Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have a 2016 Nissan Sentra SV with 103k miles on it. I was driving the car, and noticed at stop sign and red lights the car would strain and hesitate when the accelerator was pressed. It would jerk hard then drive normally. The car would also loose power while driving. It would drop from 65 mph to 20 mph. It has done this numerous of times, and I have to try and maneuver off to the side of the highway to avoid a crash. The check engine light illuminated.The car would sit for a few minutes, accelerate, and drive normal. A few minutes later, the cycle starts again. I would also smell as if something was burning. After taking it to the shop, it was determined it was the CVT which was recalled in 2018 for 2013-2017 Nissan Sentra due to faulty CVT's. …
The CVT Transmission has a bad shudder while driving and shifting into gears. It jerks when trying to accelerate and is extremely slow trying to accelerate the vehicle. The safety of me and other vehicles were in danger because the vehicle failed to accelerate when going up an incline or just driving down an even lane road with no inclines or hills. The vehicle has been inspected by a certified auto repair shop and after inspection, I was told that the CVT Transmission needs to be replaced. The first instance of trouble happened on June 7th, 2023 while I was driving to work. The check engine light came on and the accelerator was hesitant. The car could barely maintain a safe speed. I was travelling on the highway when this occurred.
At least 7 times I have come across the same Safety issue, where I had to accelerate on to the highway and as I placed my foot o foot pedal. My vehicle wouldn't accelerate as if the engine and transmission were not communicating together. I had several vehicles follow very close to me from behind. I placed my hazard lights on. I even placed my foot all the way down to the floor panel and there was no reaction from the transmission again I had to place my hazard warning light on to inform the vehicles behind me that I was having trouble accelerating. I had to drive slow all the way home, this issue has been occurring for 1 week now.
My car is having transmission issues I'll be driving and it will lose power or the speed limit will decrease makes it very unsafe to drive it will do this out of no where will be on the freeway and it will go from 60 to 15
New car with several incidences when traveling at low speeds and needing to stop the vehicle the breaks felt sluggish, the vehicle would not stop where I intended, and it made sounds. I went to several Nissan dealerships and they each told me the break system was OK and I just needed to get the feel of a Nissan Sentra. I told them that was not the case because I owned several Nissan sentras. They said there was nothing they could do. I increased my stopping distance because I didn't trust the car. I got into a minor fender bender. The car in front of me only had a small scratch. I was going at low speeds when the car in front of me stopped. Under normal conditions I had plenty of room to stop. However, my car didn't behave normally. I hit the break as hard as I could, but it was sluggish and still moving. The front-end emergency breaking system started beeping. …
Purchased from Nissan of newnan, in October of 2016 Sentra - while driving the car it started hesitating before picking up any speed from a stopped position, while trying to accelerate, then check engine light came on, pulled over to read the manual and it stated to check the gas cap, it was not on tight so I removed it a placed it back, the check engine light went off. The next day while driving on the highway, when pressing on the gas pedal the engine would rev up but the car starting jerking before gaining to 40 miles per hour, the rmp gauge would zip up to 4 go back to 2 before moving to a higher speed. When the car was parked and turned off, once I started it back up the car would shift into drive, but the car would not move. Had to have it towed to the dealership, the diagnosis was dealing with something electrical and the transmission. …
When driving down the road one minute my car is driving fine then when you come to a stop and press on the gas my car doesn't want to go anywhere. The RPM will accelerate but my speedometer will not go up. I have even pressed the gas all the way to the floor and it still won't get up in speed. My car will also act like it's trying to dye when sitting at at light or stop sign. It's also started making a rattling noise in the engine. The has happened in town, on the highway. This is very scary especially when trying to get on a highway with kids in the car and trying to merge into on come traffic with huge semi's. I have taken my car in several times and they tell my that it needs to be reprogrammed. Well obviously reprogramming it doesn't work. I'm fed up with this problem. I will never by another Nissan again. I have taken my car in
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH or with the cruise control set for 75 MPH, the rpms revved up. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had overheated. The contact took the vehicle to greenway brunswick Nissan located at (231 chapel crossing road, brunswick, ga 31525, [phone]) who diagnosed that the heater core and the heater core box needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the heater core was replaced 3 times and the heater box, along with the heater core, was replaced 2 times. The failure continued. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.
Purchased my car in late November. Before the car hit 1,000, I returned it to Nissan because the car wouldn't shift as I was driving on the highway. The mechanic at Nissan ran test and said that everything was fine. Now my car is making terrible noises when I come to a stop and when I'm changing the gears. It's also shaking really bad when the car is at a complete stop. I purchased this vehicle to have a peace of mind but all it have been is a headache and unsafe.
Problem has occurred since I purchased car in 10/2016 til present. It is intermittent. When initiating a right turn from stationary 0 speed and while on the gas pedal, the car does not move. When making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic at least 100 feet away, the car does not move while the pedal is to the floor. I cannot initiate turns safely if any cars are in my view. I am taking to dealer for exam, but I believe problem is with CVT transmission.
Acceleration complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2016 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2016 Nissan Sentra, 10% of the model year's 270 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Nissan Sentra acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Nissan Sentra acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 28% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.