1998 Nissan Sentra — Known Issues & Recalls

Your windshield wipers stopped working completely. This appears to be related to a recall issued for your make, model, and year, and your vehicle's VIN falls within the affected range — however, Nissan has denied that your car is actually covered by the recall despite matching all the criteria.

Your windshield wipers stopped working suddenly while you were driving at 30 mph. The dealer found that the wiper arm linkage had separated from the wiper motor linkage, which is a known issue on some 1998 Sentras—though your vehicle's VIN wasn't included in the recall. The repair involves reconnecting or replacing the wiper linkage components to restore wiper function.

Your windshield wipers have never worked properly and recently stopped working entirely. You discovered your car is part of a recall, but Nissan says the recall case is closed and won't confirm whether your car was actually fixed or provide documentation of any repair. You can't safely drive in rain or snow because of this defect.

Your windshield wipers stopped working when the connecting linkage separated at the pivot joint while driving. Even after replacing the linkage, it separated again during normal use. There was a recall issued for this exact problem, but your vehicle's VIN wasn't included in it. The fix will require replacing the windshield wiper linkage assembly.

Your driver's side windshield wiper isn't working properly. A recall was issued for your specific vehicle, but your vehicle identification number (VIN) was noted in the recall. You should check whether your car is included in this recall and have the wiper system inspected or replaced.

Your car was hit from behind at an estimated 30 mph and pushed into another vehicle, causing significant damage to the front bumper, radiator, battery, trunk, and rear bumper. The airbags did not deploy, and you were told this may have been because the impact was from the rear and involved a vehicle with a higher bumper height. You're concerned that rear impacts still push you forward and that the growing number of SUVs and minivans on the road makes this a serious safety issue. The repair would likely involve inspecting and potentially recalibrating the airbag sensor system and replacing damaged structural components.

Your car was involved in a head-on collision at 40 mph, but neither of the front airbags deployed during the crash. The driver was injured on the shoulder and right arm from the seat belt. This is a serious safety issue since airbags are designed to protect you during frontal collisions. The airbag system will need to be diagnosed and repaired by a technician to determine why it failed to deploy.

You were rear-ended at 30-40 mph, and your airbags failed to deploy during the collision, resulting in your car being totaled. You reported this to Nissan but received no response or action regarding the airbag failure.

Your engine began having trouble and caused your car to slow down on the road. Another vehicle struck your Sentra from behind, which caused your car to go off the right side of the roadway and overturn in a ditch. The underlying engine problem needs to be diagnosed and repaired to prevent similar safety situations.

Your car's right headlight experienced an electrical short in the wiring that ignited a component behind the light, causing a fire that spread through the engine bay and destroyed the vehicle. The fire melted the transmission fluid reservoir and caused catastrophic damage. This is a critical electrical fire hazard that can occur without warning.

Your car was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. During the crash, both airbags failed to deploy, and the driver's seat belt broke during impact, causing the driver to be ejected from the vehicle. The car then hit a concrete barrier, resulting in fatalities and injuries to passengers. The vehicle was declared a total loss.

Your front suspension springs disconnected from the struts and dropped, puncturing your passenger-side front tire and causing that side of your vehicle to sag to the ground. The left front spring also broke, and the right springs were tearing a large gash in the tire. You may hear banging and grinding noises while driving due to a broken left strut and strut bearing, and your windshield wipers may make noise when set to intermittent mode. The suspension components (springs, struts, and bearings) will need to be inspected and replaced.

Your brake system has required repeated replacement since you purchased the car, starting at just 4,759 miles (about 2.5 months after purchase). Despite multiple repair attempts by Nissan, the brakes continue to fail and require replacement. The underlying brake system defect appears not to have been corrected by previous service visits. A thorough diagnostic of your hydraulic brake system, master cylinder, and brake lines may be needed to identify and fix the root cause of the premature brake wear.

Your ignition switch is causing your key to get stuck and your car sometimes won't start, and this problem is happening more frequently over time. You've also had multiple engine problems that required repair. The ignition switch may need to be replaced to resolve the starting and key-sticking issues.

While stopping in a left turn lane at very low speed with your foot only on the brake, your brakes suddenly faded, the engine revved up, and your car surged forward violently for about 5 seconds. You had to apply extreme brake pressure to regain control. The incident didn't trigger any warning lights and hasn't happened again, though the risk of this happening while turning or in traffic could be serious.

Your car's fuel tank won't accept a full charge at the gas pump—the pump keeps clicking off as if the tank is full, even though you can only add less than a gallon at a time. A technician replaced the fuel pressure sensor (which cost over $300) to fix the issue, though a technical bulletin about this problem may exist from the manufacturer.

Your trunk lid has a sharp, exposed metal edge or burr on the interior surface where it connects to the car body. When reaching into the trunk, you could accidentally cut your hand on this sharp metal, similar to a razor blade. The sharp edge is located toward the center of the trunk lid interior. Repairing this will likely involve smoothing or covering the sharp metal edge, possibly with a protective trim piece or sandpaper and sealant.

Your transmission began slipping and jerking while driving, and the reverse gear stopped working entirely, requiring a complete transmission overhaul at 67,525 miles. The repair shop indicated that certain 1996-1998 Nissan Sentras had a known transmission solenoid failure pattern around 80,000 miles, and Nissan issued a service kit to address it. Your warranty had expired due to age and mileage, leaving you responsible for the $1,269 repair cost. The fix involved replacing the torque converter, transmission bands, gears, and transmission fluid.

Your windshield wiper linkage was defective and the wipers didn't work properly. You also noticed your brakes felt spongy, and your left front seat wouldn't slide smoothly on its track. The linkage assembly has been replaced, but the brake and seat issues may still need attention from a mechanic.

Your front and rear seat belts have become tangled inside the retractor mechanism, which prevents them from working properly. This is a safety concern since seat belts need to be able to extend and retract freely in case of an accident. The retractor assembly will likely need to be inspected and possibly replaced to resolve the tangling issue.