2006 Nissan Sentra review from North America

I was in an accident where I was rear-ended by a mini-van driver using a cell-phone. The driver was felony cited for leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.

The impact spun me about and I hit another car rear-end first. The driver's seat back snapped in the middle on the right side above the console and I was thrown out of it, sliding under the seatbelt and into the back seat. I struck my head and right shoulder blade on some stuff I was carrying with the rear seat folded down and was unconscious for a few minutes. I had a concussion.

I was holding onto the the steering wheel when the seat broke and my left hand was death-gripping the wheel, but my hand was wrenched away from the wheel by my body getting tossed into the back, causing nerve and rotator cuff damage to my left shoulder. I am healed now with just some scars on my right shoulder from the stuff I hit in the back. I was wearing my seatbelt correctly, with the shoulder belt/lapbelt connected to the buckle and properly placed on my body.

This has GOT to be a design defect, seat-backs aren't supposed to snap like this. What good are the headrests/restraints if the seat breaks when the car is rear-ended?

The car was totaled, and the estimate to fix the damage was $12,000, more than what the car was worth. The body was affected all the way to the windshield, none of the doors would close correctly.

As for the normal non-accident complaints, they are few. The exterior paint, dashboard, and painted plastic interior trim scratched and wore too easily, leading to a worn look after just 11,000 miles.

A seal on the left taillight was improperly installed, causing rainwater to collect in the spare tire wheel well, ruining the pressed paper trunk board and causing a mildew smell to remain in the car for several months after this was fixed under warranty.

The trunk release stopped working and was also fixed under warranty.

There was a rattle in the back, but the car was wrecked before I got it looked at.

I've had other cars that were made in Japan. This one showed signs of cost-cutting with the lack of noise shielding and the defects I've already listed.

The tires were very slippery & unsafe in the wet.

The Quest I traded in on this car was shoddily made, too. The cover over the Quest's license plate broke off in my hand while I was shutting the hatch. Is cheap construction a problem with Nissan vehicles?

It started up every time. The gas mileage was appropriate for a small car with a stick. I averaged 25 or so MPG.

It was prone to wind noise & conversations were very difficult above 60 mph.

The engine was loud when throttle was applied, but was quiet when cruising.

The handling was typical, understeering in the curves, but tracking okay on the straights.

The brakes worked just fine.

The engine was strong enough for such a light car; I liked the power it had on the highway or pulling away from a light.

This was a base model, with just A/C, CD radio and rear defroster. The A/C blew cold, but the fan was noisy on all but the lowest setting.