8.5
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$1,235.00
Average Mileage:
69,207 miles
Total Complaints:
38 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace head gasket (31 reports)
- not sure (7 reports)
engine problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Nissan dealer.
Helpful websites about the 2005 Nissan Sentra, blown head gasket
- No one has added a helpful site for this 2005 Sentra problem yet. Be the first!
2010Jul 02
Sentra
- Automatic transmission
- 65,000 miles
I bought a 2005 Nissan Sentra for my niece about 3 years ago. Since having bought it there have been problems with the thermostat, car overheating, constantly having to add coolant, running rough, and now the head gaskets. Two months ago I took the car to a very well know mechanic chain of stores where I spent about %1500 having the thermostat, water pump and other things replaced. The car began "chugging" yesterday and wouldn't accelerate. Thank goodness she was near an exit off of the highway and was able to exit the highway without incident. I had the car towed to the mechanic shop (not the same one as two months ago) where they are now telling me the water pump was leaking causing the car to overheat and hence, cracked head gaskets!!! I find this very disconcerting considering the temp gauge on the car has not shown it as overheating. What the heck!!!!
So they are working on the car as I write this and tell me that if they don't find an actual cracked head then it will cost me about $2,000 for this repair and will take a couple of days. This is not right. Considering going to the repair shop that replaced the water pump a couple of months ago to attempt to have them reimburse me something since it appears they either did not install the water pump correctly or installed a defective pump. If it had been installed correctly and is not defective then I don't understand how this could have happened. From all of the postings I've read I am now wondering if I would be better served to simply trade the car in on an American made vehicle and not keep putting money into this obviously piece of crap someone calls a car.
2010Jun 04
Sentra 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 21,127 miles
Same issues as May 2010.
(This car has gone to the same dealership for all its oil changes and scheduled maintenance for 5 years.)
In May I was sent home after they had swapped two coils and manually turned off the engine light. I had heavy shaking and misses on a cold start up. I was told to come back if it happened again.
After about one week it happened again. Engine lite on again too. I returned the car to the dealership June 4. They didn't have a record of what 2 coils they swapped in May, so swapped Cyl 4 with 1. Another 4 hours waiting. Told me I probably need to replace all 4 ignition coils & spark plugs. A worse case scenario would be a head gasket replacement. I questioned the care taken with my car and my low kilometer reading and he agreed. Again they manually turned off the engine light and told me to come back if it happened again.
Really getting fed up.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010May 19
Sentra 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 21,127 miles
Car running a bit rough on start up for about a month. Worsened to misses and high idle upon start up when car cold, where I thought it was going to stall. Putting car into gear and moving corrected shaking etc and car ran smooth all day. Except engine light came on and stayed on.
Took car into dealership on second day. They said it was probably starting on 3 cylinders instead of 4. They did a diagnostic test. They were not sure but thought it was firing up on 3 cylinders instead of 4. They swapped 2 coils. They manually turned off the engine light and said to come back if the problems returned.
2010Jul 02
Sentra Special Edition 1.8L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 49,710 miles
Bought car new and at approx. 80000 Km (50,000 miles) Service Engine Soon light comes on. Bought code reader to discover that cyl#2 misfired. Checked engine for loose wires nothing found. Cleared code and car ran for 10 mins before light came on again. Took to dealership and found that head gasket was blown. At time of writing car being serviced hope extended warranty will cover costs. This vehicle is a lemon and I will never buy another Nissan.
