Overview & Reviews

After last year's redesign, the 2001 Sentra is carrying over unchanged in XE, GXE, SE and super-ultralow emission California trims.

• SULEV status for CA model, 145-horsepower SE sport version, pleasing cabin design, fun to drive

• Generic styling, tight rear-seat legroom

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 120.00

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  Not reliable - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Brendon - October 25 - 4:03 pm

  I got this car used, in mid 2015 (so nearly 15 years old) but with less than 120,000 miles on it. I liked this car, for the most part. Its loud (and not because of a large engine) and its no luxury vehicle, but it is fine. However, there are small things: the stereo is not very good (especially if you have to turn it up for reasons I will get in to), the arm rest compartment broke, parts of the interior rattle and vibrate at highway speed, the headlights are not great, and the tires wore out relatively quickly. Now on to the big things, the A/C went out and it was a multi-thousand dollar job (apparently the labor is complicated because of how the car is built), I did not get this fixed. As a result, I was driving with the windows down all summer, even on the highway, so if I wanted to listen to music I had to turn the stereo up high, and noticed diminished sound quality. The drivers window control does not always work. The sun roof broke, also a multi-thousand dollar job I did not bother with. Just recently, the ECM broke (so I couldnt even start the car), the neutral switch also broke, and my car is still currently in the shop because it is now idling too high, and the mechanics cannot figure out why. I also had to fix brakes, and brake calipers, suspension replacements, and a few other things. Having had this car for about 12 months, its been in the shop for nearly 10% of that, and has cost me a lot in repairs. I would not expect to have these problems until the 200k mark at least.

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  Poor Quality - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Jason R. - November 13 - 7:16 pm

  I bought this car brand new and from the start it was full of problems. Aside from the 5 recalls that were all handled by Nissan (one of them without paying my tow bill) here is a list of many problems that my vehicle had. 1. Check engine light started to come on after the warranty expired and continued to do so very 6 months for no reason ($180 repair each time). 2. Cranckshaft sensor went out at 48K 3. Battery went out at 37K 4. Front rotors and paads needed to be replaced at 50K. 6. Rear bumper paint started to peel at 50K. 7. Power windows (front) went out About the only positive thing it had was the gas mileage and the exterior look. Very poor quality and reliability.

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  2001 nissan sentra CA - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Kenneth Finucane - January 6 - 6:53 am

  MY California car did great until about 44K- when the catalytic converter went out. At 52K the converter went out again, this time my car has been in the shop for over 5 weeks! Nisian said the part had to be made, then on backorder, (there were only a few hundred made of the CA sentra model). The truth is that the CA model with its 3 catalytic design just does not work- the car has run lean from the get go- what this means is that eventually the valves will permaturely fail- they are starting to go already, i pulled the spark plugs before i took to the dealler and could see detonation on the tips- not good.It seems Nissan received some form of insentive to try 3 catalytic system.

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  Good Practical Car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Kristi - December 21 - 9:13 am

  Has required no repairs, except a recall and normal maintenance. Good in snow considering weight of car. Road noise can be annoying-put on fave CD! Heat/air at 3+ too noisy. Gas mileage somewhat disappointing. Small & feel am sacrificing some comfort for reliability & longevity, but front seats very adjustable for max personal comfort. Excellent at holding its value if even moderately maintained. I recommend for practical types who want a reliable, low "cost of use" car they can pay off & be free of payments for a least a few years, if not more.

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  Reliable.. WHAT?! - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Nick B IL - February 20 - 1:40 pm

  Unfortunately I have not been as lucky as others who have posted here. I have had the computer go out at 70k, the rotors go out at 100k, the brake pads are replaced every other month, I get about 17 MPG. I have had the fuel filter replaced, the steering column replaced, and must do regular flushes to all fluids. I bring it in monthly to a mechanic (and have switched a few times just to make sure the mechanics werent messing with the car). Can anyone say lemon?

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  Great car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Tom - March 5 - 9:03 am

  Has been a great car! Biggest issues have been early tire wear, clouding of the headlamps and the fact that the air conditioning really saps power from the engine.

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  Reliability - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Frank - January 2 - 9:56 pm

  Since I have owned the car, I have had about 4 factory recalls and recently, with less than 33,000 miles, the transmission had to be replaced. I would not recommend a Sentra, nor would I by another.

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  Good up to a point ... - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By copykat - September 22 - 11:13 am

  This was really a good little car until about 85,000 or 90,000 miles. I had no major repairs until then, but at that point things started to go downhill. First, I had to replace the catalytic converter, an $800 repair. Then, about a year later the car developed a leak in the rear main seal, which cost about $700 to fix. A month later the exhaust flex pipe needed to be replaced, which was another $400. A week later I was told there was another problem with the catalytic converter/oxygen sensors, at which point I threw in the towel. But I suppose once you pass $100K all bets are off. And since I did very little to the car in the first eight years or so, thats not too bad.

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  Disappointed - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Huck - February 24 - 10:00 am

  After 3 recalls and repairs, the A/C going out twice, the gas pedal continually sticking even a few thousand miles after it is repaired, passenger window sticking, the CD player being intermitant and the buttons coming off the radio....AAGGHH I think this car was made on a Monday.

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  Terrible Car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Disaster - July 18 - 10:00 am

  This car is a disaster. When I bought it used at 93,000 miles, its been giving me problems until now. The car is slow, too much noise and very uncomfortable. The engine started smoking and the transmission went out 2 days ago. The next day, i sold the car for couple hundred bucks. I would not recommend buying this car to anyone.