NISSAN CUBE · model year

2012 NISSAN CUBE

22 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012NISSANCUBE carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 CUBE is power train with 6 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (3) and unknown or other (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2012 CUBE, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

22
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

22 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
AIR BAGS2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD1
SEAT BELTS1
TIRES1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20250211FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

2013-2014 oxygen gas sensor Intermittently failed to operate, causing CO2 into the cabin. Issue not found Nissan instructed to take it to another dealer they found issue and replaced. 2025 same issue dealers cannot find major c02 entering cabin. Cannot drive car due to extreme c02 have blood test indicating c02 in blood. Extreme situation both times!

20210320UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY BACK SENSORS WENT OUT AND WAS CAUSING THE BACK TIRES TO BE IDLE WHILE I WAS DRIVING I IMMEDIATELY IMMEDIATELY GOT IT FIXED WITH MY STIMULUS MONEY

Mileage: 30,000

20200714ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE CAR WILL STOP RUNNING AND DIE. IT HAS BEEN WORKED ON AND THE FUSE BOX AND BRAKE LAMP LIGHT SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. WHEN IT DIES IT SMELL LIKE BURNING ELECTRICAL WIRING AND SMOKE COMES OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN KILLED HALF A DOZEN TIMES. I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR SAFELY.

Mileage: 46,000

20200714UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE CAR WILL STOP RUNNING AND DIE. IT HAS BEEN WORKED ON AND THE FUSE BOX AND BRAKE LAMP LIGHT SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. WHEN IT DIES IT SMELL LIKE BURNING ELECTRICAL WIRING AND SMOKE COMES OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN KILLED HALF A DOZEN TIMES. I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR SAFELY.

Mileage: 46,000

20190801POWER TRAIN

I PURCHASE MY 2012 NISSAN CUBE ON JANUARY 2019 W 93K ON JUN 2019 STARTED A NOISE .IT BECAME INCREASINGLY WORST, TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC HE ROAD TEST THE CAR ,AND TOLD ME IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION I GOOGLE THE CVT TRANS AND FIND OUT THAT NISSAN HAVE TROUBLE WITH THOSE TRANS ,THEY EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON SOME MODELS FROM 2000 TO 2010 I TOOK IT TO RT.46 NISSAN ON TOTOWA NJ TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM AND IT WAS .THEY WANT $4163.00 TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE TRANS THAT THEY KNOW HAVE A BUNCH OF PROBLEMS ..TWICE THE CAR STALL WHEN I`M DRIVING I`M NOT GOING TO PAY FOR A TRANS.THAT HAS A HISTORY OF PROBLEMS,I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON 2012 MODELS I`M SURE MY COMPLAIN IT`S NOT THE ONLY ONE

Mileage: 97,000

20190705POWER TRAIN

I OWN A 2012 NISSAN CUBE WITH 80,000 MILES ON IT. MY TEENAGER WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN IT STALLED OUT ON HER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. IT EVENTUALLY CAUGHT ENOUGH TO ACCELERATE AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT IS AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF SEVERAL SENSORS ON THE CVT TRANSMISSION. I HAVE READ ONLINE AT MULTIPLE SITES THAT THIS IS A LARGELY OCCURRING INCIDENT WITH NISSAN AND THESE MODELS. A TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 80,000 MILES! IT IS A DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY TO THE DRIVER IF ON AN INTERSTATE OR OTHERWISE BUSY HIGHWAY (WE LIVE IN A METROPOLITAN CITY). THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED, AS NISSAN IS NOT OFFERING ANY WARNINGS, RECALLS OR ASSISTANCE TO THE PROBLEM.

