NHTSA Data · Updated May 2026
Is the 2021 Nissan Sentra Recalled?
The 2021 Nissan Sentra has had 3 recall campaigns issued by NHTSA over its production lifetime. None are listed as active right now, meaning the affected vehicles have either been remedied or the recall has run its statutory completion window. Owners should still verify by VIN — recalls can be reopened. The 2021 Nissan Sentra earns a D on the RecallIndex Safety Score (28/100), placing it below the typical vehicle in our database. Some combination of recall severity, complaint volume, or crash/fire counts is elevated. Review the specific component data below before treating the score as final — different defects carry very different real-world risk.
The 2021 Nissan Sentra earns a D on the RecallIndex Safety Score with 28/100. NHTSA recall and complaint history is meaningfully higher than the national baseline.
NHTSA has issued 3 federal recalls on this vehicle (0 currently active). The remedy is always free at the dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov to confirm which apply to your specific vehicle. Consumer complaint volume is moderate at 123 reports. Most volumes at this level cluster around a small number of specific systems rather than spanning the whole vehicle.
RecallIndex aggregates NHTSA Recall Campaigns, Consumer Complaints, and Crash and Fire reports into a single per-vehicle safety profile. Every numeric value on the site traces back to the originating NHTSA dataset and refreshes on the NHTSA publication cadence — recalls within days of an announcement, complaints monthly.
For an actionable next step on any open recall: visit nhtsa.gov and use the VIN-lookup tool. NHTSA recall remedies are always free at the dealer regardless of vehicle age, and parts availability varies by recall. The dealer service department confirms applicability and books the repair appointment.
2021 Nissan Sentra Safety Snapshot
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Recalls | 3 |
| Active Recalls | 0 |
| Total Complaints | 123 |
| Crash Reports | 14 |
| Fire Reports | 1 |
| Injuries | 8 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| RecallIndex Safety Score | 28/100 (D) |
What the Recall Status Means
The 2021 Nissan Sentra has had 3 recall campaigns issued by NHTSA over its production lifetime. None are listed as active right now, meaning the affected vehicles have either been remedied or the recall has run its statutory completion window. Owners should still verify by VIN — recalls can be reopened.
NHTSA distinguishes between active recalls (manufacturers are still notifying owners and performing repairs), completed recalls (the campaign has run its statutory window and the affected VINs have been remedied or are no longer eligible), and investigations that may not yet have escalated to a recall. To check whether a specific vehicle is affected, owners should enter their 17-character VIN at the official NHTSA Recalls portal. Recall remedies are performed at no cost to the owner under federal law.
Crash, Fire, and Injury Reports
NHTSA has logged 14 crash reports, 1 fire report, 8 injuries tied to consumer complaints on the 2021 Nissan Sentra. Crash, fire, injury, and death tags are flagged at complaint submission — they do not establish that the vehicle defect caused the outcome, but they do indicate the consumer reported one in the same complaint.
NHTSA captures these reports through its consumer complaint database. A flag in the database does not establish causation between the vehicle defect and the outcome — it indicates that the consumer reported the outcome in the same complaint. NHTSA uses these reports as one signal among many when deciding whether to open a defect investigation.
Most Common Issues by Component
The single most-cited issue on the 2021 Nissan Sentra in NHTSA complaints is Steering, with 21 consumer reports filed. Component-level patterns help signal whether complaints are isolated incidents or part of a systematic defect — concentrated complaints in one subsystem are a stronger signal than the same total spread across many subsystems.
How the RecallIndex Safety Score Is Calculated
The RecallIndex Safety Score combines four NHTSA-derived signals: recall severity (40% — weighted by component class and the count of affected vehicles in each campaign), complaint frequency (30% — total complaint volume normalized to typical production for the model year), crash and fire rate (20% — share of complaints flagged with a crash, fire, injury, or death tag), and trend direction (10% — whether complaint volume is rising or falling year-over-year). All four inputs come directly from NHTSA. We do not adjust NHTSA\'s data; the score is a transparent re-aggregation of public records. The full step-by-step calculation is on the methodology page.
Other Nissan Vehicles
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 2021 Nissan Sentra recalled?
The 2021 Nissan Sentra has had 3 recall campaigns issued by NHTSA over its production lifetime. None are listed as active right now, meaning the affected vehicles have either been remedied or the recall has run its statutory completion window. Owners should still verify by VIN — recalls can be reopened.
How safe is the 2021 Nissan Sentra?
The 2021 Nissan Sentra earns a D on the RecallIndex Safety Score (28/100), placing it below the typical vehicle in our database. Some combination of recall severity, complaint volume, or crash/fire counts is elevated. Review the specific component data below before treating the score as final — different defects carry very different real-world risk. The score is built from public NHTSA data — recalls, complaints, crash and fire reports — and is not a substitute for an in-person inspection or a vehicle history report.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 Nissan Sentra?
The single most-cited issue on the 2021 Nissan Sentra in NHTSA complaints is Steering, with 21 consumer reports filed. Component-level patterns help signal whether complaints are isolated incidents or part of a systematic defect — concentrated complaints in one subsystem are a stronger signal than the same total spread across many subsystems.
How do I check if my 2021 Nissan Sentra has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recalls portal (nhtsa.gov/recalls). The portal queries directly against manufacturer recall records and will show whether your specific VIN is included in any active recall and whether the remedy has been completed. Authorized dealers perform recall remedies free of charge under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Where does this recall and complaint data come from?
Every figure on this page comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — recall campaigns from NHTSA's Recalls API, consumer complaints from NHTSA's Complaints database, and component categorization from NHTSA's vehicle PIN system. RecallIndex aggregates and re-presents the data; we do not modify NHTSA's underlying records.