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2013 Nissan Sentra Recalls, Issues & Maintenance

The 2013 Nissan Sentra carries 6 open NHTSA recalls — most recently covering occupant classification and frontal. Owners report 6 recurring issue clusters, led by “Transmission shift failures coded under engine component.” Nissan owner's manuals split service into Schedule 1 (severe) and Schedule 2 (normal). Most US drivers fall under Schedule 1. The biggest preventable failure on Nissan vehicles is CVT transmission damage from extended fluid intervals — owners of Altima, Rogue, Sentra, Pathfinder, and Murano with CVT should not skip it.

6 Open Recalls

Source: NHTSA

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Campaign #16V242000 · Apr 26, 2016

Issue: 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 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.

Risk: If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.

Fix: 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.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Campaign #15V681000 · Oct 20, 2015

Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Campaign #14V138000 · Mar 25, 2014

Issue: 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 model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Campaign #16V244000 · Apr 26, 2016

Issue: 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 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.

Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Fix: 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

Campaign #13V069000 · Jan 3, 2013

Issue: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.

Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

Campaign #13V068000 · Jan 3, 2013

Issue: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Sentra vehicles manufactured from September 11, 2012, through October 4, 2012. Some fuel tank assemblies were not properly sealed during the manufacturing process. As a result, a small amount of gasoline may leak from the tank when it is full.

Risk: A gasoline leak in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a vehicle fire.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 1, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Recall data refreshed Sep 6, 2026.

Known issues for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2013 Nissan Sentra.

Reported to NHTSA

Transmission shift failures coded under engine component

ENGINE

10 NHTSA complaints · 2019-12 → 2023-01

“THE CAR GOES INTO A LIMP MODE. CANNOT ACCELERATE PAST 20MPH. MECHANIC DETERMINED MY TRANSMISSION IS BAD. QUOTED $4,000 TO REPAIR. CAR HAS 87, 511 MILES”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11301530
“WHEN DRIVING THIS CAR IT CONSTANTLY JERKS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. IT ALSO JERKS WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS GOING DOWN A HILL”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11309925
“WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF PURCHASE I HAD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A SHIFTING/TRANSMISSION RELATED ISSUE. WHEN GOING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR THE CAR TACHOMETER WOULD REV TO 4500 RPM BUT NUT GO ANY FASTER, THEN SHAKE/THUNK, AND GO INTO 2ND GEAR”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11349657

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Front lower control arm and ball joint separation

SUSPENSION

3 NHTSA complaints · 2019-08 → 2023-12

“The contact's girlfriend owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while she was driving, there was an abnormal grinding sound. There was a vibration coming from the steering wheel”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11560651
“When I reversed in a parking lot, the tire arm on my front passenger tire broke, causing my car to lean on the tire. I found oil on the ground after my car moved”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11435303
“I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND HEARD A POP, I WAS CONCERNED SO I PULLED FORWARD TO SEE IF I HEARD ANYTHING ELSE. MY CAR MOVED FORWARD ABOUT A FOOD AND CAME TO A GRINDING HALT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11244599

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

CVT transmission jerking, hesitation, and loss of power

POWER TRAIN

93 NHTSA complaints · 2019-07 → 2026-06

“The car was stalled and wouldn’t go without warning and no indication issues were present. When it stalled driver put at risk of being hit and caused multiple cars to swerve to miss the car”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11632131
“The vehicle began showing symptoms such as jerking, hesitation, and loss of power while driving. These are serious safety concerns, especially when merging or accelerating”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11669280
“Transmission has failed. The car will not change speed when pressing on gas. Causing danger on the road when driven. The issue has been confirmed by an independent auto service”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11646508

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Passenger airbag warning light stays on with seat occupied

AIR BAGS

13 NHTSA complaints · 2019-08 → 2026-06

“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the front passenger's side air bag warning light remained illuminated while the front passenger's seat was occupied”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11746802
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the passenger’s side front seat occupied, the “Air Bag Off” warning light remained illuminated”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11614138
“I went to get my car inspected and they noticed that my airbag light was on, and that even with a passenger in the seat, the airbag sensor wouldn’t work”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11550354

