2008 Nissan SENTRA: complaints, problems and recalls

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 ↗

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 ↗

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 ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED LIT, WHICH INDICATED THAT THERE WAS LOW TIRE PRESSURE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES FOR INSPECTION. ON ONE OCCASION, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A NAIL IN THE TIRE, WHICH CAUSED LOW PRESSURE AND THE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEALER INSTALLED A SENSOR AND THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT DIMMED AFTERWARDS. TWO TO THREE WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE MANU…

Owner-reported narrative. 7 miles reported. Look up ODI 10233615 at NHTSA ↗

CAME TO A STOP LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL IN A 25MPH ZONE AND THE CAR STAYED AT 2,000RPM'S. HAD TO TURN OFF CAR TO STOP IT, NEVER WENT DOWN TO IDLE SPEED. DEALER RESET PARAMETERS ON COMPUTER AND RESET IDLE LEARN. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 811 miles reported. Look up ODI 10234924 at NHTSA ↗

THE DAY OF DELIVERY OF MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA, I NOTICED THE REAR WHEELS TILT IN AT THE TOP, ESPECIALLY THE LEFT REAR WHEEL, AT LEAST 5 DEGREES NEGATIVE CAMBER (I AM AN INSURANCE AUTO APPRAISER ). IT ALSO APPEARS TO HAVE SLIGHT TOW IN. THIS IS A FIXED NON-ADJUSTABLE BEAM AXEL, THAT WAS SET UP WRONG IN THE ASSEMBLY JIG AND WELDED UP WRONG. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, THIS AFFECTS 07 AND 08 MODELS. THE TIRES WILL WEAR OUT QUICKLY ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD (NOT TOO NOTICEABLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR), AND MAY BLOW OUT. AT BEST I WILL BE REPLACING REA…

Owner-reported narrative. 10 miles reported. Look up ODI 10236361 at NHTSA ↗

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 ↗

ENGINE KNOCK, MY CAR HAS A PISTON SLAPPING AROUND IN THE ENGINE. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER "SIMS NISSAN IN WARREN, OHIO" TO DRIVE MY CAR WITH THE BAD ENGINE UNTIL THEY GET A NEW ENGINE WHICH WOULD BE AROUND 3-5 DAYS TO RECEIVE. THEY WOULD THEN GET ME A RENTAL CAR WHILE THEY PUT THE ENGINE IN. I INFORMED THE OWNER KEN SIMS THAT THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND HE TOLD ME NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN IF I DID NOT RUN THE ENGINE AT HIGH RPM'S THAT WOULD THEN CAUSE THE PISTON TO GO THREW THE ENGINE. I ONCE AGAIN TOLD HIM THIS IS UNSAFE AND IF HE WAS SO C…

Owner-reported narrative. 12,926 miles reported. Look up ODI 10244707 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2008-07-11 (July 11, 2008)

NISSAN IS RECALLING 169,202 MY 2007-2008 SENTRA PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED ROBERT BOSCH MASTER CYLINDER. DUE TO THE MACHINING IRREGULARITY BY THE SUPPLIER, THE INTERNAL SEAL GROOVE IN THE BODY OF SOME BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS MAY ALLOW FOR A GAP IN THE GROOVE CONTACT AREA OF THE SEAL. THIS MAY RESULT IN BRAKE FLUID SLOWLY LEAKING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY, CAUSING THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE.

Consequence: IF THE WARNING LAMP IS IGNORED, ONE OF THE BRAKE CIRCUITS ON THE VEHICLE MAY NOT OPERATE AS DESIGNED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE MASTER CYLINDER/BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY AND IF BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE IS DETECTED, THE MASTER CYLINDER WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 20, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2009-11-03 (November 3, 2009)

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SENTRA PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BOSCH MASTER CYLINDERS. BRAKE FLUID MAY LEAK FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. IF THE AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR DECREASES TO BELOW THE MINIMUM LEVEL, THE BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR WILL ILLUMINATE AS DESIGNED AND THE BRAKES WILL NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY.

Consequence: IF THE WARNING LAMP IS CONTINUOUSLY IGNORED, ONE OF THE BRAKE CIRCUITS ON THE VEHICLE MAY FAIL INCREASING STOPPING DISTANCES AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 14, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2010-09-10 (September 10, 2010)

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.

Consequence: OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.