KnownCarProblems2012 Nissan Altima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 426 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Altima, most often about the transmission (35% of complaints, typically around 93,000 miles). It is 12th of 27 Altima model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2012 Nissan Altima problems
Transmission
149 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 93,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly.
Vehicle lost power while driving 70 MPH down highway. Almost got rear ended by semi as I could not keep enough speed to stay ahead and get to side of road. When I searched web, found this to be a frequent occurrence on the 2012 CVT transmission.
Sustained driving more than an hour the transmission overheats and forces sensor to "fail safe mode" causing vehicle to drive only at low speed. This is a safety issue on the open road due to driving way under posted speed or having to stop n road side.
Engine
72 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles.
While pulling into a parking place at a restaurant all of a sudden my wife heard a loud noise and surge from the engine propelling the car forward and over an embankment fortunately for a few trees and god's help my wife is thankfully still alive the embankment had approximately 100' drop this has never happened…
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. When the air conditioner was turned on, the smell of burning oil was noticed. In addition, the vehicle vibrated when started and would not switch into gear properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was…
Air bags
57 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles.
The contact owned a 2012 Nissan Altima. While the driver was pulling into a parking space at an unknown speed, the vehicle accelerated and crashed through two iron gates. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained injuries that required…
The contact owned a 2012 Nissan Altima. While making a left turn and braking at approximately 35 MPH, another vehicle crashed head on into the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain the contact, causing her to sustain a laceration that required medical attention. The…
Other or unspecified
56 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles.
The seal on the oil cooler of my vehicle has failed and Nissan won't repair it. I have researched this and I have found that this problem is common on my vehicle. Here is a link to an example of what I am talking about -- http://www.carproblemzoo.com/Nissan/Altima/engine-oil-leaking-problems.php Nissan told me they…
Strong exhaust odor inside car.cracked exhaust manifold was found,second one I will have to put on car,first was discovered at approximately 85/88000 miles.read forums and discovered earlier versions were recalled for same problem and seems to be a common problem among later models.got a headache from strong…
Speed control
49 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 93,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Vehicle was in motion on the highway and after two and half hours of driving could not accelerate past 45-50 miles an hour and stuck on this speed even with the gas pedal being pressed down to accelerate. I had serious safety issues with this on the highway in regards to ascending hills and had near serious encounters…
My car started making a whining noise while driving it. Going up the hill my car on a highway in the desert when the speed declined it's from 70mph to 45mph, which I tried to accelerate and it was stuck on 45mph, and almost caused the car behind me to crash into me with my three young children in the back seat. A lot…
Electrical
44 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 46,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
On monday night at 12:00am I was driving from california to las vegas nevada. I was going 75 miles an hour when the car started to loose speed. The excel-orator would not move and had locked.the car speed had dropped to 40mph and would not move. There was a semi in front of me and two other vehicles to the side of me.…
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. While in park, the vehicle failed to start and "intelligent key issue, will not start" was displayed across the message board. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the technician was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The…
Body and structure
33 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, interior panels.
My 2012 Nissan Altima's sunroof is leaking, whether driving or parked. I have had the drains cleaned, the headliner removed and still have this issue. Upon researching this problem it seems to be a problem on infiniti's and Nissan's since 2003. This problem needs to be fixed by Nissan, being it's an ongoing issue in…
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, he noticed that the dashboard was shiny and was melting in a small area. The failure expanded to cover the entire dashboard causing visibility issues while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the mechanic…
Brakes
20 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles.
Pushed brake to start stopping, brakes shuttered. Let up on brake, then reapplied and it shuttered again. This continued. Checked brake fluid, it was down slightly, put in to fill. Problem better but still exists, now air compressor gone.. This car was bought in oct 2012 what a lemon. Thank goodness it is a lease.…
When I am driving... Using the accelerator... And go to brake... My foot goes between the brake and accelerator and hits the floor instead of braking. This is dangerous.. The brake pedal and accelerator pedal are too far apart. It happens anywhere on street...or highway.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 Nissan Altima recalls
Suspension
Risk: The affected bolts could become loose and fall out which may lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
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 service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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 specification.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: The side curtain air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
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 customer service at 615-725-1000.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: The affected acu will not operate as designed and this issue may cause the air bags not to inflate in a crash when they are designed to inflate. This could increase the risk of injury.
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.
Full defect summary
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 assembled incorrectly.
Suspension
Risk: If the bolt comes out completely, the driver may experience difficulty controlling the direction of the vehicle which could result in a crash.
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 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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 condition could cause the bolt to become loose while the vehicle is being driven, creating a rattling noise and vibration.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Autoliv air bag propellant mixture
Summary
The summary for this investigation, labeled eq12-002 autoliv closing resume, can be found attached separately to this resume.this eq is closed.
Questions about the 2012 Nissan Altima
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Nissan Altima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (149 complaints, typically around 93,000 miles); engine (72 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); air bags (57 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 Nissan Altima have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 10, 2012 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the Nissan Altima?
- It is 12th of 27 Altima model years by number of complaints, with 426 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.