2020 Nissan Sentra Owner Complaints

3/4 doors will not lock/unlock using fob, or the door controllers. This increases risk of theft, car jacking, and safety as the locks do not engage while driving. Very dangerous. Windows do not roll up/down, which when paired with the doors needing to be locked/unlocked manually can cause one to become trapped, especially with passengers. Dealership charged me $200 to tell me that the locks is were broken wanted to charge me $1200 to fix only two.

NHTSA ID

11752295

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

The power unlock on all four doors of my car doors will no longer operate via key fob, outside lock button or interior power unlock buttons, although the doors can all be locked using those same processes. In addition, the doors have all randomly locked while being inside the car with no key, locking me inside the car and requiring someone getting a key to manually unlock the car to allow me to exit. The doors have also randomly locked with the key inside the car making it unable to access the car without a spare key being manually used to unlock the car. This has caused several very scary incidents including having to nearly break a window to get out of the car on a day when temperatures were over 100 degrees.

NHTSA ID

11749096

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was off centered and the vehicle vibrated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle vibrated while making a turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a passenger-side rear detached inter-tire rod and bushing and a driver's side rear inter-tire rod and bushing failing. The contact was informed that the driver's and passenger interior rods and bushings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. In addition, the contact stated that in 2021 the vehicle was inspected by the dealer for an unknown recall inspection, which had a similar failure description. In addition, the contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11748871

Incident

Jun 6, 2026

Mileage

140,000 mi

I have an Nissan Sentra sv 2020 and steering rack is causing problems when I drive my car, making my whole steering wheel shake when I go 60 on the highway, it also makes noises when I try to gently press on the gas making my wheels shake violently against the road. It’s a really bad safety hazard. If that part breaks. I can or any other drivers can lose control of their car and end up in a bad accident even death. Dealership is asking for about 4k to get that fix

NHTSA ID

11748419

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

The rear driver side door does not lock/unlock when pressing the lock/unlock buttons on the key fob nor the buttons on either of the front seat door panels. It is only able to be locked/unlocked by manually flipping the lock/unlock switch on the (rear driver side) door. No other doors have this issue. I believe either the door switch actuator or faulty wiring is the cause of the issue. I believe it is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of my passengers is put at risk because of the additional step of ensuring the door is locked when departing from the vehicle, creating a more dangerous situation in the event of needing to quickly exit the vehicle, and an increased chance of car hijacking. I have seen reports saying there are 141 similar cases where certain years and models of Nissan vehicles (≈2013-2025 Altima, Rouge, and Sentra) have a similar issue, sometimes with the door not being able to be opened even with manually switching the door lock switch. The problem has been widely reported and confirmed by dealerships. The vehicle and the component have not been inspected by anyone. There were no warning signs or messages. The first sign of failure was April 4, 2026.

NHTSA ID

11741828

Incident

Apr 4, 2026

my vehicle backup camera has been turning blue i didn't know why because the first couple of months i've had it, it's been fine i found out it was a recall on it

NHTSA ID

11740142

Incident

May 14, 2024

Nissan had a recall 2 years ago for a tie rod issue. When I brought the car in for that recall Nissan said that the tie rods showed no sign of bending so they didn't replace them. Two years later my car is not steering correctly and making noises. I find out that Nissan has a new tie rod recall (recall R23B3, NHTSA #23V-581) that requires the tie rods to be changed regardless if they show any sign of bending or damage. I bring my car in to have this completed (2 years from the first recall) and they are telling me the power steering rack has to be replaced as well as the tie rods. The issue is Nissan now knows that by not replacing the tie rods two years ago it's damaging the power sterring rack but they will not acknowledge it as they don't want to pay the additional cost for the power sterring rack. I spoke to Nissan USA consumer affairs and they are taking a hard line on this. It's dangerous as the car dealership service department was going to let me drive my car after the tie rod replacement knowing the power steering rack was also damaged until I pressed the actual technician that worked on the car and he said it's dangerous to drive. Nissan must be reponsible for replacing all the damage caused by not making it mandatory to replace the tie rods in the first recall two years ago. The cost to replace the power steering rack is $3000 and they don't want to pay for that.

NHTSA ID

11737805

Incident

May 8, 2026

seatbelt is not matching and staying on as I am driving these vehicle

NHTSA ID

11737308

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

There has not been an actual incident, door lock actuator stopped working prematurely.

NHTSA ID

11736490

Incident

Apr 24, 2026

2020 Nissan Sentra Backup Camera. The camera periodically goes out only displaying a blue screen. Researched and discovered it was a recall. Went to the dealership and asked them and they said my cars recall was marked as completed back in 2023 to which I had no knowledge of. The issue was not resolved and was just marked as cleared without proper inspection. Dealerships are refusing to fix the recall since it was already (incorrectly) marked as complete.

NHTSA ID

11731636

Incident

Oct 1, 2023

I purchased my car with 7 miles in it. Within 3 months of having it the key fog stopped locking the doors. Went to the dealership and they did nothing but told me it would be $174 a door to fix. With a car on the show room floor you shouldn't be having issues that soon

NHTSA ID

11729280

Incident

Apr 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera image failed to display. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was repaired under warranty; however, the failure reoccurred. The same local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired because there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,440.

