"How reliable is the 2003 Nissan Sentra?"

"Based on 240 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Nissan Sentra has a median complaint mileage of 66956 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Nissan Sentra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Nissan Sentra is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 240 total complaints filed."

2003 Nissan Sentra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 240 complaints

240

Total Complaints

66,956mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

33,445 25th Percentile

66,956 Median Mileage

98,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

AIR BAGS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ONCE APPROACHING A STOP (CROSSWALK), THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN. ANOTHER TIME, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MOVE OUT OF PARKING SPACE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS THE VEHICLE AS OF 01-28-2003 WITH CAUSE ..."

"JUMPS FORWARD SOMETIMES WITHOUT FOOT ON ACCLERATOR, ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING TURN FROM STOPPED POSITION. DEALERSHIP CAN NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. FALSE ALLIGNMENT AT TIME OF PURCHASE. DEALERSHIP STATES STEERING COLUMN WAS PUT IN OFF CENTER. THIS PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. CREAK AND POPS IN DASH ON BOTH ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28