Buying a used Nissan Sentra B17 (2013–2019) in the UAE

The Nissan Sentra B17 in the UAE

Nissan’s US bulletins name the “2013-2017 Sentra (B17)” and the “2018-2019 Sentra (B17)”; Nissan’s 2020 US owner’s manual carries the next code, B18.

Gulf News reported in April 2013 that Al Masaood Automobiles, Nissan’s Abu Dhabi dealer, had launched the Sentra with 1.6- and 1.8-litre engines, adding that it “is being sourced from Thailand”. No official source we found says whether the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Sentra is built to the US car’s specification, so ask Nissan’s UAE agent what a Gulf car’s VIN shows. US recalls and warranty extensions belong to US-market cars, not to a GCC car.

Nissan revealed a “significantly revised” 2016 Sentra at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 18 November 2015, with Forward Emergency Braking and Blind Spot Warning “available on Sentra for the first time”. A Sentra B17 with a US title or a US auction record has US paperwork to check; a VIN starting 1–5 is only a North American manufacturer code, not proof of where the car was sold.

Imported used cars in the UAE

Engines and gearboxes

Nissan’s US manuals describe front-wheel drive. Nissan’s release for the 2016 Sentra says the manual came with the S grade; its 2016 SR Turbo and NISMO releases offer the turbo with either gearbox. A manual car is not covered by the CVT extensions.

What to check first on a used Sentra B17

• Which car it is: a Sentra with US papers and a VIN that the decoder of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reads as a Sentra, or a GCC-market Sentra, which may differ.
• The CVT: judder, hesitation, slipping or a flaring engine speed on a warm test drive, and the fluid record.
• The brakes: a pedal that sinks under light pressure on a 2013–2014 car, and brake lights that work every time.
• The passenger airbag: its status light with an adult in the seat, and proof of the airbag recalls.
• The US past, if any: title brands, auction listings and open recalls (NHTSA’s VIN search for a US car; Nissan’s UAE agent for any car).

Common Nissan Sentra B17 problems by system

These sections use records of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), retrieved on 14 October 2026. NHTSA lists the 2017–2019 Sentra under “SENTRA” and also “SENTRA NISMO”, “SENTRA TURBO” and “SENTRA SR TURBO”; the extra names return the same complaints as “SENTRA” and no recalls of their own, so each complaint is counted once. Eight complaints whose partial VIN NHTSA’s decoder reads as another model or an earlier Sentra are left out; 113 without a VIN are kept. That leaves 2,269 complaints, 634 of them for 2013 cars. A complaint is a US owner’s report, not a confirmed defect; a recall is a defect Nissan must fix free in the US.

The CVT and Nissan’s two warranty extensions

Power train is the largest complaint category: 968 complaints, 792 of them for 2013–2016 cars, and 781 mention the CVT or the transmission. In these owner reports, US owners describe jerking, slipping, stalling and replaced transmissions. NHTSA lists no transmission recall. Nissan’s dealer bulletins for the non-turbo car with its RE0F11A CVT, NTB19-075a (2013–2017) and NTB20-035B (2018–2019), cover a customer report of “transmission judder (shake, shudder, single or multiple bumps or vibration), hesitation on acceleration, lack of power or RPM flare” (a sudden rise in engine speed).

After US class actions, Nissan extended the CVT warranty from 60 months or 60,000 miles to 84 months or 84,000 miles (about 135,000 km), whichever comes first: for 2013–2017 Sentras from 11 May 2020, and for 2018–2019 Sentras from 23 May 2023. Nissan’s warranty-extension bulletins MC-10176204 (11 May 2020, 2013–2017 cars) and MC-10246457 (activated 23 May 2023, 2018–2019 cars) cover the CVT assembly, valve body and torque converter, say the cover transfers with ownership, and warn that some owners opted out as part of the settlements, so dealers check each VIN.

Treat a UAE-registered Sentra B17 as having no extended CVT cover. Nissan’s notices limit both settlements to cars bought or leased in the US or its territories, the bulletins exclude cars sold or registered in Canada or Mexico, and Nissan North America’s 2022 warranty booklet, a later edition than these cars’, says its warranty does not apply to a car relocated outside the US, its territories and Canada. For a Sentra B17, 84 months counted from first delivery or first use, whichever came first, had passed by October 2026 for every car delivered before October 2019. No official source we found states the position of Nissan’s UAE agents on an imported Sentra’s CVT, so give the agent the VIN and ask what it will cover before you rely on a seller’s promise.

Nissan’s 2013 manual warns that in its “high fluid temperature protection mode” vehicle speed may be gradually reduced, and says to use only Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-3; the 2017 and 2019 manuals allow NS-3 “(or equivalent)”. A car that slows itself in summer traffic needs a dealer check.

Brake pedal travel and the brake-light switch

NHTSA opened investigation PE14-014 on 20 May 2014 into “excessive brake pedal travel” on 2013–2014 Sentras and Versas. Its closing summary says Nissan found that early cars’ master-cylinder seals could leak internally when the pedal was pressed very slowly or lightly, Nissan changed the design in production on 23 September 2013, and NHTSA closed the investigation on 13 May 2015 without a recall, finding no link to crash rates. The 2013 car has 95 service-brake complaints. On a test drive, press the pedal gently at a standstill: it should stay firm.

Recall 21V-135 covers 2016–2019 Sentras whose brake-light switch may become contaminated, so the brake lights may not come on; dealers replace the switch and fit a grommet.

