2011 Nissan SENTRA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Nissan Sentra has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features. The car boasts stability control for enhanced handling on the road. Unfortunately, it does not come equipped with collision warning or lane departure warning systems. In terms of crash ratings, the car scored well with a 5-star rating for the side crash drivers' side and side pole crash. However, it received lower ratings in some categories such as the overall side crash rating and combined side barrier pole rating for the rear.

Additionally, the car has had 135 complaints reported, which is relatively high, and 2 recalls have been issued. It is essential for Nissan to address these complaints and recalls promptly to ensure the continued safety and satisfaction of Sentra owners.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

135

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2011 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 3 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 3 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 3 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 2 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 2 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 2 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 3 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2011 Nissan SENTRA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
""takata recall", car has days where it won't start due to problems with the ecm module. i bought the car like that and when it happened i thought it was the battery and we switched out the battery, however a month later it did the same thing. i noticed that there is a recall on the battery terminal that may effect the ecm on some modern vehicles, however when i took it to nissan they said based on my vin number my vehicle isn't affected. my car is doing exactly what the recall states, so i believe that my vin number needs to be included in the recall list."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-05-06
Complaint:
"fan is running inside car blowing out hot air despite the dial being turned to off. now while the car was being driven, there's a strong burning smell emitting from the inside of car. when the fan turned on for absolutely no reason, i was driving it on the highway. the car was in motion again today when the burning smell started as well. now when i go to turn car on, it is having issues starting."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2021-04-06
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning and would not restart occasionally. the vehicle was excluded from nhtsa campaign numbers: 11v579000 (electrical system) and 10v555000 (electrical system). the dealer (94 nissan of south holland, (708) 333-2000, located at 16269 van dam rd, south holland, il 60473) diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-02-11
Complaint:
"the dashboard light flickered for awhile and now does not light up at all. i am unable to see the gas gauge, mileage or temperature. the doors no longer unlock when i turn off the ignition nor does the beeper sound that my headlights are still on when the ignition is turned off. i have been to the nissan dealer twice with this and they were not be able to locate the problem. they did find a paper that described this situation as a problem on the 2011 nissan sentra."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2020-04-04
Complaint:
"this car is stalling very bad it happens every now an then but it feels like is going to die it happens when driving an also when park. when driving it dies an that's dangerous it can cause accidents"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2021-06-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan sentra. while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then towed to nissan of van nuys (5425 van nuys blvd, sherman oaks, ca) where it was confirmed that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. the failure mileage was 128,000. *tt"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-01-03
Complaint:
"vehicle cuts off while in motion in the parking lot. won't restart. positive battery post corroded."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2016-01-04
Complaint:
"i was driving 03/29/16 and the car stopped in the middle of the street and stopped working shut down completely. i had to have it towed. won't turn on at all no light windows won't move doors won't open only drivers door with key"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-05-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the engine control unit (ecu) module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v579000 (electrical system). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 76,000."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2016-03-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the key failed to turn from the off position. the contact attempted to start the engine with a spare key, but the failure persisted. the contact also stated that the steering wheel failed to lock. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2016-10-06

Recalls for the 2011 Nissan SENTRA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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)."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > 12V/24V/48V BATTERY > CABLES
Date of incident: 2011-12-15
Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > 12V/24V/48V BATTERY > CABLES
Date of incident: 2010-11-12

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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