2012 Nissan Sentra Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 0 safety recalls and 180 owner complaints for the 2012 Nissan Sentra.

Most-described problems: loss of power or limp mode and transmission failure or replacement (23 complaints, 13% each). Most-reported area: powertrain (68 complaints, 38%; median mileage when it happened: 71,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

0 safety recalls for the 2012 Nissan Sentra

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2012 Nissan Sentra in its recall file dated Oct 2, 2026. Recalls can still be issued later, so check your VIN from time to time.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 Nissan Sentra.

What owners report

Owners have filed 180 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Sentra. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Loss of power or limp mode23 · 13%
• Transmission failure or replacement23 · 13%
  Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Check engine light13 · 7%
• Shattered sunroof11 · 6%
• Hesitation or slow acceleration10 · 6%
• Stalling or shutting off9 · 5%
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting6 · 3%
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration6 · 3%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Powertrain68 · 38%
  Median 71,000 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Engine39 · 22%
  Median 85,000 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
• Speed control22 · 12%
  Median 84,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Air bags20 · 11%
  Median 72,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Body structure17 · 9%
  Most named: body (14)
• Electrical system13 · 7%
• Visibility10 · 6%
  Most named: sun/moon roof assembly (8)
• Unknown or other21 · 12%
  Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Nissan Sentra recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2013 Sentra drew the most (150) and the 2012 drew 43.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 Sentra MPG

Questions