Nissan Sentra 2000–2006
5th generation (B15)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,771 complaints, 1,149 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
- Reports with mileage
- 1,149
- Median of reported failures
- 69,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Engine and its cooling system (29.8%)
- Recalls
- 3
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 32,880 and 106,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Nissan Sentra 2000–2006 · 1,149 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 117 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 18 complaints (1.6%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 9,186
- 25%
- 32,880
- Median
- 69,023
- 75%
- 106,000
- 90%
- 147,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 117 | 10.2% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 63 | 5.5% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 79 | 6.9% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 70 | 6.1% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 74 | 6.4% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 76 | 6.6% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 101 | 8.8% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 94 | 8.2% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 77 | 6.7% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 57 | 5.0% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 65 | 5.7% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 41 | 3.6% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 51 | 4.4% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 39 | 3.4% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 39 | 3.4% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 20 | 1.7% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 23 | 2.0% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 15 | 1.3% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 19 | 1.7% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 11 | 1.0% |
| 200,000+ | 18 | 1.6% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,771 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000–2006 Nissan Sentra, and 1,149 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 32,880 and 106,000 miles. The median is 69,023 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine and its cooling system (29.8% of complaints, typically around 66,000 miles), the electrical system (12.8% of complaints, typically around 75,000 miles), the airbag system (9.1% of complaints, typically around 98,000 miles).
3 recall campaigns cover this generation. 1 of them carry a severe NHTSA advisory.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2000–2006 Nissan Sentra last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2000–2006 Nissan Sentra were filed by 69,000 miles and 90% by 147,000 miles — figures drawn from 1,149 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
18 reports (1.6%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Sentra reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2000–2006 Sentra: the 3-minute check
Generated from 1,149 mileage-tagged complaints, 3 recall campaigns, 3 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation. Run the VIN before you drive it home — the fix is free at any dealer.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 3 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine (2.5l qr25de) on 2002–2006 cars. Pre-catalyst substrate disintegrates and ceramic debris is drawn back into the cylinders, scoring bores and producing runaway oil consumption and engine failure — the same mechanism as the contemporaneous Altima 2.5.
- Check engine (1.8l qg18de) on 2000–2006 cars. Catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failures plus excessive oil consumption at higher mileage.
- Check engine management on 2000–2006 cars. Crankshaft position sensor failures causing stall-while-driving.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 33,000 and 106,000 miles, with a median of 69,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and its cooling system and the electrical system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine and its cooling system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 66,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Nissan Sentra 2000–2006
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Transmission and driveline77 reports60,00012,000–106,000Transmission and driveline: 77 reports, median 60,000 miles, middle half 12,000 to 106,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system528 reports66,00039,000–94,000Engine and its cooling system: 528 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 39,000 to 94,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control70 reports66,00020,000–140,000Throttle and speed control: 70 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 20,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Fuel system76 reports67,00036,000–100,000Fuel system: 76 reports, median 67,000 miles, middle half 36,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Electrical system226 reports75,00035,000–110,000Electrical system: 226 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 110,000 miles.
- Airbag system161 reports98,00044,000–147,000Airbag system: 161 reports, median 98,000 miles, middle half 44,000 to 147,000 miles.
- Engine150 reports110,00075,000–140,000Engine: 150 reports, median 110,000 miles, middle half 75,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and its cooling system | 528 | 29.8% | 66,000 | 39,000–94,000 |
| Electrical system | 226 | 12.8% | 75,000 | 35,000–110,000 |
| Airbag system | 161 | 9.1% | 98,000 | 44,000–147,000 |
| Engine | 150 | 8.5% | 110,000 | 75,000–140,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 77 | 4.3% | 60,000 | 12,000–106,000 |
| Fuel system | 76 | 4.3% | 67,000 | 36,000–100,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 70 | 4.0% | 66,000 | 20,000–140,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 64 | 3.6% | 29,000 | 5,000–45,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 52 | 2.9% | 62,000 | 28,000–102,000 |
| Tyres | 47 | 2.7% | 38,000 | 24,000–65,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Nissan Sentra 2000–2006 · 1,149 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 42% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 65% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 80% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 1.6% of reports (18) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
42% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 39,000–94,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 35,000–110,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 44,000–147,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 12,000–106,000 mi
- Fuel system — middle half 36,000–100,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 20,000–140,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
65% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 39,000–94,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 35,000–110,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 44,000–147,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 12,000–106,000 mi
- Fuel system — middle half 36,000–100,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 20,000–140,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
80% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 66,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 75,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 60,000 mi
- Fuel system — median 67,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 44,000–147,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 20,000–140,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 69,023 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 29.8% of complaints (528 reports, 380 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 66,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 39,000 and 94,000 miles.
A single system taking 29.8% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The electrical system accounts for 12.8% of complaints (226 reports, 167 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 75,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 35,000 and 110,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 9.1% of complaints (161 reports, 67 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 98,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 44,000 and 147,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 8.5% of complaints (150 reports, 129 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 110,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 75,000 and 140,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 4.3% of complaints (77 reports, 47 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 60,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 12,000 and 106,000 miles.
The fuel system accounts for 4.3% of complaints (76 reports, 60 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 67,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 36,000 and 100,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2002 model year drew the most — 372 complaints — while 2006 drew the fewest at 155. The median year sits at 236.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 3 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
1 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
The campaigns cluster around the airbag system (3). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,771 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 173 (9.8%)
- Fires
- 21
- Injury reports
- 88
- Fatality reports
- 1
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine (2.5l Qr25de) 2002–2006
Pre-catalyst substrate disintegrates and ceramic debris is drawn back into the cylinders, scoring bores and producing runaway oil consumption and engine failure — the same mechanism as the contemporaneous Altima 2.5.
Engine (1.8l Qg18de) 2000–2006
Catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failures plus excessive oil consumption at higher mileage.
Engine Management 2000–2006
Crankshaft position sensor failures causing stall-while-driving.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 236 | 85 |
| 2001 | 309 | 150 |
| 2002 | 372 | 260 |
| 2003 | 240 | 182 |
| 2004 | 235 | 184 |
| 2005 | 224 | 165 |
| 2006 | 155 | 123 |
Recalls (3) — is your car included?
Jan 2021 · 2002–2006 · Air Bags do not driveAn inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in…
The defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2002-2006 Sentra vehicles whose passenger air bags were previously inspected and may have been released without replacing the Takata air bag inflator. In the event of a crash, Takata frontal passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
What can happen. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been completed. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will re-inspect the vehicle and, if necessary, replace the air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PM964.
Feb 2020 · 2002–2006 · Air BagsAn inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in…
The defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high
What can happen. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Jun 2015 · 2002–2006 · Air BagsIn the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could…
The defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
What can happen. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
What owners reported
I have looked and found no recall on this poorly designed engine component. Plastic dipstick handle breaks. My car is a Nissan 2000 Sentra gxe 1.8: The plastic engine oil dipstick handle broke off, leaving the stainless steel stick inside the tube. I called my local Nissan dealership service department for a method of…
2000 · 8,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
Vehicle "jerks" when under load & throttle is applied. Replaced 4 ignition coils, & throttle position sensor. No change in vehicle's performance. Vehicle will also not accelerate over 3000 RPM's. Mechanic said i needed to contact Nissan regarding applicable safety recall that was likely the problem, which i did.…
2000 · 20,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
Built from 1,149 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page