1997 Nissan Sentra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
138 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Nissan Sentra, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 30/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports.
Typical
Where 1997 sits among all Sentra years
What owners report
“Brakes failed to stop vehicle resulting in vehicle collision and no deployment of airbag.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Sentra
“Consumer states still having the same problems after recall has been perform on vehicle recall#98v093000 windshield wiper. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Sentra
Recalls (7)
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO…
Fix: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. WATER CAN ENTER AND DISPLACE THE GREASE IN THE WIPER ARM LINKAGE BALL JOINT WHERE THE WIPER LINKAGE ATTACHES TO THE WIPER MOTOR LINKAGE.
Fix: TO PREVENT GREASE FROM BEING WASHED OUT OF THE JOINT, THE DEALERS WILL MODIFY BY ADDING A WATER DIVERSION SEAL THAT WILL PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE BALL JOINT AREA.
THESE VEHICLES DO NOT MEET THE ILLUMINATION REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH TWO NEW LIGHT BULBS FOR THE STOP/TAIL LAMPS WHICH ARE BRIGHTER THAN THE ORIGINAL BULBS. A LABEL WITH THE NEW BULB NUMBER WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED FOR INSERTION INTO THE…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. ONE OF THREE STYROFOAM PADS LOCATED IN EACH REAR DOOR AS PART OF THE DESIGN FOR ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH FMVSS NO. 214, "SIDE DOOR STRENGTH," WAS NOT INSTALLED.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE MISSING PAD IN EACH REAR DOOR.
Technical service bulletins
46 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and wheels & tires — are on file for the 1997 Nissan Sentra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1997 Sentra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Nissan Sentra reliable?
The 1997 Nissan Sentra drew 138 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 30/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 1997 Nissan Sentra problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Nissan Sentra are airbags (34 complaints), visibility & wipers (27), and electrical (16).
Does the 1997 Nissan Sentra have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Nissan Sentra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.