KnownCarProblems2003 Nissan Sentra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 180 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Nissan Sentra, most often about the engine (59% of complaints, typically around 70,000 miles). It is 12th of 27 Sentra model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2003 Nissan Sentra problems
Engine
107 complaints · 59%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While idling at a traffic light with the heat, headlights, and radio activated, the vehicle stalled. The interior lighting was still illuminated; however, all of the electrical components would not operate. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. Through online research…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power without warning. The vehicle would not restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the cam positioning sensor failed. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The…
Electrical
35 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that when making both left and right turns, the vehicle would shut off without warning also, once the vehicle was already started and warmed up, she was unable to restart it again, without constantly depressing the accelerator pedal for about 10 seconds which…
Vehicle failed the mil/check engine light due to OBD communications failure. Nissan dealership code reader also unable to communicate with ECM. Possible faulty ECM.
Fuel system
18 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 43,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage, fuel injection system.
Car began running rough, had trouble starting, check engine light stayed on. Didn't drive much after problem. Took to dealer (leitzinger imports) where I attend college, penn state university. Problem diagnosed as p0462 - fuel/sensor circuit, as per tsb. Engine control unit needs reprogrammed which was done. My father…
Purchased a new Nissan Sentra in jan. 03'. Started noticing long engine crank before start by mar. 04'. Dealer visit in mar. 04' found no problem. Problem persisted until sep. 04'. Took vehicle to another dealer, problem was diagnosed as a fuel pump issue. Fuel pump was replaced at that time under warranty. A Nissan…
Air bags
16 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: frontal.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While driving 60 MPH, the air bag warning light began to flash and would not stop. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 44,000. The consumer provided repair invoices for vehicle and the vehicle history report. Updated 09/05/07 the consumer stated…
Can't find any information on if this vehicle is affected by the defective takata airbags!!! Not even the www.safercar.gov site gives me any information!!!!!
Other or unspecified
9 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles.
Vehicle failed the mil/check engine light due to OBD communications failure. Nissan dealership code reader also unable to communicate with ECM. Possible faulty ECM.
I have a 2003 Nissan Sentra xe that only have approx.54,187 miles. There was a recall on Nissan Sentra from 2000until 2003. Nissan says that my car is not in that recall but it has the same problems the recall cars has. They refuse to fix this dangerous problems. The car crank sensor and throttle service is in that…
Transmission
9 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 70,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While driving approximately 40 MPH on normal road conditions, the vehicle hesitated, vibrated, and misfired when shifting from second to third gear. Suddenly, the RPM's increased excessively high when the gears were shifted downward. In addition, the check engine warning indicator…
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…
Brakes
7 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, pedals and linkages.
- the contact called regarding the 2003 Nissan Sentra. The driver was traveling at 45-50 MPH when the engine suddenly shut off,and the vehicle continued to move. The driver applied the brakes and the vehicle would not stop, and the steering wheel locked. The road conditions were icy. The vehicle hit a cement wall. The…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While driving 10 MPH, the engine shut off. The check engine light illuminated prior to the failure. The engine's computer was replaced. There was a bearing that failed and a couple of push rods bad. The vehicle's warranty expired and the contact had to pay for the repair. The…
Body and structure
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
My 2003 Nissan Sentra was rear-ended by a driver travelling approximately 60 MPH. The rear seat virtually collapsed and if there were anyone sitting there they would have been killed. My wife and I were sitting in the front seats. She spent a week in the hospital with head injuries and I spent two days. Why aren't…
I purchased my 2003 Nissan Sentra gxe on june 10, 2003. Since that time, I have 7 work orders on my vehicle and that doesn't count each time I had to go to the dealership to show the problem and then made an appointment for problems with the drivers side door and window, a ding they put in the hood, not even close to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Nissan Sentra recalls
Air bags: inflator module
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
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.
Full defect summary
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. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Fix: Dealers will replace the bracket on these vehicles. Owner notification began december 15, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain electric vehicles, the front suspension transverse link's ball joint bracket may break from stress concentration at a notch created by surface roughness and the shape of the material cut-line.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
Electrical: module
Risk: If one of the resistors inside the ECM has a crack on the surface coating, the gas may cause corrosion of the resistor. This could cause the malfunction indicator light to come on, poor drivability (idle instability, poor accelerator), or the engine to stop running during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will remove the inside lining material from the ECM box. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the qg18de engine or qr25de engines, the foam material used for the interior lining of the electronic control module (ECM) box emits sulfur as it cures.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Questions about the 2003 Nissan Sentra
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Nissan Sentra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (107 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); electrical (35 complaints, typically around 69,500 miles); fuel system (18 complaints, typically around 43,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Nissan Sentra have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 1, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Nissan Sentra?
- It is 12th of 27 Sentra model years by number of complaints, with 180 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.