Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1982 Sentra.
The 1982 Nissan Sentra registers just one owner complaint — focused on structure — alongside a single recall, marking an unusually quiet debut for a nameplate whose broader complaint history stretches from 1990 to 2026. That later dataset reveals a dramatic arc: reports surged to 638 in 2013 before collapsing to eight by 2026, positioning the 1982 model year as a low-noise outlier at the start of a three-decade run. The scarcity of early issues suggests the first-generation sedan avoided the systemic patterns that would later dominate the model's reliability narrative, even as the solitary structural complaint and recall foreshadowed the durability scrutiny to come.
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Sentra of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | XE 3-door Hatchback 1.5L I-4 | 12.70 sec | 18.60 sec | 67 hp | FWD |
| 1986 | SE Coupe 1.6L I-4 | 13.40 sec | 19.20 sec | 69 hp | FWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1982 Nissan Sentra exhibits very low federal activity, with only one reported complaint in the "Structure" area and zero complaints for crashes or fires. In the context of the provided record, which begins in 1990, the 1982 model has significantly fewer complaints than any subsequent year. The broader trend across the later years shows complaints rising from 41 in 1990 to a peak of 638 in 2013, before dropping to 8 by 2026. The 1982 model falls entirely outside this high-volume era, implying a much lower frequency of reported issues. The data does not specify the root cause of the single structural complaint. Based on this minimal record of failure compared to later years, this is a good year to buy.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
THE WIPER BLADE MAY EXTEND TOO FAR AND CATCH ON THE RADIO ANTENNA BRACKET. THE CONNECTION OF THE WIPER ARM AND THE PIVOT COULD BE DAMAGED. THE CONDITION IS CAUSED BY AN INCORRECT SETTING OF THE WIPER ARM HEIGHT ABOVE… Remedy: DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, THE WIPER ARM PIVOT WILL BE REPLACED AND THE WIPER STROKE ADJUSTED.
Showing 3 of 3 bulletins on record with NHTSA.
| Bulletin | Date | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTB-09-101 | 2010-09-30 | Tires | NISSAN: TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) WARNING LIGHT ON/FLASHING. NO MODELS OR… |
| NTB-09-129 | 2010-09-13 | Equipment | NISSAN: VENT CONTROL VALVE REPLACEMENT. WHEN REPLACING THE EVAP CANISTER VENT CONTROL… |
| NTB-09-030 | 2009-04-06 | Electrical System | NISSAN: THE 12 VOLT BATTERY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND IS… |
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.