U.S. public vehicle records

1999 Nissan SENTRA problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

56 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

72,900 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1999 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 13 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Ignition is the most frequently named component, appearing in 8 of 56 complaints (14.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	9	16.1%
Engine operation	5	8.9%
Steering behavior	4	7.1%
Electrical and battery issues	3	5.4%
Transmission and shifting	2	3.6%
Fuel system concerns	2	3.6%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Ignition

Air Bags:Frontal

Tires

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electrical System:Ignition: 8; Air Bags:Frontal: 5; Tires: 5; Electrical System: 4; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 4; Vehicle Speed Control: 4; Engine: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling: 2

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 2; 50,000 to 74,999: 4; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 2

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (4). 43 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2011

2013

2014

2015

2000: 6; 2001: 14; 2002: 5; 2003: 9; 2004: 8; 2005: 3; 2006: 2; 2007: 4; 2008: 1; 2011: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 1; 2015: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Ignition leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 9 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 5 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10060669 · 2004-03-08 (March 8, 2004)

I HAD JUST ENTERED A 3-LANE HIGHWAY AND WAS DRIVING 25-30 MPH IN THE RAIN AT NIGHT, WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY JUST STOPPED! I HAD NO LIGHTS, NO BRAKES, NO HORN, NO STEERING. BY SOME SMALL MIRACLE, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE STOPPED THE CAR,AND I HAD A CELL PHONE. THE POLICE GOT THERE BEFORE ANYONE HIT ME. SHEEHY NISSAN SERVICE DEPT. SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURANCE WITH SENTRAS, AND SEVERAL YEARS WERE RECALLED FOR DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS FOR THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEMS, BUT 1999 WAS NOT INCLUDED. THEREFORE, THE REPAIRS AS ESTIMATED WOULD COST ME ROUGHL…

Owner-reported narrative. 78,987 miles reported. Look up ODI 10060669 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10080133 · 2004-06-29 (June 29, 2004)

WHEN BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10080133 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10048322 · 2003-11-19 (November 19, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING 60-65 MPH VEHICLE LOST POWER/ STALLED. CONSUMER HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10048322 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10052062 · 2003-12-29 (December 29, 2003)

DISTRIBUTOR CAP FAILED. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR, WIRES, AND PLUGS. HOWEVER, PROBLEM RECURRED.

Owner-reported narrative. 47,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10052062 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10080132 · 2004-06-29 (June 29, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10080132 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10059941 · 2004-02-27 (February 27, 2004)

SINCE SOON AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE IF YOU START THE VEHICLE AND THEN MOVE IT A SHORT DISTANCE AND TURN IT OFF, YOU CAN NOT RESTART IT, YOU HAVE TO HOLD DOWN THE GAS PEDAL AND CRANK IT UNTIL IT STARTS, OR WAIT TILL LATER TO START IT. SISTER HAD SAME MODEL AND YEAR NISSAN EXACT SAME PROBLEM. DEALER SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, BUT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. NOW AT 98K MILES YOU TURN OFF THE CAR AND THE FAN CONTINUES TO RUN MUST DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO STOP IT. MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10059941 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10702896 · 2015-03-31 (March 31, 2015)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO WAS NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 03V477000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), AND 01V357000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10702896 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10031427 · 2003-08-15 (August 15, 2003)

THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING FROM 1ST TO 4TH GEAR. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK VEHICLE FAILED DUE TO A WORN OUR DIFFERENTIAL IN THE TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT FAILED AGAIN. THIS FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF AN INSTALLED RECONDITIONED TORQUE CONVERTER. THUS, THE DIFFERENTIAL WAS IGNORED. THE DIFFERENTIAL BROKE BOTH AXLES AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER. WHICH ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *PH *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10031427 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10082890 · 2004-07-28 (July 28, 2004)

I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT, WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY CLUTCH HAD A LITTLE MORE "PLAY" IN THE PEDAL THAN NORMAL. I THOUGHT THIS WAS MY IMAGINATION UNTIL WITHIN ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING I NOTICED THAT THE GEARS STARTED SHIFTING HARDER THAN NORMAL AS WELL. WITHIN ANOTHER FEW MINUTES, THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALMOST ALL THE WAY IN, AND THE CLUTCH WAS NOT RELEASING CAUSING ME NOT TO BE ABLE TO SHIFT AT ALL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND GET THE CAR INTO SECOND GEAR AND DRIVE THE REMAINDER OF THE WAY HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONCE HO…

Owner-reported narrative. 72,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10082890 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10430033 · 2011-10-13 (October 13, 2011)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF FUEL WOULD OVERFLOW FROM THE FUEL TANK FILLER NECK WHENEVER REFUELING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED AND THEY DETECTED THE FUEL TANK FILLER NECK WAS COMPLETELY COVERED WITH RUST. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER STATED THE PART WAS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION AS A RESULT TO THE VEHICLE NOT BEING REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 69,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10430033 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 747091 · 2001-06-20 (June 20, 2001)

FUEL FILLER METAL FLAP BECAME LOOSE AND FELL INTO THE FUEL FILLER TUBE, CAUSING AN OBSTRUCTION THAT PREVENTS GASOLINE FROM FLOWING FREELY INTO THE FUEL TANK WHEN PUMPING. AS A RESULT GASOLINE OVERFLOWS AND SPILLS FROM THE FUEL FILLER TUBE, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN FIRE OR PERSONAL *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 747091 at NHTSA ↗