2010Jun 24
Sentra 1.8 S 4 cyl
- CVT transmission
- 120,000 miles
What can I say? A blown head gasket is expensive. I've heard this happens on cars with higher mileage, but my mom's Honda didn't have this problem at over 140,000 miles, nor has my fiance's Chevy at almost 140,000. I can honestly say that my fiance has had fewer problems with her 2000 Chevy Cavaliere, with almost 140,000 miles on it, and spent less money in upkeep, than I have with my 2005 Nissan Sentra with just over 120,000 miles. Needless to say, I WILL NOT buy Nissan again- Despite having 3 Nissan's in my family in the past that were excellent, and that being the reason I bought a Nissan. I have had other problems with this car (fuel pump replacement issues- one under warranty, one not, which cost close to $600). If Nissan knows that the head gasket on this model is faulty (which I don't know that they do) then they should recall it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Jun 02
Sentra V6
- Automatic transmission
- 41,000 miles
My car ran hot, a head gasket was blown. My 5 year warranty expired six weeks ago. I was told by Nissan North America, they would pay for my car repairs. I later rec'd a call back telling me, the board declined to pay for my repairs.
I have driven Nissan for many years. I've owed two other Sentra and a Maxium, never had any problems. If I am not reimbursed by Nissan, I plan to contact an attorney. There are countless complaints regarding this issue on other sites. Nissan should recall this car again for the head gasket problem. Exactly what is the problem Nissan?? You have gone from suger to sh*t!
2010May 24
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 75,500 miles
Nissan needs to address the problem with head gaskets on 2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8 L engines. At 75000 miles I replaced spark plugs, driving belts, new battery because the car was shaking, I thought that a tune up was needed. After a few days the car start running rough. I did a research on line and find a lot of forums talking about the same problems on 2005 Nissan Sentra, describing HEAD GASKET FAILURES .This is a manufacturer's defect. The same problem is occurring over and over in these engines at around the same mileage. Nissan should have a recall and help consumer. Average bill to fix this problem run from $ 1100.00 to $ 1500.00 depending on what service shop you take your car.
2009Nov 19
Sentra
- Automatic transmission
- 53,991 miles
I am relieved and distressed to read the other head gasket complaints. I have documentation that the problem started while under warrantee. My car has such low mileage I can hardly believe this is happening. This is definitly a factory issue as I meticulously maintained this car. At this time my car is taken apart at the dealer while I do my best to get the company to live up to the standards the Japanese are typically known for. Nissan needs to take responsibility for this.I am outraged by this situation and will certainly never buy Nissan again.
2009Nov 11
Sentra Special Edition 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 107,700 miles
Nissan needs to address the failing head gaskets on these engines. This is a manufacturer's defect. The problem is occurring over and over in these engines at around the same mileage.My Nissan Sentra just blew a head gasket and from what I am reading, this is going to happen again and again. Is there anywhere to get justice on this issue since there are so many of us? Can we demand a recall?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Feb 10
Sentra S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 68,000 miles
After reading this forum, I realize I am not alone. My car started having starting problems a few months ago. It would quit starting, work for awhile, and quit again. We replaced the crank sensor, cam shaft sensor, and spark plugs before giving up and taking it to a mechanic. The mechanic said it was definitely a blown head gasket, and the head is possibly cracked as well. Ironically, he had another car of the same make and model (smaller engine size and 1 model year older) with the exact same problem. He implied that is a problem with Nissan factory part and they should be responsible for the fix. However, upon calling a Nissan dealer, I was informed that it would be my responsibility to pay for repairs. I have only had this car for 18 mos., and as fun as it is to drive, I don't think I will be buying another Nissan, especially after reading about all the problems they are having, and Nissan's unwillingness to take responsibility for their shoddy parts. What a shame...
2010Mar 16
Sentra 1.3L
- Automatic transmission
- 65,580 miles
Adding to all the other complaints I see on here about a blown head gasket on a 2005 Nissan Sentra. My car only has 65000 miles on it (interestingly 5000 over the warranty for such a thing) and the head gasket blows. My car has never over-heated and up until a week ago ran great. Week ago noticed it was idling rough first thing in the a.m. Once you put it into gear it ran fine. Once the heater seemed to not work, but turned it off and on and worked fine again. This week it wouldn't start at all and had to have it towed to mechanic. His diagnosis....blown head gasket. Really? On a 5 year old car with 65000 miles? Nissan, c'mon, you can do better than that!!
