RoadVitals

2008 Nissan Sentra Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
167
Latest Apr 12, 2024
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
23
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Apr 30, 2008

What this page shows

Our database holds 167 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Nissan Sentra. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–25 of 167 · page 1 of 7

Filed Apr 12, 2024

Transmission problems! Dealer wants to Charge me $7,000.00 dollars to fix it! Recall has a warranty until 2022 or 120,000 miles . My car has 85,375 miles!they said that warranty already expired! But my car only has 85,375 miles and the warranty is 120,000 miles!

NHTSA ID
11582494
Incident
Apr 11, 2024
Airbags
Filed Mar 20, 2023

The car's airbag dashboard light has been on and blinking for about a month now- indicating an issue. I have not been in any recent accidents and it appeared on its own. Subsequently, the car horn does not work. Airbags and car horn are necessary to prevent accidents and serious injury, including death in the event of an accident. I advised my local Nissan dealership who stated there are no current recalls and the car would need to be inspected- which will likely be costly. No inspections have been made at this time.

NHTSA ID
11512881
Incident
Feb 1, 2023
Airbags
Filed Jan 5, 2023
Crash reported

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle in front abruptly depressed its brake pedal causing the driver to crash into the rear of the vehicle. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but no air bags were deployed. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ID
11500321
Incident
Jan 5, 2023
Mileage
117,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Dec 30, 2022

Driver Air bag sensor light came on. The dealership reset it several times but it continues to come on. We paid the money to have them put the car on the diagnostic system. They are saying after review, the airbag needs to be replaced. It costs $1500 to replace the airbag. Which makes zero sense. The car has never been wrecked. Reports have shown issues with airbags in hundreds of thousands of Nissans. The 2008 Nissan Sentra needs to be reviewed for an airbag recall. This is extremely dangerous.

NHTSA ID
11499567
Incident
Dec 30, 2022
Brakes
Filed Mar 14, 2022

JUST DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY (NO BRAKES APPLIED) AND THE MASTER CYLINDER WENT BAD AND LOST POWER BRAKES.

NHTSA ID
11456543
Incident
Mar 12, 2022
BrakesDriver assistanceOther / unspecified
Filed Mar 20, 2021

I PURCHASED THE CAR DROVE IT HOME WITH NO PROBLEM. 2 DAYS AFTER MY PURCHASE IT DRIVES VERY SLOW AND WON'T PICK UP SPEED.

NHTSA ID
11404021
Incident
Mar 18, 2021
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 15, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. *BF

NHTSA ID
11383505
Incident
Nov 24, 2020
Mileage
80,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Nov 27, 2020

THERE THE CODE OF P1778 THAT KEEPS COMING UP ON ABOUT A CVT AND IFS AFFECTING THE DRIVE AND STRAIN THE TRANSMISSION I DONT UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE IS RECURRING.AND THIS HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. YOU CAN FEEL THE CAR HESITANT

NHTSA ID
11376546
Incident
Nov 24, 2020
Mileage
166,000 mi
Fuel systemOther / unspecifiedSuspension
Filed Sep 14, 2020

BACKING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY MY AXEL AND BALL JOINT. THE CONTROL ARM DISCONNECTED FROM MY TRANSMISSION. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE SIDE PANELING IN FRONT MY TIRE. THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE EVEN WHEN PUT IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I GO IN REVERSE BEFORE THIS HAPPENED MY CAR WOULD PUTTER AND THEN DIE. THE CAR WILL NOT REVERSE UNLESS I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND ROLL OUT FROM WHERE I AM.

NHTSA ID
11354821
Incident
Sep 13, 2020
Mileage
139,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 6, 2020

AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES ON DASH WON'T GO OFF. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE... OVER 10 IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE REPORTED SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID
11353426
Incident
Sep 2, 2020
Mileage
200,000 mi
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Aug 3, 2020

DRIVING OVER AN HOUR AND THE CAR STARTS TO STRUGGLE, I CAN FEEL IT LOOSING POWER, IN ORDER TO NOT PRESS DOWN ALL THE WAY, I'M DOING A GIVE N GO PRAYING I DONT STOP ON THE FREEWAY. I WOULD SOMETIMES FEEL JUMPING AND THAT I'M NOT IN FULL CONTROL AND IT HAS STOPPED ON ME IN A 15MINUTE DRIVE. I HAVE GOTTEN, A DIAGNOSTIC, 1TIME IT HAD 4DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION CODES AND ANOTHER A FUEL CODE. NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON, THIS STARTED AROUND THE 60,000 MILE I'M AT 90,000 NOW, SO YA, IT'S BEEN ROUGH.

