- Vehicles
- 276,000
- Built between
- Jan 2000 – Mar 2003
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 22 December 2003
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2000 and March 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2000-2003 Nissan SentraBuilt January 2000 to March 2003
What the defect is
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.
What could happen
If one of the resistors inside the ECM has a crack on the surface coating, the gas may cause corrosion of the resistor. This could cause the malfunction indicator light to come on, poor drivability (idle instability, poor accelerator), or the engine to stop running during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE INSIDE LINING MATERIAL FROM THE ECM BOX. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2000 to March 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA14 November 2003
- Owners notified22 December 2003
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 14 November 2003.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- P3163
- Recalling manufacturer
- NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Nissan recall no. P3163.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.