Nissan Sentra reliability (Please sign up if you're new)

A great resource for Nissan Sentra, Infiniti G20, 200sx, Pulsar, NX1600, NX2000, Tsuru, Primera and Sunny owners.
JAJA
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:20 am
Car: 2004 Nissan Sentra Spec V turbo

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i blew a piston only run 6.5 psi of boost. I was going to work doing only about 40mph not in boost and bam!!!! motor is gone. I hate this car.


mkaresh
Posts: 1038
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:45 am
Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5
Contact:

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I recently posted a repair rate for the 2008--it appears to be about average.

A few other years are in the survey, but not enough data this time around. Probably next time, in November.

Help get your year included:

Vehicle reliability research

vap0rvap0r
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:04 am
Car: 2006 Nissan SE-R

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just bought an 06 had it for 2 days.. its super reliable! haha... maybe i should post in a year

wbruns
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:15 pm
Car: 1998 QX4

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I have 2001 Sentra with about 80k on it. Getting codes P0171 and P0174 with check engine light on. I'm going to try cleaning the MAF today. The car has been reliable for the 3 years I've owned it.

FliMSiCaL
Posts: 171
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2004 8:11 pm
Car: 1989 240sx 1994 sentra limited edition

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currently driving a 94 sentra with 308804 on the odometer.....only things we have done are change front main oil seal at roughly 200k, replace a couple alternators and change the starter once. The water pump is starting to weep, will change it soon. I'd say its been really reliable.

Jacobus77
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:14 pm
Car: 1996 Nissan Sentra GXE 1.6

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I just registered for this. I have a '96 Sentra GXE 1.6 Liter with 218,00 miles on it, which I've had a little less than a year and a half and I put the last 16k on it. My son got me started on Sentra because he has a '92 Sentra 1.6. Both have 5-speed manuals. His has almost 200,000 miles on it and he has driven it basically like a bat out of hell for about 3 years. His has had the trans rebuilt (supposedly), and a new alternator and distributor. And oyeah, tailpipe. It's been street-raced on rough roads and slammed through 4wd trails (it's 2wd) at speed and survived amazingly well. Our Sentras have stronger a undercarriage/suspension than most cars their size. His saving grace is that he's constantly looking for any sign of a problem and fixing it with OEM or better. It has done over 60 mpg below 80 mph. Both cars run NGK Iridium plugs and Royal Purple oil with Wix oil filters. You can observe better power and mileage from both. Both have high-flow aftermarket Sceptre air filters (looks like K&N) and KYB (Kayaba) struts with Cooper tires. Both have had the front brake rotors and pads replaced, and the clutch, and drive axles/joints. Both run quality synthetic transmission oil; mine is Royal Purple. Some people mentioned a notchy 1-2 shift problem - the RP oil helps that (no, I don't work for them). My '96 has 2" pipe from the cat back with a 2.25" muffler, welded on locally, about $130 with an additional muffler tip. Torque and HP and MPG are better. The forward exhaust system is still good until I get a good header in there. I have some further efficiency mods in mind but it currently gets 40 mpg running a steady 80 mph. Reliability in my humble opinion is excellent considering its miles. Besides what was already mentioned, I've replaced ball joints, wiper drive bushings, and need to get the headliner replaced (it's letting go of the roof). All in all, not a bad deal. Mine appears to have been taken care of by the first owner which helps; I'm going to keep on improving it as I can. I suspect the reason some folks in this thread have had a bad experience is due to poor maintenance by the previous owners, which can trash anything. Both cars also have aftermarket JVC stereos with Pioneer and Infinity (not Infiniti) speakers - not a reliability issue UNLESS you put in a high power system without upgrading at least the battery; then you may have ignition insufficiency.

gregfarz78
Posts: 735
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:28 am
Car: 04 Honda S2000
97 Nissan Hardbody King Cab 4x4
09 Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5L

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I'll post my experiences b/c it seems I'm one of the rare lucky 02 spec v owners to like this car.

Bought this car brand new in august of 02, currently 110,000 miles on the clock, never burned a drop of oil, original engine, original trans and clutch, routine maintenance done by me religiously, precat recall done, ecu reprogram done, replaced crank position sensor. Other than the the car has served me well and I still like daily driving it, and driving it hard. Interior is spotless clean and really no creaks/rattles. Plan to keep this baby till it dies or costs too much to fix

User avatar
EL MAMITO USMC
Posts: 249
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 1:16 pm
Car: SENTRA SER

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i enrolled mine

SER SPECV 03. but i had all the recall already and few new ones jajaja

MsRae
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:06 am
Car: 1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R

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I have a 1991 Sentra SE-R. Bought it a little over a year ago with 240,000 miles on it, I have put an additional 10,000 on it since then. I have replaced the half shafts, a water pump and fixed the 5th gear pop-out that his transmission is famous for. It is an amazing car. I absolutely enjoy every minute of driving it. It still has great compression and should last into the 280,000 range if not more, even with my hard acceleration driving. I plan on upgrading and modding it some (already put on a performance exhaust) and plan on putting a new suspension on this winter. . This car is pure fun.

