2005 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (21) · Engine (19) · Air Bags (16)
🧭 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
125 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 (67)
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.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines 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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 67 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-10-27 · Unknown Or Other“ i purchased a 2005 nissan sentra on [xxx] from tmz auto sales. the front passenger and driver side calipers, rotors, brake pads, brake hoses, front driver side hub bearings and knuckle hook up, were replaced by me, and the left passenger side ball joint needs to be repaired. all repairs were done within 30-60 days of purchase. the dealer replaced …”
2023-03-01 · Air Bags“nissan dealer locally will not repair my vehicle as per the recall for my air bags. have driven out of town to a nissan dealer and they said they did not have the part in stock and could not fix it. i would like to have my car fixed before the passenger air bag explodes. …”
2021-07-27 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 123,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving 30-35 mph, the vehicle revved up and accelerated without warning. the contact downshifted to slow the vehicle. the local dealer was contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000.…”
2021-07-16 · Air Bags“i had an appointment for 10am i called ahead to confirm the estimated amount of time i was told it would take 2-4 hours. when i arrived they refused to service my vehicle they claimed they we're busy and refused to service my recall and treated me like a nuisance and with little respect. i spoke to the nissan representative of san leandro on marina…”
2021-04-30 · Air Bags · 167,000 mi · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“i was driving this car but had stopped to let traffic by (in a turn lane) when an oncoming truck barrelled toward me & hit me head-on, going about 40 mph. his truck bent in the whole front of my sentra but my neither my driver-side or passenger-side airbag went off to protect me & my daughter! there is a recall on the airbags, citing they could eru…”
2021-04-08 · Engine“do not pass smog. unknown reason.…”
2021-02-22 · Engine · 126,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle loss motive power without warning. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer nissan of vacaville (671 orange dr, vacaville, ca 95687, (707) 474-4846) where it was diagnosed with needing the crankshaft sensor to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. …”
2020-03-17 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v008000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated dublin nissan located at 2…”
2019-09-23 · Service Brakes · 122,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. while driving 65 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal, which failed to engage and caused the contact to rear end another vehicle causing that vehicle to rear end another vehicle. the contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. the contact stated that the front driver's side and passenger …”
2019-09-16 · Power Train · 64,000 mi“i brought my car into the dealership for service and they said it has a blown head gasket.they also said that it would cost $2500 and this car only has 64000 miles on it.the dealer said that this is a known issue with the 2005 nissan sentra 1.8 engine.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.