Car · Nissan recalls

2016 Nissan Sentra recalls

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2016 Nissan Sentra, filed between April 26, 2016 and March 3, 2021. Each one is below with what is wrong and the free fix.

Check my VIN for open recalls

Campaign	Filed	Part
21V135000	March 3, 2021	Exterior lighting: switch
17V253000	April 13, 2017	Air bags
16V485000	June 29, 2016	Electrical system: wiring
16V436000	June 15, 2016	Air bags: inflator module
16V244000	April 26, 2016	Air bags: occupant classification
16V242000	April 26, 2016	Air bags: occupant classification

Exterior lighting: switch (21V135000)

Filed March 3, 2021

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Nissan Sentra vehicles. The brake light switch may become contaminated, preventing the circuit from closing and the brake lights from illuminating.

What could happen. The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix. Dealers will replace the brake light switch and install a protective grommet, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 1, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PM971.

Air bags (17V253000)

Filed April 13, 2017

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.

What could happen. In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.

The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Electrical system: wiring (16V485000)

Filed June 29, 2016

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2016, through April 26, 2016. The engine room harness may have a terminal pin too large to maintain a connection with the Engine Control Unit (ECU).

What could happen. If the engine room harness loses connection to the ECU, the vehicle may not start or the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the terminal pin on the engine room harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags: inflator module (16V436000)

Filed June 15, 2016

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.

What could happen. If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags: occupant classification (16V244000)

Filed April 26, 2016

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

What could happen. If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

The fix. Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Air bags: occupant classification (16V242000)

Filed April 26, 2016

What is wrong. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Sentra vehicles manufactured June 4, 2012, to April 9, 2016. The front passenger seat belt bracket may become deformed if it is used to secure a Child Restraint System (CRS). The deformed seat bracket may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to incorrectly classify the installed CRS, resulting in the front passenger air bag to not be turned off as designed when a CRS is in the seat.

What could happen. If the frontal passenger air bag deploys in the event of a crash when a child seat is installed in the front passenger seat, there will be an increased risk of injury to the child in the CRS.

The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reinforce the seat belt bracket as well as reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU), free of charge. The recall began on June 13, 2016. Owners are warned not to install a CRS in the front seat. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Check that your car is on the list

Most campaigns cover only cars built in a certain date range or at a certain plant, so a 2016 Nissan Sentra may or may not be included. The VIN is the only sure test. It is 17 characters, on the dashboard by the windshield and on the driver door jamb sticker. Look up your VIN.

How to confirm the repair is free

Call any authorized Nissan dealer service desk and give them the VIN and the campaign number from the list above.
Ask them to confirm the campaign is open for your car. If it is, the parts and labor are covered.
If the dealer says the part is not in stock, ask for a written note with the date, and ask about a loaner if the notice says not to drive the car.
Keep the repair order. It shows the campaign number and proves the work was done.

If you already paid for a repair that a recall later covered, Nissan may owe you a refund. Ask the dealer or Nissan customer service about reimbursement, and keep your receipts.

Other model years of the Sentra

More: all Nissan recalls, check-engine codes, car repair costs.

2016 Nissan Sentra recall questions

How many recalls does the 2016 Nissan Sentra have?

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2016 Nissan Sentra. A campaign can cover only some cars of that model year, so check your VIN to see whether yours is included.

Is a recall repair on a 2016 Nissan Sentra free?

Yes. A safety recall repair is free at an authorized Nissan dealer, whatever the age or mileage of the car and no matter who owns it now.

How do I know if my 2016 Nissan Sentra was already fixed?

Enter the VIN on our recall page. If a campaign is still open, it shows as open. You can also ask a dealer to run the VIN, or look at the service history paperwork for the campaign number.

Source: NHTSA recalls API, checked 2026-10-28. Text is NHTSA's wording of each campaign. New campaigns are added over time. Not a repair shop, estimates only.