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.
2013 Nissan Sentra brakes problems
97 complaints (15% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 20,000. 10 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 97
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- typical mileage
- 20,000
- crashes
- 10
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Nissan Sentra brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2013 Nissan Sentra brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Excessive Brake Pedal Travel
On May 20, 2014, ODI opened PE14-014 based on eight complaints alleging incidents of excessive brake pedal travel in model year (MY) 2013 through 2014 Nissan Sentra, Versa Sedan and Versa Note passenger cars (Figure 1) and information in Early Warning Reporting field reports indicating issues with master cylinder internal seals.In response to an information request letter sent by ODI, Nissan identified a condition with the master cylinder in early production subject vehicles that could result in a slow internal leak past one of the recuperating seals to the brake reservoir when the brake pedal is depressed very slowly or lightly (Figure 2).The subject vehicles are equipped with fixed seal master cylinders supplied by TRW.To address concerns with water hammer noise with the standard seal design, the master cylinders in the early production subject vehicles used AWH (anti-water hammer) seals.The AWH seals are sensitive to contamination from assembly plant cleanliness issues, which can produce the internal leak condition during slow or light brake applies but perform as designed with normal or emergency brake applications.TRW indicated that the risk of contamination interacting with the subject seals is greatest after the evacuation and pressure fill process used to fill the brake system during the manufacturing process (early life issue).TRW developed a new master cylinder seal design (EVO seal) that addresses the noise concern and eliminates the internal leak concern associated with contamination by providing a secondary seal (Figure 3).Nissan implemented the new master cylinder design in vehicle production on September 23, 2013.ODI's analysis shows that the master cylinder warranty claim rate is much higher in vehicles produced before the change (Figure 4).Statistical analysis showed that the condition is an early-life problem with relatively low failure rates projected through 100,000 miles and approximately 58 percent of the failures projected to occur by that mileage have already occurred (Table 1).Warranty claims are highest (78% of claims) in vehicles with less than 10,000 miles (Figure 5) and 50 percent of claims involved vehicles with less than 90 days in service (Figure 6).ODI evaluated 22 crash claims that included allegations of master cylinder failure, sinking brake pedal or pedal to the floor (Table 2).The analysis identified only three crashes in which a brake performance issue related to the master cylinder was duplicated by post-incident inspection, including one with a different problem than the seal leak issue (a broken plunger).The two crash complaints related to a possible master cylinder concern involved 1 vehicle with the AWH seal and 1 with the EVO seal.Both were minor crashes.The remaining crashes do not appear to be related to any issues with the master cylinder or other brake system fault.In the 4 crashes with Event Data Recorderinformation available, the data indicated that the brakes were applied too late to avoid the collisions.These include 2 crashes with less than a half second of braking before impact and 2 in which brake applications lasting 1.0 to 2.5 seconds resulted in high decelerations consistent with fully functioning brake systems, but too late to avoid the collision.Overall, the rates of crashes adjusted for vehicle exposure (total vehicle years in service) do not show any correlation to the high warranty rates associated with the AWH seal leak concern (Table 3 & Figure 7).Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing o
PE14014
What 2013 Nissan Sentra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
When driving approximately 30mph, I pushed my brake pedal to slow for my next turn. The pedal was slightly ineffective, meaning the pressure in the pedal was released and the brake did not halt my car in a safe timeframe. I had to release and press the brake pedal again to feel pressure in the brake system, and was able to slow just in time to make my next turn. This was definitely scary as I've never experienced brake failure before.
While driving, my car continues to jerk and jerk as I tried to give the car gas. It would sputter and then all of a sudden jump really quick. It finally got to the point where I got stuck at two lights! I finally got my destination and got stuck on the hill. My foot was all the way on the gas pedal and some kind gentlemen pushed my car up the hill so I could park it. It's very scary as I had my two children in the car with me and for something like this to happen it puts all of our lives in danger. I was driving on a major intersection when this happened. Any time o would come to a stop it would stall and it would now allow me to turn. The acceleration would not work. I had to cut the car off twice to try and see if it would restart and give me enough push to my destination. But as stated my foot was completely on the gas and it would not go over 5 MPH!
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan sentra. The stated that when driving at 25 to 30 MPH when the brake pedal was engaged, the vehicle failed to come to a stop and caused the contact to crash into the vehicle in front. No injuries were reported. The contact stated that police department provided case number 020-9-018-0182. The stated that the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for inspection and the mechanic was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,400.
Master cylinder needs replacing. My daughter could have crashed as brakes went all the way to floor. Nissan knows this issue exists with 2013 nissan sentra and no recall?
Brakes go out easy/bottom of car is a total mess and non stop problems.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. When the transmission returned to normal, the brakes seized and the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to hanlees davis nissan (5009 chiles rd, davis, ca 95618, (530) 231-3000) where it was diagnosed that new cylinders and brake boosters needed to be installed. The transmission was also repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.
While driving on a city street, brake pedal suddenly went all the way to the floor and continued to malfunction until vehicle was brought to a stop. Independent mechanic and nissan dealership both determined the cause was the main cylinder. Mileage on car was 39,000. There was no indication of any brake issues before malfunction (no check engine lights, no noises from brakes, etc.).
As I was driving on the freeway in heavy traffic, I pressed on the brakes to stop and I had to press the pedal all the way to the floor to activate the breaks. This caused me to almost hit the car in front of me. This happened several more times on my way home. I took the car to the dealer and they eventually diagnosed the car with a cracked master cylinder. The car is roughly 5 years old and this is the second major problem that it has had within the month - 1st the transmission and then 2nd the breaks. These are 2 of the 3 most frequently reported problems with this make/model. The car is under 60k miles. According to most sources, the master cylinder is supposed to last the life of the car. Nissan reports that no recall/customer education has been done for either of those things for that make/model. It seems irresponsible of them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan sentra. While driving various speeds, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard without warning once depressed. The contact scheduled an appointment with kelly nissan of lynnfield (275 broadway, lynnfield, ma 01940, (866)-726-4450). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that, if there was a failure, financial assistance could possibly assist. The failure mileage was 33,200.
Questions about the 2013 Nissan Sentra brakes
Does the 2013 Nissan Sentra have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 97 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Nissan Sentra, 15% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Sentra brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 20,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Nissan Sentra brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Nissan Sentra have bad brakes?
The Nissan Sentra model years with the most brakes complaints are 2013 (97 complaints), 2018 (40 complaints) and 2019 (38 complaints).
Other 2013 Nissan Sentra problems
Transmission 311Airbags 96Engine 91Acceleration 51Electrical 43Fuel system 37Driver assistance 16Steering 16Seat belts 13Suspension 7Wheels 7Visibility 6Body 5Lights 4Seats 3Locks 1Tires 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2013 Nissan Sentra?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history