Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
27–32 mpgcombined; city 25–29, highway 30–37; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,150–$14,910U.S. average; Ohio $9,070–$14,050 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2017 Sentra, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Sentra. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power train
76
1
0
0
Engine
48
1
0
1
Unknown or other
38
4
2
4
Electrical system
33
2
4
2
Vehicle speed control
32
2
1
3
Air bags
26
18
0
13
Service brakes
21
3
0
2
Exterior lighting
15
1
0
0
Steering
14
4
1
3
Structure
9
4
0
1
Fuel/propulsion system
7
0
0
0
Wheels
5
1
0
0
10 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
1
1
2
Seat belts
3
1
0
1
Forward collision avoidance
2
0
0
0
Seats
2
0
0
0
Suspension
2
0
1
0
Engine and engine cooling
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Traction control system
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2017 Sentra over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
Risk: The brake lights may not illuminate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
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.
Risk: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 183 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2017 Sentra, the latest on Apr 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: power train (53), electrical system (52), equipment (52), engine and engine cooling (24), equipment adaptive/mobility (10).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2017 Sentra.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Sentra Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
29 / 37 / 32
Sentra Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
27 / 35 / 30
Sentra Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AV-S7)
Premium Gasoline
27 / 33 / 29
Sentra Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
26 / 32 / 28
Sentra Nismo Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
25 / 31 / 27
Sentra Nismo Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AV-S7)
Premium Gasoline
25 / 30 / 27
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data