"takata recall". Mad a right hand turn and both front airbags randomly deployed.they caused the front windshield to crack badly. Didnt hit another car nor anything with making the turn. Was moving in a city street at 9pm so not much traffic. Turned into an empty street luckily.
The worst 1996 Nissan Sentra problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags53
- Visibility15
- Electrical11
- Transmission11
- Brakes10
- Acceleration9
- Engine9
- Lights7
- Tires6
- Fuel system5
- Suspension5
- Body4
- Seat belts4
- Seats3
- Wheels3
- Steering2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Nissan Sentra
Airbag light 13No deployment 11Tire blowout 8Wipers 6Windshield crack 5
Recalls 3
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front coil springs may not have sufficient corrosion resistance in areas of the country where significant amounts of de-icing salts are applied to roads in the winter.
- Risk
- If a broken spring comes out of the lower seat, it could contact and puncture the tire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front coil spring.
Recall number 00V063000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Water can enter and displace the grease in the wiper arm linkage ball joint where the wiper linkage attaches to the wiper motor linkage.
- Risk
- This can result in gradual wear over a period of time inside the joint that could lead to the separation of the wiper linkage assembly from the wiper motor linkage at the ball joint. A loss of windshield wiper function can result in this separation occurs.
- Remedy
- To prevent grease from being washed out of the joint, the dealers will modify by adding a water diversion seal that will prevent water from entering the windshield wiper linkage ball joint area.
Recall number 98V093000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: tail lights
- What is wrong
- These vehicles do not meet the illumination requirements of fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Risk
- Following vehicles may not be aware that the vehicle in front is stopping, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with two new light bulbs for the stop/tail lamps which are brighter than the original bulbs. A label with the new bulb number will also be provided for insertion into the owner's manual. If an owner so desires, a dealers can install the light bulbs for them.
Recall number 98V008000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 1996 Nissan Sentra
Defect investigations
Corrision fatigue of front coil springs
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.
SQ99018
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Nissan Sentra 44
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Diagnosis of vehicle pull (DRIFT) and/or steering wheel off-center
- 12 volt battery testing for in-service vehicles service information
- Silicone-based lubricant or grease CAN damage electrical components service information
- Vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start
- Intelligent key replacement or swapping between vehicles
- Radio intermittently reboots during audio playback via bluetooth connected iphone
- Windshield cracking
- Removing foreign material from the window glass
- Wheel bearing collision damage
- Strut and shock absorber replacement guidelines
1996 Nissan Sentra fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4‑cyl | FWD | 24-26 | 33-36 | 28-29 |
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 21 | 28-29 | 23-24 |
What 1996 Nissan Sentra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
All power lost, including engine, power brakes, and power steering while driving on city streets. Cause is an electrical connector on wiring harness intermittently causing an open circuit on a power wire. In particular, the faulty connector is e104 on the hec (the back of the fuse panel in driver side compartment). Failure occurs more often in hot weather. Failure has occurred twice while driving, and dozens of times when parked. Jiggling the connector often restores power. Also, a similar power wire open circuit occurs on another connector on the same hec that causes all lighting to the instrument panel and most interior lighting to fail. Failure has occured at night while driving on city streets, preventing the driver from seeing how fast they are traveling.
Cpsp: my car, a 1996 nissan sentra, lost all power while driving. No power steering, no power brakes, engine turned off. This has happened twice while driving, and numerous times when I go to start up the car and nothing happens. *bf the consumer stated the failure was due to a faulty intermittent circuit. Updated 10/16/2017
July 20 2016 we were rear ended by a honda accord doing 40 MPH while we were stopped at a light. The impact slammed us into the chevy silverado in front of us. Neither airbag deployed.
1996 nissan sentra, was traveling westbound when the left front tire blew. The driver went off the left side of the roadway and struck the median wall. He returned to the roadway and drove off the north side of the road before stopping on the north berm. *bf the driver stated he had to keep putting air in the tire prior to the blowout. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0913-90) updated 02/15/11 *bf updated 05/24/11*lj updated 05/31/11
Air conditioner -- when I had air conditioner on the car would stall. After bringing it to several mechanics, I finally convinced one that something was wrong and he cleaned the throttle and the car has been running much better.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 nissan sentra. While driving 35 MPH, the entire front passenger wheel detached from the vehicle. The vehicle lowered onto its front axle and was towed to a tire shop. Prior to the failure, the steering wheel shook and the contact heard a loud thumping noise. The contact stated that the wheels had aluminum rims. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 196,000.
Insufficient headrest foam coverage. Foam degrades or self moves out of position to reveal internal metal frame which runs across entire headrest at point of head impact. Part does not seem serviceable for repair, and should be replaced by manufacturer with updated version. Check engine light and airbag light are both triggered too easily by too many sensors, so vehicle is constantly in shop with no trouble found. Seems like it was designed by an overly-worried car manufacturer, or for the purposes of making owners feel the car needs to be replaced. It also greatly increases the likely hood of failing an annual inspection. The safety issue stems from all the blinking lights on the dash which are very distractive, especially at night, and usually completely unnecessary. In 1996, there was a recall for insufficient brake light illumination on the sentra model. Nissan's fix for this was a brighter bulb. Since my car was bought used, and the prior owner did not upgrade to the new bulbs, and there is no listing for the replacement bulbs, owner's may not know how to upgrade their brake lights. Nissan dealers do not seem to know what bulb to replace it with for better illumination. This is an obvious safety issue, as there are many 1996 nissan sentras on the road today.
Dt*: the contact stated while waiting in the right lane to make a turn, the vehicle was rammed from behind. The driver from the other vehicle indicated there were no tail lights illuminated and it was not possible to notice if it was moving or not at night. The police was present at the scene, and a report was taken. There were no warning lights to alert the contact for an electrical failure. After nine years of the accident, the contact encountered a the federal safety agency recall # 98v008000 which matched the electrical failure of the vehicle at the time of the accident. The manufacturer was contacted who informed the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
Electrical problem, the distributor has malfunctioned 4 times since my ownership of this vehicle. Car fails to start, with it being in the firing system this presents a fire hazard.
Compare the 1996 Nissan Sentra
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Other model years
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Questions about the 1996 Nissan Sentra
Is the 1996 Nissan Sentra reliable?
Owners have filed 141 complaints about the 1996 Nissan Sentra, fewer than a typical Sentra model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Nissan Sentra?
Airbags, with 53 complaints. Next is visibility (15).
How many recalls does the 1996 Nissan Sentra have?
3 recalls, covering suspension, visibility and exterior lighting.
What year does the Nissan Sentra have bad airbags?
The Nissan Sentra model years with the most airbags complaints are 2013 (96 complaints), 1996 (53 complaints) and 2008 (53 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1996 Nissan Sentra get?
Official estimates for the 1996 Nissan Sentra range from 23 to 29 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.6L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 24-26 city and 33-36 highway.
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