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2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo
Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.
638 owner complaints · 6 recalls · data verified July 21, 2026 · source: NHTSA
Buy-rated alternatives from this era
Other 2011–2015 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict — worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo.
Why caution?
6 recall campaigns (5 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.
Transmission & drivetrain problems dominate (49% of complaints, typically reported near 71k miles).
Complaint reports have faded. Early issues appear resolved or aged out.
Score breakdown, by factor
Full methodology →#216 of 427Among the 2013 models with a matured record, the 2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo ranks #216, scoring higher than 16% of them. See the 2013 ranking →
Complaints filed per year
Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.
How it crashes
NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.
4/5 overall
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2013 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 12%
3 open NHTSA defect investigations on file, separate from the recalls above.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.
The road ahead
What breaks on a 2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo, plotted where owners report it happening.
Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.
Transmission & drivetrain
49%311 complaints · typically near 71k mi · 8 in the last 2 years
“Transmission has failed. The car will not change speed when pressing on gas. Causing danger on the road when driven. The issue has been confirmed by an independent aut…”
Brakes
15%97 complaints · typically near 17k mi
“WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH, I PUSHED MY BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW FOR MY NEXT TURN. THE PEDAL WAS SLIGHTLY INEFFECTIVE, MEANING THE PRESSURE IN THE PEDAL WAS RELEASED …”
Airbags
15%96 complaints · typically near 24k mi · 3 in the last 2 years
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the passenger’s side front seat occupied, the …”
Engine
14%87 complaints · typically near 59k mi · 2 in the last 2 years
“Erractic rpms. Shakes/hesitant on take off from stop. Accelerator can be pushed all the way and it goes 5mph. Shifting takes a good minute with shakiness. Can not driv…”
Check it against this car’s mileage
Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.
We can place 4 of this model's commonly reported problem areas against a mileage. Nothing is stored.
Read all 638 owner complaints in their own words → · just the 32 crash/fire/injury reports →
Recalls (6)
Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.
Air Bags · 16V242000
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.
Risk: If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air Bags · 16V244000
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Air Bags · 15V681000
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front 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 air bag 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 November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical System · 14V138000
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.
Air Bags · 13V069000
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel System, Gasoline · 13V068000
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Sentra vehicles manufactured from September 11, 2012, through October 4, 2012. Some fuel tank assemblies were not properly sealed during the manufacturing process. As a result, a small amount of gasoline may leak from the tank when it is full.
Risk: A gasoline leak in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a vehicle fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 1, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Questions to ask the seller
Questions worth asking the seller of this Nissan before you buy, drawn from its public record:
- NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"?
- Owners of this model report transmission & drivetrain problems more than anything else (owners tend to report it near 71k miles). Has this car shown any transmission & drivetrain symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Owners of this model report brakes problems more than anything else (owners tend to report it near 17k miles). Has this car shown any brakes symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Has this car been in any accident or had any structural, airbag, or flood-related repair? Do you have a clean title and a recent history report (Carfax / AutoCheck)?
- How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
- Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?
Before you hand over money
Verify the recall work was done
NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.
Free NHTSA VIN check ↗Get a pre-purchase inspection
A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2013 Nissan SENTRA NISMO beats every score on the internet, including ours.
What to ask forNot set on the 2013? See how every Sentra Nismo model year scores →
Cross-shopping? Compare the 2013 Nissan Sentra Nismo against another car →
What owners say
Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.