CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver s
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2012 Nissan Altima body problems
moderate Owners of the 2012 Nissan Altima have filed 28 NHTSA complaints about the body, typically surfacing around 50,000 miles at roughly $1,500 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See body across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
28
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$1,500
| Model year | body complaints |
|---|---|
| 2008 Altima | 284 |
| 2009 Altima | 72 |
| 2010 Altima | 26 |
| 2011 Altima | 21 |
| 2012 Altima (this page) | 28 |
| 2013 Altima | 99 |
| 2014 Altima | 36 |
| 2015 Altima | 45 |
| 2016 Altima | 22 |
1crash
What stands out
Owners have filed 28 body complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
No new NHTSA body complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 9 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering body on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver s
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗SERVICE INFORMATION If a CD/DVD Player incident is noted, a possible cause may be improper CD/DVD disc care, condition, or usage. This bulletin provides updated CD/DVD Player operation instructions to avoid potential incidents/customer concerns caused by improper care and usage of CD/DVD discs. To aid in solving customer concerns, use the guidelines in this bulletin when speaking to customers or inspecting incident vehicles. - Customers must not use discs that are warped, scratched, chipped, cracked, have abnormal edges or are otherwise damaged. Damaged or poor condition discs may cause the Player internal mechanism to jam or have optical pick-up errors. NOTE - Do not make a Warranty claim a
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
Owners report the 2012 Altima's dashboard becomes soft, sticky, and reflective in sunlight—a problem concentrated in Florida and Texas. The glossy surface throws glare onto the windshield, degrading visibility enough that drivers consider it unsafe. Most owners who complained to dealers or Nissan were told the vehicle was out of warranty or that no recall applied. One dealer agreed to cover only half the repair cost.
Paint peeling is a recurring complaint. Owners describe chunks coming off the hood and roof, sometimes triggered by car washes, sometimes without clear cause. Rear-bumper paint fails repeatedly at the body seam even after multiple repaints. One owner claims a dealer-recommended Xzilon protectant accelerated the damage; another paid over $500 to strip and refinish the hood.
Hood latches pose a safety hazard: the release lever sits under the dash where a driver's toe can accidentally trigger it. One owner's hood flew open at 70 mph on the highway, damaging the windshield, roof, hood, and hinges. Notably, the 2013 model was recalled for this same design; the 2012 and 2014 models share the identical latch design but were not recalled.
Water intrusion troubles multiple owners. Door panels accumulate water during rain or car washes; drivers hear it sloshing inside. Sunroofs leak during heavy rain even after drain cleaning. Door locks occasionally fail to open from inside or outside during wet weather, with one owner reporting all four actuators failing at once.
Same Nissan Altima body reports on nearby years: 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2013 · 2014
Failure modes owners describe
Dashboard melting and deterioration
Dashboard material becomes soft, sticky, shiny, and reflective in sunlight, sometimes expanding across the entire dashboard surface. The glossy, reflective surface creates significant glare on the windshield that reduces driver visibility and poses a safety hazard. Some dashboards emit a strong rubber odor. The failure has been observed in Florida and Texas climates.
When: 40,000 to 121,439 miles; typically occurs in vehicles exposed to prolonged sun heat
Symptoms owners cite: Dashboard becomes shiny, sticky, and reflective; Strong glare from dashboard reflection on windshield; Reduced visibility while driving, especially into sunlight; Abnormal rubber odor from dashboard; Cracking of dashboard material
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers declined repair or claimed vehicle out of warranty. Manufacturer acknowledged failure but declined assistance or offered only 50% reimbursement in one case. No OEM repair protocol documented.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Nissan claimed no recall applied; offered no assistance or partial reimbursement only; customer informed vehicle out of warranty
Paint delamination and peeling
Paint comes off the hood and roof in chunks or peeling sections, sometimes triggered during car washing or normal environmental exposure. Affected areas show poor adhesion to substrate. Paint on rear bumper also peels repeatedly at the body seam even after multiple repaints. One owner applied dealer-recommended Xzilon protectant which allegedly accelerated paint failure.