2010Feb 10
Sentra 1.8s
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
Let me start by saying that I have done anything and everything to keep this car in tip top condition. I'm not a person go goes hot-rodding, nor do I treat my car badly. I'm absolutely compulsive when it comes to keeping my car clean and in good shape. I have had every maintenance done, regular oil changes; you name it.
It all started in November 2009 when my check engine light came on. I brought my car into the mechanic, and they looked at it, drove it around, but couldn't find anything wrong with it. During November, the check engine light continued to turn on and off with no reason. Around the end of November, the heat started acting up- it would only work when I was accelerating. That's a real pain during the winter to have to constantly have your foot on the gas petal to have heat!
Then in the end of December, right before I went out of the country, the car wouldn't even turn over. I had to have the car towed to the mechanic. I had done my own tune up on the car a couple of months earlier, and they told me that the 2005 Nissan Sentra has to have 'special' spark plugs. So they did another full tune up and changed out the spark plugs, AND also did an oil change and fluid flush. Then in January of this 2010 the check engine light came on again!! I brought the car back in and the mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong again. He drove it around, and had it for a day and the light was off again the next day.
The problems I started having in the beginning of February were far worse than the little prior annoyances. In fact, I would give anything to go back and only have the check engine light on. I was on the highway one day, and the heat stopped working- I looked down at my temperature gauge, and it was way past the H. I didn't know what to do because I was on the high way, and luckily I had to get off on the next exit. The heat continued to go from hot to cold with no rhyme or reason. I brought the car back into the mechanic, and they did a diagnostics test on it, and couldn't find any evidence of a busted head gasket. They didn't want me to pay some $1200 if that wasn't the problem. The mechanic did find that the thermostat was broken, so they replaced that. My car worked again for another few days and I started having the same problem again. I brought the car back in, and they kept it for two days. They replaced the thermostat AGAIN saying that my car has to have a 'special' thermostat.
I felt better, but after a few days, my car was overheating again. This past Friday, Feb 26, 2010, my car began to overheat on the way to a birthday party. I felt very uncomfortable driving it at that point, so I turned around to go home. Out of nowhere, my car stalled out in the middle of the road and everything locked up. Luckily, it started right back up and I was able to drive it home. I then had to call someone for a ride.
My car has continued to arbitrarily work whenever it feels like it. Sometimes I will go two or three days with no problems, and then the heat will go out, and it will start overheating again. This has happened numerous times, and I have to leave my car somewhere and call for a ride, and go and pick it up later when it's cooled off. If I'm making a short trip, I'll have to turn the car off when stopped at a red light, because that's when it overheats the most.
I think Nissan should really take a look at this car and do a recall. Whenever I take this car out, I can only drive it for about ten minutes at a time. This car is only 5 years old- 5 year old cars SHOULD NOT have these problems. I had a 11 year old Toyota that lasted for more than 350,000 miles before this. I am so disappointed in my purchase I can honestly say I will never buy a Nissan again, nor will I refer my friends to them.
2010Feb 01
Sentra S 1.8L 4 cyl
- Manual transmission
- 89,000 miles
I have been reading everyone's complaints about the blown head gaskets on this Nissan and I am now convinced that all of my problems are going to lead me to the same conclusion, that I too have a blown head gasket. I have had to add coolant. My check engine light has been on. The car has been running rough and continues to do so. I will either sell this car or keep driving it until it completely gives out. I think Nissan should take a card from Toyota and take care of these seriously recurring problems before they wind up in the same boat. I have owned Nissan vehicles in the past and never had as many problems with a vehicle as I have had with this one and I bought this one brand new with 0 miles. Very disappointed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Feb 04
Sentra
- Automatic transmission
- 67,000 miles
I was at a red light when my service engine light came on. By the time the light turned green my car barely accelerated. It was making a loud strange noise. I thought I wasn't going to make it up the street. I had it towed to an auto shop. At first the mechanic didn't find anything wrong with it except my heat wasn't working. They flushed the coils and still didn't work. The thermostat was replaced and it still didn't work. That's when he told me he thought it was a blown head gasket. When I picked up it up he said it's a good chance of the head gasket blowing again. I had to pay close to $1,070 for repairs. I will definitely look for a new car within the next couple of months.
2010Jan 22
Sentra ES 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 68,000 miles
Head gasket went out after only 68000 miles. Mechanic at Nissan Dealership said he personally fixed about 12 of these with the head gasket blown. He said the gasket was faulty and Nissa has since replaced it with a new one and no longer makes this gasket, but no recall was made. Out $1,300.00 Ouch!
2010Jan 05
Sentra SE 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 95,638 miles
I have had the worst luck with this car. I have spent too much money on this car already. Only to be stranded on the freeway, miles from home with a blown head gasket. Nissan should recall the part. Everyone seems to be having the same issue. My service engine light had been coming on for months and I would take it to the dealership to be told they couldn't find anything. WELL NOW I FOUND SOMETHING, A BROKEN BANK ACCOUNT!!!
2009Sep 25
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 71,000 miles
I was preparing to sell my nissan. The car had not started on the first try for qutie some time. I had replaced the battery and thought maybe the spark plugs needed replacing. I replaced the spark plugs. After two days the car ran rough and service engine light came on. I took it to the shop and they said bad spark plugs. I replaced spark plugs again and still the car ran rough. I took it back in to the shop for a total of 5 times now. NIssan has replaced the coil, which didn't resolve problem either. They then thought it was fuel injector. I didn't want to continue to pay for the problem not being solved. They ran a different test on the car and turns out it wasn't the fuel injector. Nissan didn't know what was wrong with the car. They called the help tech line. To make long story short now they are saying I need to replace head gasket. After logging on line and seeing other complaints I decided to voice mine.
I have always had nissan cars/trucks. They have been wonderful until now. I firmly believe Nissan needs to take care of this matter.
2009Sep 09
Sentra S 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 82,500 miles
Unfortunately Around me, There was no skilled mechanic. Nobody turned off check engine light. Scanner said cyl 2 miss fire. According to several mechanic's advice, I changed spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors, and gasket intake. All those were not the problem. After reading a complaint posted in this site, Finally I changed the head gasket. That fixed the check engine.
Nissan vehicles mostly are good at acceleration. That's why their head gaskets blows out earlier than other makes.
Don't buy Nissan if you're concerned about endurance of Engine.
2009Apr 21
Sentra S 1.8L I4
- Automatic transmission
- 36,366 miles
I just think Nissan should own up to the problem and replace parts needed to guarantee this problem doesn't happen again. It was almost a 2000.00 dollar job. I will be getting rid of the car when the power-train warranty is up August 2010.
2009Aug 19
Sentra 1.8L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 82,000 miles
Nissan needs to address the failing head gaskets on these engines. This is a manufacturer's defect. The problem is occurring over and over in these engines at around the same mileage.
2009Jul 22
Sentra S 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 141,800 miles
Well, first i had a panic attack when i first noticed my heat gauge shooting up to the H and staying there. I pulled over and put some coolant into the radiator and everything seemed fine for 2 days. After that, the heat gage would shoot back up to the H and then seconds later, it would calm back down. Problem is, it would do it like every 5 minutes. So i took it to the shop and payed 200 for a freakin thermostat! Car still was acting crazy so i took it back... Come to find out it was the blown head gasket! The mechanic said well, you should buy a new car because your mileage is high and this repair is going to cost at least 1200. although i found someone that can do it for 1000, im still pondering about getting a new car because i dont know how long my car will last anyways since its almost at 150000. O well
2009May 22
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 124,321 miles
My car broke down right before Memorial Day. So far I have replaced the hose, the t-stat, the belts, done the tune up, checked the relay and still the same problem. On and off whenever it wants the temperature gauge goes up and just as easy it goes back down. I have the check engine light on and there was a misfire already diagnosed
Since my car has 124K miles there are no warranties that cover it. Now it appears that I have a blown head gasket. I have gone through 6 mechanics and now the the latest one apologized and told me that there's a test that can be done that takes about 2 minutes and lets you know if it is a blown head gasket. If it is we're talking $1K + . Great! I hate this car!
2009Jun 10
Sentra S 1.8L 4cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 46,000 miles
First thing was the rough starts. Thought maybe it was dirty fuel filters/injectors, so I bought some Gumout and the problem seemed to go away. Kept happening every now and then, but it was no big deal. Next was the cruise control. Every now and then (and it became more frequent) while cruise was engaged, it would shut off and the CRUISE light would flash on and off. Finally, the temperature gauge. Even at idle, it would rocket to H, then slowly drop down to normal. I thought these were all individual problems, but I was soon to be proven wrong. Took it to the Nissan dealer to have a diagnostic done. $93 and some change to test, and they wouldn't even check the cooling system. They said they've had problems with the same year/model just like we've described. I said screw it, and took it home and looked up on my trusty google overheating issues with 2005 sentra, and what do I find? Hundreds of forums/posts/websites describing HEAD GASKET FAILURES! Now I have to dish up at LEAST a couple hundred dollars, or try using my limited experience to fix it myself. One things for sure, 5 months after purchasing this car, I'm about to trade it in.
2009Jun 16
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 68,500 miles
Same story as everyone else. Rough start almost every time, but would never die. Cyl #3 misfire when I brought it in the first time. Light turned off; shop said to come back in when light turned back on. Light was off for quite a while then came on & off. brought it in when it would not go out and they said blown head gasket, $2700 please. YIKES!! Luckily I have the extended warranty. However, the warranty people want a 'reason for failure' so the shop is tearing my car apart and has to send out the component before they (warranty people) will authorize the repair. I am waiting on pins and needles to see if I have to fork over $2700 dollars for a known problem. Eiether way this car WILL be sold soon and I will go back to my trusty 'only buy Honda' rule.
2009May 04
Sentra 1.8L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 65,000 miles
Okay so I think this all started about 3 months ago when I turned on the heat, it worked for 5 minutes and then stopped. Started working again the next day. Didn't think anything of it. Months go by with no problem. Suddenly 3 weeks ago the temperature gauge started fluctuating wildly. I dropped it off at a local shop, they diagnosed a crack in the radiator neck and said they filled it with coolant because it was low.
I pass on their offer to replace the radiator for $450 to "solve" the problem. I get it back and check the coolant, they did not fill it like they said. So I go buy coolant and fill the reservoir. The temp gauge then acts normally and I think all is well. Yaay me.
Two weeks go by and I come out to go to work one morning and start her up and she shakes wildly and hits 3 RPM standing still and the Service Engine Soon light comes on. !! So I take it to a different mechanic this time who does a machine diagnostic and gives me codes PO302 #2 Cylinder Misfire and PO300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire. He says it needs it's spark plugs changed, has a vacuum leak, needs the combustion chamber & throttle body cleaned. So I pay him 400 bucks to do that and the car seems fine. Yaay me again.
A week goes by and I start it up one morning again and the shake is back and the SES light is on again. *&&^(@#&@T^@(!!!! I check the coolant and lo and behold the entire tank I had filled just 3 weeks earlier is empty!!!!!
So I take it back to the same mechanic once again, though my faith in his knowledge is clearly damaged. I distrust the dealer even more so I definitely don't go there. The mechanic guy can't figure it out, then he tries to blame the gas I put in it. So I start combing the internet and find this site. Then I called a friend of mine who knows a Nissan Service Manager to hit him up with my codes and symptoms. RIGHT AWAY the guy said, "Yep, it's a blown head gasket."
So my car is now at Nissan having the head gasket replaced under it's warranty, which is up to 60,000 miles, unlike the rest of the car which apparently was only covered to 50,000. The Service Manager said if it weren't covered under warranty, it'd be anywhere from $800 to $1200 bucks to fix!!! AND that driving it like that could bend the cylinder from the heat it produces and then I'd really be screwed!
