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The 2012 Nissan Altima has 425 NHTSA owner complaints and 4 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2012 Nissan Altima has 425 NHTSA owner complaints and 4 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of September 2026). The most-reported system is powertrain at 144 complaints (~$2,500 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Altima | 1,547 | 4 |
| 2010 Altima | 380 | 3 |
| 2011 Altima | 241 | 1 |
| 2012 Altima (this page) | 425 | 4 |
| 2013 Altima | 2,309 | 12 |
| 2014 Altima | 1,113 | 8 |
| 2015 Altima | 951 | 10 |
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: No · Lane departure warning: No
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2012 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: airbags is flagged severe on this model . Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 4 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 6.4/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
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…
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.…
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…
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
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
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.
The side curtain air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.4 out of 10 based on 425 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2012 Nissan Altima has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2012 Nissan Altima is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Cruise-control: 25 complaints, classified severe; Reliability score 6.4/10 — around the segment average; 4 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the powertrain first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 144 owner complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 6.4 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 425 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is powertrain. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is powertrain, with 144 complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop.
The powertrain is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 425 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $2,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.