Vehicle Data Hub

2002 Nissan Sentra engine problems

Owners reported engine problems in 154 complaints for the 2002 Nissan Sentra, 41% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
154 41% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
80,000 miles 120 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
2 and 4
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2002 Nissan Sentra Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 80,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 16 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 13 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 11 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 19 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 12 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 16 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 14 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 12 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 3 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 4 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 80,000 miles
Based on 120 complaints that include mileage. 33% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles16
20k to 40k miles13
40k to 60k miles11
60k to 80k miles19
80k to 100k miles12
100k to 120k miles16
120k to 140k miles14
140k to 160k miles12
160k to 180k miles3
180k to 200k miles4
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 120 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 80,000 miles, and 33% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 crashes, 4 fires.

What owners wrote

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. The contact stated that here was a burning odor coming from the vehicle as it stalled without warning. The dealer advised the contact to replace the electronic control module since it had failed as a result of the lining failure. The dealer repaired the lining under NHTSA recall number: 07v527000 ( engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer had not been notified nor was the failure corrected. The current and failure mileages were 159,000.

Reported at 159,000 miles, October 2011 Fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. When the contact purchased the vehicle, he had the oil consumption of the fuel system inspected. The mechanic informed him that the vehicle was burning large amounts of oil, causing the piston rings to wear down. He was also informed of a recall with this identical failure, which stated that they were supposed to replace the parts as well as install a catalyst.

Reported at 131,000 miles, April 2008

Other problems reported for the 2002 Nissan Sentra

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Nissan models