2009 Nissan Sentra
small car / 4-door sedan
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.
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 |
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.
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 |
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 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: All seats AHR
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| 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 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.