2003 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (45) · Engine (18) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Sentra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
137 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2022-08-09 · campaign 22E066000 · 375 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, and both driver and passenger-side inflators designed to fit 2007-2012 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback vehicles. Please see Nissan's recall report for the specific
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the inflators as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 14, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-12-01 · campaign 20V747000 · 3,930 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2002-2006 Sentra vehicles whose passenger air bags were previously inspected and may have been released without replacing the Takata air bag inflator. In the event of a crash, Takata frontal passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been completed. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will re-inspect the vehicle and, if necessary, replace the air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PM964.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-09 · campaign 20V008000 · 307,962 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. T
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Air Bags 2015-05-15 · campaign 15V287000 · 1,090,569 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
Service bulletins (68)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
removing foreign material from the window glass this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
windshield cracking this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 68 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-04 · Unknown Or Other“my rear windshield make a loud bang, and shattered and fell into pieces during a short and otherwise non-eventful commute to work. i had no knowledge of prior cracks or damage, or being hit with anything. there was a light frost that morning and i had used the rear defrost for a short time. it was not exceptionally cold that day. my husband met…”
2024-06-11 · Engine“both my catalytic converters stopped up st same time. …”
2022-07-18 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the car quits as i’m driving it , the headlights and the dome lights go dim and radio light flickers then it goes completely out and when i’m driving the car it has a rough idle and in order to keep the car running when i get to a stop light or stop sign is to put the car in park .…”
2021-05-27 · Air Bags“2003 nissan sentra. consumer writes in regards to airbag safety recall. the consumer stated the parts necessary to complete the recall repair were unavailable. the consumer stated the dealer would not provide a loaner vehicle for the lengthy repair.…”
2020-01-14 · Vehicle Speed Control · 270,000 mi“floor mat holder broke, floor mat slides up under gas pedal, causing u.n. controlled acceleration multiple times…”
2019-11-25 · Vehicle Speed Control · 76,500 mi“i was driving and the car shifted itself from a low gear to a very high gear, leaving me with no torque. the next gear wouldnt lock-in until rpms hit redline, and even then it would feel like its slipping, or maybe its in overdrive gear(4th) when it should be in 3rd.. and also the transmission would not shift down until i came to a complete stop...…”
2019-09-17 · Power Train · 185,878 mi“the computer on the car is messed up and keeps turning the check engine light on for p0444 and had a shop check it and replace the part and it's still coming on. it wil trip the code sitting in neutral and or driving less then 5 miles.…”
2019-05-09 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v287000 (air bags). the contact stated that there was no dealer nearby to have the recall remedy performed. the contact made the manufacturer aware of the issue and was told that someone would call back. the contact was not called…”
2019-02-17 · Unknown Or Other“car was parked refueling . while attempting to put gas in the car and it kept shutting pump off and was leaking out under the car . engine light is currently staying on…”
2019-02-16 · Unknown Or Other“vent control valve/evap canister i can not put gas in my 2003 nissan sentra when i try it pours out on the ground and takes 15-20 minutes to put mabe 50 cents of gas in car . my engine light is also on…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.