Nissan Altima Complaints (2012)

426 consumer complaints on file.

#11528595June 23, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving back from Wichita today my hood kept popping open. I had to pull off the interstate and close it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514891April 1, 2023
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
When I BARELY accelerate my car it does a very aggressive bucking motion along with loud noise. I have done put over $3k in vehicle! Nissan fix your shit!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511311March 11, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Have a '12 SR coupe. Car keeps turning over for 5-10 seconds before starting. The alternator checked fine, but the battery voltage was a little low. I bought a brand new battery and that seemed to fix the problem....... for an hour. New battery is at the correct voltage, and alternator came back fine again. Even Nissan themselves have bo idea what's wrong. I've never seen this complaint anywhere, but I assume not that many people own the coupes. I even had an 09 SE coupe that never did this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510828March 8, 2023
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was jerking. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25-30 MPH. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508828February 23, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
What component or system failed or malfunction and is it available for inspection upon request. The CVT failsafe high fluid temperature protection mode enacted while I was driving on the highway at speeds of 65 to 70 mph going with the flow of traffic it is not available for inspection upon request because this issue only occurs while you're driving down the highway. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety and the safety of my passengers and the safety of my fellow commuters was put in jeopardy due to negligence of the manufacturer of the 2012 Nissan Altima when this occurs all acceleration ceases your foot can be all the way to the floor on the gas pedal and your car will not accelerate and in the fast lane on the highway when this happened I became a Sitting Duck in the flow of traffic cars are flying by me and my passengers and I can't get enough speed to change lanes and get out of danger due to a failsafe that Nissan put in these cars on purpose they were fully aware of these issues this is a direct quote from the 2012 Nissan Altima owners manual page 5-17 warning when the high fluid temperature protection mode or fail safe operation occurs vehicle speed may be gradually reduced the reduced speed may be lower than traffic which could increase the chance of a collision be especially careful when driving if necessary pull to the side of the road to a safe place and allow the transmission to return to normal operation or have it reparative necessary. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Unknown. has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer police Insurance Representatives or others. Unknown. Where there any warning lamps messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure and when did they first appear. Zero warning lamps no messages just all of the sudden no acceleration and I am in a very dangerous situation which could have cost many people their lives
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507535February 16, 2023
AIR BAGS
The airbag warning light started flashing in late November or early December 2022. I took the car to my mechanic on Dec. 5, 2022 who ran a diagnostic which identified the need to replace the sensor in the front passenger seat. The sensor is so integrated into the seat that the entire seat (not the back) must be replaced. I was then told that Nissan has stopped making the seat because the car is over 10 years old and a replacement is unavailable nationwide and will not become available. I called a Nissan dealer to confirm that the part is unavailable and they confirmed it. As a result, it is unsafe for a person to sit in the passenger seat. It seems wrong that Nissan can stop making such an essential part and devalue someone's life or the vehicle itself in this way. It also seems to me that I cannot sell the car in this condition and it only has about 76,000 miles on it. The vehicle is available for inspection should someone wish to do so.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501395January 12, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
Hi I’m having trouble with my transmission in my car due to a safety feature that Nissan has installed on there cvt transmissions. After driving for 1 1/2 to 2 hour trips my car does not accelerate or will have a slow time gaining speed. Nissan has a high fluid temperature protection mode that basically when the transmission temp gets too high the computer cuts you off completely and intentionally stops you from going any faster. This is a serious issues if your in traffic or driving somewhere on the highway and not able to move to the side of the roadway or to a median. If my car was to completely stop in the middle of the road due to this safety feature, it could cause collisions and life threatening injuries.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497824December 16, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Transmission spudders at times. It is very delayed when pulling out sometimes. Turning the car off and back on might help sometimes. Car will go in limp mode. Nissan dealer said it was the Transmission. There is a big safety concern because when you push the gas trying to cross an intersection, it might lag behind and not go. This could result in being hit. This has been a great car but the cat is complete junk and Nissan should be ashamed of themselves for this. If they get enough law suits they may change something. Well maybe, They don't care about peoples lives.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495031November 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle when in drive or reverse would barely move and almost got stranded in traffic. Finally will not move at all
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492388November 5, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
2012 Altima defective sticky melting dashboard cause severe windshield glare when driving when sun from a certain angle ( no vehicle accident so far)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491518October 30, 2022
POWER TRAIN
After making right turn onto very busy 4 lane road with cars traveling 55 mph, the car failed to accelerate and had no power. Car acted as though it was in neutral. Fortunately, the road was downhill at this point and after turning on emergency blinking lights was able to coast about 3/4 mile to next street and turn right. I was almost rear ended three times during this coasting period at about 15 mph. On this part of the highway there was no place to pull over as the curb was next to the right hand lane. Had the car towed to a Nissan dealer the next day and was told that the transmission had "totally disintegrated" and was "unrepairable." Cost $4800 to repair. Was told that this was a "common occurrence" with the 2008-2014 CVT Nissan transmissions. Nissan has recalled many CVT transmissions but not 2012. Service manager also said that we were "lucky that disintegrated the way it did as some cars locked up in geared and immediately stopped." There was no prior warning of a transmission problem. No lights, no noise, no nothing. There was no way to know a problem or potential failure was imminent. This car is a danger. Had this occurred on a freeway in Los Angeles where we were driving just prior to this failure, it could have caused a major injury accident. This transmission should be recalled. The car had 97,000 miles. Nissan should be required to recall and reimburse owners who have suffered this failure in 2012 Altima transmissions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487752October 3, 2022
