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2016 Nissan Sentra
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2016 Nissan Sentra — Safety Summary
The 2016 Nissan Sentra has 6 NHTSA safety recalls and 270 owner complaints on record. Transport Canada separately lists 6 Canadian recalls for this model. The most frequently reported complaint area is power train. It earned an NHTSA overall safety rating of 4 out of 5. Based on this public data we rate its risk profile as high. Enter your VIN above to confirm which of these apply to your exact vehicle, then get the Smart Buyer Report for a buyer analysis of this model's reliability, common issues by mileage, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
Should you buy the 2016 Nissan Sentra in Canada?
The 2016 Nissan Sentra shows a higher level of recall or complaint activity in public data. That is not a reason to rule it out, but it does mean a careful inspection and VIN-specific check are especially worthwhile.
The best next step is to run the exact VIN and, if the car still looks promising, get a Smart Buyer Report for a model-specific reliability read and an inspection checklist before you visit the seller.
What owners complain about most
The complaint categories reported most often for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, based on owner reports in the public NHTSA data.
Complaint patterns suggest where to look — they are not proof any specific vehicle has that issue. Treat them as inspection prompts.
What to check before buying a used 2016 Nissan Sentra
- Owners report power train concerns most often for this model — worth checking during an inspection.
- Owners report unknown or other concerns most often for this model — worth checking during an inspection.
- Owners report air bags concerns most often for this model — worth checking during an inspection.
- Owners report electrical system concerns most often for this model — worth checking during an inspection.
- Confirm any open recall work was completed by running the exact VIN.
Canadian ownership considerations
General things worth checking on a used Sentra in the Canadian climate — winter, road salt, and cold-weather wear.
- Road salt causes corrosion on rocker panels, brake lines, and subframe points — inspect the undercarriage on salt-belt cars.
- Confirm the heater, defroster, and rear demister work before winter.
- Check battery health and cold-start behaviour for reliable winter starting.
- Look for uneven tire wear that can hint at suspension or alignment issues on rougher winter roads.
Pre-purchase inspection priorities
- Bring a qualified mechanic or book an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- Check the undercarriage for rust and corrosion, especially on salt-belt vehicles.
- Confirm all open recalls have been repaired using the VIN.
- Review maintenance records and look for gaps in servicing.
- Test all winter-critical systems: heater, defroster, battery, and (if equipped) AWD/4WD.
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Unlock the full buyer reportNHTSA Safety Ratings
Government crash test results
NHTSA Recalls
6 recall(s) for this year/model
AIR BAGS
13/04/2017Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
15/06/2016Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
29/06/2016Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
26/04/2016Nissan 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.
Remedy: 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:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
26/04/2016Nissan 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.
Remedy: 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.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
03/03/2021Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.
Transport Canada Recalls
6 Canadian recall(s) from the official Transport Canada database
Seats And Restraints
2016-04-25On certain vehicles, installing a child seat in the front passenger seat could deform the seat belt bracket. This could cause the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor to fail to detect the installed child seat. In the event of a crash, the airbag would not be suppressed which would increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will reinforce the seatbelt bracket and update both the air bag control unit and electronic control unit.
Seats And Restraints
2016-04-25On certain vehicles, a defect in the occupant classification system could allow an adult sitting in the front passenger seat to be classified as a child or an “empty seat”. This would suppress the airbag, which could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Correction: For affected Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue and Sentra vehicles, dealers will reprogram the airbag control unit and the occupant classification system control unit. For affected Leaf, NV200, Pathfinder, Q50 and JX35/QX60 vehicles, dealers will replace the occupant classification system electronic control unit.
Airbag
2016-06-14On certain vehicles, the wiring harness connector for the dual stage passenger airbag may not have been manufactured to specification, allowing the connector to become partially disconnected from the airbag. In the event of a crash, this could result in a non-deployment of the second stage of the airbag which could increase the risk of injury to the passenger. Correction: Dealers will inspect for proper connection and replace the passenger airbag module and wiring harness as necessary.
Airbag
2017-04-18On certain vehicles, the passenger's frontal airbag may not deploy correctly due to an issue in manufacturing. As a result of long-term storage, there could be insufficient compression strength of the coolant within the inflator housing of the passenger's frontal airbag, which may cause the airbag to fail to deploy properly in the event of a crash (where deployment is warranted), which could increase the risk of injury to the front passenger occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the passenger's frontal airbag inflator.
Airbag
2017-08-04On certain vehicles, the passenger's frontal airbag may not deploy correctly due to an issue in manufacturing. As a result of long-term storage, there could be insufficient compression strength of the coolant within the inflator housing of the passenger's frontal airbag, which may cause the airbag to fail to deploy properly in the event of a crash (where deployment is warranted), which could increase the risk of injury to the front passenger occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the passenger's frontal airbag inflator. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2017-215.
Brakes
2021-03-04Issue: On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch could fail. If this happens, the brake lights may not turn on when the brakes are applied and it may not be possible to start the engine. Safety Risk: Brake lights that do not work properly could result in road users being confused of the driver's intentions, and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Nissan will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the stop lamp switch. The dealer will also install a grommet to protect the switch.
Contains information sourced from Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Data is provided "as is" from Transport Canada's monthly release and may not reflect real-time updates. Transport Canada does not endorse this service. Always confirm open recalls with the manufacturer or Transport Canada before purchase.
Owner Complaints
270 complaint(s) filed with NHTSA
Top complaint categories:
Want the full picture?
The free data above comes from public NHTSA records. The Smart Buyer Report adds buyer analysis for this exact model — reliability score, common problems by mileage, real maintenance costs in CAD, a pre-purchase inspection checklist, a market value estimate, and Canadian notes on rust, winter, and fuel.
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Data disclaimer:Vehicle history information on CarHistoryReport.ca is compiled from publicly available government sources, primarily the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Reports may not include all incidents, recalls, or issues related to a specific vehicle. Data is provided "as-is" without warranty of completeness or accuracy. Always obtain a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying any used vehicle. CarHistoryReport.ca is not liable for purchasing decisions made based on report contents.