2007 Nissan Sentra Safety Review [ 2008 ]
Nissan Sentra Safety Review
Safety - 9.5 (Excellent)
The Sentra is missing standard Electronic Stability Control and anti-lock brakes. "For everybody's sake, this basic and important safety feature should be standard across the board," says U.S. News reviewer Rick Newman.
Accident Avoidance
The Sentra comes standard with a tire pressure monitoring system, but the fact that electronic stability control isn't available (even as an upgrade), worries many reviewers who mention it is available in other autos like the Toyota Corolla. "You can't get stability control at any price," says USA TODAY. "Nissan thinks buyers are interested in an optional Rockford Fosgate high-end audio system, but not in an anti-skid device that could keep them alive to hear it." Despite the Sentra's stellar crash test ratings, "without stability control at least as an option, no car gets the group's "top safety pick" designation any more," says Newsday. Traction control also isn't available. Reviewers agree buyers will want the anti-lock brake system upgrade. Sentra 2.0 S and 2.0 SL buyers get anti-lock brakes with the Wheel/ABS package. Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) is also available in the ABS upgrade package and modifies braking to account for current passenger and cargo weight. ABS and EBD are standard on the SE-R and SE-R Spec-V models.
Crash Protection
The Nissan comes standard with six air bags including advanced front air bags and seat-mounted side impact torso bags. There are also front and rear crumple zones and front seat active head restraints that reduce whiplash injuries in rear-end collisions. CNET also notes the side impact door beams, energy-absorbing steering column and a pull-down feature that stabilizes the engine during front-impact crashes.
In government crash tests, a 2007 Sentra equipped with side airbags received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars for driver and passenger safety in frontal crashes. In side impact crashes, the front received 5 out of 5 stars for driver safety, whereas the rear received an above average 4 out of 5 stars. In rollover testing, the Sentra received four out of five stars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested a 2006 model without side airbags. They gave the model an "acceptable" rating in frontal offset tests and a "poor" rating for side impacts.
