43 complaints reported

2017 Nissan Sentra Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
43
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

CVT transmission. On my way to work at 7:40 am I was stopped at a light and when it turned green I pressed the gas, but instead of going I heard a bang noise and the car wouldn't go. I tried turning the car off and back on and it still wouldn't go in drive or low. However it will go in reverse. I called my Local dealer at Bayshore Nissan NY. The service writer told me the extended warranty expired Between June and July. My car is a 2017 Nissan Sentra with 54,474 miles. And I’m still making payments until September of this year.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2024
Jul 2025

The 2017 Nissan Sentra is part of a recall due to significant transmission issues, including sudden loss of power and jerking motions while driving. Overview of the Recall Nissan has issued a recall for certain 2013 to 2017 Sentra models due to problems with their continuously variable transmissions (CVT). Owners have reported various issues, including: Sudden loss of power while driving, which can occur without warning, posing a serious safety risk. Jerking or shuddering motions during acceleration, making the vehicle feel unstable. Transmission slipping out of gear, which can lead to loss of control. this has seriously affected my vehicle VIN number is [XXX] , 2017 Nissan Sentra. I called the local dealership and was told that since it was a 'rebuilt' title recalls didnt apply. My research shows that this is not true. The damage that occurred to my vehicle that affected the title was not even in the area of the recall of transmission. It was in the rear of the vehicle. Can you help me with this problem please? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2025
Feb 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the RPMs increased but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact coasted to the side of the road and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to Auto ER with Giaco, where a mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2025
Feb 2025

the transmission has failed with hardly any warning. Stops without warning, while driving down the road. The car will start just fine but will not rev. or respond to the accelerator. When it stops will driving, it will rev way up but will not have any power to move.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2025
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the gear shift lever was stuck on drive(D). 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 repaired. The contact stated that prior to the failure, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine, with the RPM fluctuating. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the message "Low Oil Pressure" was displayed. The RPM increased with an abnormal sound coming from the alternator. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Nov 2024

The contact's wife owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the RPM was raised; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact’s wife stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact’s wife was able to drive the vehicle back to the residence and later drove the vehicle to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH on another occasion, there was an abnormally strong odor of burning rubber in the cabin. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,336.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2024
Aug 2024

I purchased my 2017 Nissan Sentra SV brand new. I was hearing a whining noise, so I got a diagnostic test done and it was my transmission, and I needed to replace it. It has a CVT and I have read that there are many problems with the 2017 Nissan Sentra CVT transmissions - complaints and class actions. I talked to Nissan Corp who said they would pay half of the cost to fix it. I am writing because I think there should be a recall on these transmissions, and I should not have had to pay anything. They know there is an issue with the CVT transmissions and should not be selling cars if they know there is a problem, and they do not tell the consumer to beware.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2024
Jul 2024

Vehicle lost power and down shifted to first gear and got stuck in it while going 60mph and with traffic all around and behind me. Will not drive or shift out of first gear and transmission must be replaced now. No warning lights ever came on, no warning of it happening, it just slipped down into first and stalled there, wouldn’t go when pressing the gas peddle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Jun 2024

Car stopped at a light in the middle of the day 4/15/23 and when turned back on the car would not drive forward. There we had to push the car into a safe location and get it towed home.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2023
Feb 2024

My transmission went out and is set to be fixed by Nissan at my cost! No warning....just was driving my daughter home from girl scouts and the transmission went out going 35mph.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2024
Feb 2024

We have been having issues with our 2017 nissan sentra pretty much since we bought it. it shakes ,shutters etc during exceleration. we asked if it needed a tune up and were told manufacture recommendation was for 124,000 miles. So it didn't seem to be the problem. we continued routine maintenance. On Sat 2/17/2024 the car wouldn;t "go" while we were on our way to work. It didn't want to excelerate etc. It struggled the entire way. We pulled off and parked. turned off the engine and gave it a few minutes. We were abler to reach our destination there after, but for safety decided to have towed home. This was covered by our car insurance. However after talking to a family member ,who works for DEALERSHIP, they suggested looking into Recalls. We have not been able to find one that relates to the CVT problem that we are having. We are currently looking into whether or not we are covered by the dealership we purchased it from, since it doesn't look like Nissan will cover it since it's passed the warranty set by them.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2024
Jan 2024

2017 Nissan Sentra. Car has been taken care of since bought brand new. Oil changes every 3000, to 4000 miles transmission fluid change at 40,000 now the car is surging on highway. We can’t go over 40 mph on 65 mph highway. My be son and wife are in car and we have to pull over on side of highway with vehicles like tractor trailers pass us at 70 mph. The car has been inspected multiple times by Nissan dealership. They said there isn’t anything wrong. No lights in dash on at all.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Sep 2023