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Stalling and loss of power coded as unknown or other

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

13 NHTSA complaints · 2019-07 → 2026-05

“Mileage (~124k) * RPM behavior * Loss of power uphill * Can cause a crash on highway with the cvt promblems nissian sentras sv has been cause of loss of power out of no where needs to be addressed as a recall”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11736871
“While driving, the start/stop button was pressed and the vehicle turned off while in motion. WHILE IN D, THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF WHILE IN TRAFFIC, IN MOTION, DUE TO THE STOP/START BUTTON BEING PRESSED”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11700298
“December 2024 In the middle of traffic the vehicle would not accelerate forward, even when almost flooring the gas pedal. This would only Rev up the engine as if I was in park”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11631927

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Brake pedal loses pressure and fails to stop the vehicle

SERVICE BRAKES

3 NHTSA complaints · 2019-11 → 2020-07

“WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH, I PUSHED MY BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW FOR MY NEXT TURN. THE PEDAL WAS SLIGHTLY INEFFECTIVE, MEANING THE PRESSURE IN THE PEDAL WAS RELEASED AND THE BRAKE DID NOT HALT MY CAR IN A SAFE TIMEFRAME”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11337432
“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN SENTRA. THE STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT 25 TO 30 MPH WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO COME TO A STOP AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11298995
“MASTER CYLINDER NEEDS REPLACING. MY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE CRASHED AS BRAKES WENT ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR. NISSAN KNOWS THIS ISSUE EXISTS WITH 2013 NISSAN SENTRA AND NO RECALL?”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11278765

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Note: NHTSA also opened 3 defect investigation(s) on this vehicle that closed without action.

Issues on other model years

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 11, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 11, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter

Every 5,000 mi

Replace synthetic-blend or full-synthetic oil every 5,000 miles under Schedule 1. Schedule 2: 7,500 miles. VR30DDTT (3.0L twin-turbo): full synthetic only.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 5,000 mi

Rotate tires every 5,000 miles. Front-wheel-drive Nissans (Altima, Sentra, Versa) wear front tires fast — don't skip rotations.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

CVT Fluid (NS-3)

Every 60,000 mi

Nissan officially calls CVT fluid 'lifetime,' but independent technicians and Nissan TSBs recommend replacement every 60,000 miles to prevent CVT failure. Use Nissan NS-3 fluid only — substitutes destroy the belt-and-pulley system.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$360–$500

Shop

~$255–$355

DIY

~$80–$180

CVT fluid is manufacturer-specific and pricey — do NOT substitute conventional ATF.

Brake Inspection

Every 7,500 mi

Inspect brake pads, rotors, and parking brake every 7,500 miles. Rogue and Pathfinder front pads typically last 35,000-50,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Brake Fluid

Every 30,000 mi

Replace DOT 3 brake fluid every 30,000 miles or 2 years. Dark or amber fluid indicates moisture contamination.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace engine air filter every 30,000 miles, sooner if driving on dusty unpaved roads.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Spark Plugs

Every 105,000 mi

Iridium-tipped spark plugs are rated 105,000 miles on QR25, MR20, and VQ35 engines. VR30DDTT: 60,000 miles due to higher cylinder pressures.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$390

Shop

~$200–$275

DIY

~$25–$100

Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.

Long-Life Coolant

Every 75,000 mi

Nissan Long-Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue/green): first change at 105,000 miles, then every 75,000. Do not mix with other coolant chemistries.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Transfer Case / Rear Diff (AWD models)

Every 60,000 mi

Rogue AWD, Murano AWD, Pathfinder 4WD: replace transfer case fluid and rear differential fluid every 60,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 15,000 mi

Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles. Located behind the glove box on Altima, Rogue, and Sentra.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

128 crashes 2010–2024

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

24

complaints mentioning a crash

4

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2013 Nissan Sentra reflects Nissan's published service intervals and the Maintenance Reminder system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.

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