Total Complaints
9 filings
Nissan Sentra · model year
1986 Nissan Sentra
9 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 9
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1986 Nissan Sentra posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 11%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1986NissanSentra carries 9 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1986 Sentra is steering:rack and pinion with 1 filings, followed by steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion) (1) and seat belts:front:buckle assembly (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1986 Sentra, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
9
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1986 Nissan Sentra
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 1 |
| STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20000405STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
CRACKS ON INNER SIDE OF CHANNEL ON PASSENGER'S SIDE, WHERE FRAME GOES OVER WHEEL, CAUSING PULLING TO THE RIGHT DURING ACCELERATION, AND SERVERE TURNING WHILE MAKING TURNS. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
20000215ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
WHEN CAR GOES ABOUT 30 MILES CAR WILL START TO SPIT, AND CHOKE LIKE ITS OUT OF GAS. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS BAD COIL, AND THEY REPLACED IT. BUT PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN. TOOK TO ANOTHER DEALER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND STILL HAD SAME PROBLEM. TOOK TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, AND HE SAID IT WAS A DISTRIBUTOR. *AK
20000215FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
WHEN CAR GOES ABOUT 30 MILES CAR WILL START TO SPIT, AND CHOKE LIKE ITS OUT OF GAS. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS BAD COIL, AND THEY REPLACED IT. BUT PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN. TOOK TO ANOTHER DEALER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND STILL HAD SAME PROBLEM. TOOK TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, AND HE SAID IT WAS A DISTRIBUTOR. *AK
19990315POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION LEAKS FLUID.
19990315ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CRACKED GASKET.
19980309SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
SHOULDER BELT FAILED TO LOCK DURING CRASH.
19950223SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
PASSENGER SIDE LAP/SHOULDER SEAT BELT BUCKLE WILL NOT LATCH. TT
19950109STEERING:RACK AND PINION
OWNER NOTICED PLAY IN STEERING. 4 BOLT MOUNTS THAT HOLD RACK AND PINION STEERING/MAIN GEAR BOX WERE UNSCREWED 3/8 OF AN INCH.
19950109STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
OWNER NOTICED PLAY IN STEERING. FOUR BOLT MOUNTS THAT HOLD RACK AND PINION/MAIN GEAR BOX ARE UNSCREWING. TT
Compare 1986NissanSentra to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 Nissan Sentra have?▼
The 1986 Nissan Sentra has 9 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 Nissan Sentra?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 Nissan Sentra is STEERING:RACK AND PINION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY.
Is the 1986 Nissan Sentra safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1986 Nissan Sentra; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.