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What 180 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Sentra

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (180)Crash / fire / injury (15)Transmission & drivetrain (68)Engine (39)Speed control (22)Airbags (20)Body & structure (17)Electrical system (13)Visibility & wipers (11)Fuel system (10)Steering (9)Brakes (7)

7 of 180 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 19, 2023EngineFire

The contact’s husband owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to smoke at an unknown location of the vehicle and caught fire. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. The local authorities were notified, and the fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11502677

Jan 19, 2023EngineFire

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11502677*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

NHTSA ODI 11502678

Dec 29, 2019Transmission & drivetrainEngineCrash3 injuries

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 ODI 11291934

Apr 9, 2019AirbagsEngineFuel systemCrash

I AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT APPEARS THAT THE ENGINE IS NOT CHANGING GEARS AUTOMATICALLY. OR IT COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL INJECTION OF THE VEHICLE. ALSO THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM.

NHTSA ODI 11194990

Aug 8, 2016EngineFire

WHILE DRIVING, A PIECE FELL OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR, AFTER WHICH THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE CAR, AT WHICH POINT THE ENGINE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR HAS HAD NO PROBLEMS TO DATE, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS NEVER COME ON.

NHTSA ODI 10894090

Jun 29, 2013Speed controlBrakesEngineCrash

AT ABOUT 1130 PM ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK, APPROACHING A INTERSECTION, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CAR SEEMED TO INCREASE SPEED AND WENT THROUGH INTERSECTION THROUGH LAWN AND STRIKING ANOTHER CAR, TOTAL LOSE OF CONTROL, NO BRAKES, A REAL SCARY FEELING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10522401

Feb 8, 2013AirbagsBody & structureEngineCrash

VEHICLE WAS PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY AT NIGHT, JUST BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE, AND STRUCK A TRAILER THAT WAS NOT CLEARLY NOTICEABLE (DID NOT HAVE CLEAR REFLECTORS). AT 5 MPH, THE HOOD WAS CRUNCHED LIKE AN ACCORDION, THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE CAR IS CONSIDERED TOTALED. WHAT WOULD THE CONSEQUENCES HAVE BEEN IF STRIKING SOMETHING AT 30, 40, OR 50 MPH? *TR

NHTSA ODI 10496817

Working with the data? Download all 180 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Nissan Sentra verdict →