10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,894 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Nissan Sentra engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #53

Sep 012014

Sentra

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. While driving approximately 30 mph, the engine stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that camshaft sensor one and two failed. The camshaft sensors were replaced, but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Des Plaines, IL, USA

problem #52

Aug 072014

Sentra

  • 131,892 miles
Car while in drive will stall and idle. Car also has completely shut off while driving and has continuously occurred intermittently. Multiple engine codes have came on and repairs have been completed but the issue continues. At this time crankshaft, and cam sensor have been replaced. It has been suggested that transmission be replaced and is currently in process. Reading up on this issue appears there is a recall for same issue for similar vehicles of the same year and make ( NHTSA campaign number: 03V455000) but my vehicle does not qualify for the recall. Issue is a major safety as car could cause accident and occurs at any time including high speeds. I have been fortunate to not drive and have vehicle towed to mechanic for further followup in hopes of resolution. Nissan needs to address as appears to be a repeat issue.

- Playa Del Rey , CA, USA

problem #51

Jan 012014

Sentra

  • 168,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. The failure was experienced several times. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and resume normally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA recall number 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 168,000. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.

- Seymour , TN, USA

problem #50

Feb 012011

Sentra

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at all speeds. The contact replaced the spark plugs and noticed that one of the spark plugs was fractured while performing the replacement. The failure continued. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recalls associated with NHTSA campaign id number 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling) or 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). No further assistance was provided and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Clayton, CA, USA

problem #49

Feb 262012

Sentra

  • 134,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact attempted to start the vehicle but it would not respond. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who replaced the crank shaft position sensor. The contact was able to start the vehicle after the repair but the vehicle stalled shortly thereafter. The vehicle was towed to a second independent mechanic where the crank shaft and cam shaft position sensors were replaced. The contact also replaced the battery but the failure continued after the repairs. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #48

Sep 022011

Sentra

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for oil consumptino issues when he was informed that the material from the catalytic converter had entered the engine, damaging it. The dealer informed the contact to have the engine replaced. The manufacturer was aware of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

- Poland, OH, USA

problem #47

Sep 092011

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 66,956 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle failed the mil/check engine light due to obd communications failure. Nissan dealership code reader also unable to communicate with ECM. Possible faulty ECM.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #46

Aug 112011

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 127,000 miles
I have a 2003 Nissan Sentra ser. From day 1, I have had issue after issue..I am the only owner of the vehicle. Upon many repairs under warranty, one of them was for the ECM, years later the same issue has come back. I contacted Nissan and the dealer about this and they will not help me because they state that they already fixed it with the recall. But they did not. A certified mechanic has determined the issue with the vehicle. It is not even safe at this point to drive. The dealer will not assist me and I do not feel that I should have to pay for this. It was a recall that is still an issue..

- Slatington, PA, USA

problem #45

Jun 242011

Sentra

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle would stall while driving and the check engine light would illuminate. A local mechanic diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor and the camshaft position sensor needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not contacted, but the manufacturer made the contact aware of the NHTSA campaign id number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling) recall; yet, the VIN was not a part of the recall. The failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 55,500.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #44

Mar 102010

Sentra

  • 97,939 miles
The Nissan 2003 Sentra was bought from a private dealer in 2009 and was driven almost a year until it started consuming excessive amounts of oil. It also had a loud knocking noise when running. It was serviced twice until it was discovered there was a recall on this car by Nissan for the exact symptoms it was having. The recall states that certain engine operating conditions may cause damage to the pre-catalyst. Material from inside a damaged pre-catalyst could enter the engine and result in increased oil consumption. If the engine oil level is not checked on a periodic basis and drops below the low level engine damage may occur which could result in a fire. This is a concern since this is my son's car and I do not want him in a car that could cause him harm. I have been in contact with Nissan and they say there are no open recalls on this car and there is nothing they will do. The recall campaign was dated 7/29/2003. I have looked into this matter and many owners of Sentra's and Altima's were effected by this recall and apparently the fix for the recall was a band- aid for a major defect. The recall was to reprogram the emc card the problem is the damage was already done to the engine and a new motor and pre-catalytic converter was the fix for this defect.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #43

Dec 202010

Sentra

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Nissan Sentra 1.8L head gasket failure at around 75,000 mi. Vehicle has been experiencing difficulty starting and rough idle since soon after purchase. This was relayed to dealers on numerous occasions, were told nothing is wrong. Problem has worsened over the years and vehicle ran rough. Brought to dealer and replaced ignition coil #3. week later problem is still active. Return to dealer where head gasket had failed and engine is consuming coolant. This vehicle had faulty gasket or head design that was pushed off by the dealer to avoid warranty repair.

