2006 Nissan Sentra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (19) · Engine (17) · Vehicle Speed Control (10)
🧭 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
88 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 (64)
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 64 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-06-24 · Seat Belts“bought a 2006 nissan sentra from an individual as a first car for my grandson. drivers seatbelt does not retract. took to body shop and they said it was a safety issue and we would need to take it to the dealer. the nissan dealer in chattanooga said that they could not repair it as the part was discontinued. did not give us an alternative other t…”
2023-04-21 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) · 193,377 mi“the contact owns a 2006 nissan sentra. the contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated then stalled. the contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the mechanic retrie…”
2022-09-16 · Air Bags · 125,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light would remain illuminated and the b1066 front passenger air bag module due to electrical circuit shortage. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in th…”
2022-04-06 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:crank/Camshaft Position Sensor · 76,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 nissan sentra. the contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph and exiting the highway, the vehicle decelerated and then lost motive power. the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality; additionally, the instrument panel went blank. the contact pulled safely off the road and the vehicle would not restart. …”
2022-03-04 · Engine“car has pick up issues. it has been issues when stop at signal light and i afraid behind cars may hit me. when i did research on internet found many people complained for the same issue. i did replace evap canister still has same pick up issue. thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b…”
2021-10-15 · Power Train · 106,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 nissan sentra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v747000 (air bags) and had the vehicle taken to the dealer to be repaired. additionally, the transmission fluid was flushed and refilled. the contact stated that after the vehicle was returned, the transmission fluid was checked and looked the same …”
2021-05-06 · Vehicle Speed Control · 242,000 mi“drive by wire .when check engine lights on it drags u threw red lights. unless u put in neutral. idles too high not disengaging the tq.converter .…”
2020-12-29 · Steering · 42,000 mi“the manual lock down leaver for the steering wheel does not hold the steering wheel in place ,this allows the steering wheel to come loose while driving which makes it almost impossible to control the steering of the car i have almost ran into other cars while driving on highways and streets.…”
2018-12-10 · Electrical System:horn · 13,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan sentra. the contact stated that the horn failed to function. the dealer was not contacted. the contact felt that if the same part was replaced, the failure may recur. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 13,000. the vin was unk…”
2018-05-03 · Engine · 214,000 mi · 💥 crash“takata recall, vehicle has been burning through a lot of motor oil and the other day i noticed smoke coming out of the motor and i'm going through about 3 quarts of motor oil in one week i am afraid that the motor may catch on fire. as i was driving my family to the lake i noticed that there was smoke coming out of the engine and the engine light …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.