NHTSA ID
11342882
Incident
Aug 22, 2019
Mileage
60,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Jul 24, 2020

MASTER CYLINDER IS LEAKING AND BRAKE LIGHT IS COMING ON

NHTSA ID
11341379
Incident
May 2, 2019
Airbags
Filed Jul 12, 2020

THE AIRBAG LIGHT BLINKS CONSTANTLY WARNING THE OWNER THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE UNIT. OTHER YEARS AND MODELS ARE AFFECT BY RECALLS AND I BELIEVE THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL SHOULD ALSO BE.

NHTSA ID
11338921
Incident
May 1, 2019
Mileage
89,000 mi
AirbagsElectrical
Filed Mar 29, 2020

MY AIR BAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF IT WAS IDLE WHEN IT CAME IN BUT IT IS CONSTANTLY BLINKING , THE HORN COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING THE FIRST TIME WHEN I WAS TURNING THE CORNER, I GENERALLY REPLACED IT TWICE BUT IT STOPPED WORKING AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AS I WAS SITTING IDLE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON EVEN AFTER I HAVE BEEN KEEPING THE MAINTENANCE UP ON IT.

NHTSA ID
11319679
Incident
Aug 30, 2018
Airbags
Filed Mar 21, 2020

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. I TOOK IT TO A CERTIFIED DEALER AND THEY SAID IT IT SOMETHING TO DO WITH A 'COIL' THAT WENT BAD

NHTSA ID
11318901
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Mileage
90,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 10, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING STARTED, THE RPM REVVED UP WITH AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NISSAN INFINITI OF SAN FRANCISCO LOCATED AT 1395 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL INJECTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO NISSAN SERRAMONTE LOCATED AT 1500 COLLINS AVE #A, COLMA, CA 94014, FOR A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID
11308365
Incident
Jul 1, 2019
Engine
Filed Jan 7, 2020

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. MECHANIC DIAGNOSIS IS DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SENSORS.

NHTSA ID
11297694
Incident
Jan 2, 2020
Mileage
186,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Dec 30, 2019

VEHICLE AIR BAG BEGAN FLASHING AND HORN STOPPED WORKING WHEN PRESSED.

NHTSA ID
11292120
Incident
Oct 3, 2019
Mileage
215,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 14, 2019

AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ON AND BLINKING CONTINOUSLY. THE HORN ALSO STOPPED WORKING. FEELS VERY UNSAFE DRIVING WITHOUT A HORN. SINCE BOTH THE AIRBAG AND HORN ARE IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND READING THROUGH SEVERAL OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS I WOULD ASSUME THEY ARE RELATED. SHOULD BE RECALLED AS MANY OTHER NISSANS HAVE BEEN RECALLED WITH THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ID
11255457
Incident
Aug 1, 2019
Mileage
95,000 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 6, 2019

ON JUNE 20, 2016, I TOOK MY CAR INTO A NISSAN CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REDONE UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT NISSAN DID FOR THE CVT ENGINE. THE CAR DROVE FINE AND THEN IN THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST 2019 JUST 3 YRS LATER AND 40,00 MILES ON THE NEW TRANSMISSION, THE TRANSMISSION IS MESSING UP AGAIN AND WE ARE TOLD THAT WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE SECOND TIME AT OUR COST. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN SENT OUT TO THE TECHNICIAN ON AUGUST 15, 2014 STATING THAT A 2007-2012 SENTRA WILL NEED A TRANSMISSION COOLER ADDED TO THE CVT TO PREVENT IT FROM OVERHEATING. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP DID NOT PUT THAT ON OUR CAR WHEN WE HAD OUR TRANSMISSION REDONE UNDER THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY IN 2016, AND NOW BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY OUR TRANSMISSION IS OUT, AND NISSAN IS NOT WANTING TO MAKE IT RIGHT.

