2004 Nissan Sentra: sudden loss of power

Filed Feb 27, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 86,000 miles · OH

My car stalled while driving. I was going the speed limit of 45 MPH and without warning my car just lost power & stopped. I was lucky enough to be able to coast off the road without getting into an accident. I was on an 8-lane very busy road in a middle lane. At the first moment, the service engine light came on, then all the warning lights and the car stopped. I had the car towed. When the mechanic put it on the computer it said that the crank position sensor & camshaft sensor was the problem. It cost me $ 376.00 for the repair. The mechanic told me this was a common problem with nissans. I read online where the problem was happening to my model and there was a recall of some. My car is a 1.8 model, but nissan consumer affairs told me my car was not part of the recall, despite the fact that the exact malfunction happened to my car. This is a safety issue! I was lucky that there was not any other cars around me when my car stalled and I was able to coast off the road. I have retained the faulty parts that were replaced for examination. I was out of town at the time of this incident.

Filed Dec 4, 2013 · Engine · 105,700 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). Approximately two years after the recall repair was performed, the contact noticed blue smoke accompanied by a rattling noise from the exhaust pipe and system. The check engine warning light was also illuminated and the vehicle would sporadically lose power, causing the vehicle to become hesitant upon acceleration attempts. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,700.

Filed Jul 25, 2011 · Engine · 99,300 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. The contact stated the engine stalled, causing the vehicle to lose power and come to a complete stop, while driving 65 miles per hour. The vehicle would not restart unless the engine cooled down. The failure occurred five times, and during the failure most of the warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated the crank shaft position sensor circuit malfunctioned. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact the VIN did not qualify for the federal safety agency recall campaign id number :06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact suggested that the extreme heat advisory may have contributed to the failure. The failure mileage was 99,300. The current mileage was 99,379.

Filed Jun 28, 2011 · Engine · 128,900 miles · KY

On 6/10/11 while I was driving my 2004 nissan sentra 1.8l, the service engine light came on and the car lost power. I could not go no faster than 30 MPH. I pulled over and had my car towed to the local dealer. They said that the head gasket was leaking internally into the #3 cylinder and that the spark plugs were unremovable. They said that one of spark plugs were fused inside the cylinder. The spark plugs were replaced at the same dealer in april 2010. At a cost of $1002.08 they replaced the cylinder head gasket and valve cover gasket. I could not afford the extra $800.00 to fix the spark plug problem. There was no warning before this happened other than the service engine light coming on at the same time the car lost power. I was driving on a state highway going 55 MPH when this happened. I have read on here several complaints about the head gasket problem and cars losing power. My sentra has 128,900 miles on it when the problem occurred. I keep my oil changed every 3 months and keep up with the general maintenance on my car. Since this happened all of a sudden I do believe there is a safety issue here. If I had been in the interstate (which I would have been if this happened 20 miles later) I would not have been able to pull over or avoid an accident.

Filed Dec 22, 2010 · Engine · 114,356 miles · KY

Car engine stalls while running.. It doesn't matter what speed I am driving, the car will just shut off and I lose power steering. Luckily the brakes still work so I was able to pull over. Once pulled over I turn the key off and start the car back up again and it works fine. This has happened a repeated number of times. I am sure it is the throttle position sensor or ECM like the 2006 recall of the altima's and sentras.

Filed Apr 18, 2010 · Acceleration · 81,000 miles · OH

Car has no acceleration. Will not rev over 900 RPM. While driving lost power but engine kept running fine. It acted like cable broke on the peddle. But to find out it is all electronic. Was able to get off road but was only able to go 10 MPH in traffic.

Filed Jun 29, 2009 · Engine · 61,708 miles · AZ

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and restarted it after three minutes. He drove the vehicle to his residence, which was located only one mile away. He attempted to duplicate the failure, but could not. The service engine light and other lights illuminated as soon as the vehicle shut off. The dealer stated that it would cost $100 to diagnose the failure, $100 to order the part, and $240 for labor. The vehicle was taken to auto zone and the representative stated that the sensor failed. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling), although the symptoms were identical. The vehicle will have to be repaired at the contact's expense. The failure and current mileages were 61,708.

Filed Feb 15, 2009 · Engine · 55,000 miles · CA

One day my check engine light came on. I own an obd2 diagnostic reader and it gave me the code p0335 which translates to crankshaft position sensor a circuit malfunction. I did some research and there was a recall on the 2002 and 2003, and later included some 2004 models of my car (mine is a 2004) for the same failure. I called nissan and they looked up my VIN number and told me there was no open recalls for my car. I purchased a new sensor and installed it, cleared the check engine light, and checked for any remaining codes. None were present. I tested the old sensor according to the nissan repair manual's method and it tested good. A day after I replaced the sensor the check engine light came on again with the same failure code. I called nissan again and explained my situation to them and they still told me my car was not in the recall. So far what I have experienced is a momentary loss of power under certain driving conditions like going uphill at approximately 2000 RPM. Also it does not want to start sometimes, which is becoming more frequently, and according to forum sites I've visited is directly related to this.

Filed Dec 16, 2008 · Engine, Transmission · 69,000 miles · IA

In my 2004 nissan sentra se-r spec v with a 2.5l engine/manual transmission, at about 69k miles the car suddenly experienced unstable engine idling and significant power loss. First mechanic found loose metal pieces in the intake manifold area, along with spark plug one fouled. Metal pieces were removed and a new spark plug was installed. Car ran okay for a few weeks, the same symptoms occurred. Mechanic removed intake manifold and found two power valves and their screws obliterated and scattered throughout the compartment in dozens of loose pieces. Metal pieces removed, power valves replaced, screws replaced and secured with lock-tite. Symptoms occurred for a third time recently. I went to the nissan dealership and spoke to the service advisors; they ran the VIN and found a recall on 04 sentra 2.5l engine vehicles, specifically the power valve screws coming loose, causing unstable engine idling and power loss.

Filed Dec 16, 2008 · Engine · 69,000 miles · IA

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle would idle and lose power frequently while driving less than 75 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and they discovered metal pieces under spark plug number 1. The mechanic removed and replaced spark plug number 1; however, the failure persisted and has been to the dealer. On a separate occasion, the vehicle would stall. An independent mechanic removed the intake manifold and found even more metal pieces in the engine from the power valve. Two of the power valves were irregularly shaped and were broken off into the engine. The failure has not been remedied. The failure mileage was 69,000 and current mileage was 70,000. Updated 01/14/09. *lj updated 01/15/09.

Filed Feb 28, 2008 · Engine · TX

2004 nissan sentra lost all power while driving. Consumer states that the vehicle completely shut down while driving 65 MPH. Mechanic determined the failure was the crankshaft sensor. *kb after the crankshaft sensor was replaced, the engine light illuminated and the vehicle would idle rough until it warmed up. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was determined the vehicle had a warped head. The mechanic informed the consumer there was a known problem that defective head bolts could cause the head to warp. The consumer believed the problems he experienced were related to the recall. The consumer contacted nissan and provided his vehicle identification number. Nissan stated his VIN was not included in the recall.

Filed Mar 21, 2004 · Electrical · 705 miles · MA

Purchased car brand new with 7 miles on it. On 3/15/04 at 495 miles on the computer died - lost engine power in heavy traffic, check engine light on. Dealer replaced computer under warranty and I accepted delivery of repaired vehicle on 3/19/04. On 3/31/04 at 720 miles - check engine light came on again, lost all engine power again in heavy traffic. Made it to dealer - was told 'nothing they could do for me' and although the car is unsafe to drive, constantly losing power in traffic - they told me to take it away, or leave it there and walk home (10 miles)...