Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
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.
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.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Nissan Altima. While the vehicle was parked at home with the engine turned off, it caught on fire. The contact noticed the flames coming from the front of the vehicle between the hood and windshield. Prior to the fire, there were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact extinguished the fire with a water hose. The fire department and police were not notified. The auto insurance company inspected the vehicle and deemed it a total loss. The contact stated that the insurance inspector was unable to determine the cause of the fire as the wires behind the engine block were melted. The vehicle was not inspected by an independent mechanic or dealer to determine the cause of the fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
The vehicle's doors stopped locking and unlocking properly. It has been found that all 4 door locks have the same issue, where they lock sometimes and at other times, they don't. The alarm system is doing strange things, also. By that, I mean there will be times when I press the door button and hear the double-beep, instead of the single-beep that would unlock the button. As I open the door, I expect the alarm to go off, as I assume the alarm system believes the door is now locked. However, the door will open, the alarm won't go off, then the warning beeps will sound as the door is closed, making the beeping warning sound associated with attempting to lock the vehicle with your keys still inside. This is clearly a factory issue for Nissan, but it is a safety concern, as the lock is an added measure of security for kids and safety within a vehicle. …
I just recently replaced the battery in my 2012 Nissan Altima and now I am having the following problems: gauge cluster is not working at all (engine temp, RPM, speedometer, gas). Everything else is working fine. I had all the fuses checked and all are working properly. I took to dealer, they are saying replace instrument cluster, program and retest for BCM failure(2 concerns-inst cluster no comm, power and ground present, u1000 and can system diag failed cluster can not get mileage) retest for BCM failure after install cluster is replaced (2nd concern is car is hard to turn on and off need to replace cluster and retest for possible BCM failure. My car was fine 1 week ago and passed the state safety inspection on 03/25/2017 at a certified inspection place. I have proof of all those copies it is truly manufacture ( Nissan ) problem with kind of vehicle manufacturing practice. …
My 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 sl cut off while I was driving yesterday. I was going about 15 MPH and making a right turn when the car cut off in the middle of the turn. There were no warning lights before, during or after the incident. I was able to coast into the parking lot where I restarted the car. There was of a tank of gas in the car and all of the battery cables were secure. I had the battery and alternator checked and both were fine. There are 76,979 miles on the car. This was the first time this has ever happened, however, after doing some research I have learned this is a common problem with this vehicle. I have loved driving this car for the past few years, but now I am afraid this will continue to happen and could cause me to lose my life in a traffic accident. Please advise me of your official recommendation as to how I should proceed.
All three passenger door lock actuators are failing. The problem occurs when the vehicle is stationary, with the engine and accessories off. When I activate the lock with the button on the outside of the driver's door, one or more doors sometimes fail to lock or unlock. The problem seems to happen more often in cold weather. The problem May happen less often when I use the remote fob to lock/unlock the doors. If the car thinks it is locked, and I open an unlocked passenger door, the alarm activates. This makes it very inconvenient for me to manually check that all of my doors are locked. If my car does not lock, my personal effects are at risk of theft. As a safety concern, if my car is not secured, I am at greater risk of being car-jacked.
Security prompt to" press brake to start" in vechicle information display failed causing confusion on proper starting procedure for the vechicle. Information to start vechicle is blank in the screen,this problem started with early 2007 models and has showed up in my 2012 Altima. This vechicle is store normally has 32K miles on it as of 10/9/2018 and shouldnt have had this kind of failure. What else is going to fail in this instrument cluster while driving, it safety issue. This display went out when stopped and turned off. This failure caused loss of warning information about the vechicle operation.see photos of normal operation supplied by this display.
Just purchased this vehicle used and noticed on the test drive the passenger seat airbag light was lit up indicating it was off, even though someone was in the seat. Brought it to their attention, 5 minutes later they brought it back claiming it needed reset due to a sensor having something to do with a carseat. The light wasn't on with a passenger so I assumed it was fine. Now the light briefly illuminates at start up, but stays off regardless of whether or not someone is in the seat. I have seen about 20 other complaints on this issue and it is very unsafe, I now have zero faith that the airbag will even deploy. Needs to be recalled!!
Electrical complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2012 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 Nissan Altima, 10% of the model year's 426 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Nissan Altima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2012 Nissan Altima, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Nissan Altima electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 47,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.