Nissan should really do something about this issue, since it seems clear that they are well aware of it. Thanks for letting me vent, I hope this helps someone else who has this same problem. If it does, it will have been worth having this pain in the butt happen to me!
2009Apr 09
Sentra
- Automatic transmission
- 76,358 miles
Engine soon light came on 4 days after I replaced spark plug: Code indicated misfire #2 cylinder before and after replacing spark plugs. Took car to Victory Nissan dealership for a diagnostic test. Service writer told me that the spark plugs had to be replaced with the dealership ones (NGK) before doing the diagnostic test. Waited over 3 hours before car was brought in for service with an appointment given (by noon / arrived 11:45). Had to leave my car for another engagement and got a loaner car. Gave my cell phone as my contact number but received a text message from my daughter ( a minor) that the service writer called my home to say the spark plugs were replaced, drove car, engine light off and my car was ready for pick-up Sunday or Monday. Called Sunday to pick up car: no ticket, keys or car found.
2009Apr 09
Sentra
- Automatic transmission
- 76,358 miles
After towing my car away on 4/9/09 after my head gasket was blown while at Victory Nissan service department, I went on line and called the Nissan hotline to complain as well as the Regional specialist about my ordeal. I got a case number with a complaint filed. I then finally got a phone call from their customer service representative telling me that he wanted to help me with my problem (10 days after I had called him. If you call 273-8032 you will know that he is to return your phone call within 24 hours; not 10 days later) Anyway he wanted me to tell my mechanic not to put the "head gasket back on" to leave it off - let them tow my car back to their dealership and for me to see one of their sales person and buy another Nissan car off their lot. Mine you, my car is already paid for and if this foreign car had "major problems" at 76,358 and they would not take responsibility for the repair, why would I get in debt again and buy another car from them? I bought a demo Toyota and got over 100,000 miles driving it with no major repairs some years ago and my niece's daughter bought a "used 1997 Nissan Sentra" and is still driving it with over 250,000 on it. Since I did not buy another car from Victory Nissan, no one is answering "any" of my phone calls. This has been a total "NIGHTMARE" of an experience and I hope I get reimbursed for my damages and my frustration. This should have "NEVER" happened.
2009Apr 09
Sentra Special 1.8
- Automatic transmission
- 76,358 miles
Engine soon light came on again (same code- misfire #2 cylinder) on 4/4/09 / 11 days after I picked my car up the first time it was supposed to have been fixed - replacing dealership spark plugs. (My daughter was driving her car in Va. Beach to her class and called me panicking, worried about getting home safely). Called Victory Nissan 4/4/09 and talked with the same service writer as well as customer service representative . Service writer told me to bring the car back in. Took the car back in on 4/6/09. I was told on 3/24/09 that if I had the same code there would be "no charge". I got a loaner car and left. I received a phone call each day from the service writer giving me an update on my car: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - we are idling your car "all day long" and letting it "cool off" and then idling again. I asked why were they doing that and why was my car "running hot because it had never ran hot before". She commented that there were 3 mechanics working on my car and that was how they were doing the diagnostic test. I told her that I did not want anything to happen to my car and that letting my car run hot like that might damage something else. I got very concerned. On Wednesday, I got a call that the mechanics had reset the engine light so it would go off. I again asked "why". Service writer commented that they hoped that the light would come in again while idling. All along, I had a gut feeling that they did not know what they were doing. She then admitted that they did not know what else to do. On the 4th day, Thursday, I called to speak to her and got another service writer. I told him my concerns about idling my car and it running hot. He told me that this was okay. He called me back about an hour later and told me that my head gasket had blown and would cost me $1800.00. I asked him how could that have happened if letting may car run hot all those days was okay. No specific answer. I then told him that I felt that it was there fault and that I did not have that kind of money to pay for anything. He then reduced it to $1200.00 and told me if my car was under extended warranty, they would fix it for free. I then told him that I had asked for extended warranty the night I bought the car brand new off the car lot but discovered that it was never included in my finally price and the sales person did not work at that dealership any longer. I called around and found a repair shop that could fix my head gasket much cheaper. He then offered to match the new price if the mechanics would fax him his price. The mechanics was out test driving a car and I really did not "TRUST" Victory Nissan mechanics anymore so I called AAA and had my car towed away. When I came in to pick up my cars, they had charged me for a diagnostic test for the same code and I reminded the service writer that I was not to be charged. They then told me "no charge" and I left.
