2004 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (31) · Air Bags (24) · Engine (20)
🧭 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
149 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 (76)
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 76 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-17 · Power Train“hard shifting and occasional uncertainty in gear selected.…”
2025-10-28 · Electrical System · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. the contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic, the vehicle was diagnosed computer system failure, causing the vehicle to fail to start. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact of nhtsa campaign number: 15v287000 (air bags), which was associated with the …”
2025-03-15 · Air Bags“i have been getting recall notices for over 2 years on my 2004 sentra concerning airbag replacement. i called the number on the recall mailing and was told on multiple occasions that the car was dangerous to operate. i am a [xxx] and was assured that the nissan recall team offered a mobile repair service and that my repair was in the range of mo…”
2023-07-25 · Air Bags“1.) both driver and passenger airbag replacement replacements. 2.) if i get into a reck then me and my passenger have a chance of death due to the recall on the airbags. 3.) yes. 4.) no. 5.) unknown. every time i schedule to get the recall fixed either the shops don’t have the parts or they don’t have the time to do it.…”
2023-03-15 · Air Bags“went into the dealership to talk about the air bag issue, turns out they fixed the check engine light. next on the paper it says they found there was no airbag and tried to perform recall, and that they could not perform the recall…”
2022-09-02 · Seats“the back metal frame that connects to the driver front seat is broken. the seat is not stable because when you drive it it goes to the back by itself. it is very dangerous to drive it like that. i just bought this car last january. …”
2022-06-29 · Air Bags“no nissan dealership wants to honor the safety recall on my vehicle due to it being a rebuilt title. i have filed a complaint before in 2020 with nhtsa & the issue has still not been resolved. unfortunately, this is the only vehicle i own & drive day to day & my life as well as the life of my special needs grandchild is in danger with this recall…”
2022-03-31 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 150,000 mi“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…”
2020-03-02 · Air Bags · 146,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a metal guard rail. during the crash the front end of the vehicle had sustained severe damage but the air bags did not deploy. no injuries were reported. a police report was taken at …”
2018-04-30 · Air Bags · 47,419 mi“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated after the vehicle was serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 15v287000 (air bags). the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to nissan of queens (93-25 rockaway blvd, ozone park, ny 11417, 718-835-8300), but was not diagnosed…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.