- Norman, OK, USA

problem #42

Jun 012009

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that when making both left and right turns, the vehicle would shut off without warning also, once the vehicle was already started and warmed up, she was unable to restart it again, without constantly depressing the accelerator pedal for about 10 seconds which was similar to NHTSA campaign number 03V477000 (electrical system:ignition:module). The dealer was notified who informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with her vehicle and that the ECU needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was informed and advised the contact that her vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was approximately 90,000. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. Updated 02/09/11 updated 05/09/11

- Forked, NJ, USA

problem #41

Aug 282010

Sentra

  • 52,647 miles
1. head gasket and crank position sensor problem caused engine stopped working without warning. This happened twice in the past 3 month, once on a highway, once on a local expressway. 2. after fixing the problem above, brakes suddenly stopped working at about 25 mph within 2 miles driving, leading to an accident.

- Middle Island, NY, USA

problem #40

Feb 102009

Sentra

  • 73,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle would drive sluggish and the contact would have to change the oil every 2,000 miles or when the engine would become excessively loud. The dealer advised the catalytic converter would need replacing. There was a technical service bulletin for the failure (item number PE02078) but no recalls. The failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 93,000.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #39

Mar 092009

Sentra

  • 78,600 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra spec-V. while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The contact shifted the vehicle into neutral and was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred four times before the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer advised the contact that the crankshaft position sensor and catalytic converter would need replacing. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated there was a recall pertaining to the failure for his year, make and model (NHTSA campaign id number: 03V455000-engine and engine cooling) yet his VIN was not included. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact would have to add approximately one-half quarter of engine oil every 2,000 miles or the engine would exhibit an extremely loud noise. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 78,600 and the current mileage was 93,000.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #38

Apr 052010

Sentra

  • 76,100 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact was driving approximately between 55-60 mph the engine stalled with an engine warning light illumination. The vehicle restarted and continued normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician replaced the camshaft sensor. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling). The VIN number was excluded from the recall defect. The failure mileage was 76,100.

- Havre De Grace, MD, USA

problem #37

Mar 192010

Sentra

  • 40,000 miles
The engine stops running without warning while the vehicle is in motion increasing the risk of a crash.

- Saint Charles, MO, USA

problem #36

Feb 202010

Sentra

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated he was driving on the highway at 60mph. When he took an exit and came to an yield sign, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated the vehicle operates normally until he starts to decrease his speed to 20mph. This had happened to him everyday for the last 3 days. The contact stated he did contact a dealer and he told him about the recall but they said that his vehicle was not included the recall. The failure and current mileages was 120,000.

- Suffern, NY, USA

problem #35

Nov 042009

Sentra

  • miles
03 Nissan Sentra SE-R equipped with 2.5L engine, vehicle consumes approx. 1qt of oil/wk, and approx. 1 gallon of anti-freeze/month. Vehicle hesitates and jerks while driving. Vehicle has been brought to dealer several times and dealer has replaced several engine components, but problem persists. Nissan has been contacted and never responds back.

- Haverhill, MA, USA

problem #34

Oct 042009

Sentra

  • 60,000 miles
Documentation will follow up at home. Faulty crankshaft sensor shutting down car every 3 minutes on 2003 Nissan Sentra - could have been horrible result as we were headed to interstate to return to ok....dealership has been great in lee summit, mo....Nissan corporation consumer service in phillipines has been awful......we are getting on the road tomorrow 10/06/2009 if car fails and we are in major accident want it known that I've spoken with Nissan and let my son know....Nissan America has been terrible to deal with...the file # is 6622003.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

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