Update from May 20, 2009: My Nissan Sentra for complaint # 10, 11, & 12 is a 1.8 S (Special) .
2009Jan 15
Sentra Special Edition 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 40,000 miles
Car started to shake every time it was started. Took it to the dealership and the said that the head gasket was blown due to over heating. Told them that the temp gauge never moved, they were never able to tell me why. 2 weeks after it was replaced started to smell coolant. opened the hood and noticed puddles of coolant coming out of where the spark plugs were. They replaced that and told me it was a faulty gasket. On 4/20/09 the car would shake and the rpm's would surge whenever i came to a stop. Took it to Nissan again and they told me the head needs to replaced this time. 5/09/09 car still at Nissan. I think i bought a lemon.
2009Apr 07
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,800 miles
My Nissan Sentra just blew a head gasket and from what I am reading, this is going to happen again and again. Is there anywhere to get justice on this issue since there are so many of us? Can we demand a recall?
2009Feb 03
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 73,000 miles
Not mention the many things I have replace in this car in the last 6 months, battery, alternator, serpentine belts, etc.. now they tell me I have to replace the Head Gasket. We are military living overseas - I would have to take it to a German dealership which would charge in Euro's after I get the part myself (Or the cost of the part would be triple, I've checked).
I don't know yet what the Euro dealership will charge - what is the average cost other people are paying to get a head gasket replaced?
2008Dec 23
Sentra SE 1.8L
- Manual transmission
- 80,000 miles
Another 2005 Sentra owner with a blown head gasket. Took it to Nissan after 70000 miles because the Temp gauge would spike really high when idling then drop back down again quickly - also the heater wasn't working. They replaced the thermostat and coolant and it was ok for a little while. Then summer came and this problem never happened when it was warm out. Winter again and the problem came back. Took it to Nissan again and they said it was head gaskets leaking and would cost $5000 to fix. Car is less than 4 years old. What are other people doing about this?
2008Nov 26
Sentra 1.8S
- Manual transmission
- 60,000 miles
My check engine light came on, the car was idling high, but the car was vibrating (almost sounding as if it were going to stall). I have brought the car to a Nissan Dealership and was told I would need a new head gasket. The mechanic told me that he also noticed antifreeze had been recently replaced, which told him there appears to be some leakage....possibly into my engine.
The electronic report said that I have a cylinder misfire. I am taking my car to another garage for a second opinion before I spend the money repairing the head gasket.
SHOULDN'T NISSAN DO A RECALL ON THE HEADGASKETS? I've found MANY forums of other 2005 Nissan Sentra owners that have had the same problem and have replaced the headgasket, two, three, and even 5 times!!!!
2008Nov 11
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 63,000 miles
I don't think I will ever buy another Nissan Sentra.I did not buy the extended warranty because I thought that it's a Nissan their bullet proof.Oh well back to buying Honda's!
It has low mileage for this kind of problem I think on a Japanese make.
2008Jun 24
Sentra 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 67,000 miles
2005 Sentra, never overheated. Multiple misfires, blown head gasket, oil pan gasket, 2 plugs stuck so head went off to machine shop. Of course just over 60,000 so not covered under warranty. Have had thermostat replaced 5 times. Several issues with blown head gasket on 2005 but no recalls yet. $2416.00 + tax and will get it back in a couple of days. I don't understand why no recalls. I can say I'll never buy another Nissan again. It has been a pain since I bought it brand new.
