2008 Nissan SENTRA problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
167 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
67,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2008 model year. Data snapshot: . 124 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 53 of 167 complaints (31.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 24 | 14.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 21 | 12.6% |
| Steering behavior | 16 | 9.6% |
| Engine operation | 6 | 3.6% |
| Fuel system concerns | 4 | 2.4% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 3 | 1.8% |
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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 53 |
| Engine | 15 |
| Power Train | 15 |
| Steering | 15 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 |
| Unknown Or Other | 12 |
| Electrical System | 11 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 11 |
Air Bags: 53; Engine: 15; Power Train: 15; Steering: 15; Vehicle Speed Control: 13; Unknown Or Other: 12; Electrical System: 11; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 11
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 35 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 14 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 24 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 19 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 20 |
| 150,000 and above | 12 |
Under 25,000: 35; 25,000 to 49,999: 14; 50,000 to 74,999: 24; 75,000 to 99,999: 19; 100,000 to 149,999: 20; 150,000 and above: 12
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (35). 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 |
| 2009 | 19 |
| 2010 | 19 |
| 2011 | 12 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2016 | 14 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 9 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
2008: 14; 2009: 19; 2010: 19; 2011: 12; 2012: 11; 2013: 8; 2014: 18; 2015: 9; 2016: 14; 2017: 9; 2018: 9; 2019: 8; 2020: 11; 2021: 1; 2022: 2; 2023: 2; 2024: 1
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 24 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 21 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 16 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 10226136 · 2008-04-30 (April 30, 2008)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AT 5 MPH, THE CONTACT COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. IT ACCELERATED BACKWARDS AND CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINIMAL DAMAGE. SHE NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND IS AWAITING THEIR RESPONSE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10226136 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10233125 · 2008-07-03 (July 3, 2008)
WHILE DRIVER WAS PARKING VEHICLE AND HAD FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD STRIKING A STRUCTURE. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10233125 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10249577 · 2008-11-22 (November 22, 2008)
TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON AND TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 8,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10249577 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10286527 · 2009-10-06 (October 6, 2009)
WHEN STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE, THE ENGINE REVS UP BUT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT MOVE THE CAR. IF YOU KEEP YOUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR IN A COUPLE OF SECONDS, THE CAR WILL SLAM INTO GEAR AND MOVE WITH A LOAD BANG. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, HAS OCCURRED APPROX. 6 TIMES IN 30K MILES. THIS CAN OCCUR FROM FIRST STARTING OUT OR WHILE DRIVING IF YOU LET YOUR FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND THEN GO TO ACCELERATE IT DOESN'T ACCELERATE, IT IS LIKE IT IS IN NEUTRAL. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10286527 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10251501 · 2008-12-11 (December 11, 2008)
STEERING IS DRIFTING. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 1,856 miles reported. Look up ODI 10251501 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10252277 · 2008-12-19 (December 19, 2008)
POWER STEERING FAILURE. DROVE CAR AND THEN PARKED. RETURNED TO CAR AND UPON STARTING NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILURE LIGHT WAS ON AND HAD NO POWER STEERING WHEN DRIVING. (SYSTEM IS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING) DROVE CAR TO DEALER WITH NO POWER STEERING. FOLLOWING DAY, WHEN DEALER ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM CORRECTIVE SERVICE AND DIAGNOSE PROBLEM THE POWER STEERING IS WORKING. THEREFORE THEY HAVE RELEASED THE VEHICLE AS NOT HAVING ANY SERVICE PROBLEM. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE AN ACCI…
Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10252277 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10242379 · 2008-09-16 (September 16, 2008)
AT 700 MILES, CAR WOULDN'T START. HAD TOWED TO DEALERSHIP-CAR STARTED-COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. AT 1700 MILES, CAR WOULDN'T START-HAD TOWED--COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM. 9/15/08 (2480 MILES) CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC, WOULDN'T START. POLICE PUSHED ME TO A SAFE AREA--HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP-NO RESPONSE YET. I FEEL VERY UNSAFE, NOT KNOWING WHEN I'M GOING TO BE RANDOMLY LEFT ON SOME STREET CORNER WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. AM PLANNING A TRIP OUT OF STATE--DO I DARE? I DON'T THINK SO. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 2,480 miles reported. Look up ODI 10242379 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10611034 · 2014-07-16 (July 16, 2014)
I PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY IN JUNE 2014 AND THE CAR STALLED AT ABOUT 15 MILES PER HOUR WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I DRIVE A NISSAN SENTRA 2008 THAT I BROUGHT IN NOVEMBER 2011 WITH 32,000 MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD COST $500. I HAD ALREADY REPLACE THE AIR SENSOR IN 2013 FOR $400 AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR HAD 52,000 MILES BECAUSE THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS COMING ON. I CONTACTED NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE TO EXP…
Owner-reported narrative. 72,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10611034 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10232804 · 2008-07-01 (July 1, 2008)
2005 SENTRA 1.8 S. HEATER WOULD BE HOT THEN COLD, HAVE REPLACED THERMOSTAT 5 TIMES. CAR NEVER OVERHEATED. GAUGE WOULD GO JUST UNDER 3/4 OF WAY AND THEN SUDDENLY DROP TO NORMAL. 69,000 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, READING MULTIPLE MISFIRES. BRINGING TO DEALER FOR FUEL TANK RECALL. RUNNING VERY ROUGH, RPMS 2000 BEFORE VEHICLE WILL MOVE MAX OUT AT 5000. AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE FOOT FROM GAS, SUDDENLY DROPS TO ALMOST 0 RPMS. DEALER SAID BLOWN HEAD GASKET, OIL PAN GASKET BAD. HAD TO HAVE HEAD IN MACHINE SHOP DUE TO 2 PLUGS STUCK. WHEN I PICK…
Owner-reported narrative. 69,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10232804 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10430920 · 2011-10-17 (October 17, 2011)
2008 NISSAN SENTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEM WITH TANK NOT ACCEPTING FUEL. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY IN APRIL 2011. THE PROBLEM RESURFACED AGAIN IN AUGUST 2011 WHERE THE TANK WOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN TWO GALLONS OF GAS. THE DEALER CLEANED OUT THE VENT FUEL LINE AND REPLACED THE FUEL TANK. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10430920 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10671964 · 2015-01-12 (January 12, 2015)
I WAS OPERATING MY VEHICLE ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA WHEN THE VEHICLE SHOOK ABRUPTLY FOLLOWED A FEW SECONDS LATER WITH A LOUD EXPLOSION. DEBRIS AND OIL SPRAYED ONTO MY HOOD AND I HAD TO NEARLY AVOID AN ACCIDENT AS MY CAR WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL SLIGHTLY AND PULL TO THE SIDE. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND I IMMEDIATELY GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE. MY FATHER WHO WAS FOLLOWING ME RAN TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO CALM THE FLAMES WHILE I CALLED 91…
Owner-reported narrative. 94,048 miles reported. Look up ODI 10671964 at NHTSA ↗