PlainCars

NISSAN SENTRA · model year

1990 NISSAN SENTRA

45 NHTSA complaints, 8 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990NISSANSENTRA carries 45 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 8 crashes, 3 fires, 13 injuries, and 1 fatality. 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 1990 SENTRA is engine and engine cooling:engine with 6 filings, followed by seat belts:front:buckle assembly (5) and seat belts:front:anchorage (3). 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 1990 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.

45
Complaints
8
Crashes
3
Fires
13
Injuries
1
Deaths

Total Complaints

45 filings

Crashes Reported

8 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE6
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING3
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE2
SEAT BELTS2
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR2
TIRES2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS1

Recent Complaints

20041230POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE HAD A FAULTY TRANSMISSION, VEHICLE LEAKED OIL AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK

Mileage: 82,958

20041022POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OR WHILE DRIVING IT WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. THIS CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT HARD AND ROUGH. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

20030710SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE FRAYED AROUND THE RETRACTOR.*AK

20010628SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

MIDDLE SEATBELT ON BACKSEAT WILL NOT BUCKLE UP. TWO REAR OUTSIDE BUCKLES WILL ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY.*AK

20010604SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

WITHOUT WARNING CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO HOOK DRIVER LAP SEATBELT, THE METAL PIECE GOES IN BUT WILL NOT HOOK. *JB

20010403SUSPENSION:REAR

CAR WENT TO SEARS FOR FOUR NEW TIRES AND ALIGNMENT, MECHANIC REPLACED BALL JOINTS PRIOR TO ALIGNMENT, WHILE ALIGNING REAR LEFT TOE CAM BOLT SNAPPED, SENT 16YR OLD HOME WITH VEHICLE UNTIL PART ARRIVES IN DAY OR TWO.

20010123TIRES

LEFT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT AND VEHICLE SPUN AND ROLLED OVER, BOTH PASSENGERS BRUISED, VEHICLE TOTALED (KELLY SPRINGFIELD MONARCH T-P RADIAL 175/70R13). NLM

20001227CrashSUSPENSION:FRONT

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 75 MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A BANGING NOISE. VEHICLE ROLLED AND SPRUNG FORWARD. *AK TIRE FAILED. *YH

20001227CrashTIRES

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 75 MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A BANGING NOISE. VEHICLE ROLLED AND SPRUNG FORWARD. *AK TIRE FAILED. *YH

20001030FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK

I AM CURIOUS IF THIS IS PREVELEANT PROBLEM, AND IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PART. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK

20000418CrashFatalSEAT BELTS

SHOULDER BELT WEBBING FAILED. THE WEBBING SEPARATED COMPLETELY DURING A HEAD ON COLLISION. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT MR. MARV SPRINKMAN, MOTOR CARRIER SPECIALIST, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL CENTRAL DIVISION MAIT UNIT, (559)277-7250,CASE NUMBER CL-010-00. *AK

19991117CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY, 35-40 MPH VEHICLE HIT A TREE ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. SEAT BELT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE LAP BELT TO BREAK IN HALF. BUT DRIVER'S LAP BELT WAS STILL BUCKLED. SHOULDER BELT GOT CAUGHT AROUND THE NECK, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO CUT THROUGH THE DRIVER'S NECK, AND DRIVER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

19991117CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY, 35-40 MPH VEHICLE HIT A TREE ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. SEAT BELT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE LAP BELT TO BREAK IN HALF. BUT DRIVER'S LAP BELT WAS STILL BUCKLED. SHOULDER BELT GOT CAUGHT AROUND THE NECK, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO CUT THROUGH THE DRIVER'S NECK, AND DRIVER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

19990930UNKNOWN OR OTHER

NO SUMMARY.

19990923FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

RADIATOR CLOGGED,TEMP GAUGE DID NOT READ HOT,ENGINE MELTED,REPLACED

19990923SUSPENSION

BOTH AXELS CRACKED,REPLACED: DEALER "SOMETIMES THEY WEAR OUT."

19990606ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIMING CHAIN COVER CRACKED, AND OIL LEAKED ONTO RIGHT FRONT BRAKE. *AK

19980517SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

SEAT BELT BUCKLE UNHOOKS THE BELT BY ITSELF.

19980517SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELT BUCKLE UNHOOKS THE BELT BY ITSELF.

19980429SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

SEAT BELT RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED, HOWEVER DEALERSHIP REFUSED WORK ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

Compare 1990NISSANSENTRA to Similar Vehicles

SENTRA vs FORDF-150 → SENTRA vs FORDEXPLORER → SENTRA vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → SENTRA vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

DP16002Defect PetitionClosed

Scope of Recalls 08V311 and 09V431

SQ99018SQOpen

CORRISION FATIGUE OF FRONT COIL SPRINGS

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 NISSAN SENTRA have?▼
The 1990 NISSAN SENTRA has 45 NHTSA complaints, 8 crashes, 3 fires, 13 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 NISSAN SENTRA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 NISSAN SENTRA is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE.
Is the 1990 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

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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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.