2008May 29
Sentra SE Special Edition 2.0L I-4
- Automatic transmission
- 50,989 miles
As with another poster, I was having the sputtering starts, not much power, on and off check engine light, etc. Had it in the shop due to low coolant and this recurring weird start problem with the sputtering. It also "lugged" when I'd press the gas to accelerate. Shop said, no coolant pressure issue no leak, take it to dealer. Dealer said, replaced one of the four injectors, should be good to go. Ever so often, I'd see the temp gauge fly to 'H' then bounce back down. Seemed a little over heated until the blower would come on then all would be well again. Problem NEVER WENT AWAY but I was told, repeatedly, the only way they could do the proper diagnostic was to have it in the shop while the light was on. I'd make an appointment? Light goes off. Happened MANY times like this over a year long period. The engine even sounded odd when you stood next to the car, running at idle.
While driving down a major freeway today, suddenly I lost power going 65 mph. The car lurched badly, temp gauge flew up to hot. No idea if I blew smoke, I was so focused on slowing down and getting to the side of I-5 that I didn't look.
So, turns out the same thing with my car - 50898 miles and a blown head gasket for no apparent reason. I found this site because I went to Google, typed "Head Gasket Sentra" and every single post came up as a 2005 Sentra!!!
Maybe we have a lemon issue here?
2008Feb 22
Sentra SER 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 63,000 miles
At 42,000 miles I blew a head gasket. The car never overheated and the dealership couldn't tell me why. At that time it was covered under my standard drive train warranty. Now a year later and at 63,000 miles I find that the seal is blown again. The car has never overheated. The dealership says they can't give me a reason until they open it up. Also, I've taken it in three times in the past year because it was running rough and the service engine soon light went on and off. They said they couldn't find the reason and just to ignore the light until something got worse. When they discovered that my head gasket was blown again they also found out that one of my spark plugs had a broken point and another had antifreeze on it. I guess the engine would run rough considering it was only running on two cylinders. I might as well had my lawn mower engine running it.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Jun 29
Sentra Spec Ed 4 C
On cold start heavy shaking and misses and engine light on "again".
After them swapping 2 coils "again" in May and on June 4 car ran OK for about one week.
I phoned them, and they said it was doing it again. They said they would order in the parts I needed from the last suggestion. The parts would be in 3-5 days.
Return car to dealership for 3rd time June 29. After another 4 hour wait they tell me after looking at my car I should get the 4 ignition coils and spark plugs replaced and they will do so. However I asked them how they knew this for sure? I told them I was not happy for all this wasted time and that I didn't think Nissan was handling this well. I asked what proof they had that all of a sudden they knew for sure what it was. He said they would look again and to come back in 2 hours I did so. When I returned I could tell they had not moved my car, and I knew this for sure because I had to park a bit crooked because of the car beside me. He said "oh yes we moved it and looked at it, we just put it in the same stall." I really was upset and realized how much they were lying to me. So he quickly got someone to take it in to the service garage. He then came out and said you need to replace your gasket!! I said what if I had just replaced all the other stuff you wanted me to do that didn't need to be done. How do I know now it is the gasket!!! He took me into the back and showed it to me, which didn't really make any difference to me. I told him that he has confused me so much that I no longer no what to do. He said to call Nissan complaint 1-800 #. I said that the gasket should not have to be replaced with a car that has had all its checks and oil changes and scheduled mntce for 5 years. He agreed that it was usually in much older cars. I told him about all the complaints I googled and that the gasket was faulty from the beginning. I also told him that the customer should not have to deal with this and that the dealership should do something about it for me. He said he would talk to his boss John and get back to me. He told me my car was unsafe to drive as it will overheat and if so to pull over right away!! I told him I am a caregiver for my 89 yr old father and that is not good enough. I also told him I was not in a position to pay $3000.00 for a faulty Nissan issue. He agreed. Again they turned off my engine light and told me he would call when he spoke to John. A few days later he called back to say "John" would be willing to take 10-15% of labour charges. I was not happy. I called Nissan 1-800 # and gave them all this info from these 3 visits on July 5, but have not heard back yet.
I will never buy or recommend anyone buying a Nissan.
Nancy D.
Richmond, BC, Canada
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