NISSAN SENTRA · model year

1985 NISSAN SENTRA

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1985NISSANSENTRA carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1985 SENTRA is seat belts:front:anchorage with 1 filings, followed by seat belts:front:buckle assembly (1) and equipment:other:owners/service/other manual (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1985 SENTRA, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY1
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20000111ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

19990310SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

FRONT SEAT BELT SHOULDER RETRACTORS FAILED TO LOCK, CAUSING INJURY IN AN ACCIDENT. (ATTORNEY FOR CONSUMER).

19980323ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE RACING AT HIGH RPMS.

19950616EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR GASOLINE ENGINE TIMING BELT WAS OMITTED FROM VEHICLE OWNERS MANUAL; AS RESULT, TIMING BELT BROKE DISABLING VEHICLE; DAMAGED ENGINE.

19950615SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS HARD TO LOCK SOMETIME. TT

19950523SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

PLASTIC OUTER CASING FOR METAL SEAT BELT DETERIORATING. *AK

Compare 1985NISSANSENTRA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1985 NISSAN SENTRA have?
The 1985 NISSAN SENTRA has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 NISSAN SENTRA?
The most-complained component for the 1985 NISSAN SENTRA is SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY and EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL.
Is the 1985 NISSAN SENTRA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.