haven't exp this with my sentra, but have with a buick and maserati... make sure you check the dimmer switch/roller to make sure it's working right, in the buick i've seen this in, the switch would turn about half-way around and get a little sticky then will turn freely the rest of the way... if you can take it out easy then inspect the wires in back and as far to the instrument cluster as you can.
i assume you checked the bulb for it, as last resort you can actually take apart the cluster and see if anything is damaged, broken, or has moisture in it. have seen the clusters on ebay as well if it's making driving really difficult. (personally, i'd probably buy some of those dash/map lights at auto store and mount them on the dash, then throw a little duct tape up there just to make it a true redneck fix.)
