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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.

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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

Steering complaints

15 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2010
Steering

FOR A YEAR OR SO MY STEERING HAS BEGUN TO SHAKE AND MAKE A CLICKING SOUND, ESPECIALLY WHILE GOING DOWN A HILL AND APPLYING THE BRAKES. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS MY BRAKES, AND I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC. HOWEVER, AFTER AN INSPECTION OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, MY CAR RECEIVED A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. EVEN THE BRAKES WERE IN GREA…

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FOR A YEAR OR SO MY STEERING HAS BEGUN TO SHAKE AND MAKE A CLICKING SOUND, ESPECIALLY WHILE GOING DOWN A HILL AND APPLYING THE BRAKES. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS MY BRAKES, AND I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC. HOWEVER, AFTER AN INSPECTION OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, MY CAR RECEIVED A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. EVEN THE BRAKES WERE IN GREAT CONDITION. THE MECHANIC DID WITNESS MY COMPLAINT WHILE ROAD TESTING THE VEHICLE AND INFORMED ME THAT IT SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN MY STEERING COLUMN. HE OFFERED TO ORDER PARTS AND REPLACE THE DAMAGED COMPONENT, BUT MY CAR IS NOT EVEN THREE YEARS OLD! THE CLICKING CAN ALSO BE HEARD WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK AND YOU JUST TURN THE WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE CLICKING WAS BARELY NOTICEABLE AT FIRST, BUT AFTER ABOUT SIX MONTHS IT BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. NOW IT IS LOUD ENOUGH AND MY WHEEL SHAKES SO BADLY THAT MY PASSENGERS ASK ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CAR. SOMETHING IS JUST NOT RIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10348911

20,000 miles · Apr 13, 2010
Steering

2008 SENTRA, 23,000 MILES WITH NEW TIRES AND YOU ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING THE STEERING. AROUND TOWN IT IS EXTREMELY AGGRAVATING TO CONTINUALLY FEEL BACK PRESSURE AND BOUNCING IN RESPONSE TO YOUR EVERY MOVE. GENERALLY IT WANTS TO FIGHT TOWARDS CENTER BUT IS CONFUSED BY MINOR WHEEL MOVEMENT. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT IS SCARY, UNSTABLE AND …

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2008 SENTRA, 23,000 MILES WITH NEW TIRES AND YOU ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING THE STEERING. AROUND TOWN IT IS EXTREMELY AGGRAVATING TO CONTINUALLY FEEL BACK PRESSURE AND BOUNCING IN RESPONSE TO YOUR EVERY MOVE. GENERALLY IT WANTS TO FIGHT TOWARDS CENTER BUT IS CONFUSED BY MINOR WHEEL MOVEMENT. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT IS SCARY, UNSTABLE AND UNSAFE. SLIGHT WHEEL MOVEMENT DURING STRAIGHT LINE FREEWAY DRIVING IS ALWAYS MET WITH OVER COMPENSATION BACK TOWARDS CENTER. YOU CAN FEEL THE REAR END WHIP WHEN THIS OCCURS. THE DEALER SAYS THEY HAVE HAD NO COMPLAINTS. HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE SOME ADJUSTMENT OR RESOLUTION SOON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10325262

26,000 miles · Mar 13, 2010
Steering

THE STEERING OF THIS CAR NEEDS CONSTANT CORRECTION. IT'S LIKE IT CANNOT DRIVE A STRAIGHT 1 MILE LINE. IF THE CAR DRIFTS TO THE LEFT, I TURN BRIEFLY AND SLIGHTLY RIGHT BUT THE CAR WILL THEN GO RIGHT. I THEN TURN SLIGHTLY LEFT BUT THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO GO LEFT UNTIL I CORRECT IT AGAIN. IT'S LIKE IT CANNOT KEEP A STRAIGHT LINE. …

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THE STEERING OF THIS CAR NEEDS CONSTANT CORRECTION. IT'S LIKE IT CANNOT DRIVE A STRAIGHT 1 MILE LINE. IF THE CAR DRIFTS TO THE LEFT, I TURN BRIEFLY AND SLIGHTLY RIGHT BUT THE CAR WILL THEN GO RIGHT. I THEN TURN SLIGHTLY LEFT BUT THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO GO LEFT UNTIL I CORRECT IT AGAIN. IT'S LIKE IT CANNOT KEEP A STRAIGHT LINE. IT IS DANGEROUSLY SENSITIVE TO THE SHAPE OF THE ROAD. I NEED TO MAKE CORRECTIONS EVERY FEW SECONDS. THE SEVERITY OF THE PROBLEM DEPENDS ON THE ROAD, MOSTLY OBSERVABLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I BELIEVE THAT 5-7 SECONDS OF NO CORRECTION WOULD BE ENOUGH TO CROSS INTO ANOTHER LANE CAUSING A CRASH. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10319444

7,000 miles · Dec 19, 2008
Steering

POWER STEERING FAILURE. DROVE CAR AND THEN PARKED. RETURNED TO CAR AND UPON STARTING NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILURE LIGHT WAS ON AND HAD NO POWER STEERING WHEN DRIVING. (SYSTEM IS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING) DROVE CAR TO DEALER WITH NO POWER STEERING. FOLLOWING DAY, WHEN DEALER ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM CORRECTIVE SERVICE AN…

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POWER STEERING FAILURE. DROVE CAR AND THEN PARKED. RETURNED TO CAR AND UPON STARTING NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILURE LIGHT WAS ON AND HAD NO POWER STEERING WHEN DRIVING. (SYSTEM IS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING) DROVE CAR TO DEALER WITH NO POWER STEERING. FOLLOWING DAY, WHEN DEALER ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM CORRECTIVE SERVICE AND DIAGNOSE PROBLEM THE POWER STEERING IS WORKING. THEREFORE THEY HAVE RELEASED THE VEHICLE AS NOT HAVING ANY SERVICE PROBLEM. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10252277

1,856 miles · Dec 11, 2008
Steering

STEERING IS DRIFTING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10251501

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