10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,918 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Nissan Sentra:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #35

Mar 212022

Sentra

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine began to run roughly and the vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road safely where the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but eventually had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched the failure online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 06V242000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Sequim, WA, USA

problem #34

Feb 232014

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
My car stalled while driving. I was going the speed limit of 45 mph and without warning my car just lost power & stopped. I was lucky enough to be able to coast off the road without getting into an accident. I was on an 8-lane very busy road in a middle lane. At the first moment, the service engine light came on, then all the warning lights and the car stopped. I had the car towed. When the mechanic put it on the computer it said that the crank position sensor & camshaft sensor was the problem. It cost me $ $376 for the repair. The mechanic told me this was a common problem with Nissan. I read online where the problem was happening to my model and there was a recall of some. My car is a 1.8 model, but Nissan Consumer Affairs told me my car was not part of the recall, despite the fact that the exact malfunction happened to my car. This is a safety issue! I was lucky that there was not any other cars around me when my car stalled and I was able to coast off the road. I have retained the faulty parts that were replaced for examination. I was out of town at the time of this incident.

- South Euclid, OH, USA

problem #33

Jun 092012

Sentra 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that he stopped at a stop sign and the vehicle stalled when he attempted to accelerate from that stop. The contact stated that he attempted to restart the engine several times before it eventually started and functioned normally. The failure occurred several times later. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for diagnosis and they informed the contact that the crank shaft sensor had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 117,000....updated 08-10-12

- Wooster, OH, USA

problem #32

Oct 082009

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 16,000 miles
Most of the time when I try to turn on the car I have to try 2 or 3 times in order for it to turn. The car sounds like it will turn on but it will not, therefore I have to continue turning the key and try again. Sometimes when I accelerate the car will not response, it will take a while to do so.

- Rialto, CA, USA

problem #31

Jul 212011

Sentra

  • 99,300 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated the engine stalled, causing the vehicle to lose power and come to a complete stop, while driving 65 miles per hour. The vehicle would not restart unless the engine cooled down. The failure occurred five times, and during the failure most of the warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated the crank shaft position sensor circuit malfunctioned. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact the VIN did not qualify for the NHTSA recall campaign id number :06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact suggested that the extreme heat advisory may have contributed to the failure. The failure mileage was 99,300. The current mileage was 99,379.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #30

May 292011

Sentra

  • 83,742 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. While the contact was driving approximately 45 mph, the engine stalled unexpectedly without warning. The contact was able to coast to his residence. The engine failed to restart even though there were several attempts; however; within three days the vehicle started. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they detected that the ECM box corroded as a result of water accumulation. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The failure mileage was 83,742.

- Scotts , MI, USA

problem #29

Jan 012011

Sentra

  • 92,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle stalled abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic located the failure at the crank shaft position sensor. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted in regards to NHTSA campaign id number: 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling) but was advised that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 92,000 and the current mileage was 92,700.

- Glendale , AZ, USA

problem #28

Dec 222010

Sentra

  • 114,356 miles
Car engine stalls while running.. it doesn't matter what speed I am driving, the car will just shut off and I lose power steering. Luckily the brakes still work so I was able to pull over. Once pulled over I turn the key off and start the car back up again and it works fine. This has happened a repeated number of times. I am sure it is the throttle position sensor or ECM like the 2006 recall of the Altima's and Sentra.

- Burlington, KY, USA

problem #27

Aug 242010

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 77,000 miles
2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8L blew head gasket, cylinder 3 at 77000 miles. Engine was well maintained and never overheated. Due to vast number of similar complaints on the internet suspect a defective head gasket was the cause. Can be a safety issue as engine runs on 3 cylinders thus low power. Repair cost was $1200. Opened a case with Nissan for assistance and absolutely none was offered. I have never had a head gasket failure on a vehicle and even had one VW running 300+ miles with no head gasket issues. Nissan thus far has been successful in not accepting responsibility for the gasket defect, a typical pattern of auto manufacturers. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this costly and potentially safety related defect and require that Nissan accept responsibility and provide remediation for its customers.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #26

Oct 042010

Sentra

  • 65,000 miles
My 2004 Nissan Sentra engine would cut off while driving at various speeds. This would cause me to almost get into a crash on the highway. Mine is a 1.8 liter engine, and the recall was for the 2.5 liter engine, and just as many 1.8's have been having this problem. Had to pay $200 out of pocket to fix this. Then after I get the car fixed, the check engine light will not come off, and the mechanic says, no code is coming up for anything. I am scared to death to drive my car.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #25

