Piston slap and CVT transmission failure are a couple of the most common problems experienced by 2010 Nissan Sentraowners.
The 2010 Nissan Sentra is a middle-of-the-road compact sedan. Its engine power is fine. Its fuel economy is fine. Nissan Sentra mpg is between 24–29 combined city/highway. Performance? Also fine. Everything is just…fine.
The Sentra ranks 9 out of 16 in its segment for dependability—fine—and it has decent safety ratings, though it’s no award-winner.
While the 2010 Sentra doesn’t really stand out in any good ways, it doesn’t stand out in any bad ways either—complaints are relatively scant for this Average Andy, but they do exist. Here to take a closer look at the 2010 Nissan Sentra’s most persistent problems is trusted car insurance broker app
and Sentra specialist Jerry
. We’ll even leave you with a surefire way to save on your Sentra insurance costs
! The most common 2010 Nissan Sentra problems
What’s good about the 2010 Nissan Sentra is that it’s not bad. It’s roomier than most of its competitors, offering tons of headroom for adult passengers in the back. It’s also decked out with impressive-for-the-time tech including available navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.
Most complaints about the 2010 Sentra center around electrical issues. These issues can prevent the car from starting, and more alarmingly, cause the car’s engine to stall while driving.
Many drivers have reported losing engine power while driving at highway speeds—which can be very dangerous as stalling out can hamper your ability to steer and brake effectively. This issue resulted from a thicker-than-usual zinc coating that was applied to the 2010 Nissan Sentra battery terminal stud bolt which can cause voltage-drop.
Transmission failure has been a thorn in Nissan’s side generally over the past several years, including the 2010 Sentra. Currently, there is a class action lawsuit against the company alleging that they knew that the Continuously Variable Transmissions installed in 2013–2017 Sentras were defective. While 2010 models are not included in this lawsuit, the issue does sound suspiciously similar to some of the complaints 2010 Sentra owners have posted to car owner advocate website CarComplaints.com.
On the topic of electrical issues, some 2010 Sentras outfitted with a Nuvi 750 navigation system experience battery overheating, causing the navigation system to malfunction. This issue is concerning because overheated batteries can result in a fire.
Piston slap is another complaint that a few Sentra owners have mentioned on CarComplaints. This condition causes a knocking sound in the engine due to worn pistons. Left unchecked, piston slap can lead to Nissan Sentra oil leaks and other, bigger issues like a damaged catalytic converter.
Many Sentra owners have reported that the passenger airbag light comes on and will not go out. While there is no recall for this issue, the symptoms are similar to a sensor issue experienced in other Nissan cars in which the car’s computer does not detect a passenger and so deactivates the passenger-side airbag.
Other reported problems with the 2010 Sentra include:
Tire pressure sensor malfunction
While these issues can be concerning, they’re not super common. Nissan sold approximately 94,000 Sentras in 2010, so 138 complaints only represent 0.15% of all 2010 Sentras sold. Of those 138 complaints, only about half pertain to electrical-related engine stall-out and transmission failure.
There were three official recalls issued for the 2010 Nissan Sentra. Two are related to the electrical issue that causes the engine to stall or not turn on. The third recall is in regard to the above-mentioned Nuvi 750 navigation system battery.
Is the 2010 Nissan Sentra reliable?
The Nissan Sentra scores a 79/100 dependability rating from J.D. Power. That puts it smack-dab in the middle of the compact car segment.
Those looking for something a little more reliable might want to look further up the list to perennial heavy-hitters like the 2010 Toyota Corolla
or the 2010 Honda Civic
. The most dependable car in the compact car class of 2010 according to J.D. Power is the Toyota Prius
which scored an outstanding 86/100 for dependability. But, the Sentra is still decently reliable, earning a 4/5 reliability rating from RepairPal.com. For its part, the 2010 iteration of the Sentra has an average annual repair cost of about $471. That makes it a very affordable car to own and maintain.
But, if you want a really cheap car to maintain, your best bet from 2010 is the Toyota Corolla, which has an average annual maintenance cost of $332.
How to simplify car insurance shopping (and still optimize coverage!)
Getting yourself a dependable car is a great way to save on your cost of car ownership. Another great way to save is by reducing your Nissan Sentra insurance costs with Jerry
. Jerry is like a personal shopper that lives on your smartphone. Just tell Jerry what kind of insurance you need, and you’ll get quotes from dozens of top-notch insurance providers in under a minute.
You can switch providers right in the app, and when it’s time to renew your insurance, Jerry does it all over again, finding you the best available rates so you never pay more than you have to for car insurance.
“I was tired of looking around multiple websites, so I decided to give Jerry
a try. Let me tell you—the process is so easy and simple, and they really find you the best prices for your coverage level. Getting insurance for my new car was quick and easy!” —Joanna D.
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