2012 Nissan Altima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
578 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Nissan Altima, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 22/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 94,100 miles.
Typical
Where 2012 sits among all Altima years
What owners report
“Whining up hill and no drive down hill, when heated up transmission will not go until cooled off”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
“I took the car to a repair shop because the check engine light came on and was told there is a recall for my vehicle and the dealership did not tell me. I was driving on a city street going the speed limit.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
“My car has been fine this whole time and last week i was driving and got stuck in a blind spot while driving. The car would not go forward or in reverse. The transmission just stopped working.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
“The airbag didn't deploy when my vehicle hit another vehicle on front passenger side on speed approximately 45mph.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
“The led headlights are not bright enough for night driving or driving in the rain. It occures will in motion and at a standstill”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
“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”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Altima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 391 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 76,979 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 107,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the bolts to the proper torque specifications. The safety recall is expected to begin during November 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer…
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ALTIMA AND VERSA VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS THAT CONTAIN AN INCORRECT PROPELLANT MIXTURE FOR THE INITIATOR COMPONENT USED, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT OUTPUT OF COMPRESSED GAS.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ONE OR BOTH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG MODULES, AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 12, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN…
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 15, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 21, 2011 AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 23, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 28, 2011 BECAUSE THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU) WAS…
Fix: NISSAN WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 22, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 25, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 10, 2011 AT THE CANTON, MISSISSIPPI PLANT. THE TRANSVERSE LINK BOLT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TORQUED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. THIS…
Fix: NISSAN WILL REPLACE THE TRANSVERSE LINK BOLTS AND NUTS AND TIGHTEN THEM TO THE PROPER TORQUE SPECIFICATION FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 8, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT…
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Nissan Altima reliable?
The 2012 Nissan Altima drew 578 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 22/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2012 Nissan Altima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Nissan Altima are transmission & drivetrain (149 complaints), engine (72), and other (63).
At what mileage do 2012 Nissan Altima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Nissan Altima problems around 76,979 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 107,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Nissan Altima have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Nissan Altima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.