The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 30-35 MPH, a yellow triangle warning light illuminated, and the vehicle independently applied the brakes forcefully and made a sharp left turn. The vehicle then rolled over twice and landed upside down in a ditch. The driver crawled out through broken glass. The contact stated that the air bags deployed as needed. The contact arrived at the scene and transported the driver to the hospital. The contact's son sustained lap belt bruises on the lower stomach and upper legs, a cut arm, neck, back, and rib pain, a neck contusion, and slightly forward-displaced C2 and C3 vertebrae. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed, inspected, and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The dealer was contacted and informed that the vehicle might have experienced phantom braking. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that a fee was required for a third-party investigator to retrieve data from the Event Data Recorder (EDR). The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
2021 Nissan Sentra driver assistance problems
44 complaints (33% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 11,382. 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 44
- of this car's complaints
- 33%
- typical mileage
- 11,382
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Automatic emergency braking30
- Warnings16
- Warning3
- Rearview system braking1
- Assist1
- Adaptive cruise control1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Sentra driver assistance problems in other years
Related recalls
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.
Recall number 23V628000 · Recall details
What 2021 Nissan Sentra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I purchased this vehicle brand new in 2021. Since then, I have experienced a very concerning safety issue on multiple occasions involving the automatic emergency braking system. While driving normally, with the vehicle operating without any apparent problems, the emergency braking system has suddenly activated and warning lights have appeared on the dashboard, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, object, or other obstruction in front of me that would have required emergency braking. This has happened to me several times and is extremely frightening. During the most recent incident, the vehicle behind me had to quickly go around my car to avoid rear-ending me after my vehicle unexpectedly braked. After researching this issue, I found numerous reports from other owners describing what appears to be the same or a very similar problem. This makes me extremely concerned that this may be a widespread safety issue with this vehicle. Fortunately, when these incidents occurred, I was traveling at approximately 40 MPH. I am very concerned about what could happen if the emergency braking system were to activate unexpectedly while traveling on the freeway at 65 MPH or higher. Unexpected braking at highway speeds could potentially result in a serious rear-end collision, injuries, or fatalities. Given the number of similar complaints from other owners, I believe this issue warrants a thorough investigation. I strongly urge Nissan and the federal safety agency to investigate these reports and determine whether a safety recall is necessary before someone is seriously injured or killed. This is not simply an inconvenience or a minor mechanical problem. Unexpected emergency braking without an obstacle in the vehicle’s path presents a serious safety concern for the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists.
My 2021 Nissan Sentra has experienced multiple false Automatic Emergency Braking (phantom braking) events where the vehicle suddenly applies the brakes despite there being no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle in its path. This issue occurred before and after my vehicle was serviced by AutoNation Nissan Chandler on June 12, 2026. Despite recent dealership service, the problem continues to occur. The unexpected braking creates a serious safety hazard because it can cause the vehicle to slow or stop unexpectedly in traffic, increasing the risk of a rear-end collision or other accident. I am also concerned that these repeated sudden braking events may be causing excessive stress or premature wear to vehicle components such as the engine mounts, suspension, and struts. Vehicle Information: Year: 2021 Make: Nissan Model: Sentra Mileage: Approximately 139,659 miles I am submitting this complaint because I believe this recurring phantom braking issue is a significant safety concern that should be investigated.
The scope of repair required fixing a recalled tie rod that suffered a catastrophic failure, which directly caused the vehicle’s ADAS, Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), and collision detection systems to crash. Berman Nissan promised a legally compliant, safe repair but breached this agreement by returning an unsafe vehicle, failing to road-test the steering component (verified by identical check-in/out mileage), and intentionally scrubbing trouble codes to conceal active safety failures. Staff explicitly refused all safety assistance, failed to secure my signature on any authorization paperwork from tow to pick-up, and Nissan corporate stated they were 'not legally required' to resolve the hazards. Service personnel stonewalled the issue, and management only escalated the matter to Service Director Mark Yalda after I disclosed I possessed concrete video proof of the identical mileage and unsigned invoices.
Alternator needed replacement Front windshield needed replacement Unfortunately this kicked off the malfunction warning. All Nissan can say is it’s the ADAS 2 controller. They are unable to determine part numbers. However the alternator and windshield replacement kicked off the malfunction warning.
Several issues since purchasing vehicle. The front collision sensor malfunction. Came to an abrupt stop several times while on the freeway due to failed sensor. Narrowly avoided major collisions. Also, have had to replace batter every year along with brakes and tires. My suspension is awful. The brakes are crap and have consistently had to address worn tires in one side. Electric panel shit off and key fob malfunctions. So many issues and so much unnecessary repairs with no real results
Some time while driving on empty roads Fuel Economy warning light beeping and automatically emergency brake . It happened on me more than 5 times.
AEB system is initiating emergency braking at random times. Both on surface street, and the freeway on ramp. With and without weather, and without any obstacles or cars in the way. The vehicle comes it a complete stop when this happens and puts the driver in significant danger. At this point the dealer observed warning code on the dashboard, but it did not engage. Message relating to that the AEB may deploy. When it does happen Emergency Brake is on the dashboard. After it happens vehicle can resume driving. Various indicines happened last year. We took it to Ken Garff Nissan (11155 So. Jordan Gateway in South Jordan, Ut. 84095. They could not find the problem or get the problem reproduced. They recommended turning off the safety features when driving. We have done that for a year. Then on 1-15-26, the safety system was on and the break engaged and brought the car to a stop on the freeway on ramp. The car is now at Ken Garff Nissan (777 So. West Temple SLC, Utah) It has been there for 2 weeks. This is the dealer that saw the code, but the system did not engage.
The check engine light comes on with a malfunction symbol. The car has delay acceleration, jerks, hard shifts.
Since having my Nissan 2021 Sentra I have for one, had to replace the battery in it twice. On a more serious note, it is now stopping the car at random and unnecessary times stating an object is in front of me. It happens once a while ago and I did not have any other signs, and it was just for a second, so I tried not to stress about it. Now it is happening more often and just this morning happened three times. Causing my car to come to a complete stop, it is very dangerous and I am not sure what I am to do about it.
Questions about the 2021 Nissan Sentra driver assistance
Does the 2021 Nissan Sentra have driver assistance problems?
Owners have filed 44 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2021 Nissan Sentra, 33% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2021 Nissan Sentra driver assistance problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 11,382 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Nissan Sentra driver assistance?
Yes, 1 recall: 23V628000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Nissan Sentra have the most driver assistance problems?
The Nissan Sentra model years with the most driver assistance complaints are 2020 (71 complaints), 2021 (44 complaints) and 2019 (43 complaints).
Other 2021 Nissan Sentra problems
Steering 40Electrical 38Brakes 25Engine 7Acceleration 6Lights 6Suspension 6Wheels 5Transmission 4Body 3Visibility 2Locks 1Seat belts 1Tires 1
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