Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Altima, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train149
- Engine68
- Air bags57
- Unknown or other56
- Vehicle speed control49
- Electrical system44
- Structure33
- Service brakes17
- Suspension17
- Steering17
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 26 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 275 2012 Altima vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 195 people died inside them, and 33 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2012 Nissan Altima failed the safety check 2.65% of the time — 5% more often than the average 2012 passenger car (2.52%). Median odometer at inspection: 113,535 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 0 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD | ★★★★☆ | 10.5 % |
| 2012 Nissan Altima 2 DR FWD | — | 9.3 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 4 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 7 variants: combined 8.7–11.0 L/100 km (about 21–27 mpg US), CO₂ 200–253 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.0 | 7.2 | 8.7 |
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.1 | 7.4 | 8.9 |
| Altima Coupe · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 10.2 | 7.4 | 9.0 |
| Altima Coupe · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 10.3 | 7.5 | 9.1 |
| Altima Coupe · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 11.6 | 8.7 | 10.3 |
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 11.8 | 8.7 | 10.4 |
| Altima Coupe · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 12.9 | 8.7 | 11.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2012 Nissan Altima.
| 2012056 14 Feb 2012 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the side curtain airbag inflators may have been incorrectly manufactured and, as a result, one or both airbags may not deploy as intended. … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Nissan told its dealers about the 2012 Nissan Altima: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11004962 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004961 | CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004960 | CAN COMMUNICATION CODES DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001201 | WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001194 | 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. |
| 11001191 | WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10243708 | DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10239062 | SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or grease, or inadvertently overspray Silicone-based lubricant or grease onto any interior electrical components. These types of lubricants can be detrimental to the proper operation of electrical components. |
| 10239060 | 12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These recommendations are expected to promote uniformity during the connection process, therefore reducing the number of incorrect Test with DCA and Replace results. HINT: If 12 volt batteries are allowed to discharge for a prolonged period of time, battery life may be drastically reduced. This condition may lead to premature battery replacement and customer dissatisfaction. |
| 10235710 | INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235707 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235698 | HEADLAMP, FOG LAMP, OR REAR COMBINATION LAMP FOGGING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10233904 | CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10233896 | ABS/VDC CAN DIAGNOSIS INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10232658 | 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. |
| 10232657 | WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10232656 | WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10232652 | DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10222714 | CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10208953 | DTC P0456 CAUSED BY EVAP LEAK AT VENT CONTROL VALVE O-RING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10208948 | EVAP LEAK DTC P0442, P0455, P0456 INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10208946 | CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10206391 | STRUT AND SHOCK ABSORBER REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10199148 | CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10192840 | SERVICE INFORMATION Temporary tire Flat Spotting is common on New Dealer In-Stock vehicles that have not been occasionally moved. Flat Spotting can occur after the vehicle has been parked (not moved) for a few days, or longer. In most cases it is temporary. In extreme cases it can be permanent. Vehicles should be moved every 30 days, in one direction only, enough to rotate the tires 90 (see Figure 1). Moving vehicles as shown will prevent tire Flat Spotting. See this bulletin for further detail. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Autoliv Air Bag Propellant Mixture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation