"How reliable is the 2012 Nissan Sentra?"

"Based on 259 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Nissan Sentra has a median complaint mileage of 62000 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Nissan Sentra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Nissan Sentra is POWER TRAIN, accounting for a significant portion of the 259 total complaints filed."

2012 Nissan Sentra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 259 complaints

259

Total Complaints

62,000mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

18,319 25th Percentile

62,000 Median Mileage

90,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE:BODY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE CAR WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A SOFT STOP SUDDENLY COMES TO AN ABRUPT STOP. WHILE RELEASING THE BRAKE THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPS HARD AND CAUSES THE CAR TO LURCHES FORWARD. THE SYSTEM OF THE CAR SEEMS TO WANT TO STOP THE CAR HARD ON SYSTEMS OWN DECISION."

"TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE BUT INSTEAD, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO REVERSE. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY OFF IN ORDER FOR IT TO RESET AND RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABL..."

"I JUST PURCHASED A BRAND NEW OFF THE LOT 2012 NISSAN SENTRA IMMEDIATLY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP UPON LEAVING TOLD THEM THE ALIGNMENT WAS OFF THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN AND THEY WOULD REALIGN THE CAR, IN THE MEANTIME WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES THE CAR WANTS TO KEEP GOING AND THROUGHS ITSELF INTO ANOTHER GEAR..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

POWER TRAIN 67 complaints

25th: 33,398 mi Median: 71,000 mi 75th: 92,000 mi

ENGINE 39 complaints

25th: 53,500 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 103,043 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 22 complaints

25th: 31,796 mi Median: 84,000 mi 75th: 95,000 mi

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 21 complaints

25th: 52,273 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 94,957 mi

AIR BAGS 20 complaints

25th: 33,122 mi Median: 72,000 mi 75th: 103,750 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 40 TX: 21 FL: 19 VA: 16 NY: 14 PA: 13 GA: 11 CO: 9 AZ: 8 MA: 8

Who Files Complaints?

0.4%

Original Owners

99.6%

Second+ Owners

Nissan Sentra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	45	-	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	8
1991	77	202,299	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY	10
1992	81	107,500	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	10
1993	89	110,439	POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION	11
1994	130	180,000	SEAT BELTS	29
1995	158	157,994	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	38
1996	177	63,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	47
1997	138	113,500	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	34
1998	76	102,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	21
1999	74	78,987	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION	19
2000	236	53,800	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	27
2001	307	60,500	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	38
2002	372	69,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	19
2003	240	66,956	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	17
2004	235	75,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	27
2005	224	77,650	ENGINE	16
2006	155	80,000	AIR BAGS	29
2007	214	61,000	AIR BAGS	32
2008	233	67,318	AIR BAGS	31
2009	81	56,000	AIR BAGS	18
2010	212	76,328	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	18
2011	199	75,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	26
2013	864	59,000	POWER TRAIN	35
2014	522	65,889	POWER TRAIN	32
2015	488	50,000	POWER TRAIN	34
2016	397	55,000	POWER TRAIN	29
2017	334	42,000	POWER TRAIN	41
2018	283	39,000	POWER TRAIN	29
2019	343	22,324	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	27
2020	306	17,250	STEERING	17
2021	201	25,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	27
2022	129	30,700	STEERING	3
2023	31	-	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1
2024	49	30,000	STEERING	11
2025	33	-	ENGINE	7

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28