2004 Nissan Sentra engine problems

The 2004 Nissan Sentra has 87 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 37% of the year's total, and roughly flat versus the prior model year.

Engine complaints

37%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Sentra engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

06V242000EngineJuly 7, 2006 · 294,166 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 21, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

What owners report

“2004 NISSAN SENTRA. BORN ON DATE OF APRIL 2003. BOUGHT IN OCT 2004. CURRENTLY HAS 4495 MILES. CAR STALLED TWICE. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP ON 04/02/2004 TO CHECK FOR PROBLEM (4331 MILES). NO FAILURE CODES INDICATED IN MEMORY OF COMPUTER. ON APRIL 8TH THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. SON HAS MEMORY…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · April 8, 2004 · crash

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2004 Nissan Sentra have?

NHTSA has 87 complaints about the 2004 Nissan Sentra engine — 37% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2004 Nissan Sentra engine?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the engine: 06V242000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.