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2015 Nissan Sentra

Solid pick — the complaint record is strong for its age. It does carry safety recalls, so confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the VIN before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist — a shareable PDF

347 owner complaints · 3 recalls · data verified July 10, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Buywillitcar.com

Why buy?

Transmission & drivetrain problems dominate (49% of complaints, typically reported near 60k miles).

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)83
Severity (30%)73
Recall load (20%)79
Trend (10%)72

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20152026

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2015 Nissan Sentra, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k miTransmission & drivetrain~60k mi · 171 reportsEngine~49k mi · 68 reportsSpeed control~60k mi · 48 reports

Also reported (mileage varies): Airbags (44) · Electrical system (25) · Brakes (18)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint — a rough guide, not a schedule.

Transmission & drivetrain

49%

171 complaints · typically near 60k mi · 22 in the last 2 years

Transmission failed on major highway out of no where would not accelerate above 5 MPH

Engine

20%

68 complaints · typically near 49k mi · 12 in the last 2 years

When driving the transmission it shudders/hesitates when pressing the accelerator.

Speed control

14%

48 complaints · typically near 60k mi · 9 in the last 2 years

Complete transmission failure and need replacement the car is less than 10 years old Nissan has had major issues with the CVT system and transmission…transmission lose…

Airbags

13%

44 complaints · 3 in the last 2 years

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 …

Recalls (3)

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 · 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 · 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.

Latches/locks/linkages · 15V453000

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured June 9, 2015, to June 10, 2015, and 2015 Nissan Sentra and Versa Note vehicles manufactured June 5, 2015, to June 13, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the driver side front and rear doors may not fully latch. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."

Risk: A door that does not fully latch may result in the door opening while the car is moving. The distraction may increase the risk of a crash and/or a vehicle occupant may fall out of the vehicle if they are not wearing a seatbelt, increasing their risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the date, lot number, and cavity code on the left front and rear door latches, and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

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–$250 independent inspection of this exact 2015 Nissan SENTRA beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2015? See how every Sentra model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2015 Nissan Sentra 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.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2015 Nissan Sentra as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only — always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.