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).
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.
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 …
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.
While pulling into a parking place at a restaurant all of a sudden my wife heard a loud noise and surge from the engine propelling the car forward and over an embankment fortunately for a few trees and god's help my wife is thankfully still alive the embankment had approximately 100' drop this has never happened before the sound coming from the engine she still hears, not sure once the car is fixed if we buy another Nissan Altima or even continue to drive this one, something caused this car to surge and it definitely was not her foot,
Twice, I was driving at a speed of 75 MPH on i25 headed north. As I arrived into colorado springs, my vehicle decelerated to 30 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. I immediately pulled over. I waitied for about 15 min. Started my vehicle up & still it would only go 30 MPH. I turned around & headed back for pueblo. Unsure & afraid that my vehicle would not make it home. Once my car was sitting for an hour, the transmission allowed the speed to rise above 30 MPH. The same incident occurred on 6/27/2015. I am afraid to drive my vehicile out of town, in fear of getting stranded, the car overheating & the mechanical transmission malfunctioning. The Nissan dealer in order to resolve the problem, needs to install a "transmission cooling system". I purchased the extended warranty thru 1st extended, over $2600.00. They refuse to honor the warranty, claiming the cooler was ot in the car to begin with. …
I was driving my car down the road heading to get something to eat. It was a Sunday night, it just started misting rain. I drove on my usual curvy 2 lane paved highway and then proceed onto my usual 4 lane paved highway to mcdonald's where I got food inside and then upon leaving decided to go through drive through for another item. I left and headed approximately 3 miles back on the same road I traveled to town on. As I was on the 2 lane ithe all of a sudden appeared to be raining heavier and I could tell by the rain crossing over my headlights. Something different than normal caught my eye, it looked like orange rain, I assumed just the appearance from one of the bulbs. Unsure though, I continued driving but scooted to the edge of my seat and set up tall to getta better look, at that time I seen flames. …
Takata recall, I have a 2012 Nissan Altima and I purchased from a dealer in jan 2015. I believe this car must be a defective product. It's a pre-owned car. Just after driving it for 1.5yrs, I have been driving the car the transmission broken. The speed drops to 30miles/hr from 65miles/hr while I was driving on the freeway. There were cars behind me. It's so dangerous. I was lucky that the driver behind me reacted very quickly and didn't hit me. It was under the warranty so they replaced the torque converter of the transmission. However, just this past weekend I was driving uphill on a mountain road and a similar problem happened again. My car can't shift correctly and the speed drops to 25 miles/hr from 40miels/hr. Both the first time and the second time when this happens there is no signal lights on my dashboard. …
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.
While in motion, the vehicle begins to drasticly slow down from speeds of 60 to 70 MPH down to 20 to 30 MPH. This usually happens during the day after driving for an hour + and in any kind of incline road. At hard inclines I can bearly drive upward even hhaving to come to a complete stop. The RPM gage begins to jump rapidly to 5 and 6 RPM when even slightly pressing the gas peddle, and once it adjust , the vehicle will not go more that 3 RPM while still at a MPH slower than 30. This will stay for the remainder of the drive until I have stopped and turned my vehicle off for a significant amount of time. Tbis began happening at 100,000 miles and now at 150,000 miles it happens very frequently. I feel this is unacceptable, and clearly very unsafe for driving long distances on large highways, when my vehicle should work as it should.
Complete loss of power climbing a steep grade uphill, almost caused accident sandwiched between two 18 wheelers also going uphill one of which had to swerve sharply to avoid hitting us. CVT transmission likely went into fail-safe mode, same thing repeated multiple times on steep winding climbs on mountain highways. Very dangerous situation with engine cutting out and loss of power. Nissan has issued CVT recalls and extended warranty on models up to 2010 but the problem is still there in this 2012 Altima and in many other complaints about the CVT on later models. NHTSA should get Nissan to extend its recall/warranty to models after 2010 judging by the many complaints being reported about the same loss of power issue with the CVT.
Engine complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2012 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 72 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2012 Nissan Altima, 17% of the model year's 426 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Nissan Altima engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.