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2005 Nissan SentraProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 170 owner complaints about the 2005 Nissan Sentra, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-747 the manufacturer reports only 23% of affected cars repaired.

2005 Nissan Sentra
50
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.0× the Sentra median · #18 of 38 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 23%Owner complaints17027 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage67kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 27, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: Cutlass, CC0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2005 Nissan Sentra has problems

170 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 cooling482
Engine330
Air bags217
Fuel system, gasoline210
Electrical system171
Fuel/propulsion system150
Power train101
Service brakes, hydraulic83
Vehicle speed control50
13 other systems324

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

5 recalls

2005 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 07V-527 · Nov 14, 2007 · 653,910 vehicles

Risk. IF THE INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR IS SO BRIEF THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) LOGIC DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO DIAGNOSE…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
–no report yet

Fuel system, gasoline: storage

Recall 05V-269 · Jun 7, 2005 · 44,000 vehicles

Risk. THE VAPOR CANISTER COULD BECOME FULL, AND EXCESS FUEL COULD SPILL OUT ONTO THE GROUND.

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?

67kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 36 engine and engine cooling complaints. 86% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
6under 30k miles31under 100k miles5100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2005 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

2005 Nissan Sentra safety ratings

2005 Nissan Sentra 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2005 Nissan Sentra frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2005 Nissan Sentra side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2005 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
  3. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 14V-428
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 2005 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE SERVICE ENGINE AND OIL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD, RESTARTED THE ENGINE, AND DROVE HOME AT A VERY LOW SPEED. THE CONTACT DIAGNOSED…
Complaint 11099562 · Jun 4, 2018 · 131,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND ALL OF THE SENSOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED ONTO THE LEFT SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE…
Complaint 10888795 · Jul 26, 2016 · 166,000 miles
COMMENTS: MY DAUGHTER, [XXX], OWNED A 2005 NIACIN SENTRY WHICH HAD TO HAVE THE CAM POSITION SENSOR AND CRANK POSITION SENSOR REPLACED ON 4/9/14 AFTER THE CAR QUICK RUNNING WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. SHE WAS IDLING AT A LIGHT, AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING WHEN SHE TRIED TO PROCEED. SINCE…
Complaint 10597459 · Jun 10, 2014 · 88,186 miles

Own a 2005 Sentra?

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