general problems of the 2013 Nissan Sentra - part 1

207 problems related to power train have been reported for the 2013 Nissan Sentra. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Nissan Sentra based on all problems reported for the 2013 Sentra.

1 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 06/25/2025

The cvt transmission has a serious problem it does this jerking movement and could lead to an accident or serious bodily injury to occupants in the vehicle I am filing a complaint regarding the cvt transmission failure in my 2013 Nissan Sentra (VIN: [xxx] ). The vehicle began showing symptoms such as jerking, hesitation, and loss of power while driving. These are serious safety concerns, especially when merging or accelerating. After researching the issue, I discovered this is a well-documented and widespread defect in Nissan cvt-equipped vehicles from this generation. Many other owners have experienced premature transmission failure, and Nissan has issued extended warranties in the past on certain models. However, despite clear signs of defective transmission design, my vehicle has not been covered under any warranty or recall. I believe this defect poses a serious safety hazard and should be addressed by Nissan through a recall or formal investigation. Transmission failure while driving could easily lead to a crash. I urge the NHTSA to open an investigation and compel Nissan to take accountability for this widespread transmission failure. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

2 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/22/2025

Transmission has failed. The car will not change speed when pressing on gas. Causing danger on the road when driven. The issue has been confirmed by an independent auto service. No warning lamps or identifiers has been present with this issue. The vehicle itself has only 97000 miles. This transmission issue with this vehicle is a known problem and many owners of this vehicle has reported this exact issue.

3 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/19/2024

The car was stalled and wouldn’t go without warning and no indication issues were present. When it stalled driver put at risk of being hit and caused multiple cars to swerve to miss the car. Thankfully able to get the car off the road and toed. Transmission completely failed.

4 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/15/2024

Vehicle loses power fails to excellerate while traveling on the freeway cvt transmission is very difficult to work on or check fluids.

5 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 04/16/2024

The car has stalled or completely become unresponsive during traffic. I notified dealer but nothing was done. No warning lights the problem started about three years ago around 60000 miles. Just recently took to independent auto shop and was told it's a bad transmission.

6 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 03/05/2024

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 65,000.

7 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 02/13/2024

Cvt transmission, available for inspection any time. I was driving in a public area that’s heavily trafficked when this happened. My car gave out and would not continue in drive. All the other gears worked at the time besides driving forward. This could’ve ended very badly to other people on the road. I had to take it to a shop twice. Nissan automatically told me it’s a transmission issue and several recalls with cvt transmissions, took it for a second opinion just to make sure and the second shop also said it’s the cvt transmission. My dash did not have any warning lights to show what was the problem.

8 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 02/11/2024

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that several years ago an unknown recall notification was received; however, the dealer failed to complete the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

9 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 10/16/2023

Code p0101 came on, service bulletin from NHTSA. Gov was done. Car came back worst. Engine stalled in the middle of the street. It wouldn’t turn on, we had to push it to get it out of the street. Car will accelerate on its own when turn on. Sometimes car will accelerate when put on reverse on its own…. . Rpms will be at 7 and 8 when going 45mph. I notice this has been an issue for Nissan Sentras 2013-2015 based on research all over the internet. People have replaced thottle body, air mass flow sensor, break sensors, fuel intake, fuses. Vehicle isn’t safe to be driving in street, may caused an accident, even mechanic said I shouldn’t be driving the car because it isn’t safe. We already made a complaint with NHTSA, dmv for financial help and nothing. Help is really needed.

10 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 06/11/2023

The transmission gave issues a few years ago and I got it fixed by Nissan. They confirmed that they put in a new transmission. It’s been only 20,000 miles and the transmission gave out. The car reverses but will not drive. They quoted me $7000 to fix it again.

11 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 06/07/2023

I own a 2013 Nissan Sentra sr with only 69,000 miles. The vehicle has been meticulously maintained with all recommended services being performed. The vehicle has had the factory/dealer recommended cvt reprogramming as well as cvt fluid exchange and coolant flush services. On may 25, 2023, my daughter was driving home from work when without warning the vehicle went into limp mode on the freeway causing it to decelerate rapidly, swerve and almost cause an accident. The vehicle would not accelerate over 40 mph and was taken to the dealership. There were no warning lights on the dash and no performance issues prior to the incident. The dealer ran diagnostics & code p17fo came up for a faulty cvt transmission. The transmission was replaced at a cost of $6186. 00. This is a Nissan cvt that has been dealer serviced following all preventive maintenance recommended by Nissan and the dealership. Two days after the new cvt was installed, the exact same thing occurred, with the car again going into limp mode on a hill of a two-lane road with heavy traffic. The car this time was almost rear ended and would not accelerate above 15 mph. The vehicle is now at the dealership awaiting "transmission number three. " Nissan corporate was notified, and a case number was issued, 48966982. The arbitrator essentially washed their hands of the cvt issue and advised they would not take any action other than acknowledging the very long cvt failure history and that the issue was mine to resolve through my dealer. I filed a previous NHTSA complaint documenting the initial cvt failure, 11524137. The cvt failures is an issue Nissan has known about for twenty years, been sued for, yet continues to refuse to accept any responsibility for a flawed component known for failures, thus screwing countless Nissan consumers out of thousands in out of pocket expenses. Nissan should accept responsibility and recall all of these transmissions or be forced to reimburse consumers who have had to replace one.

