Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 180 safety complaints
about the 2012 Nissan Sentra with the US government. Of those, 10 describe a crash, 4 mention a fire, 10 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the power train,
named in 68 complaints, 38% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 64,000 miles,
the median across the 129
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers August 2011 to August 2025 · How this is counted
What is on file
180 complaints on file
180
Complaints
10
Describe a crash
4
Mention fire
10
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 68 · 38%
68 38%
ENGINE 39 · 22%
39 22%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 22 · 12%
22 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 21 · 12%
21 12%
AIR BAGS 20 · 11%
20 11%
STRUCTURE 17 · 9%
17 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 7%
13 7%
VISIBILITY 10 · 6%
10 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9 · 5%
9 5%
STEERING 9 · 5%
9 5%
SUSPENSION 6 · 3%
6 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 3%
5 3%
03162
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 180.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2019 at 34.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2011 to 2025.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 Nissan SENTRA, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
11.6%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ENGINE
3 injured · crash · towed
2012 NISSAN SENTRA WAS BOUGHT 3 WEEKS PRIOR WITH NO PROBLEMS. WHILE TRAVELING 60 - 70 MPH ON A HIGHWAY THE CAR SUDDENLY STOP RUNNING AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO STEER OUT OF THE TROUBLED AREA ON THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY. AFTER RESEARCH IT SEEM TO BE THE SAME ACTIONS THAT HAS HAPPENED TO THOUSANDS OF OTHER NISSAN SENTRAS. THE DEFECTED CVT TRANSMISSION CAUSES THIS TO HAPPEN. LUCKILY MY SON WAS NOT KILLED DURING A ACCIDENT THAT WAS CAUSED AFTER HE WAS REAR ENDED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.
NHTSA complaint 11291934. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
2 injured · crash · 60,000 miles
I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IN NOVEMBER. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE DRIVER BROKE THEIR NOSE AND THEN FLED THE SCENE. I WAS UNCONSIOUS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN WMTS ARRIVED AND DO TO THE DRIVER FLEEING I WAS CHARGED WITH THE ACCIDENT AND INSURANCE FAILED TO PAY THE SETTLEMENT. ALL ON CLAIMS THAT HAD I BEEN IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE AIRBAG WOULD HAVE WENT OFF. I KNOW THAT NISSAN HAS AIRBAG PROBLEMS ALL AROUND THE YEAR OF MY CAR BUT AM TRYING TO FIND IF ANY OF THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS ARE IN MY CAR AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A NON DEPLOYMENT. THE COPS ESTIMATED THAT WE WERE GOING 50 MPH AND HIT A TREE. I WAS ASLEEP IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SO AM NOT SURE OF HOW MY BODY WAS POSITIONED IF IT …
NHTSA complaint 10716583, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · fire · crash · 62,500 miles
RAINY NIGHT 55 MPH CRASH. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WET ROAD, CAR RAN OFF ROAD, HIT A SIGN POST, WENT DOWN EMBANKMENT, FLIPPED AND ROLLED OVER INTO DITCH. DAUGHTER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED... 4 BROKEN LOWER BACK VERTEBRAE, 9 BROKEN RIBS, NUMEROUS PELVIC FRACTURES, LACERATED SPLEEN AND KIDNEY. SEEMS LIKE THESE INJURIES COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH LESS SEVERE IF THE AIRBAGS WOULD HAVE DEPLOYED.*DT *DT*JB
NHTSA complaint 11206122. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
The contact owned a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while her boyfriend was driving at 40 MPH and passing a side street, another driver traveling in a Subaru failed to yield. As a result, the Subaru collided with the passenger side of the contact's vehicle sending the vehicle careening off the roadway and into a wooded area only coming to a complete stop after colliding with a tree. The air bags did not deploy resulting in the driver sustaining injuries that the contact attributed to the failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the insurance provider. A police report was filed and injuries were reported. The …
NHTSA complaint 11626015, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
160,504 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,504.
NHTSA complaint 11677777. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
My ABS light and skid light is staying on all the time.
NHTSA complaint 11642312. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
car stalled no power in gas pedal traveling across for lane traffic just lost power to the gas pedal. was able to pull over and tuned off car after a few minutes of sitting power was restore and was able to drive again I have been told this is a transmission issue I am not sure but defiantly a safety issue losing power like that
NHTSA complaint 11622787. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
174,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to turn on the headlights, the air bags deployed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Special Coverage Adjustment: 23520 Passenger Presence Sensor (PPS) Module; however, the VIN was not included in the Special Coverage Adjustment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 174,000.
NHTSA complaint 11615049. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The rearview mirror fell off the windshield and was hanging by the wires, which was found when entering the vehicle to drive; when touched, the wires and everything fell the rest off the way off the windshield. Glass from the windshield broke off with the rearview mirror. This was hazardous to be missing while driving and has prevented visibility and impacted safety. A mechanic is repairing the vehicle and has never seen anything like this issue, but upon looking up this specific problem, it appears many Nissan Sentra owners have experienced the same issue.
NHTSA complaint 11608044. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst