RoadVitals

2018 Nissan Sentra Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
32
Latest Feb 14, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
17%
of 184 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Nissan Sentra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 32 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

The 25 most recent of 32, in the owner's own words

Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 14, 2025

Unknown, ICC module is out on Sentra is known issue from Nissan, needs to be recalled as it can cause some cars to brake on there own from what I’ve seen online. Nissan wants over 2000 to make repair on a part they know from the factory is likely to fail

NHTSA ID
11642737
Incident
Feb 8, 2024
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Aug 10, 2024

Car won't start, stranded in parking lots, on road. Have seen hundreds of complaints about the same thing ,saying it's either a brake switch or ignition switch.Very scary to be stranded somewhere.Nissan is aware and said it's common problem? Hard to believe Nissan or the nhtsa does not believe this to be a safety issue.

NHTSA ID
11607682
Incident
Aug 1, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jun 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start immediately, and the contact had to depress the brake pedal several times before the vehicle would start. The contact stated that the start time varied. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

NHTSA ID
11592548
Incident
Feb 5, 2024
Mileage
51,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Jan 24, 2024

After getting my left headlight assembly replaced the high beam went out. Shortly after my horn was no longer working. Other problems I noticed before these issues that seemed electrical but didn’t necessarily catch my attention: oil light doesn’t come on, seatbelt reminder doesn’t make noise, lights inside the car short at times unless turned on a specific way(including screens and overhead lights.)

NHTSA ID
11567592
Incident
May 1, 2023
ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jan 17, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 - 45 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle revved roughly before accelerating forward. The contact stated that while driving for approximately 20 minutes at 20-25 MPH accelerating uphill, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving after approximately 5 minutes. The battery failure warning light illuminated, along with the check engine and oil failure warning lights. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where they had not diagnosed the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,800.

NHTSA ID
11565934
Incident
Jan 15, 2024
Mileage
50,800 mi
ElectricalEngineFuel system
Filed Dec 19, 2023

My gas gauge said 60 miles until fill up, I ran out of gas with no warning, no check engine light and no gas light, in the middle of the street. I was not able to wheel it to the side as I was going uphill at the time and the steering went out. Traffic had to avoid hitting me as I was completely locked up. There is nothing previously wrong with the car.

NHTSA ID
11560955
Incident
Dec 18, 2023
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Sep 1, 2023

When I use my air conditioning my car over heats and blows hot air out ,the gas gauge says I have gas and then ran out of gas 3 times when it said I had 120 miles left the rpm’s go crazy feels like it’s skipping gears I’ve had nothing but problems since I got the car and I got it to feel safe and I do not at all

NHTSA ID
11542185
Incident
May 10, 2023
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Dec 6, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V135000 (Exterior Lighting) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) remained illuminated after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where an unknown repair was completed but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The contact stated that the recall remedy had failed to fix the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,816.

NHTSA ID
11496223
Incident
Sep 6, 2022
Mileage
105,816 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine
Filed Apr 19, 2022

Trouble starting car as if there were no gas in engine. Radar warning coming on with no obstruction and, trunk poping open at the same time.

NHTSA ID
11461265
Incident
Apr 15, 2022
Electrical
Filed Feb 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V135000 (Exterior Lightning). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown malfunction warning message was displayed and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ID
11453603
Incident
Feb 22, 2022
Mileage
180,000 mi
BrakesElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Jan 13, 2022

UNKNOWN. however there has been a safety recall about the brake lights not illuminating. I have tried three times to make an appointment with nissan dealership to get this problem fixed but i have had no luck with them helping. Im worrried about my daughters safety. She is not even two years old yet, i dont want her or anyone else on the road getting hurt because of a faulty safety feature.

NHTSA ID
11447374
Incident
Apr 30, 2021
BrakesElectricalEngine
Filed May 14, 2021

A TIMELY FIX FOR THIS RECALL HAS NO BEEN ISSUED.

