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2008 Nissan Sentra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

125 reports with mileage · 42 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

20 crash reports3 fire reports11 injury reports

What owners actually said

167 reports
114,000 miles · May 22, 2019
Air Bags

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY ON DASH PANEL. CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT GO OUT. HAS BEEN RESET BUT COMES BACK ON AFTER DRIVING WITHIN SHORT DISTANCE. CAR HAS NOT BEEN WRECKED IN FRONT AND I AM ORIGINAL OWNER. CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY AS WE ARE AFRAID AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. WE DO NOT BELIEVE SAF…

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AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY ON DASH PANEL. CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT GO OUT. HAS BEEN RESET BUT COMES BACK ON AFTER DRIVING WITHIN SHORT DISTANCE. CAR HAS NOT BEEN WRECKED IN FRONT AND I AM ORIGINAL OWNER. CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY AS WE ARE AFRAID AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. WE DO NOT BELIEVE SAFETY EQUIPMENT SHOULD FAIL SO QUICKLY. ALSO SEE ONLINE WHERE MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCEING SAME PROBLEM. WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI #11209293

152,000 miles · Apr 23, 2019
Power Train

TAKATA RECALL. THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. IT'S A AUTOMATIC AND SOMETIMES IT DONT WANT TO SHIFT GEARS WHEN I GET AROUND 30 MPH. THEN I HAVE TO STOP AND PUT IT IN PARK AND THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE AGAIN AND IT WILL START WORKING PROPERLY. ALSO SOMETIMES WHILE I'M ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 65…

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TAKATA RECALL. THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. IT'S A AUTOMATIC AND SOMETIMES IT DONT WANT TO SHIFT GEARS WHEN I GET AROUND 30 MPH. THEN I HAVE TO STOP AND PUT IT IN PARK AND THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE AGAIN AND IT WILL START WORKING PROPERLY. ALSO SOMETIMES WHILE I'M ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 65-80 MPH THE RPM WILL FLUCTUATE FROM 2 TO 3 1/2 RPMS AND THEN OTHER TIMES WHILE GOING DOWN A HILL THE RPMS WILL STAY ABOVE 2 BUT MOSTLY 2 1/2 RPMS UNTIL I GET BELOW 15 MPH BEFORE IT DOWNSHIFTS. THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY AND ALL THE FLUID IS GOOD IN IT. IT NOW HAS AROUND 152,000 MILES ON IT BUT THE NISSAN COMPANY PUT A NEW TRANSMISSION IN IT A FEW YEARS AGO SO THE ACTUAL TRANSMISSION DOESNT HAVE THAT MANY MILES ON IT AT ALL. I'VE SEEN ALOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION FOR THIS CAR AND I THINK NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEFORE IT ENDS UP TEARING MORE THAN THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF IT!

NHTSA ODI #11203256

60 miles · Mar 5, 2019
EngineUnknown Or Other

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 NISSAN SENTRA AND THE CAR WOULD SHAKE OUT IF NO WHERE NEXT THING YOU KNOW IT DIDN'T WANT TO ACCELERATE ANY MORE IT'S JUST STOPPED AND I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGH WAY

NHTSA ODI #11184480

180,000 miles · Mar 5, 2019
Air BagsUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHING, THEN HORN DIDN'T WORK; NOW THE CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT WORKING. I SEE SEVERAL SIMILAR PROBLEMS NOTED IN THE DATABASE. SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WITHOUT THE HORN.

NHTSA ODI #11184385

124,040 miles · Feb 13, 2019
Power Train

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO CITY STREET. THE TORQUE CONVERTER GAVE OUT AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPUTTERING AT STOP SIGNS AND LIGHT, AND THEN THRUSTING FORWARD JOLTING TOWARD TRAFFIC. I NEARLY HAD TWO OTHER VEHICLES REAR END ME DURING SPUTTERING, AND I NEARLY HIT A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WHEN THE CAR TH…

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THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO CITY STREET. THE TORQUE CONVERTER GAVE OUT AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPUTTERING AT STOP SIGNS AND LIGHT, AND THEN THRUSTING FORWARD JOLTING TOWARD TRAFFIC. I NEARLY HAD TWO OTHER VEHICLES REAR END ME DURING SPUTTERING, AND I NEARLY HIT A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WHEN THE CAR THRUST FORWARD VIOLENTLY. I TURNED IN TO THE NEAREST AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP WHO TOLD ME MY TORQUE CONVERTER BLEW AND I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE 82 DAYS AND NOW HAVE TO DO AN ENTIRE TRANSMISSION REBUILD, WHICH AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH A CVT TRANSMISSION. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING NISSAN SHOULD ADDRESS, AS I ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN, MYSELF, AND OTHER DRIVERS/PASSENGERS ON THE ROAD. THE CAR HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND HAS ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER. I DID NOT EVEN DRIVE 2,000 MILES BEFORE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED, AND I FULLY BELIEVE THESE CONSTANT VARIABLE TRANSMISSIONS POSE A THREAT TO ANYONE OPERATING A VEHICLE, AND THAT THIS IS GROUNDS FOR A FACTORY RECALL OR AT THE LEAST ADDITIONAL SAFETY WARNINGS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI #11179882

34,481 miles · Dec 3, 2018
Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE RPMS INCREASED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. ONCE RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE CONTACT CALLED …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE RPMS INCREASED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. ONCE RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE CONTACT CALLED ALAN JAY NISSAN AT (863) 402-4280 (LOCATED AT 1700 FLARE RD, SEBRING, FL 33872) WHERE AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,481.

NHTSA ODI #11155727

Mileage unknown · Oct 8, 2018
Air Bags

MY SRS INDICATOR LIGHT STAYS ON IN MY CAR WHEN I'M DRIVING IT, OR IT COULD BE SITTING RUNNING.CAR WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION WITHOUT REPAIRS

NHTSA ODI #11138960

82,000 miles · Sep 20, 2018
Steering

A FEW MONTHS AGO WHILE TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK INTO A TIGHT SPACE I HAD TO CUT MY STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT AND THE CAR SHUT OFF, WHEN I RELEASED STEERING WHEEL THE CAR TURNED BACK ON, SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO RIGHT. MOST RECENTLY I WAS MAKING A K-TURN AND MY CAR KEPT SHUT…

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A FEW MONTHS AGO WHILE TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK INTO A TIGHT SPACE I HAD TO CUT MY STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT AND THE CAR SHUT OFF, WHEN I RELEASED STEERING WHEEL THE CAR TURNED BACK ON, SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO RIGHT. MOST RECENTLY I WAS MAKING A K-TURN AND MY CAR KEPT SHUTTING OFF ON ME NO MATTER HOW MUCH OR LITTLE I WAS TURNING IT. I WAS LITERALLY STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET CREATING A TRAFFIC JAM. IT TOOK ME APPROXIMATELY 10,MINUTES TO MAKE A K-TURN

NHTSA ODI #11130476

Mileage unknown · Jul 10, 2018
Service Brakes

MASTER CYLINDER RECALL

NHTSA ODI #11110614

90,000 miles · Jun 22, 2018
Air Bags

THE AIR BAG LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING. MY GRANDMOTHER TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT NEEDED TO BE RESET, SHE DROVE OFF AND A MILE LATER THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER YET, BUT I SEE OTHER DRIVERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. I GOOGLED HOW TO RESET IT, DID IT MYSELF, BUT AS S…

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THE AIR BAG LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING. MY GRANDMOTHER TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT NEEDED TO BE RESET, SHE DROVE OFF AND A MILE LATER THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER YET, BUT I SEE OTHER DRIVERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. I GOOGLED HOW TO RESET IT, DID IT MYSELF, BUT AS SOON AS YOU START DRIVING IT COMES BACK ON.

NHTSA ODI #11103371

Official recalls

3

10V401000 · Equipment:electrical:navigational System(global Positioning System)

Sep 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 & remedy

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.

09V431000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Nov 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 & remedy

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.

