Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Nissan Sentra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHILE DRIVING THE WILL STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING OR MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND MY CAR WILL NOT START. THIS STARTED ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO. *TR
STEERING IS STIFF WHEN TURNING ESPECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER. TOOK TO WINDSOR, CANADA DEALERSHIP AND WAS DIAGNOSED AS RACK AND PINION. DID STEERING FLUID FLUSH TO SEE IF IT WOULD CLEAR UP. IT IMPROVED SLIGHTLY (WEATHER IS WARM NOW) BUT IS STILL A PROBLEM. I AM 60, DO NOT DRIVE ON BAD ROADS, DO NOT ABUSE CAR. REGULAR CHECK UPS AND OIL CHANGES HAVE BEEN DONE. WAS ASSURED CAR WOULD STILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE, JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN TURNING. HAVE NEGOTIATED WITH COMPANY FOR A DISCOUNT AS THIS IS EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND CANNOT AFFORD AT THIS TIME. WILL GET 10% DISCOUNT WHEN I CAN AFFORD TO DO IT. CAR HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT AND I WONDER WHY A MAJOR PART HAS GONE WRONG AT SUCH A LOW MILEAGE. THIS BRAND WAS RECOMMENDED AS A LOW REPAIR CAR AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED. I BOUGHT CAR IN DEARBORN, MI.....LATER MOVED TO CANADA. DEALERSHIP IN WINDSOR, ON, CANADA IS WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED. *NM
DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND JUMPED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE RACK AND PINION AND POWER ASSIST SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB THE HEAD GAKET WAS LEAKING, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WAS I NOPERATIVE, THE OIL STICK WAS BROKEN. UPDATED 02/24/06. *JB
NISSAN SENTRA 2002 WITH LESS THEN 28000 ML HAS LEAKING ENGINE HEAD GASKET AND RADIATOR AND BROKEN STEERING RACK AND PINION AND STEERING POWER ASSIST. CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW AND NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT. CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE - STEERING DOES NOT WORK. NISSAN SOLD ME A LEMON CAR AND REFUSES TO REPAIR IT. *JB
THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY ON OUR 2002 NISSAN SENTRA SE-R WAS REPLACED BY HALL NISSAN OF CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA. WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE INTO THE THIS DEALER FOR AN ANNUAL STATE SAFETY INSPECTION. WE INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CHECK THE STEERING SYSTEM. WE HAD EXPERIENCED PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL . THE MOVEMENT WAS UP AND DOWN IN THE STEERING COLUMN. AFTER THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INSPECTED OUR CAR WE WERE TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PASS THE VIRGINIA SAFETY INSPECTION UNLESS THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE MANUFACTURER (NISSAN) TO "GOOD WILL" HALF THE COST ($971.52) OF THE REPLACEMENT. OUR VEHICLE HAD 37,130 MILES ON THE ODOMETER ON THE DATE WE BROUGHT IT IN FOR THE ANNUAL SAFETY INSPECTION (11/18/2004). OUR VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH AND IS NOT MISUSED IN ANY WAY.*AK
THE STEERING WHEEL MOVE BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD WANDER FROM LANE TO LANE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT RACK PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
STEERING COLUMN BLASTING COLD AIR DOWN TO THE BRAKE. *AK
VEHICLE WAS CUT OFF WHILE AT 60 MPH. DRIVER HAD TO PANIC STOP TO AVOID ACCIDENT. ENGINE STALLED. ON RESTART, CAR VIBRATED AND STEERED POORLY. NISSAN DEALER DIAGNOSED BENT CONTROL ARM. PANIC STOP WAS IN STRAIGHT LINE ON CLEAR, DRY ROAD WITH NO SURFACE IRREGULARITIES. I BELIEVE THIS WAS A COMPONENT FAILURE OR DEFECT. OUR INSURANCE COMPANY REFUSES TO REIMBURSE ON THE BASIS THAT THIS WAS A COMPONENT FAILURE. NISSAN REFUSED TO CONSIDER THE FAILURE AS WARRANTY COVERED OR AS AN ABNORMAL FAILURE. DT
CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND HIT A DITCH PASSENGER'S FRONT RIM WAS CRACKED AND BENT.&AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .