2004 Nissan Sentra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
235 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Nissan Sentra, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 34/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 72,680 miles.
Typical
Where 2004 sits among all Sentra years
What owners report
“Engine fuel pump failure. Driving on busy highway engine started to stall. Had to use clutch to keep engine running, nearly missing other vehicles trying to maintain control of vehicle trying to restart engine. Immediately took to dealer and fuel pump failure diagnosed. Fuel pump being replaced…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sentra
“Tom wood nissan carmel in refused to honor recall #report receipt date: jul 07, 2006 nhtsa campaign number: 06v242000 component(s): engine and engine cooling”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sentra
“I read news that my car model may have recall of takata airbag. I bought the car in canada and now i drive it in california. So far my car vin number had not shown up in your vin checking tool. Is it because your tool only has vun for cars sold in usa?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sentra
“The engine stalled due to a failed crankshaft position sensor and/or camshaft position sensor while driving i tried starting car again after 4-5 minutes started, and engine stalled again after 20-25 minutes then i started car again after 15-20 minutes and it started. I think these sensors can fail…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sentra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 182 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,147 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,000 and 117,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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.…
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.
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…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Technical service bulletins
76 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2004 Nissan Sentra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 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 2004 Nissan Sentra reliable?
The 2004 Nissan Sentra drew 235 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 34/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2004 Nissan Sentra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Nissan Sentra are engine (87 complaints), fuel system (33), and airbags (32).
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Sentra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Nissan Sentra problems around 75,147 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,000 and 117,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Nissan Sentra have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 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.