2004 Nissan Sentra problems
Owners have filed 235 complaints about the 2004 Nissan Sentra with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 26% of them — the clear leader, ahead of air bags at 13.6%.
Complaints235
Crashes27
Fires0
Injuries22
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 26.0% · 61
Air bags 13.6% · 32
Electrical system 11.9% · 28
Engine 11.1% · 26
Fuel system, gasoline 10.6% · 25
Fuel/propulsion system 3.4% · 8
Vehicle speed control 3.0% · 7
Power train 3.0% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 27 describe a crash, 22 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 26 model years of the Nissan Sentra in this data, 2004 sits 14th by complaint volume. 2013 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 9 in the last three years against 14 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 75,000 miles.
In owners' own words
I have a 1.8 Liter engine (Nissan Sentra) and it is experiencing the same problems that are listed on nhtsa campaign 06v242000 for the 2.5L engine. The 11/12/2007 is the third sensor failure and engine cutoff since june 2007. The dealership has replaced the same sensor each time, and I have been lucky to have been on fairly empty freeways at the time of the failure or I would have been in an accident. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 64,000 miles
: The contact stated while the vehicle is at an idle in heavy traffic, the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was pushed aside out of traffic, and after an extended period of time, the engine restarted. The vehicle was seen by a dealer who replaced the crank sensor. After the replacement, the problem persisted. The dealer could not find a probelm. Updated 09/13/06. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 8,800 miles
Driving vehicle @ 60 mph on highway and the vehicle sputtered and jerked several times and then ran ok. Stopped and parked the car for four hours and then drove home and it did it again at 55 mph. 5-13-08 It happened two more times at low speeds and actually died. It started back up and then ran fine. 5-31-08 Dealership stated that the problem is the crankshaft sensor. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 58,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…