2018 Nissan SENTRA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2018 Nissan Sentra has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, with impressive scores in side crash ratings and side barrier ratings. This indicates that the vehicle provides good protection for occupants in the event of a crash. Additionally, it comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances the car's stability on the road, reducing the risk of accidents.

While the Nissan Sentra does not have lane departure warning, it does offer the option for forward collision warning, aiding in accident prevention by alerting the driver to potential frontal collisions. In terms of complaints and recalls, there have been 144 complaints and 2 recalls reported for this model. It is crucial for car owners to stay informed and address any recalls promptly to ensure the vehicle's safety and performance.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

144

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2018 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2018 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.

Optional
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

2018 Nissan Sentra 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2018 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 2018 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2018 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 2 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2018 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 2018 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:
"the contact owns a 2018 nissan sentra. the contact stated that while his daughter was driving at slow speeds, the radar sensor caused the vehicle to stop without incidence. the contact stated that the wheels locked up. the wheels unlocked and the driver was able to pull off the roadway. the forward collision avoidance warning light was illuminated and turned on and off. the contact purchased the replacement radar sensor. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the radar sensor was programmed and calibrated, and the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was approximately 107,000. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2025-05-09
Complaint:
"my car was shutting down while driving and over heating happened several times but the last time it over heated it was smoking and my fluids were boiling and i had to get a new coolant fan module and i’ve contacted nissan and they said they will not cover my expense.i have had nothing but problems since i purchased the car"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-12-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2018 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. the rpm increased, and the engine revved up. the vehicle was making an abnormal cutting metallic sound. the vehicle failed to shift from park to drive. the vehicle was jerking and jolting. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic determined that the transmission failed and needed to be repaired. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-01-11
Complaint:
""what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?" -transmission failure, already repaired as of 05/23/2023, and as such is no longer able to be inspected. "how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?" -my safety, and others were put at major risk as the transmission completely gave out at 94k miles as i was crossing the road. as i pressed the accelerator the engine revved up, i heard a loud thud, the car shook, the engine continued to rev deep into the redzone, and then all of the sudden it stopped accelerating and had barely enough momentum to get all the way across the 4 lane avenue. this could have resulted in a major accident, as i was horizontal crossing the road, and could have been t-boned. "has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?" -confirmed and repaired at glendale nissan. -address: 484 e north ave., glendale heights, il 60139 -phone number: (630) 469-6100 "were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?" unknown. the car did sometimes have an issue moving forward from a stop, but i am not sure if that is related. this started happening around 80k miles."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-08-03
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2018 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle started making an abnormal sound and started to decelerate independently. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that he was able to continue driving to his residence at a slow speed. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-01-09
Complaint:
"i took a left turn going below 10 mph when it had immediately stalled like a a manual. i was stuck in the middle of an intersection where i had to push the car out of the road. the car no longer wants to be put in drive. it just sits like it is in neutral even when i press on the gas"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-07-02
Complaint:
"transmission is constantly slipping. the car has randomly stopped and i have had to shift into park then back to drive in order for the vehicle to move out of traffic. there is no type of warning. i have no engine lights or any other warnings. this has almost caused 3 accidents. i have taken the car to the dealer and an independent mechanic for diagnostics and they are unable to find the issue even with having repeated the problem to some degree. this has been going on for the past 2 months."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-09-12
Complaint:
"while my husband was driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power. he was almost hit by the vehicle that was behind him. he was able to nurse it to the side of the road. there were no warning lights or any other indicators that there was something wrong. we called aaa and had it towed to the nearest independent service dealer. we were told that the transmission was gone. it only had 88,000 miles on it. it has not been reviewed by anyone else at this time. the repair bill is for almost as much as what we owe on the loan."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-06-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2018 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving 5 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact was unable to shift out of drive(d). the contact stated that he was able to manually push the vehicle out of the roadway with the assistance of bystanders. the vehicle was not drivable. the contact towed the vehicle to his residence. the contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 113,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-01-11
Complaint:
"my car stopped accelerating normally and was losing power so eventually i deemed it unsafe to drive. i was told by a mechanic that it was just a speed sensor or the computer needed reprogramming. i took it to the nissan dealership and they said that the entire transmission needed to be replaced. mind you i had only had the car about 10 months. i declined the warranty since it’s a 2018 and was not told the car had any major concerns. i had the transmission replaced and it’s $4,391. it’s been in the shop since july 2022 and the place i bought it from is permanently closed so i couldn’t take it back or exchange it. i haven’t been able to work without a car. i’ve been working sporadically so the bills fell behind and now i’m going through eviction stuff and facing repossession etc… it all started with this transmission replacement. i’ve been so stressed out. i hope things turn around. ? cvt transmissions are not my first go with nissans."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-07

Recalls for the 2018 Nissan SENTRA

Component Recalls

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

Recall:
"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. 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.""
Consequence:
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: BACK OVER PREVENTION > SENSING SYSTEM > CAMERA
Date of incident: 2019-09-12

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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