2002 Nissan Sentra Recalls, Complaints & Specs

10 safety recalls list the 2002 Nissan Sentra, and owners have filed 304 complaints with NHTSA. At least one recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory. Check your own VIN below.

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10 safety recalls for the 2002 Nissan Sentra

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Inflator module (air bags) and air bags Do not drive

   NHTSA 20V747000 Reported December 1, 2020 3,930 vehicles potentially affected Nissan North America, Inc.

   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…

   Remedy: 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.…

2. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 20V008000 Reported January 9, 2020 307,962 vehicles potentially affected Nissan North America, Inc.

   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…

   Remedy: 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…

3. Air bags

   NHTSA 15V287000 Reported May 15, 2015 1,090,569 vehicles potentially affected Nissan North America, Inc.

   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.

   Remedy: 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,…

4. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 07V527000 Reported November 14, 2007 653,910 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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.

   Remedy: 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…

5. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 03V511000 Reported December 10, 2003 70 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On certain electric vehicles, the front suspension transverse link's ball joint bracket may break from stress concentration at a notch created by surface roughness and the shape of the material cut-line.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the bracket on these vehicles. Owner notification began december 15, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

6. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 03V455000 Reported November 17, 2003 630,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this…

7. Electrical system: module

   NHTSA 03V477000 Reported November 14, 2003 276,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the qg18de engine or qr25de engines, the foam material used for the interior lining of the electronic control module (ECM) box emits sulfur as it cures.

   Remedy: Dealers will remove the inside lining material from the ECM box. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

8. Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (engine and engine cooling)

   NHTSA 03V084000 Reported March 11, 2003 338,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On certain vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine, the exhaust pipe hanger pin may catch debris from the road that could be ignited by contact with the main catalyst. Also on 2002 altima and sentra vehicles, certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate.

   Remedy: Dealers will remove the protruding portion of the exhaust pipe hanger pin. In addition to the corrective action, in order to reduce the risk of fire in the event of poor or improper maintenance that could result in oil…

9. Unknown or other

   NHTSA 02V056000 Reported February 15, 2002 9,640 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On some passenger vehicles equipped with a nissan-approved accessory floor mat that was installed either at the assembly plant or by the dealer, due to the length of the driver side floor mat, a small amount of mat movement could cause the mat to interfere with the accelerator pedal and not allow the pedal to release after it is…

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect the driver side floor mat and if it is a nissan floor mat subject to this recall, the dealer will replace both the driver and passenger side floor mats. Owner notification began march 18, 2002.…

10. Headlights (exterior lighting)

    NHTSA 01V376000 Reported December 12, 2001 81,393 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

    Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these vehicles were missing tamperproof caps that prevent horizontal headlamp adjustment.

    Remedy: Dealers will install a tamperproof cap over the horizontal adjustment screw for both headlamps. Owner notification began january 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…

304 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2002 Nissan Sentra have filed 304 complaints with NHTSA; 19 describe a crash and 6 describe a fire. Reports cite 22 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 73,896 miles. Complaints peaked in 2003 with 48 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Engine and engine cooling67
• Engine and engine cooling: engine40
• Electrical system30
• Engine27
• Air bags25
• Electrical system: module17
• Vehicle speed control14
• Unknown or other12

What owners are reporting

“The contact called regarding the ownership of the 2002 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V008000 (Air Bags); and would like the address to be removed from th”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 24, 2026 · Air bags

“There's something wrong with the cooling system when i recall data refreshed on nov 04,2020 1unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN jan 09,2020 manufacturer recall numberpm684 NHTSA recall number”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 4, 2020 · Engine

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2002 Nissan Sentra. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Nissan Sentra model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Nissan Sentra model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 2002 Nissan Sentra

Other Nissan models

• Altima15,472 complaints
• Pathfinder7,355 complaints
• Rogue7,322 complaints
• Maxima6,955 complaints
• Murano5,958 complaints
• Frontier3,357 complaints
• Versa3,325 complaints
• Titan3,264 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.