Mileage: 80,000

20190422POWER TRAIN

WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE DURING WARM WEATHER, YOU WILL GO TO ACCERALATE TO ONLY BE MET WITH THE LOSE OF POWER AND YOUR SPEED WILL DROP FROM 70 TO 20 WITHOUT WARNING. THE DASH DOES NOT LIGHT A WARNING AND YOU MUST HIT YOUR HAZARD FLASHERS QUICKLY AND HOPE THE CARS BEHIND YOU BRAKE IN TIME. YOU THEN MUST MOVE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WITH THE VEHICLE "SPUTTERING" TO DO 20 MPH ON A ROADWAY WITH 60 PLUS MPH TRAFFIC. I HAVE SPOKEN TO NISSAN CORP., AND TWO DEALERSHIP CONCERNING THIS ISSUE WITH ALL STATING THEY DID NOT KNOW THE CAUSE. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH AND FROM DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE SINCE 10,000 MILES, I FEEL THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE ISSUES AND HAVE NOT PROPERLY MADE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS THE TRANSMISSION COOLER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 65 DEGREES, I DO NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES DRIVING THE SAME ROUTES AND AT THE SAME SPEEDS. WHEN THE TEMPERATURES OUTSIDE ARE IN THE UPPER 70'S I CAN DRIVE 270 MILES BEFORE THE I

Mileage: 140,000

20180923ENGINE

PULLED OUT FROM STOP LIGHT, ZERO POWER. ZERO ACCELERATOR RESPONSE. JUST CREEP OUT SUPER SLOW AT IDLE AND CROSS THE INTERSECTION. VERY UNSAFE. CVT SEEMED TO BE IN LIMP-HOME MODE; NO LIGHTS ON THE DASH, NO WARNING, NO VIBRATION OR OTHER FAILURE.

Mileage: 51,680

20180923VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

PULLED OUT FROM STOP LIGHT, ZERO POWER. ZERO ACCELERATOR RESPONSE. JUST CREEP OUT SUPER SLOW AT IDLE AND CROSS THE INTERSECTION. VERY UNSAFE. CVT SEEMED TO BE IN LIMP-HOME MODE; NO LIGHTS ON THE DASH, NO WARNING, NO VIBRATION OR OTHER FAILURE.

Mileage: 51,680

20180828UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS, WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THERE WILL BE NO WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH---YOU DROP IN SPEED EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THIS WILL ALSO OCCUR AROUND TOWN AND WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU TRY TO START MOVING FROM A RED LIGHT OR ENTER THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. IT IS EXTREMELY SCARY AND DANGEROUS TO BE DOING 70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND YOU AND YOUR CAR SUDDENLY LOSES SPEED AS IF YOU HIT THE BRAKES. THE PROBLEM OCCURED TO THIS EXTREME WITH ONLY 30,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THIS AND COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. NOW AT 125,000...NISSAN CORPORATE TOLD ME TODAY THAT IT WAS A FAIL SAFE MODE TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THERE MAY NOT BE AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR, IT WILL ACTIVATE TO PREVENT DAMAGE. HOW IS IT SAFE TO BE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH AND SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING YOU ARE LUCKY TO BE DOING 20MPH? WHEN THE FAIL SAFE MODE HAS KICKED IN....NO ISSUE HAS BEEN FOUN

Mileage: 124,000

20180629VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILURE ~ SAFETY ISSUE SLOW TO START ~ SAME AS 100'S OF REPORTS ON INTERNET CAR WAS AT WARRANTY END AND NISSAN SAID ONLY FIX FOR SMALL LEAK WAS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CVT~ AS PER CURRENT PENDING CLASS ACTIONS AGAINST NISSAN FOR 2013-2017 CVTS BEING REPLACED REPEATEDLY WITH THE SAME FAILING TRANSMISSION ENDED IN REPAIR COST TO CUSTOMER. NISSAN OFFERED TO PAY FOR PARTS BUT NOT LABOR. WHY WOULD I PAY TO PUT THE SAME BAD PART ON THE CAR? WHY IS THERE NOT A CLASS ACTION FOR 2012 NISSANS? THIS CAR HAD A FUEL LEAK THAT TOOK MANY MONTHS TO REPAIR AND FIND. THEN THE A/C WAS NOT WORKING AND MECHANIC SAID IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OPEN ENDED TEMP GAGE FOR OUTSIDE TEMP THAT THIS MODEL DID NOT HAVE, ONLY FIX HE HAD WAS ELECTRICAL TAPE WHICH I TOLD NISSAN WAS NOT A GOOD FIX AND HAVE WORK ORDER THROUGH NISSAN FOR THIS. A/C WAS O RING WHICH MAY RELATE BACK TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE THE WHOLE THING BASICALLY WAS SHAKING APART. SO THE DEALER FILLED THE A/C AND FAILED TO FIND ORING LEAK

