2021 Nissan Sentra: What to check before buying

Tie rods bend or break, and the car veers or loses steering entirely. This is the most dangerous pattern here: 11 of 38 reports involve a crash, 7 involve injuries, and 1 involves a fire. Many tie the failure to the federal tie rod recall, and several say dealers had no remedy or parts and sent them back out on the road. Other reports describe the steering wheel shaking during acceleration and turns, play in the electric steering rack at 68,000 miles, squeaking, and a sudden loss of power assist at about 25,000 miles.

Automatic emergency braking activates with nothing ahead, sometimes bringing the car to a full stop. The car also fails to start without warning and needs a jump. Some owners have replaced the battery more than once, and others see a "system malfunction" message. Passenger and rear windows stick while only the driver's window works. Rear door locks fail daily in some cars, and one dealer quoted $884.05 for lock actuators. Less common reports include the AC going dead, the engine shutting off at highway speed, and a smoking battery that left one owner sick.

Most of these reports describe false automatic emergency braking. The car brakes hard or stops on clear roads, on surface streets and freeway ramps alike. Dealers often cannot reproduce it. One replaced the distance sensor, and the problem came back. Owners also report no parts for recall R23B3. Two crashes involve the opposite problem: the pedal fails to stop the car, with brake, ABS, or check engine lights on. Other complaints include ABS and traction lights with wider electrical faults at 50,000 miles, and a brake switch fault that keeps the car from starting.

Automatic emergency braking engages with no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle ahead. It sounds an alert and slows or stops the car at speeds from about 35 to 55 mph. It repeats for the same owners, sometimes twice in a day, and can start early. Reports cite failures at 200, 11,382, and 28,000 miles. Some show a "System Malfunction" message, while others give no warning. Dealers repeatedly fail to replicate the fault, and owners report being left without a repair. The main risk is a rear-end collision from following traffic.

The CVT fails. The car has trouble shifting, makes a loud jet-engine or whining noise, and hesitates from a stop, sometimes showing a "CVT Warning" message. One car needed a new transmission at 36,700 miles. Another had its transmission replaced, and the fault returned by about 118,000 miles. The remaining reports concern a recalled tie rod that broke while the owner waited on the dealer, and false emergency braking that became more frequent after 30k miles.

Sudden power loss on the highway, with the car dropping into limp mode, is the most serious report here. One owner blames failed engine bearings despite regular maintenance. Another reports sludge after the dealer repeatedly said nothing was wrong. The third describes an alternator pulley breaking off while driving. Three reports are too few to show a pattern, but losing power in highway traffic carries real crash risk.

The belt assembly rattles, the tensioner pulley shakes, and a piece breaks off the alternator, throwing metal shavings around the engine bay. This lines up with alternator complaints filed under other categories. The second complaint claims the car was remotely hacked to interfere with braking and acceleration, and it describes no identifiable mechanical fault. Two reports are too few to show a broader trend.

A tie rod fractures with a popping sound while turning at low speed. The owner linked it to the steering recall, but the dealer blamed off-road driving and did not repair it. The other complaint describes drivetrain behavior: the check engine light comes on, and the car accelerates late, jerks, and shifts hard. With only two reports, the tie rod case matters mainly because it echoes the larger steering pattern.