2003 Nissan Sentra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
240 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Nissan Sentra, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 28/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 70,330 miles.
Typical
Where 2003 sits among all Sentra years
What owners report
“The engine stops running without warning while the vehicle is in motion increasing the risk of a crash.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sentra
“I bought my car in may of 2004. Since then, the interior dash lights, tail lights and various fuses have blown at least 3 times each. Lights were replaced. The dealership said there was nothing wrong that they could find, and they had replaced the fuses. The very next day, the same fuses blew…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sentra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 174 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 69,012 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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 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…
Fix: 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.…
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.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108,…
Fix: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
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…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 21, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THE FRONT SUSPENSION TRANSVERSE LINK'S BALL JOINT BRACKET MAY BREAK FROM STRESS CONCENTRATION AT A NOTCH CREATED BY SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND THE SHAPE OF THE MATERIAL CUT-LINE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRACKET ON THESE VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 15, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE QG18DE ENGINE OR QR25DE ENGINES, THE FOAM MATERIAL USED FOR THE INTERIOR LINING OF THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) BOX EMITS SULFUR AS IT CURES.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE INSIDE LINING MATERIAL FROM THE ECM BOX. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Technical service bulletins
68 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2003 Nissan Sentra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 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 2003 Nissan Sentra reliable?
The 2003 Nissan Sentra drew 240 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 28/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2003 Nissan Sentra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Nissan Sentra are engine (111 complaints), electrical (41), and airbags (16).
At what mileage do 2003 Nissan Sentra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Nissan Sentra problems around 69,012 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Nissan Sentra have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Nissan Sentra. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.