2012 Nissan Quest: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
93 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 93 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 6.64
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
My van is not accelerating properly, it seems to idle out and does not go over 20 mph it idles on acceleration decline. i could not get out of way fast enough if traffic was busy.
The contact owed a 2012 Nissan Quest. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into reverse, the vehicle launched forward at high speed without any warning. The contact pressed on the brake pedal, but it failed to stop the vehicle, causing the contact to loss control and drive into a ditch and crashing a tree causing the vehicle came to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered injuries …
CVT Transmission failed and had to replace with new CVT Transmission while returning from a trip on June 7 2023. It failed in middle of the trip. Aamco Boardman, OH helped replace it with brand new transmission and it cost $7525. Last year also Compressor failed and had to replace it with brand new compressor at the local garage here in Shippensburg. Mileage is only 110000 miles. Very disappointed and dissatisfied wi…
Recalls: 1 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 12V076000 | Electrical System:Software | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN QUEST VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 29, 2010, THROUGH FEBRUARY 21, 2012. DUE TO SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING, WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS OR IDLING ON A DECLINE WITH ¼ TANK FUEL OR LESS, THERE MAY BE AN INSUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a minivan of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 21 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,950
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Power Train28 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System18 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System16 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Engine13 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other12 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Structure9 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
Other Nissan Quest years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Nissan Quest?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (28 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2012 Nissan Quest a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 60/100, computed from 93 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2012 Nissan Quest's most common problem?
28 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2012 Nissan Quest sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2012 Nissan Quest cost to run per year?
About $5,495 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $27,478 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2012 Nissan Quest have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Nissan Quest, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 29/02/2012. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other minivans of about the same age.
What will a 2012 Nissan Quest really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & 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: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 93 complaints, 1 recalls on record
- 93 NHTSA complaints on record (6.6/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (2.9/yr)
- 1 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems