NISSAN SENTRA · model year

1994 NISSAN SENTRA

130 NHTSA complaints, 29 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1994NISSANSENTRA carries 130 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 29 crashes, 6 fires, 28 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 1994 SENTRA is seat belts with 11 filings, followed by seat belts:front:anchorage (8) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (7). 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 1994 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.

130
Complaints
29
Crashes
6
Fires
28
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

130 filings

Crashes Reported

29 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 BELTS11
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE8
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS7
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER4
TIRES4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH3
STEERING3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS3

Recent Complaints

20220919CrashTIRES

Replcement nota installed into the housing into the tire hud system mechenismo. These are not tires are not the correcto sizes ay 13" size rims by Nissan. 1996 Nissan Skyline. Also, need a hydrolic swith systematic mechenismo is not intalled into housing of the brakes with mames the tires work harder into shipping at 2000 feet... Nissan rims shoud be 16" rim(s) by Nissan Skyline 96. 44624 serria hey Lancaster ca 93534 6617294155

20171030CrashAIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL THE SAVAGE YARD HAS PUT IT OVER THE AIR TO LOCATE AIR BAG AND NOTHING WAS RETURNED.. I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE AIR BAG OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS. ALSO THE DEALER NO LONGER CARRIES THE PART DO TO THE MAKE AND YEAR OF THE CAR.

Mileage: 181,000

20110211ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ALTERNATOR PLACED TWICE, NO DASH BOARD LIGHTS, NO RADIO, POWER LOCKS DO NOT WORK, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS FAILED. *TR

20080815SEAT BELTS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT MECHANISM JAMMED AND THEN FAILED. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT MECHANISM AND POSSIBLY THE SEAT BELT SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 170,000.

Mileage: 170,000

20060809ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

1994 NISSAN SENTRA SE WITH 1.6L ENGINE HAS HAD MULTIPLE ALTERNATORS REPLACED AT NISSAN DEALER AND INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SHOPS. ALTERNATORS LAST FROM 3 MONTHS - 2 YEARS BEFORE REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON DASH ALTHOUGH THE DASH BULBS ARE GOOD, VEHICLE SIMPLY RUNS ON BATTERY UNTIL IT DIES. *NM

20060221SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

1) CLOSED CAR DOOR. 2) SHOULDER SEAT BELT CABLE FROM RETRACTOR PULLEY SNAPPED. UPPER BELT CLASP STUCK. 3) REMOVED CABLE. *JB

20060221SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING

1) CLOSED CAR DOOR. 2) SHOULDER SEAT BELT CABLE FROM RETRACTOR PULLEY SNAPPED. UPPER BELT CLASP STUCK. 3) REMOVED CABLE. *JB

20051116UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE OWNED MY CAR SINCE 1994 AND WASHED IT REGULARLY. I NOTICED SINCE 2004 THAT THE PAINT IS WEARING OFF THE CAR PREMATURELY. OTHER OWNERS OF 1994 SAME MODELS DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THEM REPAINTED. WHY DOES MINE NEED TO BE REPAINTED? *NM

20050805ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL

DT: A REGISTERED IMPORTER WAS MAKING A DOT AND EPA CONVERSION ON NISSAN SKYLINE VEHICLE SO IT WAS US LEGAL, AND IT WAS SUPPOSE TO TAKE 3-4 MONTHS. HAD VEHICLE AND MONEY FOR TWO YEARS ANDCONSUMER STILL DIDN'T HAVE THE VEHICLE. *AK

20040501SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT, STAYS OUT DID NOT REPAIR. *AK

Mileage: 180,000

20040305CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

CONSUMER WAS SLOWLY PULLING UP TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL, AND COLLIDED WITH THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUSTAINED CHEST, LEG, AND NECK INJURIES. ALSO, AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILED TO WORK. POLICE ARRIVED AND CITED THE CONSUMER.*AK

Mileage: 180,000

20040305CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

CONSUMER WAS SLOWLY PULLING UP TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL, AND COLLIDED WITH THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUSTAINED CHEST, LEG, AND NECK INJURIES. ALSO, AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILED TO WORK. POLICE ARRIVED AND CITED THE CONSUMER.*AK

Mileage: 180,000

20031031SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE DOOR DID NOT RETRACT AT ALL. WHEN THE DOOR WAS CLOSED, THE SEAT BELT HIT THE DOOR LATCH CONTINUOUSLY, CAUSING THE METAL AROUND THE LATCH TO CRACK AND MOVE THE LATCH OUT OF ADJUSTMENT. THIS ALSO CAUSED THE DOOR NOT TO BE CLOSED SECURELY RESULTING IN THE OPEN DOOR INDICATOR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. DEALER PERFORMED SERVICE BULLETIN NTB01-005. *TT *AK *JB

20030807TIRES

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT A TIRE ON HER VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER MONARCH MODEL 17570R13. ALSO WHILE DRIVING AT 80 MPH, A TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR. MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THIS CALL. *PH

20030423FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS

THE # 2 FUEL INJECTOR FAILED WHICH RESULTED IN A SEVERE ROUGH IDLE. THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM CAUSED BY A DEFECT IN THE ENGINE DESIGN. *NLM

Mileage: 40,000

20030403TIRES:SIDEWALL

THE REPLACEMENT TIRE SEPARATED AT THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. *JB

20020906ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ENGINE QUITS WITHOUT WARNING - MULTIPLE EVENTS - AFTER RESTART AND BETWEEN EVENTS ENGINE RUNS FINE. RESTART BY CYCLING IGNITION SWITCH TO OFF AND BACK TO RUN IF CAR IS IN MOTION - OTHERWISE STARTS NORMALLY FOLLOWING EVENT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON - COMPUTER CHECKED FOR CODES - NONE FOUND. REPAIR SHOP CHECKED ALL WIRING AND ENGINE INSTALLATION ALONG WITH VARIOUS DATABASES FOR INFO - NO FINDINGS OR FAULTS. RELUCTANT TO TAKE TO DEALER SINCE THERE IS NO RECORDED FAULT AND VERY INTERMITTENT. REVIEW OF NHTSA WEB SITE REVEALED ONE OTHER SIMULAR EVENT - SUCCESS IN FIXING UNKNOWN.*AK

20020409POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM VEHICLE, CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO SLIP FROM TIME TO TIME. CONTACTED DEALER AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK *TT

20020409SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

THERE WAS NOISE COMING FROM BRAKES WHEN BEING APPLIED. ALSO, CONSUMER NEEDS TO PUSH BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AKL *TT

20020109CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELTS HAVE BROKEN ONCE BEFORE, AFTER BEING REPLACED THE SEAT BELT DID NOT DO PERFORM CORRECTLY WHEN CONSUMER WAS INVOLED IN A 20-30 MPH ACCIDENT. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK THE VEHICLE STALLS FOR NO APARENT REASON, ALSO THE WINDOW SOMTIMES DOES NOT ROLL ALL THE WAY UP. *YH

Compare 1994NISSANSENTRA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1994 NISSAN SENTRA have?
The 1994 NISSAN SENTRA has 130 NHTSA complaints, 29 crashes, 6 fires, 28 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 NISSAN SENTRA?
The most-complained component for the 1994 NISSAN SENTRA is SEAT BELTS with 11 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS.
Is the 1994 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.