2005 Nissan Sentra: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 170 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine and engine cooling (24% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Aug 2022
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 170 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2023
“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.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jul 2021
“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 Blvd.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“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. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 07v527000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not including in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.”Owner report · Engine · Feb 2021
“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 2046 veterans blvd, dublin, ga 31021 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2020
“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.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Banister nissan of chesapeake (located at 930 n battlefield blvd, chesapeake, va 23320, (757) 214-6342) was contacted and a diagnostic appointment was scheduled and still pending. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000. Piir = y.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2019
“I was sitting a stop light in traffic and my car cut off and would not cut back on. I was obstructing traffic and could not move. Had to have a stranger help me push the car off the road in busy highway lunchtime traffic to a nearby parking lot. Then had car towed to mechanic. Diagnosed as a faulty crankshaft position sensor that overheated and caused vehicle to shut down. This should be part of warranty 07v527000. But my VIN is not listed, even though it fits the description of the known issue exactly so I was told by nissan there is nothing they will do.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator flashed for an extended period of time. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v287000 (air bags) and NHTSA action number: ea15001 (air bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure to determine a solution to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2017
“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 recurred. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor had to be replaced due to overheating. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 07v527000 (engine, engine cooling). The failure mileage was 166,000...updated 11/17/16 *bf status request. Updated 11/22/16.*jb ...updated 08/02/17 *bf *cn”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 13 of these complaints and injuries in 13 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 2.5L ENGINE, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR CAN OVERHEAT CAUSING A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL OUTPUT FROM THE SENSOR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. CERTAIN MY 2006 ALTIMAS WHICH HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY REMEDIED UNDER RECALL CAMPAIGN 06V223 (NISSAN R0606) ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL SINCE THE REPROGRAMMING FOR 06V223 ALSO INCLUDED THIS REPROGRAMMING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
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.
Remedy: 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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A VAPOR HOSE LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FORMED CORRECTLY DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH A FULL FUEL TANK, FUEL MAY FLOW INTO THE VAPOR HOSE, WHICH IS CONNECTED TO A VAPOR CANISTER.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CHECK THE VAPOR HOSE CONNECTIONS IN THE FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF A POOR SEAL EXISTS. IF A POOR SEAL IS IDENTIFIED, A NEW FUEL TANK WILL BE INSTALLED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 15, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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 part numbers. These replacement inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sentra by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Nissan Sentra reliable?
NHTSA has 170 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Nissan Sentra. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Sentra problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 78,075 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Nissan Sentra have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning engine and engine cooling. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.