Problems · NHTSA complaints
2012 Nissan 3 Series problems
Owners filed 16 complaints about the 2012 Nissan 3 Series with NHTSA between Apr 2012 and Mar 2020. The most-cited component is power train (12).
Complaints
16
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train12
- Air bags3
- Engine2
- Other / unknown1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
0
1
4
2
5
2
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
12 reports
“PROBLEM STARTED WITH AN IGNITION ISSUE WHERE THE CAR WOULD TURN ON AND WOULD GO THROUGH THE NORMAL START AND INSTEAD OF HAVING THE ENGINE TURN ON IT WOULD CRANK BUT THEN SHUT OFF. CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE NOT IN ANY KIND OF WEATHER THAT COULD CAUSE ISSUES. MY BATTERY ENDED UP DYING AT SOME POINT AS WELL. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND COVERED. SOME HEAT BUT NOTHING TOO HOT. AND RECENTLY, THERE WAS A LOSS IN POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY CAUSING TO CAR TO BE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. IT WOULD RESTART AFTER BEING SHUT OFF BUT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO REPLICATED THE ENGINE NOT IGNITING ON FULLY BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN.”
Air bags
3 reports
“THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. MY AIRBAGS NEED TO BE REPLACED THEY TOLD ME. ARE NOT WORKING. MY CAR WAS TESTED AT DEALER ALSO.”
Engine
2 reports
“I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND MY CLUTCH PEDDLE SLOWLY KEPT GETTING GOING DOWN AND NOT COMING UP. THEN I WAS A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE AND IT WAS COMPLETELY STUCK AND I COULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.