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 2004 Nissan Sentra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic, the vehicle was diagnosed computer system failure, causing the vehicle to fail to start. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V287000 (Air Bags), which was associated with the VIN. The manufacturer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The dealer notified the manufacturer that the contact had refused to pay for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
2004 Nissan Sentra shut off while driving on highway. Happened 2 times within an hour while the A/C was running, the vehicle shut off while in drive and physically moving. Service engine soon light appeared and currently displays code p0335: crankshaft position sensor circuit malfunction. There is currently a recall for some Nissan Sentra for this exact situation, but not for my 2004 and I highly suggest this is reconsidered because this issue is affecting many people. Here are complain by other people related to same issue. Date of incident: 06/01/2015 NHTSA id number: 10726085 date of incident: 02/23/2014 NHTSA id number: 10566294 date of incident: 01/13/2014 NHTSA id number: 10560121 date of incident: 01/30/2012 NHTSA id number: 10447202 date of incident: 12/02/2011 NHTSA id number: 10438673 date of incident: 11/14/2008 NHTSA id number: 10266535 date of incident: 04/11/2009 NHTSA id …
The engine stalled due to a failed crankshaft position sensor and/or camshaft position sensor while driving I tried starting car again after 4-5 minutes started, and engine stalled again after 20-25 minutes then I started car again after 15-20 minutes and it started. I think these sensors can fail intermittently as they warm with the engine. Sensors on certain models have been recalled by Nissan and will be replaced as necessary but I'm not sure why my win number is not included in that recall while I'm having the same problem.
2004 Nissan Sentra shut off while stopped in drive. Second incident, and many thereafter, was while the A/C was running, the vehicle shut off while in drive and physically moving. Service engine soon light appeared and currently displays code p0335: crankshaft position sensor circuit malfunction. There is currently a recall for my 2003 Nissan Sentra for this exact situation, but not the my 2004 and I highly suggest this is reconsidered because this issue is affecting more that the my 2003.
2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8s: purchased new on 3/13/2004. Mileage 2060 - jersey city, nj: service engine soon light came on, brought to dealer, ECM reprogrammed, dealer did not know what caused the light to come on. Erratic/rough idling still persists, vehicle shut off once while refueling. Mileage, approx. 4725 - jersey city, nj: service engine soon light came on and went off intermittently, dealer refused to repair due to "no hard code is stored." erratic/rough idling persists. Vehicle shut off second time while parked. Began lemon law proceedings in new jersey. Mileage, 5370 - myrtle beach, sc: service engine soon light is on. Car is bucking in 1st gear (automatic), "mapp" gas or rotten egg smell (possibly excess sulfur) coming from exhaust. Error code p0171/p0174, air flow meter replaced with no further failures. Mileage, 5637 - charlotte, nc: service engine soon light is on. …
4 days ago while driving my car it just shut off. The car died it just completely shut off while I was going 55 miles and hour. Luckily I was able to pull off the road and out of traffic. I tried restarting the car and after several attempts I was able to get it restarted. The check engine light came on at that point. It then went less than a mile and the same thing happened again. This time I was able to pull in and park it in a store parking lot. I took it to a repair shop and had it put on there machine to see what the problem was. I was told it was the battery so I had that replaced. When I was driving it after leaving the repair shop the car died again. At the suggestion of my sister I took the car the next day to a auto parts store they plugged in the machine to read the codes it came back p0335 the crank shaft sensor. …
Driving & all gauges in dashboard turned off. The same day, the car didn't respond normally when gas pedal was pressed. The gas pedal was pressed several times before car took in gas. Parked car, & later that day restarted car. Car again didn't respond well when pressing accelerator. Gauges still non operational. Car died & battery tested by aaa. Battery found to be OK, but charging system was issue. Towed to tow yard & told alternator needed to be replaced. New, not rebuilt, alternator replaced by cousin & fuse (not sure which one) was found to be blown & replaced. Gauges worked after fuse & alternator replaced. Check engine light came on several days later. Cked car on auto zones free diagnostic tool & diagnostic trouble code u1001 can communication line & p0462 secondary code given. Car died again bout week later & towed to pep boys. …
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! …
On jan.30,2012, my car stalled while driving. I was going the speed limit of 55 MPH and without warning my car just stalled. I was lucky enough to be able to coast off the road without getting into an accident. After about 10 minutes I was able to start my car. At first the service engine light was not on but after about 3 mins. The service engine light came on. I drove the car to the dealership without any problem. The invoice states: ran the diag trouble tree. Could not get the DTC to confirm. Checked powers and grounds, all are good. Pulled the sensor and did the inspection and found the resistance to be wrong between terminal 2 & 3. They told me that the crank position sensor needed to be replaced and I approved the repair. It cost me $ 210.00 for the repair. I read on the safecar.gov website where the problem was happening to the 2.5l models and were recalled. …
Drove the 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8l on the highway at 60mph and the car began to decrease speed to about 30 to 40mph with RPM meter fluctuations while pressing on the gas with same pressure. On the same day the car shut off multiple times after starting it for a minute. Previously on 2 occasions while at a stop light the car would shut off while idling. The check engine light was on for awhile but would periodically turn off. Took the car to Nissan after the highway incident and they said it was the cam position sensor and crank sensor. When asked about recalls Nissan said my car was not listed under the recall campaign. Had to pay $730 to fix this problem while after reading other people's complaints for this model and other model complaints it appears this is a common problem and should be taken a look at to include in the recall.
Electrical complaints in other Sentra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Nissan Sentra?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Nissan Sentra, 14% of the model year's 197 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Nissan Sentra electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Nissan Sentra, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Sentra electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
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.