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2003 Nissan SentraProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 180 owner complaints about the 2003 Nissan Sentra, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 7 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-747 the manufacturer reports only 23% of affected cars repaired.

2003 Nissan Sentra
50
CarFlaw IndexSolid year2% below the Sentra median · #20 of 38 years by complaints
Safety recalls7Lowest repair rate 23%Owner complaints18019 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage70kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 4, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Cutlass, CC0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2003 Nissan Sentra has problems

180 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling866
Electrical system350
Engine240
Air bags166
Power train90
Fuel system, gasoline80
Structure72
Fuel/propulsion system70
Service brakes, hydraulic73
10 other systems251

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

7 recalls

2003 Nissan Sentra recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

23%repaired · 2022 Q4

Air bags

Do not drive

Recall 20V-747 · Dec 1, 2020 · 3,930 vehicles · 916 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

36%repaired · 2021 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 20V-008 · Jan 9, 2020 · 307,962 vehicles · 111,354 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

27%repaired · 2017 Q1

Air bags

Recall 15V-287 · May 15, 2015 · 1,090,569 vehicles · 297,865 repaired

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 06V-242 · Jul 7, 2006 · 294,166 vehicles

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 3 more recalls
–no report yet

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 03V-455 · Nov 17, 2003 · 630,000 vehicles

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Ignition: module

Recall 03V-477 · Nov 14, 2003 · 276,000 vehicles

Risk. IF ONE OF THE RESISTORS INSIDE THE ECM HAS A CRACK ON THE SURFACE COATING, THE GAS MAY CAUSE CORROSION OF THE RESISTOR.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Nissan.

Mileage at failure

When do engine and engine cooling problems start?

70kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 77 engine and engine cooling complaints. 82% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
12under 30k miles63under 100k miles14100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Engine and engine cooling

10 owners mentioned a cost

$624median

Middle half: $280 – $1,450

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2003 vs. every other Sentra year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Sentra median. How we score

'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2003 Nissan Sentra safety ratings

2003 Nissan Sentra 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2003 Nissan Sentra frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2003 Nissan Sentra side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2003 Nissan Sentra, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · still open
    Led to recall 14V-668
  2. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
In owners' words

What Sentra owners report

Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT CAMSHAFT SENSOR ONE AND TWO FAILED. THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE…
Complaint 10948835 · Feb 1, 2017 · 70,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS…
Complaint 10733243 · Jul 10, 2015 · 24,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MPH, A LOUD POPPING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES…
Complaint 10731705 · Jul 2, 2015 · 25,000 miles

Own a 2003 Sentra?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.