12 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 05/25/2023

I own a 2013 Nissan Sentra sr with only 69,000 miles. The vehicle has been meticulously maintained it's entire life with all recommended services being performed and then some. The vehicle has had the factory/dealer recommended cvt reprogramming as well as cvt fluid exchange services. The vehicle was purchased for my daughter who drives carefully, ensures the car is clean and well maintained. We have a stack of dealer service records showing an impeccable service history. On may 25, 2023, my daughter was driving home from work that evening when without warning the vehicle went into limp mode on the freeway causing it to decelerate rapidly, swerve and almost cause an accident. The vehicle would not accelerate over 40 mph and was immediately taken to the dealership. There were no warning lights on the dash and no performance issues prior to the incident. The dealer ran diagnostics and code p17fo came up for a faulty cvt transmission. The transmission now has to be replaced due to failure. This is a Nissan cvt that has been dealer serviced following all preventive maintenance recommended by Nissan and the dealership (priority Nissan of chantilly, chantilly, va). The vehicle ran perfectly prior to the failure and there were absolutely no warning signs of a transmission issue before the incident. As part of the preventive maintenance recommended for the vehicle we did the anti/freeze coolant flush at 51k , the cvt reprogramming and transmission flush at 52k, to ensure continued reliability. Despite the car being well maintained and having very low mileage for the model year, the cvt failed with an out of pocket repair of $5,900. The cvt failures is an issue Nissan has known about for twenty years, been sued for, yet continues to deny the problems or accept responsibility for thus screwing thousands of consumers. Nissan should accept responsibility and recall these transmissions or be forced to reimburse consumers. Repair invoice is pending. Car remains in shop.

13 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 05/03/2023

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle was jerking back and forth. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then drove to the nearest gas station at 10 mph and parked the vehicle. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

14 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2023

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate from a stationary position while driving up an incline. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

15 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 04/01/2023

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. On several occasions while driving on the highway, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 mph. Additionally, while driving up an incline, the rpm revved to high however, the vehicle failed to properly respond. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 114,000.

16 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 02/01/2023

Check engine light is on catalytic converter, air bag light is on, slow to accelerate cvt is acting up.

17 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/14/2023

The transmission just went out while I was driving. I tried accelerating and my car was not accelerating and now it is not going into gear.

18 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2023

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled. During the failure, the check engine and air bags warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 61,000.

19 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/31/2022

While driving down the road in my 2013 Nissan Sentra on December 31,2022 my cars engine light came on and went from a solid amber color to flashing and then my car lost power and I had to coast down the road to a near by house where I had to have my vehicle towed to my house and it is still sitting at the bottom of my driveway to this day I believe that my vehicle should be showing a recall on the cvt transmission but it don’t which isn’t right. I just need my car fixed and back to running.

20 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/23/2022

While driving down the road power to the accelerator was lost thus making it so I had to roll down the road the the closes driveway and pull over and when I tried to get my vehicle in reverse my vehicle wouldn’t move after it was placed in reverse the engine would rev up but my vehicle wouldn’t move at all.

21 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/09/2022

My car had warning light code p285a clutch pressure control selonoid valve b service bulletin stated that Nissan reprogram recall would fix this issue with car computer and cvt computer. But instead software causes major communication with car computer and 2013 cvt. It pull different code p17bo with cvt shrudder stating hard shifting dealer solution after paying 182. 00 is new cvt that understand new programming was update 4300. 00 on various internet owners forums same senario is played this could lead to accident since computer of and cvt cannot communicate correctly in shifting making money for Nissan at expenses of owners cause by recall remedy Nissan must put correct update for 2013 transmission and if they cannot do that they must replace all cvt damage by recall by placing wrong gm software.

22 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/09/2022

I purchased my vehicle in July of 2017 from ron craft Chevrolet; the transmission became inoperable and failed in nov2019; I had my vehicle shake and immediately the power stop on the highway, almost causing an accident. Due to pandemic; oem parts were on hold due to processing. In September of 2021 and after a thorough review of the vehicle the purchased of the oem directly from Nissan was validated and installed by an authorized Nissan dealer. Now been only 13months the oem transmission installation. There was once again a transmission failure on the highway going 60; with my children and partner. The vehicle shake and the vehicle immediately pulled back causing a powerful pull and immediately lost power and control over the steering; almost causing an accident on the houston toll highway.

