2012 Nissan Altima: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
425 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
425 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 30.36
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Took the car to a repair shop to get an alignment. Was told that the frame rear cross member was so rusty that it needed to be replaced, and that if it broke while driving I would lose control of the car. The component has not been removed from the car. No one else has looked at the car. Only prior warning/message/symptom was uneven rear tire wear first noticed about 6 months prior, but that may have been due to bad …
I was working, and as I was on my way to a location a lady in front of me came to a complete stop since a couple of ducks were crossing causing me to come to a complete stop as well. As I stopped I looked into my rearview mirror I noticed the lady behind me was not stopping and then smashed into the back of me launching me into the car in front of me. My passenger air bag went off, however my driver seat airbag did n…
The vehicle is unsafe to driver and others on the road. The power steering hose has had a leak since it was manufactured and was not fixed by the manufacturer at all! Tie rods gave away within 5 years of a mileage less than 24,200 miles. Cv joints along with tie rods have been easily compromised and damaged causing loss of control and steering .suspensions are no longer in tact nor reliable and will pose a danger. A…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 11V408000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-I | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 15, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 21, 2011 AND MODEL YEAR 201… |
| 12V494000 | Steering | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may … |
| 12V055000 | Air Bags:Side/Window | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ALTIMA AND VERSA VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS THAT CONTA… |
| 11V371000 | Suspension | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 25, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 10, 2011 AT THE… |
EPA combined 26 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,350
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (149 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 32/100, computed from 425 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Nissan Altima, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 09/08/2011. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.