Was driving and I stopped at a stop sign. When it was time to go I stepped to accelerate and it wouldn’t accelerate like it needed to almost causing the car behind me to crash into me. I took it to 3 different shops and they all said the same thing. The year and make all had transmission issues because they were no good and there is a law suit pending now.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2023
Sep 2023

The car just started jerking forward on its own when driving. When I turn it off, and then on, it jerks when changing from park to drive or reverse gear. I then decided to take it back to the dealer. Driving from my house to the dealer took me an hour yet it's a distance of 15 Min. The engine light came on and I am not sure that car will be ok. The dealership said the transmission is the issue and they are talking to Nissan. Prior to that, the car had no issues. I've never ben that scared in my life.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Jun 2023

CVT transmission failed while driving at highway speed. Mechanic states Nissan CVT are under recall. Warranty will not cover this failure. Happened at 60k miles. Indicator light came on as CVT began slipping. Car went into "limp" mode.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Mar 2023

My 16 year old son was stopped at a stop light. When the light turned green, he pressed on the gas but the car would not accelerate. It did start accelerating but would not go over 5 mph and was shaking and knocking. The Check Engine light then came out so he immediately pulled over. He was driving by himself at night. Thankfully it was on a side street without a whole lot of traffic. Had this happened in heavy traffic or on the highway then it could have had serious consequences. This happened without any warning and my 16 year old son was NOT safe. I do not feel safe in this vehicle anymore and I do not feel safe allowing my son to drive it either. The repair shop advised that it is the transmission. Nissans should not be having transmission problems just after 5 years and 100,000 miles. Come to find out this is a common problem with 2017 Nissan Sentras. This should be recalled and fixed by Nissan!!!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Nov 2022

TRYING TO MAKE LEFT TURN IN TRAFFIC VEHICLE REVED BUT LOST POWER cvt TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T ENGAGE

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2022
Oct 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle rolled forward unintendedly. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle responded after shifting into park(P) and then shifting back into drive(D) several times; however, the vehicle would not exceed 5-10 MPH. The contact stated that upon shifting into park and shifting back into drive several times, the vehicle accelerated as needed. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist who diagnosed that the transmission range sensor switch and the transmission control module (TCM) had failed. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer who provided the same diagnostic information. The dealer replaced the transmission range sensor switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a callback from the manufacturer. The contact stated that the vehicle had a transmission warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2022
Oct 2022

The vehicle has rpms fluctuating when on the highway and will not go above 60mph.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2022
Sep 2022

After only 6 months of having my vehicle, my transmission has gone out. My vehicle lost acceleration in the middle of an intersection while I had both of my children in the car. Nissan refuses to replace the transmission because all warranties had already expired when I begin financing the vehicle. I am stuck with a balance of over $13,000 and cannot drive the car. There was a class action law suit for this in the recent years which means many customers have had issues. Nissan is aware of this being a problem and they are not offering help. This transmission needs to be recalled. Nissan needs to replace my transmission and I cannot pay for something that they knew is a problem and will affect me. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer themselves and they confirmed it was the transmission.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2022
Jun 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked abnormally while driving. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started the vehicle failed to move as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact determined that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2022
Jun 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on an inclined surface, the transmission shifter was difficult to shift out of the park(P). The contact stated that there was a loud clunking sound when the gear shifter was shifted out of the park(P). In addition, while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunctioned and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The RPM would raise however, the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who reprogrammed the transmission control module however, the failure recurred intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Apr 2022

I was with my kids and pregnant fiancé heading to a carnival and I was driving on the highway just fine and got off at my exit. I was a stop sign trying to cross a busy intersection and when I tried to proceed my car wouldn’t go anywhere; my RPMs were climbing but my car wouldn’t get over 20mins causing us to almost get hit. The speed on that street was 45MPH. I have been made aware that CVT transmissions have been a issue especially in Nissans. I took my car to be serviced at Bommarito Nissan dealer and it turned out to be my transmission. My car hasn’t had any issues and has been well maintained these last 4years and this has cost me $5100 a month before my wedding.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2022
Apr 2022

My Nissan has always hesitated to go a person at CarMax told my ex oh it's a Nissan thing well I was like Ive never heard of that it's getting worse and I still owe alit if payments not going to continue paying on a car that has issues like this it's cut off on me in the middle of switching lanes 3 times already just knw someone will be getting sued if something happens to me in this car it has 77,000 Miles I need my car fixed or traded in and get something I want I dnt want a car that's quit on me already

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2020
Jan 2022

After long drive, at highway speeds, transmission starts oscillating between 1k-3k revs and car starts losing power and speed. Can be dangerous as it forces you to drive at slower speeds on highway. Nissan dealership inspected multiple times and said that this is normal for the CVT transmission in these cars. Multiple forums online describe a similar issue with this car. Issue was not fixed even though it is under warranty.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 NISSAN SENTRA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2021

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Quick Summary

The 2017 Nissan Sentra has 43 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.