YearToAvoid

2015 Nissan Sentra Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

87/100

#3 most-complained of 16 Sentra years

The 2015 Nissan Sentra ranks 3rd worst out of 16 model years, with a Complaint Index of 87 and 351 NHTSA complaints, most tied to transmission and engine problems. NHTSA lists 3 recalls, none do-not-drive. Owners report failures around a median of 55,500 miles.

Complaints
351
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
23 / 3
Injuries / deaths
23 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
32
29 city / 37 hwy

Top 2015 Nissan Sentra problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain172 (49%)
  2. Engine101 (29%)
  3. Other57 (16%)
  4. Airbags44 (13%)
  5. Electrical System27 (8%)
  6. Brakes22 (6%)
  7. Structure & Body20 (6%)
  8. Fuel System11 (3%)
  9. Suspension, Wheels & Tires9 (3%)
  10. Seat Belts6 (2%)

What owners report

  • Air bags fail to deploy in low-speed frontal or head-on crashes, leaving occupants with rib, back, neck, and facial injuries.
  • Air bags deploy unexpectedly while driving over road dips with no impact, causing burns from deployment.
  • Transmission shifts incorrectly at moderate speed, causing loss of control and road departure.
  • Brakes fail to stop the vehicle when the pedal is pressed to the floor, leading to low-speed collisions.
  • Unintended acceleration occurs during low-speed turns even with the brake pedal depressed, resulting in a crash.
  • Electrical system loses power steering and shuts off dashboard functions while driving, in one case linked to a fire.
2015 Nissan Sentra complaints: complaints filed per quarter322015 Q12016 Q32018 Q12019 Q32021 Q12022 Q32024 Q12025 Q3
481 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2015 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2019 Q2 (32).

2015 Nissan Sentra recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 16V242000Apr 26, 2016Airbags645,898 vehicles

    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 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.

    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.

  2. NHTSA 16V244000Apr 26, 2016Airbags3,296,947 vehicles

    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 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.

    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.

  3. NHTSA 15V453000Jul 21, 2015Structure & Body6,595 vehicles

    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 Versa Note vehicles manufactured June 5, 2015, to June 13, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the driver side front and rear doors may not fully latch. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."

    Risk: A door that does not fully latch may result in the door opening while the car is moving. The distraction may increase the risk of a crash and/or a vehicle occupant may fall out of the vehicle if they are not wearing a seatbelt, increasing their risk of injury.

    Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the date, lot number, and cavity code on the left front and rear door latches, and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

2015 Nissan Sentra fuel economy and fuel cost

City
29 MPG
Highway
37 MPG
Combined
32 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,050
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2015 compared with other Sentra years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2013Avoid100638633
2014Avoid93380532.5
2015Avoid87351332
2016Caution67270632
2017Caution73230328.5

All Nissan Sentra years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Nissan Sentra reliable?
Compared to other Sentra model years, the 2015 ranks poorly. It has a Complaint Index of 87, the 3rd worst of 16 model years, and its verdict is Avoid.
What are the main problems with the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
Transmission and Powertrain issues make up 49% of complaints (172 complaints, median mileage 75,500), followed by Engine issues at 29% (101 complaints, median mileage 55,500). Airbags account for 13% of complaints and are linked to 16 crashes.
Does the 2015 Nissan Sentra have recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2015 Sentra, covering airbags (seat belt bracket and Air Bag Control Unit reprogramming) and a structure/body door issue. None are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2015 Sentra compare to other years?
The 2015 Sentra (Complaint Index 87) is worse than 2010 (7), 2012 (20), and 2018 (47), but slightly better than the worst year, 2013, which scored 100.
What is the fuel economy of the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
The EPA rates it at 32 mpg combined (29 city/37 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,050.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.