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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2012 Nissan Altima — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 426 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

426
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
24
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
2
Involved Fire
owner-reported
26
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Nissan Altima — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

381 complaints

241 complaints

426 complaints

2,312 complaints

1,113 complaints

954 complaints

553 complaints

391 complaints

226 complaints

232 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Power Train 149 reports
Engine 68 reports
Air Bags 57 reports
Unknown Or Other 56 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 49 reports
Electrical System 44 reports
Structure 33 reports
Service Brakes 20 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11385374 12/29/2020

MY VEHICLE IS ONLY 8 YEARS OLD AND RECENTLY THE AIRBAG LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON THE DASHBOARD , WHICH IS THE SIGN OF A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP (ELK GROVE NISSAN, CALIFORNIA) AND PAID TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. AFTER PERFORMING THE DIAGNOSTICS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WAS FAULTY AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME $1500 TO REPAIR. MY QUES…

Power Train ODI 11057328 12/29/2017

2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SL 115,425 MILES AND TRANSMISSION DEAD.

Structure ODI 10938623 12/29/2016

THE BACK DOORS OF THESE CARS ARE TAKING IN WATER WHEN IT RAINS OR WHEN YOU GO TO CAR WASH.. AS YOU DRIVE YOU COULD HEAR THE WATER SLOSHING IN THE DOORS. YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY OPEN THE DOOR AND USE YOUR HANDS BY PICKING THE RUBBER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DOORS TO LET THE WATER OUT. THEN IT GUSHES OUT LIKE AN OPEN FAUCET.

Electrical System ODI 10490360 12/28/2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, SHE WAS TRYING TO TURN THE RADIO ON BUT ACCIDENTALLY TURNED THE ENGINE OFF BECAUSE THE RADIO AND PUSH-TO-START BUTTONS WERE ABNORMALLY CLOSE IN PROXIMITY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. T…

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 11632800 12/27/2024

The sensor was replaced but the light engine light still came back on now the speed sensor is causing the issue. The abs light comes on while accelerating it jumps and jerks

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2012 Nissan Altima, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2012 Nissan Altima reliable?
Owners have filed 426 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 Nissan Altima, most often about power train. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Nissan Altima years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.