Passenger airbag, wiring and ignition recalls

Seven campaigns concern the front passenger airbag (see the year table): most fix an occupant system that may switch the airbag off with an adult seated or leave it on with a child seat fitted; 16V-242 covers a seat-belt bracket a child seat can bend; 17V-253 replaces inflators on some 2014, 2016 and 2017 cars. NHTSA closed its investigation EA15-004 into the occupant system on 2013–2014 Sentras in 2017, citing Nissan’s recalls. Nissan’s 2013 manual says the front passenger airbag status light is off when that airbag is operational: seat a belted adult and watch it.

Recall 16V-485 covers 2016 cars built 11–26 April 2016 whose engine harness pin may lose contact with the engine computer, so the engine may not start or may stall. Recall 18V-551 covers 2017 Sentras with a key-operated ignition switch that a heavy key ring can knock into accessory, switching the engine off. The Khaleej Times reported in December 2018 that Nissan’s UAE distributors were recalling 4,145 vehicles made in 2017, including the Sentra, for an ignition switch spring that can break; the report does not say which Sentra version, so ask Nissan’s UAE agent with the VIN.

Nissan Sentra B17 problems by model year

How severity is rated: each recall counts against the complaint category NHTSA files its component under. High means an NHTSA recall in that category lists that model year; the row shows that category’s complaint count. Medium means no recall in the category, but a named category (not “unknown or other”) holds 20 or more complaints for that year. Low means neither. A complaint can carry several categories.

Several campaigns cover only cars built on certain dates or with certain equipment, so match each one to the VIN.

Gulf Sentra or US import?

NHTSA’s register assigns 3N1 to Nissan Mexicana and 1N4 to Nissan North America, and its decoder reads 3N1AB7 and 1N4AB7 VINs as 1.8-litre Sentras and 3N1CB7 as 1.6-litre Sentras; NHTSA said in a 2024 interpretation letter that a manufacturer code need not show where a car was built. A US-market car also has the Federal/Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S.) certification label on the driver’s centre pillar. A Gulf car may not carry that label, and its recalls run through Nissan’s UAE agents rather than NHTSA.

For a Sentra from the US, NHTSA says recall notices go by post to the registered US owner, and its VIN search does not show a recall involving an international vehicle, so open campaigns can follow the car unrepaired. Run the VIN there, then ask Nissan’s UAE agent whether 17V-253 (inflators), 21V-135 (brake-light switch) and, on a 2017 car, 18V-551 (ignition) have been done. VINCheckr’s recall section lists NHTSA’s US recalls for the Sentra’s model year, not Gulf campaigns or whether a recall is still open on that VIN; take that list to Nissan’s UAE agent as questions. Title brands such as salvage or flood show in a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) report, sold by the approved providers listed on vehiclehistory.gov for up to about $4, the US Department of Justice says; a search can miss records.

How to check a US car’s history in the UAE

How to check a Nissan Sentra B17’s accident history

In the UAE, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and Abu Dhabi Police each list a public accident inquiry by chassis number among their e-services. VINCheckr searches the UAE accident records available to it, from MOI and, during periods when MOI cannot be reached, Abu Dhabi Police; a clean result means no accident was found in those records, not that the car was never damaged.

For damage before export, VINCheckr searches bid.cars, plc.auction and carsbidshistory.com and links to any listing it finds, with photos where the listing has them. A listing shows the car was offered at a US auction at least once; its title and damage fields show whether it was sold as salvage. NHTSA lists mud, waterlines and unusual rust as flood signs.

Salvage and rebuilt US titles on cars in the UAE

How to check the mileage

US dealer invoices for warranty or recall work usually record the odometer (a CVT claim under Nissan’s 84,000-mile limit needed a reading), as do auction listings and the NMVTIS report. A US car reads in miles. We found no public UAE odometer history, so put every dated reading in order before trusting the dashboard.

VINCheckr adds European mileage readings where available, from registers and sales listings; few US or UAE cars have any, so “no readings found” means no data, not a confirmed odometer.

Where to find the VIN on a Nissan Sentra B17

Nissan’s 2013–2019 US manuals mark the Nissan Sentra B17 VIN on a driver’s-side plate on top of the dashboard and on the bulkhead under the bonnet, where they call it the chassis number; a US-market car repeats it on the driver’s centre-pillar label. A Gulf-market car may differ; every number must match the registration card.

Where to find the VIN on a Nissan Sentra B17

Nissan Sentra B17 inspection checklist

1. Read the VIN on the dashboard plate, the bulkhead and, on a US car, the pillar label, and match all of them to the registration card.
2. Note whether the VIN starts 3N1AB7, 1N4AB7 or 3N1CB7 (which NHTSA’s decoder reads as a 1.8-litre or 1.6-litre Sentra) and whether the car has a US title.
3. For a US car, search the VIN at NHTSA for the airbag, brake-light switch and ignition campaigns; for any Sentra B17, give the VIN to Nissan’s UAE agent and ask what is still open.
4. Check US title brands and auction listings, and look under the carpets for silt or rust.
5. With a full-size adult seated and belted in the passenger seat, check that the passenger airbag status light goes out once the ignition is on.
6. At a standstill, press the brake pedal slowly and lightly; it should not sink. Have a helper confirm the brake lights.
7. Drive for at least half an hour, including slow traffic once the car is hot, and feel for judder, hesitation or a flaring engine speed; on a manual, check the clutch and gear changes.
8. Ask for CVT fluid and service records, then pay for an independent inspection.