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2015 Nissan Sentra: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
73%
225 of 307 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

73% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 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 94% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 44 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 64%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
225
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
351
this model year
Fires reported
3
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
3
23 crashes · 23 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN172 · 49%
ENGINE68 · 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER54 · 15%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL49 · 14%
AIR BAGS44 · 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM25 · 7%

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 2015

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 TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER02/25/2022CRASH1 INJURED
The transmission quit working in rush our traffic in St. Louis, Missouri. The incident nearly caused a severe accident, if it hadn't been for two alert drivers during rush hour. After sitting for approximate sixty minutes waiting for a tow truck. Just before the the tow truck arrive another tow driver was going to p…
POWER TRAIN08/06/2026
I am writing to report a life-threatening, sudden-onset mechanical defect in my vehicle’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). While driving in heavy traffic, my son experienced a complete and sudden loss of motive power without any warning or dashboard lights. The vehicle abruptly stopped accelerating in a live l…
POWER TRAIN06/17/2026
Transmission failed on major highway out of no where would not accelerate above 5 MPH

Three of 225 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 (3)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissa…
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured June 9, 2015, to June 10, 2015, and 2015 Nissan Sentra and Ver…
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 …

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

Before you buy a 2015 Nissan Sentra

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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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.