AIR BAGS
Car had a hard impact, not on the front end but flipped multiple times, air bags and side air bags did not deploy
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11480257August 19, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On a road trip car stopped accelerating above 60. Caused us a long time sitting on the side of the road when car cooled we started up and went again. Took it into the shop and replaced the fuel pump. Then one week later on a trip to Idaho car is doing the same thing over the Milan pass. Acceleration does not work at high speeds even with a new fuel pump. Seems to make an airy fan sound like an air valve is wide open. Think it is a dangerous sensor issue. Ug. Help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465340May 19, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE DASHBOARD IS MELTING. IT IS NOW TO THE POINT WHERE IT PEELS UP IF ANY ITEM IS PLACED ON IT AND THEN REMOVED. THERE IS A WET OILY SUBSTANCE FORMING IN PLACES ALL OVER THE DASH. IT IS INCREDIBLY STICKY ALL OVER. I PLACED MY CELL PHONE ON THE DASH WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I HAD TO APPLY FORCE TO GET IT OFF OF MY DASH. THAT RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE GOING IN TO THE LANE ADJACENT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS JERKED DURING REMOVAL OF THE PHONE. IT POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS CRASH. THE PHONE PULLED PART OF THE VINYL DASH OFF AS WELL. I HAVE CHECKED RECALLS FOR NISSAN AND THE DASH IS NOT AMONG THEM. I NOTED A VERY SLIGHT STICKINESS ON THE DASH WHEN I PURCHASED THE ALTIMA USED IN 2017 AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY BECOME WORSE UNTIL I AM NOW IN THE SITUATION I HAVE REPORTED. AS A SIDE NOTE, I HAD PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2006 TOYOTA SOLERA IT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE DASH. TOYOTA DID ISSUE A RECALL ON THE DASH. I HAD IT REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP WITHOUT INCIDENT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461598April 21, 2022
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the traction control warning light would intermittently illuminate. As a result, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that he would turn off the vehicle for approximately 20 seconds before restarting the vehicle to resume normal driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where minor repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460460April 11, 2022
POWER TRAIN
I have a 2012 Nissan Altima. Four years ago I drove from Sacramento, CA, to Reno, NV, with two friends in my car. As I was driving over the summit on Highway 80 my car started to lose power. This was extremely scary as the highway is only two lanes and since it was a Saturday there was a lot of traffic. I was driving in the slow lane and as my car continued to lose power and slow there was noplace to get off the road. I pulled onto the narrow sholder between the slow lane and the concrete barrier and my car came to a complete stop. Since there were cars whizzing by I was not able to open either the drivers side door or the passenger side door, which was inches away from the concrete divider. At this point I was shaking uncontrollably and in a panic I called Nissan of Sacramento to tell them what happened. The technician suggested that my transmission may have over-heated. He suggested that I wait for the transmission to cool and see if I was able to then make it to the nearest freeway offramp, which I did. After exiting the freeway we waited for an hour or so and were then able to proceed to Reno, NV. Once there, I took my car to a mechanic who checked the other systems and could find nothing wrong. Once back home in Sacramento I took my car to Nissan of Sacramento and was then informed that my transmission had burned and would need to be replaced. They contacted Nissan and were informed that there were no recalls and that I would need to pay for a new transmission out of pocket and the cost would exceed $4,700. After contacting Nissan myself, they informed me that they would not cover the cost of a new transmission. Since I am a retired, single senior citizen living on a fixed income, I have not been able to replace the transmission and subsequently have not driven more than 20 miles from my home. I have read that CVT Transmission problems are very common with Nissan Altimas. Why would they deny my claim when this is such a serious safety issue?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460260April 9, 2022
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Our vehicle has been in no collisions or anything and has been well taken care of. Out of nowhere about 3 years our airbag light came on indicating that it will not deploy. We tried to get Nissan to fix it due to hearing of recalls in the past but they said our vehicle was not included. They then said they had to try one thing at a time and the first thing was replacing the seat for $1400 and if that didn't work they will continue down a list of 10 possible things. So basically the vehicle is a deathtrap and we are not sure how it even became that. Seems like it has to be an electrical issue or the issue mentioned in the recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460006April 7, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
CAR DASH HAS BECOME A HAZARD TO DRIVING SAFELY. THE DASH ORIGINALLY, WHEN PURCHASED NEW FROM THE DEALER, HAD A PEBBLED MATT FINISH SIMILAR TO A FOOTBALL OR BASKETBALL. IN THE PAST YEAR THAT FINISH IS DISSOLVED INTO A SLICK STICKY HIGHLY REFLECTIVE STATE. THIS REFLECTIVE STATE CAUSES THE DRIVER TO BE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND UNABLE TO SEE OUT OF THE FRONT WINDOW; THIS IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. FURTHER RESEARCH OF THIS EVENT WITH MY VEHICLE HAS FOUND IT NOT TO BE UNIQUE TO MY VEHICLE. THIS IS A VERY COMMON AND VERY DANGEROUS. THIS IS A DEFECT OF DESIGN ONLY AND AS SUCH NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY NISSAN CORPORATE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11458772March 29, 2022
STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:DASHBOARD
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, he noticed that the dashboard was shiny and was melting in a small area. The failure expanded to cover the entire dashboard causing visibility issues while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the mechanic declined to diagnose the failure without a diagnostic fee being paid. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456560March 14, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car got stuck in a high gear on the interstate. Speed reduced dramatically and went below minimum speed limit (40mph). No warning lights illuminated. My vehicle has had this issue twice within the last 6 years. Took my car to the dealership where I bought it but they said that they didn't have anybody that could check a CVT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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