Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering and there was an abnormal thumping sound coming from the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the inner tie rod had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering) and referred the contact to the dealer for the recall repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where an unknown diagnostic was made. …
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated his son slowed down the vehicle to make a turn. The contact's son stated he heard a loud noise and the tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated his son parked the vehicle and the contact's son noticed that the front passenger side tire was flat. The contact's son replaced the flat tire with the spare tire. The contact's son drove the vehicle to a local tire shop and purchased a replacement tire. …
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 40-50 MPH, the steering wheel and the vehicle shuddered violently. Additionally, the front wheels were wobbling abnormally. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving at a slower speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the tie rod had fractured. The contact stated that the dealer declined to perform an interim repair because the tie rod was not bent; however, the recall remedy involved replacing bent or broken tie rods, free of charge. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who declined to perform the interim repair. …
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while reversing to park the vehicle, the vehicle spun out. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where she was informed that the driver's and passenger's side front tie rods were bent. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where she was informed that there were no defects on the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle back to an independent mechanic where both tie rods were repaired. The contact stated that after the repair was performed, she was informed by the insurance company that the Vin was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V461000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. …
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V581000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, there was a vibration in the steering wheel. The contact stated that while following the roadway in a left or right turn, the front tires started to vibrate, which made steering and controlling the vehicle very difficult. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the vehicle front tie rods needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a recall for the failure. …
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact stated when the vehicle was driven over a pothole and the steering wheel shook erratically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was advised to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the independent mechanic. In addition, the contact stated that upon an inconclusive diagnostic test, all four tires were replaced and balanced, and the tie rod was replaced however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. …
Car was in a hit and run accident on June 29, 2023 where another car slid up the whole passenger side of the car damaging the front side so car could not be driven. Car was repaired, given back but not performing correctly. Car was taken back and told unsafe to drive. They did more repairs on the car, gave it back and car still not performing correctly. Car taken back for a second time, deemed unsafe, repaired, and given back. Car still didn't seem to be right. On October 21, 2023 daughter was on the way to Nissan to check out a recall on tie rods because we just got a letter in the mail about them. The car started to vibrate. My daughter tried to pull off the road but the steering would not allow her to control the car. The car ended up in the middle median. She was cut out of the car and has hand injuries. Allstate is working on new claim. Car is total loss. …
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 contact owns a 2020 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel had an excessive amount of play. While driving over a pothole, the vehicle shook abnormally. While reversing, there was an abnormal thumping sound while turning the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle should not be driven. The mechanic determined that the steering rack was badly worn, and the tie rod needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contact about NHTSA Campaign Number 23V581000 (Steering). The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the steering rack and tie rod needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a claim. …
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. …
Related recalls
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may bend.
Remedy: Owners are advised to contact their dealer for transport assistance if they are experiencing an off-center steering wheel or vibration.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. The left and/or right tie rod may be bent.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and/or right tie rods as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 5, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Steering complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2020 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the steering of the 2020 Nissan Sentra, 27% of the model year's 206 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Nissan Sentra steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-581 (tie rod assembly, Aug 15, 2023); NHTSA recall 21V-461 (tie rod assembly, Jun 17, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Nissan Sentra steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to steering 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.