When: 30 days to over 10 years of ownership; varies by location and maintenance
Symptoms owners cite: Paint peeling off hood and roof; Paint coming off rear bumper at body seam; Water spots after Xzilon protectant application; Visible marks and deterioration on hood after protectant use; Paint failure after car washes
Repairs/costs cited: Hood repaint cost over $500 requiring strip to bare metal and full refinish. Rear bumper required multiple repaints with continued failure. Dealer recommended Xzilon protectant; owner claims this caused additional damage.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Nissan claimed paint failure was environmental issue, not manufacturer defect; denied responsibility after 6+ months of customer complaints
Hood latch failure and unintended hood opening
Hood can be accidentally released by foot contact with hood release lever located under the dash. Hood flies open during highway driving at 70 mph, causing impact damage to windshield, roof, hood, and fenders. Damage to hood hinges also occurred. Design flaw allows easy accidental actuation of latch mechanism.
When: During highway operation; accidental activation at any time
Symptoms owners cite: Hood can be released by toe contact with dash-mounted lever; Hood flies open during highway driving; Damage to windshield, roof, hood, and fenders from hood impact; Damage to hood hinges; Safety hazard at highway speeds
Repairs/costs cited: Collision damage to windshield, roof, hood, and hinges. 2013 model year recalled for same design flaw; 2012-2014 models use identical design per owner observation.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: 2013 models were recalled for this defect; 2012 and 2014 models have same design but no recall issued
Water intrusion in door panels
Water accumulates inside front and rear door panels during rain or car washing. Water can be heard sloshing inside doors while driving. Owners must manually force water out by picking at rubber seals at bottom of door. Door seals appear inadequate to prevent water ingress.
When: 15,000 miles and beyond; occurs during rain and car washes
Symptoms owners cite: Water visible inside door panels (front driver and passenger doors, rear doors); Water sloshing sound heard while driving; Water gushes out when doors are forced open; Visible water accumulation at bottom of doors
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer diagnosed that door seals needed replacement; parts were not available. Owner manually extracted water from doors.
Sunroof leaks
Water leaks through sunroof during heavy rain, primarily on passenger side. Leaking continues even after drain cleaning and headliner removal. Issue reported across multiple Nissan and Infiniti models since 2003, suggesting systemic design flaw.
When: Occurs during heavy rain; issue affects multiple model years
Symptoms owners cite: Water leaking through sunroof during heavy rain; Leaking both when driving and parked; Water intrusion on passenger side; Leak persists after drain cleaning; Leak persists after headliner removal
Repairs/costs cited: Owner paid hundreds of dollars attempting correction; drain cleaning and headliner removal did not resolve issue.
Door lock/actuator failure
Doors fail to open from inside or outside during inclement weather; failure is intermittent and recurs multiple times. All four door actuators failed simultaneously on at least one vehicle, raising concerns about common electrical fault or design weakness.
When: During and after inclement weather conditions
Symptoms owners cite: Doors fail to open from inside; Doors fail to open from outside; Failure occurs during wet/rainy conditions; Failure recurs multiple times; All four door actuators failed simultaneously
Leather steering wheel cracking
Leather-wrapped steering wheel develops splits in the grain at the location where the driver's right hand grips, within approximately 8 months of purchase.
When: Within 8 months of purchase (8/2/2012 to 3/17/2013)
Symptoms owners cite: Leather splitting in the grain; Cracking at right-hand grip location
Hood latch design defect (unable to close properly)
Hood latch mechanism is defective and prevents proper hood closure.
Symptoms owners cite: Hood cannot close properly
Synthesized from 28 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 2 most recent
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.
The hood latch is defective and the hood can not close properly.
Had body trouble with your 2012 Nissan Altima?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the body problem on the 2012 Nissan Altima?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 28 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $1,500 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the body typically fail?
Across the 18 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most body failures cluster between 15,000 and 84,000 miles, with the median around 50,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 15,000; a quarter make it past 84,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $1,500 for body repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to body?
No active recalls currently cover body issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2012/Nissan/Altima.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.