20180629FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILURE ~ SAFETY ISSUE SLOW TO START ~ SAME AS 100'S OF REPORTS ON INTERNET CAR WAS AT WARRANTY END AND NISSAN SAID ONLY FIX FOR SMALL LEAK WAS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CVT~ AS PER CURRENT PENDING CLASS ACTIONS AGAINST NISSAN FOR 2013-2017 CVTS BEING REPLACED REPEATEDLY WITH THE SAME FAILING TRANSMISSION ENDED IN REPAIR COST TO CUSTOMER. NISSAN OFFERED TO PAY FOR PARTS BUT NOT LABOR. WHY WOULD I PAY TO PUT THE SAME BAD PART ON THE CAR? WHY IS THERE NOT A CLASS ACTION FOR 2012 NISSANS? THIS CAR HAD A FUEL LEAK THAT TOOK MANY MONTHS TO REPAIR AND FIND. THEN THE A/C WAS NOT WORKING AND MECHANIC SAID IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OPEN ENDED TEMP GAGE FOR OUTSIDE TEMP THAT THIS MODEL DID NOT HAVE, ONLY FIX HE HAD WAS ELECTRICAL TAPE WHICH I TOLD NISSAN WAS NOT A GOOD FIX AND HAVE WORK ORDER THROUGH NISSAN FOR THIS. A/C WAS O RING WHICH MAY RELATE BACK TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE THE WHOLE THING BASICALLY WAS SHAKING APART. SO THE DEALER FILLED THE A/C AND FAILED TO FIND ORING LEAK

20180629POWER TRAIN

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILURE ~ SAFETY ISSUE SLOW TO START ~ SAME AS 100'S OF REPORTS ON INTERNET CAR WAS AT WARRANTY END AND NISSAN SAID ONLY FIX FOR SMALL LEAK WAS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CVT~ AS PER CURRENT PENDING CLASS ACTIONS AGAINST NISSAN FOR 2013-2017 CVTS BEING REPLACED REPEATEDLY WITH THE SAME FAILING TRANSMISSION ENDED IN REPAIR COST TO CUSTOMER. NISSAN OFFERED TO PAY FOR PARTS BUT NOT LABOR. WHY WOULD I PAY TO PUT THE SAME BAD PART ON THE CAR? WHY IS THERE NOT A CLASS ACTION FOR 2012 NISSANS? THIS CAR HAD A FUEL LEAK THAT TOOK MANY MONTHS TO REPAIR AND FIND. THEN THE A/C WAS NOT WORKING AND MECHANIC SAID IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OPEN ENDED TEMP GAGE FOR OUTSIDE TEMP THAT THIS MODEL DID NOT HAVE, ONLY FIX HE HAD WAS ELECTRICAL TAPE WHICH I TOLD NISSAN WAS NOT A GOOD FIX AND HAVE WORK ORDER THROUGH NISSAN FOR THIS. A/C WAS O RING WHICH MAY RELATE BACK TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE THE WHOLE THING BASICALLY WAS SHAKING APART. SO THE DEALER FILLED THE A/C AND FAILED TO FIND ORING LEAK

20171202AIR BAGS

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHING ON AND OFF WHEN DRIVING

