I was driving and the car shifted itself from a low gear to a very high gear, leaving me with no torque. The next gear wouldnt lock-in until rpms hit redline, and even then it would feel like its slipping, or maybe its in overdrive gear(4th) when it should be in 3rd.. And also the transmission would not shift down until I came to a complete stop... This is very dangerous when youre on the freeway, because the car will only move 40 MPH. And also dangerous when climbing hills/freeway overpass, because theres no torque to get up the hill, and the transmission wont put itself in low gear until you come to a complete stop... I think its an electrical issue because it happened suddenly... If it was mechanical, I wouldve felt it slipping gradually, and it never slips. I just drove it a couple days before to the bay area and it climbed the hills smoothly, no problem.. I have no check engine light, so idk what the problem could be...
2003 Nissan Sentra: check engine light
48 of the 180 complaints about the 2003 Nissan Sentra describe check engine light.
- owner complaints
- 48
- of this car's complaints
- 27%
- typical repair cost reported
- $695
- typical mileage
- 70,000
- recalls
- 3
Check engine light by model year
What owners say
The computer on the car is messed up and keeps turning the check engine light on for p0444 and had a shop check it and replace the part and it's still coming on. It wil trip the code sitting in neutral and or driving less then 5 miles.
Car was parked refueling . While attempting to put gas in the car and it kept shutting pump off and was leaking out under the car . Engine light is currently staying on
Vent control valve/evap canister I can not put gas in my 2003 nissan sentra when I try it pours out on the ground and takes 15-20 minutes to put mabe 50 cents of gas in car . My engine light is also on
Pcm ECM ecu engineering flaw. Engine kicks into safe mode while in operation or completely stalls, check engine light on, when restarts will misfire. Diagnosed with faulty control module (the second one in this vehicle since I have owned it)
Check engine light is always on, car suddenly cuts off, and does not restart immediately. Recalled other VIN's but not all 2003 nissan sentras. This is a problem with all sentras of those years. The problem seems to be the crankshaft position sensor failure/engine stall. It is very dangerous with as many of these cars that are out on the road for it to just keep shutting off while in traffic while driving. There needs to be a recall open to all sentras with this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that camshaft sensor one and two failed. The camshaft sensors were replaced, but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. While driving at low speeds, the vehicle hesitated, lost power, and stalled. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle jerked and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 407,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact also stated that the check engine light illuminated after the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v4770000 (electrical system). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ECM box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. While driving less than 10 MPH, a loud popping noise was heard from the engine. The check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The vehicle restarted after approximately five minutes and was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who confirmed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but did not offer to assist. The failure mileage was 25,000. Updated 09/10/15*lj updated 10/05/15*lj the consumer stated the vehicle stalled without warning. There were multiple problem codes that appeared on the diagnostic scanners. Updated 02/09/16
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the crank sensor and the computer chip needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,846.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan sentra. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the crank sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency recall number: 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000. Updated 08/27/14*lj updated 09/17/2014
Service bulletins that may apply
- Free Oil Change Specific Vehicles Subject to the Takata Recall Detailed Information To help accelerate...
- Nissan: the engine cranks longer than 3 seconds when starting
- Nissan service campaign: voluntary emissions recall campaign - 2003-2005 sentra / 2005-2006 frontier ECM...
- Long engine crank time before start
- MIL on with DTC U1000 or U1010 stored in engine control unit
- Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code U1000 or U1010 stored in engine control unit
- Voluntary recall campaign catalytic converter/front tube replacement
- Alternator drive belt noise
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
- Risk
- If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 06V242000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain electric vehicles, the front suspension transverse link's ball joint bracket may break from stress concentration at a notch created by surface roughness and the shape of the material cut-line.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bracket on these vehicles. Owner notification began december 15, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 03V511000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
- Risk
- This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 or infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.
Recall number 03V455000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Nissan Sentra check engine light
Is check engine light a common problem on the 2003 Nissan Sentra?
48 of 180 owner complaints about the 2003 Nissan Sentra (27%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the 2003 Nissan Sentra?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $695 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Nissan Sentra?
There are 3 recalls and 16 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Nissan Sentra
Stalling 50Won't start 15Engine failure 12Fuel pump 10Loss of power 8Hesitation 7Misfire 7Oil consumption 7No deployment 6
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