NHTSA ID
11242024
Incident
Aug 5, 2019
Mileage
1,620,000 mi
Airbags
Filed May 22, 2019

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY ON DASH PANEL. CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT GO OUT. HAS BEEN RESET BUT COMES BACK ON AFTER DRIVING WITHIN SHORT DISTANCE. CAR HAS NOT BEEN WRECKED IN FRONT AND I AM ORIGINAL OWNER. CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY AS WE ARE AFRAID AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. WE DO NOT BELIEVE SAFETY EQUIPMENT SHOULD FAIL SO QUICKLY. ALSO SEE ONLINE WHERE MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCEING SAME PROBLEM. WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID
11209293
Incident
May 1, 2019
Mileage
114,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 23, 2019

TAKATA RECALL. THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. IT'S A AUTOMATIC AND SOMETIMES IT DONT WANT TO SHIFT GEARS WHEN I GET AROUND 30 MPH. THEN I HAVE TO STOP AND PUT IT IN PARK AND THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE AGAIN AND IT WILL START WORKING PROPERLY. ALSO SOMETIMES WHILE I'M ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 65-80 MPH THE RPM WILL FLUCTUATE FROM 2 TO 3 1/2 RPMS AND THEN OTHER TIMES WHILE GOING DOWN A HILL THE RPMS WILL STAY ABOVE 2 BUT MOSTLY 2 1/2 RPMS UNTIL I GET BELOW 15 MPH BEFORE IT DOWNSHIFTS. THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY AND ALL THE FLUID IS GOOD IN IT. IT NOW HAS AROUND 152,000 MILES ON IT BUT THE NISSAN COMPANY PUT A NEW TRANSMISSION IN IT A FEW YEARS AGO SO THE ACTUAL TRANSMISSION DOESNT HAVE THAT MANY MILES ON IT AT ALL. I'VE SEEN ALOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION FOR THIS CAR AND I THINK NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEFORE IT ENDS UP TEARING MORE THAN THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF IT!

NHTSA ID
11203256
Incident
Apr 18, 2019
Mileage
152,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 5, 2019

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA AND THE CAR WOULD SHAKE OUT IF NO WHERE NEXT THING YOU KNOW IT DIDN'T WANT TO ACCELERATE ANY MORE IT'S JUST STOPPED AND I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGH WAY

NHTSA ID
11184480
Incident
Apr 4, 2018
Mileage
60 mi
AirbagsDriver assistance
Filed Mar 5, 2019

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHING, THEN HORN DIDN'T WORK; NOW THE CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT WORKING. I SEE SEVERAL SIMILAR PROBLEMS NOTED IN THE DATABASE. SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WITHOUT THE HORN.

NHTSA ID
11184385
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Mileage
180,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Feb 13, 2019

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO CITY STREET. THE TORQUE CONVERTER GAVE OUT AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPUTTERING AT STOP SIGNS AND LIGHT, AND THEN THRUSTING FORWARD JOLTING TOWARD TRAFFIC. I NEARLY HAD TWO OTHER VEHICLES REAR END ME DURING SPUTTERING, AND I NEARLY HIT A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WHEN THE CAR THRUST FORWARD VIOLENTLY. I TURNED IN TO THE NEAREST AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP WHO TOLD ME MY TORQUE CONVERTER BLEW AND I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE 82 DAYS AND NOW HAVE TO DO AN ENTIRE TRANSMISSION REBUILD, WHICH AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH A CVT TRANSMISSION. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING NISSAN SHOULD ADDRESS, AS I ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN, MYSELF, AND OTHER DRIVERS/PASSENGERS ON THE ROAD. THE CAR HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND HAS ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER. I DID NOT EVEN DRIVE 2,000 MILES BEFORE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED, AND I FULLY BELIEVE THESE CONSTANT VARIABLE TRANSMISSIONS POSE A THREAT TO ANYONE OPERATING A VEHICLE, AND THAT THIS IS GROUNDS FOR A FACTORY RECALL OR AT THE LEAST ADDITIONAL SAFETY WARNINGS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID
11179882
Incident
Feb 12, 2019
Mileage
124,040 mi

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