2009 Nissan Sentra

Typical pattern

1.2% of complaints about the 2009 Nissan Sentra came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (15 complaints), typically at 6.4 yr or about 79,000 miles.

Complaints: 81
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 56,000 n=73
Crash / fire / tow: 22.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

10V401000 2010-09-10

Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.

OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Air bags 4,500 mi 1.5 yr in service

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG ON OUR 2009 NISSAN SENTRA IS NOT DISARMING WHEN OUR 8 YEAR OLD SON, WHO IS 67 POUNDS, IS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. *TR

Air bags 50,000 mi 3.1 yr in service crash / fire / tow

SO I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT NIGHT AND IT WAS RAINING THAT DAY. MY SPEED WAS 40MPH WHEN I WAS MAKING LEFT TURN ON A HIGHWAY, AND THEN ALL OF SUDDEN ONE OF MY BACK TIRE ON THE RIGHT POP. MY CAR GOES OUT OF CONTROL AND MADE 180 DEGREES TURN. SO I END UP ROLLING MY CAR. LUCKILY THEIR WAS NO ONE COMING FROM OTHER LANE. AT THE END I WAS SURPRISE THAT NONE OF MY AIRBAG DEPLOY. ALSO MY CAR GOT TOTAL. *TR

Air bags 34,588 mi 4.5 yr in service crash / fire / tow

THE FRONT AND DRIVERS SIDE WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED IN MY 2009 NISSAN SENTRA AFTER BEING HIT BY A FORD F250 SUPER DUTY. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED IN THIS ACCIDENT. THERE WERE INJURIES FROM THE DRIVER OF THE CAR AND THE PASSENGER OF THE VEHICLE. THE GLASS IN THE CAR SHATTERED AND DOOR WAS COMPLETELY CRUSHED. THE TYROD IN THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO DAMAGED AS WELL AS SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO FRAME UNDER THE DOOR AND BACK DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AFTER IMPACT. *TR

Other Sentra model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2009 Nissan Sentra

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sentra model years

How to read this