23 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/07/2022

2003-2010 warranty extensions when Nissan realized there were problems that affected a small percentage of owners, they immediately took steps to relieve the financial burden of repairing the affected continuously variable transmissions. One big piece of their plan involved extending the warranty free of charge. The extension applied to all Nissan vehicles manufactured between 2003 and 2010 equipped with a continuously variable transmission. This extension doubled the original powertrain warranty from five years or 60,000 miles up to 10 years or 120,000 miles. This extension is fully transferrable to new owners should the original owner sell the vehicle. Owners are not required to do anything. Should a problem with your continuously variable transmission arise simply bring your vehicle to a Nissan repair facility and they will handle everything. Another step Nissan took was to reimburse owners who had already paid for any continuously variable transmission repairs that would be covered by this new warranty, even if they had sold their Nissan. Owners just need to download the reimbursement form and follow the instructions. Additionally, Nissan reduced the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of a new continuously variable transmission and any affected parts to further help those who might need repairs after this extended warranty period expires. 2012-2017 warranty extensions again, Nissan’s response was swift and decisive as they looked to relieve the burden of repairing these continuously variable transmissions. They extended the original manufacturer’s warranty from five years or 60,000 miles up to seven years or 84,000 miles. This Nissan continuously variable transmission warranty extension covers a variety of items. Torque converters, transmission control module reprogramming, seals, gaskets, and more are all covered under this extension. Rental vehicles or loaner vehicles are also covered while your vehicle undergoes these covered repairs.

24 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/06/2022

Cvt transmission defect.

25 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/01/2022

Nissan extended cvt warranty on 2003 to 2010 from 5 yrs or 36k to 10 yrs to 150k but in the cvt from 2010 to 2017 they did not match same extention only gave 7 yrs or 84k not an equal remedy to the defective cvt the major year 2013 has worst cvt problems which has led to lawsuits but Nissan did not admit to wrong doing instead settle out court and gave unequal remedy to owners of all 2013 Nissan fleet a recall of all 2013 cvt must be done regardless of time or mileage.

26 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2022

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the transmission inadvertently shifted from drive(d) to neutral(n), causing the vehicle to decelerate. The contact stated that occasionally the transmission randomly shifted from drive(d) to reverse(r) causing the vehicle to change direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 113,000.

27 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2022

The vehicle will hesitate and stall when I am pulling out until traffic, causing me to almost get hit if there are any cars coming. When I go over 50mph on an incline, the rpms will jump way high and the car will lose power in the middle of the highway. I will have to pull over and turn it off for awhile to get it to run again. There are no lights on at this time, but if I have the cruise control going, the cruise light will flash and cruise will not work. Hitting accelerate on the steering wheel cruise menu will move the car, but the gas pedal will not, and cruise control will not work.

28 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 07/20/2022

Transmission problem lose of power and unexpected noise even with regular maintenance like transmission fluid change regularly in summer.

29 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 05/04/2022

I have repaired the mass airflow sensor 3x’s by the dealership who sold me the car the last 2 times they didn’t make me pay for it. And I’m still having the same issue. My car will jerk and idle and I was driving and all of a sudden I loss speed and I was accelerating but the car was only moving about 5 miles per hr the cars behind me almost hit me in the rear end. The longer I drive the car the worst it gets. Then if u pull to the side and cut the car off and back on again it would run hard but it would get speed. Until I try to accelerate then it will stall again. This is a safety hazard especially on the interstate.

30 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 04/27/2022

While driving my car will act like it's running out of gas, then it will kill, sometimes it starts right back up other times it won't, I have had the feul pump replaced and it's still doing it now have not had any codes till yesterday now it is saying my camshaft sensor is malfunctioning, it has killed in the middle of an intersection and almost killed on the highway, it acts like it can't switch gears but it is a cvt transmission, it cant seem to accelerate to well and has a hard time getting up to 60 mph and going up hills.

31 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/15/2022

Purchased the vehicle used in February 2018. For the first 3 years, no issues and serviced as on schedule. Driven less than 5000 miles per year. December of 2021, the vehicle randomly started to lose acceleration when trying to turn, posing a definite hazard. Taken for service and advised the entire transmission needs to be replaced. Though a used vehicle, I have seen several reports of the cvt transmissions failing and think this a recall issue.

32 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/04/2022

Car has 79000 miles and is dangerous to drive the transmission lunges in and out of gear and it seems to be a common problem with this cvt transmission.

33 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2022

The shift started locking, followed by consistent tugging while driving above 20 mph. It stutters and pulls when driving down hill which has caused me to pull over and restart the car in heavy traffic on the freeway. Now the car pulls so much it is not safe to drive above 20 mph. I have taken it to two service centers and both have confirmed the cvt transmission is faulty. No lamps or messages prior to the failure showed up. This started before the car hit 80,000 miles.

34 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/11/2021

Transmission/powertrain: transmission slips throughout various stages of acceleration and deceleration exchange. Vehicle has not stalled (yet) but condition is worsening. Vehicle transmission does not deliver appropriate throttle response, resulting in risk to driver/passengers. In heavy traffic conditions, driver expects vehicle to respond to certain throttle pressure but vehicle will inconsistently deliver resulting in unexpected delays and/or lurches in movement, which has caused me to almost make contact with other vehicles moving at high speeds.

35 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2021

Transmission failed to shift during a left turn stalled in the street in the wrong side of the road. Diagnosis cvt transmission failure. Same issue I had two years and fully replaced the transmission in 2019.



Sentra Service Bulletins
Sentra Safety Recalls
Sentra Defect Investigations