2012 Nissan Altima: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 423 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 4 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
423
Complaints
4
Recalls
23
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
26
Injuries
73.8
Severity index
Severity index 73.8 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Nissan Altima ranks 53 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 59% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 149 | 35.2% |
| ENGINE | 68 | 16.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 56 | 13.2% |
| AIR BAGS | 56 | 13.2% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 49 | 11.6% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 44 | 10.4% |
| STRUCTURE | 32 | 7.6% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 20 | 4.7% |
The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 149 of 423 complaints (35.2%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 21 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2014 | 29 |
| 2015 | 41 |
| 2016 | 38 |
| 2017 | 44 |
| 2018 | 69 |
| 2019 | 58 |
| 2020 | 44 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12V055000 | 14/02/2012 | 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 CONTAIN AN INCORRECT PROPELLANT MIXTURE FOR THE INITIATOR COMPONENT USED, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT OUTPUT OF COMPRESSED GAS. |
| 11V408000 | 09/08/2011 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE | 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 |
| 12V494000 | 10/10/2012 | STEERING | 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. |
| 11V371000 | 19/07/2011 | SUSPENSION | 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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.