What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The transmission failed to operate properly. The component is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle jerks when shifting gears and upshifts on its own, causing unpredictable changes in speed and loss of smooth acceleration. This creates a risk of sudden acceleration or hesitation, especially in traffic, increasing the potential for a collision. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, the problem has not yet been formally confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? No, the vehicle and transmission have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Prior to the failure, the vehicle began jerking during gear shifts. The transmission does not properly shift gears in relation to engine upshifting and will upshift by itself. These symptoms appeared before the failure and have continued since.
2015 Nissan Sentra: jerking or lurching
43 of the 352 complaints about the 2015 Nissan Sentra describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 43
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 66,000
- recalls
- 0
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
No check engine lights or any kind of warning signs. My car randomly will jerk, lose power, accelerate, and makes noises! Issue caused car to slow down rapidly and I was almost rear-ended twice this week! I don't feel safe in my car!
I took this vehicle to the dealership, and the dealership said that the transmission needs to be replaced. I sold this car to Surburban Chevrolet of Ann Arbor, but they appear to be selling the car without fixing the transmission. It is not safe to drive this car because the vehicle is jerky and may not change the gear properly in the highway.
The was engine stalling, shuddering, jerking, and after a while I had loss of power, all of this happened when I was driving 65 mph on the highway.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the vehicle jerked, and the contact noticed an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed CVT failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The dealer advised the contact to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
2015 Nissan Sentra SV jerks when accelerating
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle began jerking and lost motive power. The vehicle was steered into a parking lot and restarted. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Car lost power going 70 on the freeway and started shuttering and jerking when accelerating. The rest of the 20 minute drive home, my vehicle would not stop jerking and wouldn’t go over 30mph.
The car began to jerk when driven. One day, it stopped working; the engine was still running but it wouldn't shift gears. The transmission was repaired, and several parts were replaced. However, the car still jerks when reaching 50 miles per hour, the horn doesn't sound, not even the alarm, and it makes a loud noise when making a tight turn.
My car's transmission gave out in November 2023. It was returned the day before Thanksgiving. For the second time on January 11, 2024, the transmission blew. It was towed to the dealership where they notified me that the car would need another transmission. The car received another transmission and the car was returned to me on February 13, 2024. On February 14, 2024, after only driving 65 miles the car stalled after exiting the highway during rush hour. The car would not accelerate properly and was jerking. The car wouldn't accelerate past 15 mph. I was able to get the car to a safe location where I parked and called to get the car towed back to the dealership. On February 15, 2024, the dealership notified me that the transmission blew again. There were no warning signs or lights when the car stalled. It was driving fine until I exited the highway and was sitting at a red light. When I tried to accelerate at the change of the light the car jerked and would not pick up speed past 15 mph. Having my system fail unexpectedly in the middle of traffic put me and my passengers in danger.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and failed to accelerate as needed. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated to approximately 30 - 40 MPH. The vehicle was repaired however, while driving at speeds of 50 MPH or more, the vehicle would start to shake and hesitate while accelerating. The contact stated that over time the vehicle started failing to accelerate to speeds exceeding 50 MPH. On another occasion while driving up to a red light at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking while idling at the traffic light. The vehicle then failed to accelerate above 20 MPH and was shaking and losing motive power while driving. The contact pulled to the side of the road to have the vehicle towed. While parked and waiting to be towed, the "Check Engine" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The transmission was replaced after the first failure however, the transmission was not repaired or replaced with the failure persisting. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I’m getting the code P0101 which is saying I have a bad MAF sensor. I have replaced this sensor and im still having problems. Getting worse than average gas mileage, engine RPM’s going crazy while accelerating. Not idling properly, hesitant and jerky movements. I’m getting tired of searching every little thing and I know lots of people with this same problem. Sounds like a manufacturers mistake.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Clicking noise from front or rear axle during take-off/acceleration
- Enhanced diagnostic logic for CVT
- CVT oil leak diagnosis using fluorescent dye
- Dear Nissan Sentra Owner: Thank you for being a Nissan owner
- CVT Repairs Repair Recommendation: Dealers are advised to use all diagnostic information available in the...
- CVT Warranty Extension In an effort to assure customer satisfaction, demonstrate our confidence in...
- Enhanced diagnostic logic for CVT
- CVT judder
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2015 Nissan Sentra jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
43 of 352 owner complaints about the 2015 Nissan Sentra (12%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
There are 0 recalls and 40 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Nissan Sentra
CVT failure 51Transmission failure 45Stalling 40Check engine light 34Hesitation 25Loss of power 25Slipping 18Airbag light 14Shudder 12Won't shift 10No deployment 9Door locks 8Whining noise 8Grinding brakes 7Sudden acceleration 7
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