2005 Nissan Sentra Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sentra years
- About as many complaints as other years 15th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 170 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Nissan Sentra. That ranks 15th out of 32 Sentra model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (48 complaints, 28%), typically at around 69,500 miles. Complaints mention 13 crashes, 4 fires, 13 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

- 170owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 13complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Nissan Sentra problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 48 | 28% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 33 | 19% | 100,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 21 | 12% | 130,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 21 | 12% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 17 | 10% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 15 | 9% | 122,770 | — | — |
| Power Train | 10 | 6% | 63,141 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 5% | 11,950 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 4% | 62,104 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 3% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 2% | 122,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 2% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 2% | 138,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 104,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 2% | 110,772 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 2% | 82,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 2% | 21,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 70,002 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 81,263 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 34,300 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | 14,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Nissan Sentra recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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 absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.
Air bags
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
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.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
Risk: If the interruption in the signal from the crankshaft position sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ecm) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ecm free of charge. Certain my 2006 altimas which have been previously remedied under recall campaign 06v223 (nissan r0606) are not included in this recall since the reprogramming for 06v223 also included this reprogramming. The recall began on december 31, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, a vapor hose located in the fuel tank may not have been formed correctly during the manufacturing process. When the vehicle is parked with a full fuel tank, fuel may flow into the vapor hose, which is connected to a vapor canister.
Risk: The vapor canister could become full, and excess fuel could spill out onto the ground. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will check the vapor hose connections in the fuel tank to determine if a poor seal exists. If a poor seal is identified, a new fuel tank will be installed free of charge. The recall began on august 15, 2005. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA15001) — opened Feb 24, 2015, still open, led to recall 14V668.
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture (PE14016) — opened Jun 11, 2014, closed Mar 2, 2015, led to recall 13V172000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I purchased a 2005 Nissan Sentra on [XXX] from TMZ Auto Sales. The front passenger and driver side calipers, rotors, brake pads, brake hoses, front driver side hub bearings and knuckle hook up, were replaced by me, and the left passenger side ball joint needs to be repaired. All repairs were done…
Nissan Dealer locally will not repair my vehicle as per the recall for my air bags. Have driven out of town to a Nissan dealer and they said they did not have the part in stock and could not fix it. I would like to have my car fixed before the passenger air bag EXPLODES.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 30-35 mph, the vehicle revved up and accelerated without warning. The contact downshifted to slow the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the…
I had an appointment for 10am I called ahead to confirm the estimated amount of time I was told it would take 2-4 hours. When I arrived they refused to service my vehicle they claimed they we're busy and refused to service my recall and treated me like a nuisance and with little respect. I spoke to…
I was driving this car but had stopped to let traffic by (in a turn lane) when an oncoming truck barrelled toward me & hit me head-on, going about 40 mph. His truck bent in the whole front of my sentra but my neither my driver-side or passenger-side airbag went off to protect me & my daughter!…
Other Nissan Sentra years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sentra | 18 | 1 |
| 2025 Sentra | 31 | 4 |
| 2024 Sentra | 41 | 3 |
| 2023 Sentra | 20 | 1 |
| 2022 Sentra | 81 | 2 |
| 2021 Sentra | 132 | 3 |
| 2020 Sentra | 206 | 4 |
| 2019 Sentra | 222 | 2 |
| 2018 Sentra | 185 | 2 |
| 2017 Sentra | 231 | 3 |
| 2016 Sentra | 270 | 6 |
| 2015 Sentra | 351 | 3 |
| 2014 Sentra | 380 | 5 |
| 2013 Sentra | 638 | 6 |
| 2012 Sentra | 180 | 0 |
| 2011 Sentra | 142 | 2 |
| 2010 Sentra | 144 | 3 |
| 2009 Sentra | 55 | 1 |
| 2008 Sentra | 167 | 3 |
| 2007 Sentra | 154 | 1 |
| 2006 Sentra | 116 | 5 |
| 2005 | 170 | 5 |
| 2004 Sentra | 197 | 4 |
| 2003 Sentra | 180 | 7 |
| 2002 Sentra | 304 | 10 |
| 2001 Sentra | 236 | 7 |
| 2000 Sentra | 171 | 6 |
| 1999 Sentra | 59 | 0 |
| 1998 Sentra | 58 | 1 |
| 1997 Sentra | 108 | 3 |
| 1996 Sentra | 141 | 3 |
| 1995 Sentra | 117 | 3 |
See all Nissan Sentra problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
Similar Nissan models
Embed this 2005 Nissan Sentra badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Nissan Sentra?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, engine, air bags problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 48 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Nissan Sentra?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Nissan Sentra a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sentra model years, the 2005 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.