Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have '01 Nissan Sentra. Over the years I kept having my car auto shut off while driving. My recent incident occurs on 2/17/22 while driving on a freeway at 70mph that left me stranded. I had it towed to the nearest auto mechanics. While the engines shuts down, the Service Engine Soon light came on followed by the Battery Icon and Oil Lamp Icon. In the past I had most if not all my catalytic converters and O2 sensors replaced but the problem persisted. Some mechanics stated it was electrical but offered no solution. I did had an oil changed and battery tested a week earlier but no issue was found. My most recent mechanic checked it out and told me it's not the battery nor the alternator, they're both still good. I had to leave my car over the weekends for a full diagnostic.
While driving down the road at 40 plus miles an hour the catalytic converter clogged and caught fire causing a misfire in cylinder one and ruining the ignition coil for that cylinder. I contacted Nissan after seeing online that the exact same part has malfunctioned on several other cars of the exact same year make and model. I was instructed to take it to a Nissan dealership and have them diagnose the problem for a $89 fee. Even if I had the 89 dollars to pay to have it diagnosed it would not have paid it. I did not use faulty material in the manufacture of the vehicle and feel that any diagnostic fee should have been absorbed by Nissan north America since they voluntarily recalled the part. It could have burst into flames and ignited the unused fuel in cylinder one killing me and my children. …
Car constantly shuts off while driving, steering and brakes lock up as well. It does this idling at lights and while driving making turns. Very dangerous! I have replaced several sensors (at my expense) to try to keep the car going, but I'm terrified to drive it as I fear it will stall again in traffic and potentially kill me and my family. Checked my VIN against the many recalls that would cause these problems and states that none of these recalls apply to this car! Nissan used to be a good company, now it's just a lemon factory! Not to mention their dealership service is absolutely useless! I don't see how such dangerous and potentially deadly issues do not have recalls on them!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle jerked and stalled and the service engine warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,000.
Was driving with children in the car on the highway home from work, and car shut off and stalled. Losing all power, and making it hard to steer off the road. Took it to a local car shop, they had told me there was a recall regarding this issue. And call Nissan consumer affairs and they had told me there were no open claims .
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Sentra. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the ignition failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 164,000.
1. Power windows (both front driver and passenger side front) failed to operate properly in my 2001 Nissan Sentra VIN: [redacted] within 12 month after it was purchased brand new. I took it to the Nissan dealer (coral springs Nissan) and was told that it was not under warranty and was not manufacturing defect. I recently search on the internet and found many other 2001 Nissan Sentra encountred the same problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. My second problem started recently where my car's engine suddenly quits running after 15-20 minutes of normal driving. If I let it cool down and wait 10-15 minutes, it starts and runs for another 10 minutes before quiting again. My Sentra was recalled once( campain#: 01V357000) in jan 2004 to replace the fault crank shaft sensors, yet I am still having this problem. …
Safety-related defect: the horn wire inside an internal wiring harness on my 2001 Sentra failed spontaneously on or about February 15, 2006, rendering the horn inoperable and incapable of passing the rhode island state safety inspection. Three different employees of the dealer (inskip Nissan, warwick ri) made statements to me indicating that this type of horn failure happens repeatedly, is well known to them, and is not caused by any external force, such as collision or road damage. I have inspected the area, which is near the underside of the radiator, and it is clear that the wiring harness is well protected by various front-end components and hard to get at. The broken wire was repaired by the dealer on 4/5/06 at a cost of $180.00 for a little over two hours work. …
The vehicle was purchased used in oklahoma in April 2013, and all the dash gauges quit on the way home, along with the odometer going out. After the car cooled down, the gauges/odometer started working again. The car was then driven cross country to washington state, and when the heater was turned on, and after a few minutes, the gauges/odometer stopped working again. Once cooled off, the gauges/odometer would start working again. The car was then driven to texas, and the same issues came up, all centered around temperature. It seems when the heater is turned on (while the vehicle was in wa), or if it is hot outside (the drive to texas, and while the car has been in texas), the gauges will stop working after a period of time, and will start working again once the temperature inside the car has cooled down. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Sentra. The contact was driving 40mph and the service engine light came on. Shortly after the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted the vehicle to the nearest emergency exit. He had the vehicle towed to local service station. The vehicle still has not been repaired as of the time of the complaint. The contact informed the manufacturer and he was told that they were aware that the problem exist with his vehicle, but there was no recall for his specific vehicle identification number. The manufacturer stated that they are only covering two engines types and the contact vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact will have to get his vehicle repaired at his own expense. The contact was told by local dealer after his vehicle was inspected that the failure was his ecn which is the computer in his vehicle. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition › Module
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the qg18de engine or qr25de engines, the foam material used for the interior lining of the electronic control module (ECM) box emits sulfur as it cures.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the inside lining material from the ECM box. Owner notification began on December 22, 2003. Owners should contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Nissan Sentra, 19% of the model year's 236 complaints. The component named most often is horn (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Nissan Sentra electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-477 (module, Nov 14, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Nissan Sentra electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.