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2014 Nissan Sentra: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
71%
233 of 326 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

71% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 Nissan Sentra are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 93% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 54 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 61%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
233
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
380
this model year
Fires reported
6
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
5
27 crashes · 18 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN182 · 48%
ENGINE62 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER58 · 15%
AIR BAGS51 · 13%
SERVICE BRAKES36 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM32 · 8%

The years either side

2010
50%
56 of 144
2011
43%
54 of 142
2012
63%
101 of 180
2013
71%
388 of 638
2014
71%
233 of 380
2015
73%
225 of 351
2016
68%
162 of 270
2017
61%
116 of 230
2018
43%
68 of 185
2019
37%
67 of 221
2020
8%
16 of 204
2021
9%
11 of 131
2022
16%
12 of 81
2023
too few complaints

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact cars with no elevated signal in 2014

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

POWER TRAIN08/29/2025FIRECRASH2 INJURED
Transmission failed, as I went to turn left it stalled and on coming traffic had to slam on there brakes and 6 veh. Ran into each other i dud not get hit but feel so bad that the 2914 nissan sentra i drive caused this traffic hazard. 2 people had to go to the hospital. It should be illegal to sell these cars with ctv …
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM01/25/2015CRASH2 INJURED
NEW 2014 NISSAN SENTRA, PURCHASED AT NISSAN DEALER, HANLEE'S HILLTOP NISSAN, IN RICHMOND CALIFORNIA, IN 2014, ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL ON JANUARY 8, 2015 CAUSING INJURY TO DRIVER AND OCCUPANT. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND STRUCK INTO A WALL WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO CAUSE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. OWNER HAD BROUGHT CA…
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE11/01/2017CRASH1 INJURED
ANOTHER CAR HIT ME IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, WHILE WAITING AT A LIGHT AND THE AIRBAG NEVER CAME OUT.

Three of 233 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (5)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
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 …
AIR BAGS
Nissan 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 inflator…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2014 Nissan Sentra

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.