Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I called my home Nissan yesterday to get the information about my recalls on my car that I was not aware of after the State Troopers helped me get my cat to a safe location. I was told that there are recalls on the car (and was never notified) I called where it was originally bought from a Nissan Dealership and they gave me several recall codes as I was stranded in the freezing cold with my babies in the car. There are several recalls on my car (P1-1,P1-2, and P1-5,2, P1-8.) The car went from 1RPM and shot up to 8, and down to 0 and the car would not drive after that unless it was less than 15MPH. Anything over 15-20 the car would go from 1RPM back to 8, and shoot down to 0 and jerk the car forward and backwards. I was told it was only an 02 reprogramming recall from the location it was towed to, to a different Nissan dealership. …
It was 108 degree outside at 4:30 pm in the zip code of 89052. At a sloped intersection on a major street I stopped for the light. When the light turned green I tried to accelerate the car, it failed to accelerate, the break did not function, and the steering was difficult. The car stalled. The car started rolling downhill. I was able to turn the car to the next street ~20 yards down the intersection. The street had no slope and no other cars at the time. The car eventually stopped. But that was a dangerous incident and it could be much worse.
When I would hit my breaks and sit at a red light . My car would start vibrating really bad and then force it's self up even though my foot would be on the break and almost his someone walking and a few other times in a car . It also would shut its self off and back on . When I put it in park it would die and when I put it back in drive it would die . Sometimes turn its self back on & I have a push to start .
The left headlight went our or so I thought until I tried to change it then it worked until I put the cover back on. Also the car beeps a warning but I never know what the warning is for. The mass airflow system sensor has been replaced 5 times as of today since 5-2021. It stalled and died leaving me scared as I tried to enter the road luckily o wasn't injured.inhave no info as far as mileage, fuel usage etc..
IPDM failure on 3 Nissan vehicles customer owned all having same issues, after taking unit apart, compositors on exact same spots all burnt. As we'll as several places (including spots where issue happened) missing Conformal coatings to protect the entire board from moisture. -Whitmer automotive LLC
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate properly. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure occurred again, which resulted in a rear end collision. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle made an abnormal noise and hesitated. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where it could not be diagnosed. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 Nissan Sentra. While driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. The vehicle burst into flames and was destroyed. The driver sustained fatal injuries. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.
Intelligent key fob intermittent start/stop of vehicle. Went to start my car after dinner and it would not start.no activity when pressing the intelligent key fob. Stranded in a parking lot ,called my spouse and then he came with a spare fob, same thing, no start.turned fob around per owners manual and car started but key warning light flashed all the way home. Read manual and made sure all caveats were not the issue. Winter weather night outside, came home and pulled car in the garage, waited an hour and tried to start car, no problem started fine. Went out next morning and car started fine after two stops, at third stop would not start again. Used procedure suggested in owners manual and car started. Drove to final destination and no key warning light flashing. …
I am filing this complaint against the Nissan motor cooperation for faulty craftsmanship in 2013 Nissan Sentra that I purchased in jacksonville,fla. I have had to take my car autonation nissian in orange park fla three times due electrical shortage in the car electrical system.while driving the car, the car traction control light comes on all over sudden. The car then brakes and slows down. I attempted to try and turn off the traction control light but then a second light appears on the dash board. In addition you also lose acceleration when this happens.the mechanic,shop foreman,and service advisers came to conclusion that this is due to excessive moisture in the taillight which causes the car to automatically brake while driving and causes a shortage in electrical system. I was advised that the tail light should have been sealed at the factory. …
I almost died today on a busy fast street my car turned off while it was on and I was not able to press the brakes and my steering wheel was locked if it wasn't for my emergency brake working and they're being a part of the lane that was vacant at that second I would have been dead there were cars flying through that street. This is a complete hazard to my life and to my family's life and to the lives of other civilians driving. Nissan will have a serious lawsuit on your hands if something happens to me and my family becomes aware that it was an electric issue. I'm going to take it into the dealership but if they claim that it is not fixable or they makeup some issue with my car that was truly isn't the problem and they're only doing that because they can't find the actual problem that caused that stall in those matter of seconds I will be seeking legal action against Nissan. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Software
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.
Remedy: 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.
Electrical complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Nissan Sentra, 7% of the model year's 638 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Nissan Sentra electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-138 (software, Mar 25, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Sentra electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 33,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury and 1 death to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.