08V311000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Jul 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 & remedy

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP16002 · Scope Of Recalls 08V311 And 09V431

Opened Dec 20, 2016 · Closed Oct 2, 2017

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Nissan conducted safety recalls 08V-311 and 09V-431 to remedy leaking master cylinders on certain MY 2007 and 2008 Nissan Sentra vehicles.The recall populations were determined based on production changes to the master cylinder which were fully implemented into production on April 18, 2008.NHTSA utilized vehicle owner questionnaire (VOQ) reports and did not request field information from Nissan.ODI identified two MY 2008 Nissan Sentra VOQs including the petitioner?s vehicle, which were not covered by the recalls and reported a leaking master cylinder.Both of these incidents occurred 6 or more years into the service life of the vehicle.ODI also identified three VOQs which reported a leaking master cylinder after receiving the recall remedy.While one of these failures occurred within 36 months of the recall remedy, the other two occurred at a later time.ODI notes that the original recall addressed failures which occurred early in the life of the vehicle, typically during the first 36 months of service.Master cylinders are generally expected to experience wear and thus will display a finite service life.After a thorough review of the available data in NHTSA's VOQ database, the agency has not identified a trend that would call into question the scope or adequacy of Nissan's recalls.Accordingly, and in view of the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, ODI is denying the petition.A detailed summary of ODI's analysis of this petition is available in the investigative file for this action, and will be published in the Federal Register also.The agency reserves the right to revise this assessment should future circumstances warrant.The VOQs cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 10299791 10330891 10449038 10567372 10638813 10805749 10839357

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Nissan conducted safety recalls 08V-311 and 09V-431 to remedy leaking master cylinders on certain MY 2007 and 2008 Nissan Sentra vehicles.The recall populations were determined based on production changes to the master cylinder which were fully implemented into production on April 18, 2008.NHTSA utilized vehicle owner questionnaire (VOQ) reports and did not request field information from Nissan.ODI identified two MY 2008 Nissan Sentra VOQs including the petitioner?s vehicle, which were not covered by the recalls and reported a leaking master cylinder.Both of these incidents occurred 6 or more years into the service life of the vehicle.ODI also identified three VOQs which reported a leaking master cylinder after receiving the recall remedy.While one of these failures occurred within 36 months of the recall remedy, the other two occurred at a later time.ODI notes that the original recall addressed failures which occurred early in the life of the vehicle, typically during the first 36 months of service.Master cylinders are generally expected to experience wear and thus will display a finite service life.After a thorough review of the available data in NHTSA's VOQ database, the agency has not identified a trend that would call into question the scope or adequacy of Nissan's recalls.Accordingly, and in view of the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, ODI is denying the petition.A detailed summary of ODI's analysis of this petition is available in the investigative file for this action, and will be published in the Federal Register also.The agency reserves the right to revise this assessment should future circumstances warrant.The VOQs cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 10299791 10330891 10449038 10567372 10638813 10805749 10839357

Service Brakes

Nissan conducted safety recalls 08V-311 and 09V-431 to remedy leaking master cylinders on certain MY 2007 and 2008 Nissan Sentra vehicles.The recall populations were determined based on production changes to the master cylinder which were fully implemented into production on April 18, 2008.NHTSA utilized vehicle owner questionnaire (VOQ) reports and did not request field information from Nissan.ODI identified two MY 2008 Nissan Sentra VOQs including the petitioner?s vehicle, which were not covered by the recalls and reported a leaking master cylinder.Both of these incidents occurred 6 or more years into the service life of the vehicle.ODI also identified three VOQs which reported a leaking master cylinder after receiving the recall remedy.While one of these failures occurred within 36 months of the recall remedy, the other two occurred at a later time.ODI notes that the original recall addressed failures which occurred early in the life of the vehicle, typically during the first 36 months of service.Master cylinders are generally expected to experience wear and thus will display a finite service life.After a thorough review of the available data in NHTSA's VOQ database, the agency has not identified a trend that would call into question the scope or adequacy of Nissan's recalls.Accordingly, and in view of the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, ODI is denying the petition.A detailed summary of ODI's analysis of this petition is available in the investigative file for this action, and will be published in the Federal Register also.The agency reserves the right to revise this assessment should future circumstances warrant.The VOQs cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 10299791 10330891 10449038 10567372 10638813 10805749 10839357