May 132010

Sentra

  • 108,000 miles
2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8 I just hit 2 years with this car and still have another 2 years. Car does not start on first try. It over heats, it dies while in use, recently it started jerking really bad and RPM shot to 4,000 and wouldn't go past 20mph. I already had a new fuel pump put in and a new crankshaft sensor and new spark plugs. I just found out it has a blown head gasket. I cant afford this im a single mother of 3. rack in pinion needs to be replaced even the mass air flow. Who knows what else?

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #24

Jun 062010

Sentra

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle began to jerk and suddenly stalled. The contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road and restart the vehicle after several minutes. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the battery was replaced; the repair did not correct the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the crankshaft was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not included in recall 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 72,000.

- Memphis , TN, USA

problem #23

May 102010

Sentra

  • 95,000 miles
Same as 06V242000, but with Nissan Sentra 1.8 (2004). Engine shuts off suddenly, rendering power steering and engine dead, frequently at high speeds. Very dangerous, but dealership say not part of Nissan recall 06V242000, so driver must pay for repair.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #22

Aug 162009

Sentra 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. While the contact was driving 55mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact had the crank sensor replaced. The were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 60000. The crank sensor was faulty. Updated 09/21/10

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #21

Dec 132009

Sentra

  • 100,000 miles
Motor stops while driving.

- Woodridge, IL, USA

problem #20

May 152007

Sentra

  • 56,273 miles
(SE-R spec V) numerous instances of engine misfire, usually occurring on throttle tip-in after a tip-out from cruise conditions. Duration of misfire anywhere from 5S to 5 minutes. Key-off, key-on sometimes rectifies the misfire. Diagnostic code of multiple cylinder misfires. Has also rarely occurred immediately after engine start. Vehicle has had ECU reprogram recall performed. Vehicle unable to accelerate when misfire occurs at low engine speed. Misfire event can occur multiple times in a week, or none for six months. Failure is so intermittent and non-repeatable that no effect troubleshooting can be performed.

- Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, USA

problem #19

Nov 052009

Sentra

  • 47,000 miles
There is an ECM (engine control module) recall on Nissan Sentra and fronteirs 2003-06. When this was done at the dealership, I was told I needed a new swirl control valve, (a valve directly controlled by the ECM) at a cost of $772. Should the swirl valve also been part of this recall?

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #18

Oct 132009

Sentra

  • 63,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. While driving 15 mph, all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel, then she experienced difficulty steering and braking. She was able to resume normal vehicle operation. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility and the mechanic concluded that the crankshaft position sensor failed. The manufacturer was notified in reference to recall # 06V247000(engine and engine cooling); however, since she does not have a 2.5L engine, she was ineligible for a free remedy. The current and failure mileages were approximately 63,000.

- Catonsville, MD, USA

problem #17

Oct 022009

Sentra

  • 27,924 miles
For the past four years, I have been having a recurring problem with my 2004 Nissan Sentra. Suddenly and without warning, the engine stops working and simply fails while I am driving. Several times, it has happened when I am driving on busy roads and the highway. Most of the time, it has happened while I am driving in and out of parking lots, at low speeds. I have taken the car to Nissan service stations in both California and Oregon, but the problem continues to occur. The computer chip has been replaced several times and in August 2009, the computer was replaced. However, it happened again. Nissan said that all was fine, but again last week on Friday Oct 2nd the problem happened. The car overheated and had to be towed to beaverton Nissan (Oregon). They are replacing the wires to the computer, but I think that there is a manufacturing defect with this car.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #16

Jun 262009

Sentra

  • 61,708 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle lost power without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and restarted it after three minutes. He drove the vehicle to his residence, which was located only one mile away. He attempted to duplicate the failure, but could not. The service engine light and other lights illuminated as soon as the vehicle shut off. The dealer stated that it would cost $100 to diagnose the failure, $100 to order the part, and $240 for labor. The vehicle was taken to auto zone and the representative stated that the sensor failed. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling), although the symptoms were identical. The vehicle will have to be repaired at the contact's expense. The failure and current mileages were 61,708.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

Read the next 15 complaints »