2002 Nissan Sentra problems
Owners have filed 388 complaints about the 2002 Nissan Sentra with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 35.6% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 14.2%.
Complaints388
Crashes24
Fires9
Injuries22
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 35.6% · 138
Electrical system 14.2% · 55
Air bags 8.2% · 32
Engine 7.0% · 27
Vehicle speed control 5.4% · 21
Power train 5.2% · 20
Unknown or other 3.6% · 14
Tires 3.4% · 13
Severity
Of those complaints, 24 describe a crash, 9 describe a fire and 22 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 26 model years of the Nissan Sentra in this data, 2002 sits 5th by complaint volume. 2013 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 7 in the last three years against 16 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 69,000 miles.
In owners' own words
This was the third time that my engine has cut off due to a malfunction of the butterfly screws on the intake valve of my 2002 Nissan Sentra se-r spec v. I have contacted Nissan corporate about the issue and they have issued a recall on the 2003 and up models but refuse to issue the recall on the 2002 model. This could have resulted in a highway crash on two occasions as well as continuous damage to my engine. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the engine oil dipstick tube would fracture every one to two years. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the tube was replaced with a newer one at the contacts expense. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact on how to remove the broken dipstick. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 132,000. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 132,000 miles
I haven't had the car for a year yet and I have already had the catalytic converter replaced twice & the engine replaced because there was no oil in it. What kind of car has these kind of problems? The gears shift hard now to where it about jerks you and I drive an automatic. Not to mention the dealership wouldn't even give me a rental while they had to practically replace the entire engine. *Nlm Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Nissan Sentra years
2000 236 complaints · 33.9% engine and engine cooling 2001 309 complaints · 31.7% engine and engine cooling 2003 240 complaints · 36.3% engine and engine cooling 2004 235 complaints · 26.0% engine and engine cooling 2005 224 complaints · 24.1% engine and engine cooling 2006 155 complaints · 21.3% air bags