Mileage: 6,000

20171124TIRES

I CHANGED THE ORIGINAL TYRES OF THE CAR AFTER 3 YEARS OF NORMAL WEAR OUT AND REPLACED THEM IN OCTOBER 2015 WITH PIRELLI CINTURAUTO P6 TYRES. I DRIVE AN AVERAGE OF 10,000 MILES PER YEAR, THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TYRES IS THE CORRECT ONE AS SPECIFIED BY THE CAR, AND I DRIVE ON COUNTRY ROADS BUT VERY CAREFULLY. IN DECEMBER 2016 THE RIGHT FRONT TYRE SHOWED A BULGE ON ITS SIDEWALL SO I REPLACED IT IMMEDIATELY WITH ANOTHER CINTURAUTO P6. IN JANUARY 2017 THE LEFT FRONT TYRE SHOWED A SIMILAR BULGE ON ITS SIDEWALL SO I REPLACED IT IMMEDIATELY WITH ANOTHER CINTURAUTO P6. IN MAY 2017 THIS LEFT FRONT TYRE WHICH HAD BEEN REPLACED IN JANUARY 2017 SHOWED ONCE AGAIN A SIMILAR BULGE ON ITS SIDEWALL SO, ONCE AGAIN, I REPLACED IT WITH ANOTHER CINTURAUTO P6. AND NOW, IN NOVEMBER 2017 THE BACK RIGHT TYRE HAS EXPLODED, I WAS NOT AWARE IF THERE HAD BEEN A BULGE IN THE SIDEWALL OF THIS RIGHT BACK TYRE AS I WOULD HAVE REPLACED IT IMMEDIATELY IF I HAD SEEN ONE. PIRELLI BLAMES MY DRIVING AND DOES NOT OFFER ME

Mileage: 20,000

20171026AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN CUBE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED AND THE SEAT BELT WAS LATCHED. MENTOR NISSAN (6960 CENTER ST, MENTOR, OH 44060 (855) 349-3669) WAS CONTACTED, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED DUE TO THE DIAGNOSTIC FEES. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE AND FOUND A NISSAN TSB (NTB13-055) REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED BY A LOCAL DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,106.

Mileage: 63,106

20170620POWER TRAIN

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILING AT 73,000 MILES

Mileage: 73,069

20170311SEAT BELTS

THE LATCHING MECHANISM FOR THE DRIVER KEEPING COMING UNLATCHED WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE TO CLICK IT INTO PLACE A FEW TIME BEFORE I START DRIVING BUT SOMETIMES THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW.

20150225POWER TRAIN

ON FEBRUARY 10TH, AFTER THE CAR WARMED UP FOR 20 MINUTES, THE CAR'S RPM'S WOULD JUMP BY 500 EVERY FEW SECONDS. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN (DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT) TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND SHOWED THEM A VIDEO I HAD TAKEN OF IT HAPPENING AT 60 MPH AND 70 MPH. SINCE NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE LIT UP ON THE DASH, THEY SAID IT WAS FINE. ON FEBRUARY 16TH, THE CAR BEHAVED AS THOUGH THE OVERDRIVE WAS OFF AND I HEADED TO THE DEALERSHIP. BEFORE REACHING THE DEALERSHIP, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND I WAS STUCK. THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF AND AFTER 5 MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AND CONTINUE. THEY LATER TOLD ME THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH THE CAR IS OVER THE MILEAGE FOR THE WARRANTY, I THINK THE COMPANY SHOULD COVER THE $4,000 REPLACEMENT AS THEY DID FOR EARLIER MODELS HTTP://WWW.NISSANASSIST.COM/WEB/CVT/INDEX.PHP?MENU=8.

Mileage: 81,000

20140827ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN CUBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN COULD NOT BE HEARD WHEN USED IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE HORN OPERATED AS NORMAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,900.

Mileage: 11,900

Compare 2012NISSANCUBE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 NISSAN CUBE have?
The 2012 NISSAN CUBE has 22 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2012 NISSAN CUBE?
The 2012 NISSAN CUBE received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 NISSAN CUBE?
The most-complained component for the 2012 NISSAN CUBE is POWER TRAIN with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2012 NISSAN CUBE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2012 NISSAN CUBE has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.