2007 Nissan Sentra

small car / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2007-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S 4-door

The Nissan Sentra was redesigned for the 2007 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0821
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 10
Left (cm) 12
Center (cm) 11
Right (cm) 7
Brake pedal (cm) 15
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 3
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0821
Head
HIC-15 158
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 18
Maximum Nij 0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm) 0
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.3
Femur force - right (kN) 2.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 4
Maximum tibia index - left 0.31
Maximum tibia index - right 0.41
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.4
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 41
Right 66

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2007-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Nissan Sentra FE+ 2.0 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Nissan Sentra was redesigned for the 2007 model year.

Two side crash tests of the Sentra were conducted. In the first test, the side curtain airbag of a 2008 model provided only acceptable head protection for the rear occupant when it was caught by the B-pillar trim during deployment. Although the overall side crash protection still would have been rated good, with low risk of injuries to both driver and rear passenger dummies, Nissan engineers were concerned about the interference with the deployment of the side curtain airbag. In response, Nissan changed its factory assembly process to better assure proper positioning of the airbag and trim parts for all Sentras produced after January 2009. Also, Nissan has initiated a service campaign to inspect and modify the assembly of the side curtain airbags and trim at its cost for cars produced earlier. In a second test of a 2009 model with new assembly procedures in place, the side curtain airbag deployed fully, and the head protection for both dummies was rated Good.

Ratings of the Sentra are based on the results of the second test, except that the structural rating is based on both tests.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the second of two crash tests.

View of the vehicle after the second crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag in the second crash test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag in the second crash test.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0909
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -5.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0909
Head HIC-15 302
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 49
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 37
Average deflection (mm) 32
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.58
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.49
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.4
Combined force (kN) 3.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 140
A-P moment (Nm) 88

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0909
Head HIC-15 397
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 38
Lateral force (kN) 1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.94
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.43
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 4.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 126
A-P moment (Nm) -41

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2007-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2011 Nissan Sentra S 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 2,971 lbs
Peak force 10,207 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.44

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 52
Distance below top of head (mm) 38
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 9.6
Head contact time (ms) 58
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 123
Max neck tension (N) 495

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.