NHTSA ID

11707770

Incident

Dec 15, 2023

Mileage

32,440 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V581000 (Steering) and 21V461000 (Steering). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) and turning the steering wheel, the contact observed a clicking sound coming from under the front of the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light or messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the tie rods needed to be replaced. The contact was unsure if the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,900.

NHTSA ID

11704265

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

Mileage

21,900 mi

While in reverse, my backup camera does not engage, instead it will display a blue scree or altered fuzzy incomplete image of what's behind me. While parking, parking collision warning will go off displaying a warning and sound with multiple beeps while my automatic emergency braking system will engage my brakes while reversing unexpectedly without obstacles in the way. This causes whiplash, panic, to the driver and sudden stops causing a hazard to other drivers while wearing out my braking system I've had to replace brake pads and roaders due to warping more frequently than normal function. While driving the forward collision warning will display a malfunction warning on my dash and sometimes engages my brakes unexpectedly with no object in front of me. This has led to sudden stops in the middle of the road causing other cars to slam their brakes so they don't rear-end me. I have reported this to a local mechanic while we replaced my shocks, he stated there was wires loose and he secured them causing my backup camera to work for a short time after. It soon went back to being a blue screen or having an altered fuzzy image when reversing. These has been a reoccurring issue but I am in Germany so I have yet to find a dealership willing to inspect the vehicle. I believe the first issues started in March 2024 after I purchased the car from a friend.

NHTSA ID

11700654

Incident

Feb 29, 2024

My ABS has messed up multiple times often after traction control is lost I have been lucky enough to not be injured YET this is my daily driver and im self employed and am currently paying almost 1k a month for this car so im forced to drive it even with the car randomly slamming my breaks I took it to the dealership I bought it from after the first incident and they denied knowing anything Im terrified to drive my car if anyone is taling me and im stuck behind a slow driver im at risk of a pile up Every time it rains or snows or is foggy my traction control flashes that its not working Every time the abs has messed up the traction has flashed it wasnt working before Im at a loss on what to do ive reached out to everyone but I guess I just have to drive it until it kills me The dealership and I are not on good terms They lied to me about a previous recalled part breaking being my fault and had me pay out of pocket to fix it there Then They failed to provide the receipts and requested i go to the dealership 2 hours away instead of theirs thats 30 minutes away No one has inspected it for this because they (my dealership) denied knowing it was an issues but I read articles online stating otherwise This has happened multiple times now that I know its going to continue im genuinely scared for my life and am reaching out for this to be looked into and recalled I dont know the dates it happened but if youd take my car to looking to the codes and the system report or whatever you'd see everything yourself and im more than willing to give it to whoever would be capable

NHTSA ID

11695478

Incident

Sep 17, 2025

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11695411

Incident

Oct 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (STEERING). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. As per the dealer, the recall repair was completed. The contact never received a receipt or any documentation regarding the recall repair and doubted that the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the rearview camera displayed a blue image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed driving visibility, preventing the safe operation of the vehicle. The contact was unsure if a recall notification had been received regarding the back over prevention system. The dealer requested payment, and the contact refused because the vehicle was under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

NHTSA ID

11691073

Incident

Sep 16, 2025

Mileage

67,000 mi

DOOR ACTUATORS ARE NOT WORKING NOT LETTING ME LOCK OR OPEN THE DOORS ON MY FRONT PASSNEGER AND BACK DRIVER SIDE

NHTSA ID

11689921

Incident

Aug 22, 2025

I started hearing a swishing noise like water, i didn't think anything of it till i opened my back driver side door and heard the swishing again. My friend lifted the weather stripping on bottom of door and a-lot of water came gushing out. It had rained alot that year. This could cause electrical issues and body rot. Also my car wont start due to not recognizing the fob. I have to disconnect battery snd reconnect to start my car from time to time.

NHTSA ID

11683323

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to complete a turn, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the front of the vehicle with the steering wheel vibrating violently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the tie rods. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering); the VIN was included, and the vehicle was repaired in September 2024. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 57,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11675171

Incident

Jul 21, 2025

Mileage

57,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering with an abnormal rattling sound coming from under the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,879.

NHTSA ID

11675028

Incident

Jul 15, 2023

Mileage

28,879 mi

Driver side front and rear door locks will not respond to key fob. Rear door won’t lock and front door won’t unlock.

NHTSA ID

11672958

Incident

Jul 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11672316

Incident

Oct 16, 2024

Mileage

80,000 mi

After taking my car to the dealership for recall repairs, the backup camera, on multiple occasions has given me a blue screen. I have never had this issue prior to recall repairs.

NHTSA ID

11672295

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

I was trapped in my vehicle when my door would not open. I attempted to unlock the door with the key fab, manually, and from reaching through the window and trying from the outside. Despite the lock mechanism showing that the door was unlocked, the door would not open. I attempted to restart the vehicle, but that did not help. I tried several combinations of tactics with no success. I finally had to climb out of the passenger side. I took the car to the dealer where I was informed that the door actuators on both driver's side doors were faulty. All I can think of is what would have happened if the car was on fire or in rising water, and worse, if my children were in the back seat. Or what if I was disabled in some way or elderly? This situation could've been much, much worse. When I contacted Nissan consumer affairs, they refused to take any responsibility for this dangerous design flaw, and I was stuck with a $1500 repair. I hope they are urged to issue a recall.

NHTSA ID

11672169

Incident

Jul 2, 2025