IllustrationALTERNATOR PLACED TWICE, NO DASH BOARD LIGHTS, NO RADIO, POWER LOCKS DO NOT WORK, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS FAILED. *TR
1994 Nissan Sentra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1994 Nissan Sentra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 116.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sentra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 5 of 99 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Seat Belts. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 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 reports5 fire reports10 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
8 reports1994 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
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 A…
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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
WIRING HARNESS BURNED/OVERHEATED, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT *AK.
ALTERNATOR FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL IN TRAFFIC.
OPERATOR OF SAID VEHICLE SMELT SMOKE, BRAKES FELT SPONGY, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE SMOKING UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. *AK
IN WET WEATHER THE BRAKE AND STEERING GOES OUT AND FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS STALLING . TT CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS WHERE ONE PERSON WAS INJURED. *SLC
HORN DIFFICULT TO LOCATE IN EMERGENCYSITUATIONS. *SD
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
1SQ99018 · Corrision Fatigue Of Front Coil Springs
Opened Jun 17, 1999 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Suspension
NISSAN IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL IN CANADA OF 11,100 1994 THROUGH 1996 SENTRA 2 DOOR MODELS IN WHICH THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS ARE FRACTURING FROM CORROSION FATIGUE.NISSAN REPORTED THAT THE FAILURES OCCUR FROM A LOSS OF THE PROTECTIVE PAINT COATING ON THE SPRINGS AND EXPOSURE TO HEAVY ROAD SALT.CORROSION CAN CAUSE PITS TO FORM ON THE SPRING SURFACE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE SPRING.A BROKEN SPRING COULDPUNCTURE THE AFFECTED TIRE, POSSIBLY CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.THE CANADIAN RECALL NUMBER FOR THIS IS 99-069, DATED APRIL 28, 1999.THE PURPOSE OF THIS SQ IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DEFECT IDENTIFIED IN THE CANADIAN SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE CONDUCTED IN THE U.S. AS A SAFETY RECALL.