NHTSA ID
11416632
Incident
Apr 7, 2021
Mileage
39,000 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed May 13, 2021

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH IS F AS FAILING MAKING MY REAR BRAKE LIGHTS NOT GLOW

NHTSA ID
11416392
Incident
May 12, 2021
Mileage
30,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Mar 6, 2021

I BOUGHT THIS FROM A NISSAN DEALER NOVEMBER 2018. A MONTH AFTER PURCHASE A WARNING APPEARED ON THE DASH STATING "UNAVAILABLE FRONT RADAR OBSTRUCTION" FOLLOWED BY THE DEACTIVATED RADAR SYMBOL THAT REMAINS ON THE DASH. I CALLED THE DEALER TO SEE IF ANY RECALLS WE'RE OUT FOR THE COLLISION WARNING SENSOR. THEY SAID NO. I KNOW THAT THE NISSAN MURANOS HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH THIS SENSOR. IT STARTED GOING OFF ABOUT ONCE A DAY, NOW IT DEACTIVATES NEARLY SIX OR MORE TIMES A DAY AND I DRIVING ME CRAZY. WHEN I LOOKED INTO THIS ISSUE WITH THE MURANO, THEY MENTIONED THAT OCCASIONALLY THE "AUTO BRAKE" FEATURE WOULD ENGAGE WHILE DRIVING AFTER SEEING THIS MESSAGE AND I AM AFRAID MY VEHICLE WILL DO THE SAME.

NHTSA ID
11399452
Incident
Dec 27, 2018
Mileage
6,000 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed Oct 21, 2020

MY 2018 NISSAN SENTRA IS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE (AEB) AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM. I'VE HAD THE CAR FOR 10 MONTHS AND WHILE IM DRIVING, I GET A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE AEB HAS MALFUNCTIONED, FOLLOWED BY A CONSTANT BEEPING NOISE THAT DOESNT GO AWAY UNLESS I TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. THE LOUD BEEP WILL KEEP GOING FOR AS LONG AS IM DRIVING, AND THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES BRAKES ON ITS OWN, WHICH IS SCARY, AND DANGEROUS. EVERYDAY THAT I DRIVE THE VEHICLE, THE LIGHT COMES ON AUTOMATICALLY WHILE IM DRIVING, FOLLOWED BY THE ANNOYING BEEP, THERES NOT ONE DAY IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, AS FAR AS THE BRAKING GOES, THAT HAPPENS DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE VEHICLE AND OTHER VEHICLES. SOMETIMES OBJECTS WILL MAKE MY VEHICLE BRAKE, OR SOMETIMES IT'LL BRAKE FOR NO REASON, JUST A SLIGHT BRAKE.

NHTSA ID
11365666
Incident
Oct 21, 2020
Mileage
50,588 mi
Electrical
Filed Oct 14, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON TEST DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 45 MPH, THE FRONT UNAVAILABLE RADAR OBSTRUCTION WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT INFORMED SAVANNAH TOYOTA (11101 ABERCORN ST, SAVANNAH, GA 31419) OF THE WARNING LIGHT AND THE VEHICLE REMAINED IN THEIR POSSESSION FOR A FEW DAYS. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY GRAINGER NISSAN (1550 CHATHAM PKWY, SAVANNAH, GA 31408) THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT CRASH SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE AND THE CONTACT REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD YET TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,573.

NHTSA ID
11364400
Incident
Dec 1, 2019
Mileage
54,573 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 18, 2020

KEYLESS IGNITION NOT STARTING AFTER KEY FOB BATTERY HAS BEEN CHANGED AND CAR BATTERY CHANGED, APPEARED TO BE OKAY THEN PROBLEM RETURNED WITHIN A FEW DAYS. KEYLESS IGNITION AGAIN NOT STARTING. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY STATIONARY IN MY DRIVEWAY.

NHTSA ID
11349993
Incident
Aug 18, 2020
Mileage
40,000 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 10, 2020

ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE IN A PARKING LOT AND ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. ELECTRICALLY EVERYTHING TURNED ON BUT ENGINE WOULD NOT START. HAD TO ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR A FEW TIMES BEFORE THE ENGINE WOULD ACTUALLY TURN OVER. PURCHASED MY CAR A FEW DAYS AGO FROM HERTZ CAR SALES AND THIS STARTED HAPPENING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY EVERY TIME I ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR. I READ ALL THE POSTS RELATED TO THIS TYPE OF 2018, AND APPEARS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD BE RECALLED.

NHTSA ID
11348378
Incident
Aug 8, 2020
Mileage
37,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed May 25, 2020

MY 2018 NISSAN SENTRA HAS ISSUES WITH NOT STARTING AND THE BRAKE SENSOR FAILING AND COMING ON WITH NOTHING AROUND. THE BACK UP CAMERA GOES OUT AND THE RADIO AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL LIGHTS GO OUT. THERE ARE SEVERAL ONGOING DANGEROUS ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE I HAVE CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, CORP AND MANAGERS AT SUTHERLIN NISSAN TO NO AVAIL.*DT*JB*DT*JB

NHTSA ID
11325841
Incident
May 15, 2020
Mileage
1,884 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Mar 18, 2020

03/11/2020 I DROVE THE 2018 NISSAN SENTRA ON HWY 26 W TO PORTLAND OREGON. WHILE DRIVING THE AEB SENSOR LIGHT TURNS ON, MALFUNCTION FROM MANUFACTORY LIGHT ON WITH THE PIPING SOUND CAME ON THAT WAS THE EFFECTED THE SPEED CONTROL BY THE BRAKING. NEXT DAY 3/12/20. I DROVE TO CARR NISSAN DEALER FOR REPAIR AEB(AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKE) CENSOR. THE DEALER SAID THAT MY CAR HAS NO WARRANTY AND CHARGED FOR REPAIR IS $5,754.42 DUE ON 03/18/2020. I THINK THE NISSAN DEALER WAS OVERCHARGED. I THINK THIS IS SAFETY ISSUES AND 2018 NISSAN SENTRA NEEDS TO RECALL THE AEB SENSOR.ON THE HWY26 HAVE MY KID 16 YEARS OLD AND MY WIFE IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ID
11318618
Incident
Mar 11, 2020
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Mar 5, 2020

EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON AN INTERSTATE THE AEB SYSTEM ERRORS CAUSING THE TCS AND ESP SYSTEMS TO SHUT DOWN. SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AND THE VEHICLE MUST BE RESTARTED TO CLEAR THE FAULT.

NHTSA ID
11316206
Incident
Mar 4, 2020
Mileage
42,300 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 31, 2020

RANDOM WARNING STATING "FRONT RADAR OBSTRUCTION," ESSENTIALLY DEACTIVATING THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM FOR FRONT END COLLISION. VEHICLE WILL BRAKE QUICKLY ON ITS OWN WITHOUT ANYTHING AHEAD IN THE ROAD, WHICH CAUSES OTHER VEHICLES TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID COLLISION

NHTSA ID
11306412
Incident
Jan 31, 2020
Mileage
41,665 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jan 21, 2020
Crash reported

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ABOUT 30 MPH, BEFORE I EVEN APPROACHED ANOTHER VEHICLE MY SENSORS BEGAN BEEPING QUICKER AS IF I WERE ABOUT TO HIT ANOTHER CAR. NO VEHICLE NEAR ME CLOSE ENOUGH FOR SENSOR TO BEGIN ALERTING ME. AS I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN , THEY BEGAN BEEPING VERY FAST AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP, I WENT AROUND A CAR THAT WAS SITTING AT THE STOP SIGN TO AVOID REAR ENDING THEM, AND STILL REAR ENDED A PARKED CAR. POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE AND WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT. MY CAR WAS TOTALED DUE TO A MALFUNCTION

NHTSA ID
11300743
Incident
Jan 7, 2019
Mileage
41,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 21, 2019

PURCHASED CAR NEW AND ONE WEEK INTO OWNERSHIP HAD THE FRONT PROXIMITY SENSOR GO BAD, WHICH DISABLES VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS INCLUDING CRUISE CONTROL. AFTER WAITING A MONTH ON A BACK ORDERED PART IT WAS INSTALLED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. 1 YEAR LATER THE SENSOR AGAIN WAS DIAGNOSED AS BAD AND ONE WAS ORDERED , THE NEW PART CAME IN DAMAGED AND WHEN REORDERING THE PART, IT AGAIN WENT TO BACK ORDER. IT HAS NOW BEEN A MONTH, AND STILL NO PART. NISSAN CUSTOMER CARE WAS CONTACTED AND THE "ESCALATED" THE COMPLAINT TO A "REGIONAL LEVEL". ALL THAT HAS ACCOMPLISHED IS AN OCCASIONAL PHONE CALL FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE TELLING ME THAT THE PART IS NOT IN AND HE HASN'T EVEN GOT A TIMEFRAME FOR IT. ALSO THAT THERE ARE 1000 VEHICLES AWAITING THAT PART AND MINE IS AT THE HEAD OF THE PACK. THIS IS A SAFETY SENSITIVE PART AND THEY ARE NOT MAINTAINING AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF REPLACEMENT PARTS , AND ARE RETURNING VEHICLES TO CUSTOMERS TO DRIVE WHILE AWAITING THE REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID
11257073
Incident
Aug 13, 2019
Mileage
7,436 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Sep 16, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE "UNAVAILABLE FRONT RADAR SENSOR" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JIM KERAS NISSAN (2080 COVINGTON PIKE, MEMPHIS, TN 38128, (901) 373-2800) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT RADAR SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 37101150. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,300.

NHTSA ID
11255904
Incident
Sep 9, 2019
Mileage
42,300 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Data sources

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