2012 Nissan Sentra: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 180 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
180
Complaints
0
Recalls
10
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
10
Injuries
80.0
Severity index
Severity index 80.0 - 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 Sentra ranks 49 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 62% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 68 | 37.8% |
| ENGINE | 39 | 21.7% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 22 | 12.2% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 21 | 11.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 20 | 11.1% |
| STRUCTURE | 17 | 9.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 13 | 7.2% |
| VISIBILITY | 10 | 5.6% |
The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 68 of 180 complaints (37.8%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 9 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2014 | 17 |
| 2015 | 19 |
| 2016 | 14 |
| 2017 | 17 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 34 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
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.