SE-Rious SER
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:17 am
Car: SE-Rious 92 Sentra

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I am new here but I own a 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R and i have had a 1993 Sentra SE-R before that and I love this car. I am currently having trouble with rust on my red SER on the front driver fender but haven't had any complaints with the motor or trans and response is amazing. It currently has 119,134 miles on the original motor and trans but clutch sometimes slips. I have only replaced the alternator since i got her and she has treated me good. My 93 however i loved it but just had major problems and was beat by the other owner. I took the N/A 92 to the drag strip just to see what it could do in the 1/4 and it ran low 15's. It has some mods I.e. intake, exhaust, and just a rear stabilizer bar. Overall I would not part with this car. I love it too much. I got it with 98,000 miles on it and it has ran great and is my daily so I think it is reliable.

Torgus
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:01 pm
Car: Nissan Maxima
Contact:

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not to be rude but the problem with a survey like this is unless you are an enthusiast the only reason you would sign onto these forums is to list a problem. and if you are an enthusiast you are more likely to brake and or abuse your car. i bet at most 2% of all sentra owners are actually on sentra car forums. thus you're numbers are skewed from the get go if you get my meaning...i mean even if you managed 20% of all owners maintenance records...it's still a small pool.

good luck though!

QUOTE=mkaresh]In the fall of 2005, I started conducting my own reliability research, with the aim of reporting more detailed and more easily compared information than is currently available. While over 18,000 cars have been enrolled in the panel, far more are needed. So I am very grateful that the owner of this forum has seen the value of this research and agreed to help out.

I haven't started collecting data on any year of the Sentra yet, because not enough are signed up.

Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, at the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, anyone who helps provide the reliability data will have free access to the results. The first results have been released for a few models (not including any Nissans or Infinitis). Updated results will be posted quarterly.

For the details, and to sign up to help out:

Vehicle reliability research

Comments and questions very welcome.

Modified by mkaresh at 10:01 AM 9/19/2007[/QUOTE]

mkaresh
Posts: 1038
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:45 am
Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5
Contact:

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Most of the people who join are not enthusiasts.

Even if they learn of the research because a problem led them to a forum, the research method is designed to deal with this--data are collected going forward from the month people join. This isn't like other surveys where people simply respond once based on what's already happened.

mkaresh
Posts: 1038
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:45 am
Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5
Contact:

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The February set of results included one model year of the Sentra, the 2008. The reported repair rate is 60 repair trips per 100 vehicles per year, which is about average.

We should have additional model years in the next update, in May. In the end, though, this will depend on how many owners sign up and participate. The more we have, the better and more detailed the information we'll be able to provide.

TrueDelta now has a separate page for each model's results that includes the results for competing vehicles. The page for the Sentra is here:

Nissan Sentra reliability comparisons

User avatar
rednis24
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:58 pm
Car: 1993 Nissan Sentra

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I've had pretty good experiences with my b13 sentras so far, both have the ga16de, one is a 91 and the other a 93. I'm currently parting the 91 out and building the 93. I've started with upgrading my suspension with KYB's, Intrax Springs because I couldn't find Eibachs, energy suspension master kit, Moog tie rod ends, sway bar end links, wheel bearings, brakes, and soon coming is an sr20det since I havent been able to source any kind of pistons, rods camshafts or valves for the GA.Another testiment to nissan reliability: A friend of mine told me his sentra's front main seal had given out completely, and he drove it with no oil in it for some distance, to the point where it was clacking like a diesel motor, he fixed the seal, put more oil in it, and it was fine from there on out. Im sure this isnt the best way to maximize your reliability, but they are pretty well built motors.

joker350gt
Posts: 206
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:07 pm

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92 with 112k miles and only major issues were altornator and new water pump other than that it was either me messing with the stero, driving stupid or my mom not doing the reguired maint when she had it

User avatar
Spitrod
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:37 pm
Car: B12 - 89 Sport Coupe

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B12 - 89 Sport Coupe GA16i164,000 milesRuns excellentBought in March of '07

Modified by Spitrod at 10:11 PM 4/8/2009
Modified by Spitrod at 10:11 PM 4/8/2009

User avatar
RiceRocketGal
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:54 am
Car: 2008 Nissan Sentra S

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Hi. I'm new to the forum. I registered my 08 Sentra S.

I purchased it used a couple weeks ago, with 17,000 miles on it. The first thing I did was to take it into the nearest Nissan dealership to have a tire pressure sensor reset and have all the fluids changed because there were no stickers anywhere indicating when it had been done and/or needed to be done again. The guy at Nissan told me the car was originally purchased at that dealership but I was the first one to bring it back to them for any reason. That doesn't mean the original owner never had the fluids changed. It just means there is no record of them ever doing so... so I had to play it safe and have it all done.

I can't stress enough how very important it is that people have regular maintenance done on their vehicles. The vehicle I traded for my Sentra was a 1995 t-bird I had purchased when it was new. I kept up regular maintenance on it the entire time I had it. At the time I traded it in I had NEVER had an engine or transmission problem with that car. The only repairs I ever had done to it were for things that you expect to wear out on a car that old; ball joints, tie rods, fan motor, air conditioner, fuel pump, hubs, etc... NOTHING at all involving the power train. I paid on it for 5 years and got 10 years out of it with no payments what-so-ever.

