Sentra87%74,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2019, with 63 complaints
1996: 119961997: 31998: 51999: 519992000: 52001: 62002: 720022003: 232004: 312005: 2420052006: 162007: 242008: 920082009: 142010: 172011: 1720112012: 132013: 172014: 3520142015: 462016: 282017: 2220172018: 372019: 63632020: 4820202021: 442022: 452023: 5220232024: 472025: 512026: 352026

n = 790 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (7)

Electrical system:ignitionAug 21, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V551000 · 153,047 vehicles

Model years: 2017

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.

Risk: If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Electrical system:wiringJun 29, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V485000 · 1,522 vehicles

Model years: 2016

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).

Risk: If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; electrical system:wiringJun 15, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V436000 · 4,355 vehicles

Model years: 2016

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.

Risk: If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags:frontal; electrical system:softwareMar 25, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V138000 · 989,701 vehicles

Model years: 2013, 2014

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cablesDec 15, 2011 · NHTSA campaign 11V579000 · 33,803 vehicles

Model years: 2010, 2011

Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 sentra vehicles equipped with mr20 engines, manufactured from may 11, 2010, to may 22, 2010, and july 8, 2010, to october 25, 2010. The zinc coating applied to the terminal stud bolt was thicker than specification. This can result in a voltage drop that may cause difficulty starting the vehicle and could cause damage to the engine control module (ecm).

Risk: This issue can cause the engine to stall while the vehicle is in motion and it may not be possible to restart the engine after it stopped, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners and dealers will replace the positive battery terminal and cover, free of charge. The recallbegan on january 23, 2012. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cablesNov 12, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V555000 · 13,737 vehicles

Model years: 2010, 2011

Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 sentra vehicles, manufactured from may 22, 2010, through july 8, 2010. Due to a machining irregularity, the bolt/washer surface on the positive battery terminal cable end may allow for a gap to occur in the contact area of the terminal. This can result in a voltage drop that may cause difficulty starting the vehicle and could cause damage to the engine control module.

Risk: This issue can cause the engine to stop running while the vehicle is in motion at low speed with a difficult or no start increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the positive battery terminal cable end with a new one free of charge. The safety recall began pn november 29, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Electrical system:ignition:moduleNov 14, 2003 · NHTSA campaign 03V477000 · 276,000 vehicles

Model years: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003

Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the qg18de engine or qr25de engines, the foam material used for the interior lining of the electronic control module (ecm) box emits sulfur as it cures.

Risk: If one of the resistors inside the ecm has a crack on the surface coating, the gas may cause corrosion of the resistor. This could cause the malfunction indicator light to come on, poor drivability (idle instability, poor accelerator), or the engine to stop running during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.

Fix: Dealers will remove the inside lining material from the ecm box. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

While stopped at a light and the engine safety to save gas comes on and sitting for an extended period of time will cause my car to “start” and while my foot is on the brake the car will jerk forward it has done this on 6 separate occasions

Received Sep 24, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11766734

The back up camera frequently goes blank when the car is put in reverse. This is a safety hazard as I can't see what is behind me when I am backing up. Upon further research, this is common in Nissan Sentras around this time but my specific car was not under the recall. There were multiple reports…

Received Sep 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11765990

Following a severe rainstorm, heavy water intrusion occurred inside the vehicle. The rear passenger floorboard and the interior of the trunk were completely saturated with water. Immediately following this water intrusion, the factory backup camera system completely failed and stopped functioning…

Received Sep 18, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11765309

I was driving on the highway at about 75 mph with the cruise control set and suddenly heard a small pop noise. The check engine light then began to flashing so I pulled over immediately I put the car in park and the car started smoking smoke was filling the cab through the air vents I didn’t even…

Received Sep 13, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11763967

The ECU problem is a major issue the vehicle is stalling, not starting, just malfunctioning tremendously while on the road in traffic while driving it stalls in traffic, shuts off in traffic. I was told this was a issue back in July 2017 The same issue has occurred again with safety concerns .

Received Sep 9, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11763062
Nissan Sentra
Front view of a 2026 Nissan Sentra SR sedan. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Deathpallie325, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all Nissan Sentras have electrical system problems?

No. NHTSA has 790 owner complaints about electrical system for the Nissan Sentra. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the Nissan Sentra electrical system?

Yes: 7 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the Nissan Sentra?

Owners report a typical cost of $910 (half paid between $440 and $1,250), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.

Other Nissan Sentra problems

See all Nissan Sentra problems.