I don't know if that is possible with the Fords being produced today but I have every hope that my Sentra will serve me just as well. With regular maintenance it stands a much better chance of doing so.

batmanspawn
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:31 am
Car: 1993 Nissan Sentra XE
Contact:

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I have been very happy with my 93 Sentra XE, Ive had it since 1993, the biggest thing i had to do to it was replace the fuel injectors (after 160,000 miles) I'm pretty sure they were the original fuel injectors so I've really got no complaints on my Nissan.I Love my nissanI'm fighting for the respectability of the older cars mines a 93 and i still think shes sweet.Shes provided dependable transportation so now shes being rewarded with upgrades.Make mine NissanPersonally i dont like the newer model Sentras, think they are ugly, just my personal opinion('^^') Atomic batteries to power...Turbines to speed...Im outta here ('^^')

I haven't started collecting data on any year of the Sentra yet, because not enough are signed up.

Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, at the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, anyone who helps provide the reliability data will have free access to the results. The first results have been released for a few models (not including any Nissans or Infinitis). Updated results will be posted quarterly.

For the details, and to sign up to help out:

Vehicle reliability research

Comments and questions very welcome.

Modified by mkaresh at 10:01 AM 9/19/2007[/QUOTE]

User avatar
sleepingsentra
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:56 am
Car: 1994 nissan sentra ,1998 infiniti g 20

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my b-13 works good... needs struts and wheeling bearings but that normal stuff

unijabnx2000
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:23 pm
Car: NX2000

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Ive owned 3 NX2000's and still have the 3rd.

mkaresh
Posts: 1038
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:45 am
Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5
Contact:

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We have updated results for the Sentra to include owner experiences through March 2009. In terms of successful repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008: 57

2007: 79

2001: 97

All are "about average." Very small sample sizes for the 2001 and 2007.

A big thanks to AZHitman, the forum, and everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates with additional model years in August and November. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and cover all model years.

Nissan Sentra reliability comparisons

User avatar
sideways24d
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 3:24 pm
Car: 06 Sentra SER Spec V

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Just enrolled. 06 SER Spec V. only issue was a wheel bearing. Nothing else at 48000

conenubi701
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:59 am
Car: 1998 Nissan 200sx SE-R

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Just got back from Texas (i live in Miami) and I averaged 39MPG in my 200sx SE-R. Car has a CRAPLOAD of mods and the Car is super reliable. However.... I hit a blown out tire about 50 miles from home and it seems my alignment is off. Got a bunch of checking to do.

User avatar
tarantulaman
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:40 am
Car: 02 spec v

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hmmmm just got my 02 se-r the 15th and the blinkers are not working now.. . . i checked the bulbs and the fuses to avail. . .

Pebblecrusher
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:03 pm

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Hopefully this helps for additional research. I believe AIRTEX is an actual OE/OES parts manufacturer for Nissan. This has an interface for nissan models and shows updated direct Nissan Bulletins for the make under (Technical Resource).

http://www.showmetheparts.com/airtex/#

The link that the Technical Resouce takes you to your corresponding vehicle selected. Show actual step by step processes of what Certified Techs need to preform for repairs, updates and reprograming of ecm! example below:

http://vil.motor.com/tsb/tsb_d...eM%3d

Kovar68
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:11 am
Car: 1993 Nissan Sentra E

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I will sign up as soon as i get it to start see my thred if you can help

SpecVee
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:50 am
Car: 05 Nissan Se-R Spec V

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Hi All, new to this site. came over from MSV. anyone with a spec v whos clutch gets soft driving in the city or riding hard? certain times my pedal can pretty much sit on the floor. 05 specV

200sx GTi-R
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:03 am
Car: 98 nissan 200sx se-r

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hi everyone i have a 98 200sx se-r and i am right in the middle of a gti-r sr20det swap any thing i should know about. o and if anyone knows the correct bolt that i kneed to get for the gti-r flywheel bolts plz let me know asap. (920)251-4588

Jake

sherbie369
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:03 am
Car: 1996 Nissan Sentra GXE

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Sounds like your car was poorly maintained over the years. Bad rotors, or warped.. (sounds like they were badly overheated) must be sure to do your scheduled maintenance on time, change oils, lube, change your brake shoes and pads before they get into the metal.I have a 1996 Nissan Sentra GXE that has none of those problems, excellent brakes rotors (perfectly good still), exhaust has no leaks, just changed out my valve cover gasket as it was leaking. Starts and goes reliably, I have nearly 130,000 miles on it now, oil is clean, tranny fluid always clean.. etc

User avatar
jofridzz
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:50 pm
Car: Nissan Sentra B12

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I have an 1988 Sentra TBI for a littel over a year. Past owner repainted five years ago, and I'm now having a issue with the Rear Main and some blow bye in #4 and maybe #1? Other then that I love this car


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