NISSAN XTERRA · model year

2012 NISSAN XTERRA

16 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012NISSANXTERRA carries 16 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 3/5 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 XTERRA is power train with 6 filings, followed by engine (4) and air bags (4). 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. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2012 XTERRA, 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.

16
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

16 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: 3/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN6
ENGINE4
AIR BAGS4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1

Recalls (2)

12V46200020/09/2012

SUSPENSION:FRONT:HUB

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra two-wheel drive vehicles manufactured from June 19, 2012, through July 12, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with front wheel hubs that may not meet the design hardness specifications. A wheel hub that was manuf

11V59200019/12/2011

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 INFINITI FX, MODEL YEAR 2012 INFINITI M, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN FRONTIER, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN XTERRA, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN PATHFINDER, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES. SOME OF THE BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND THE

Recent Complaints

20240125POWER TRAIN

1) Rubber stopper under clutch pedal has failed multiple times, preventing vehicle from starting in various locations, usually parking lots and mostly after dark which presents potential safety concerns. This is a rubber part that allows vehicle to start only when clutch is depressed. I request that several/multiple of these be provided at no cost to keep in glove compartment since the poor quality of part manufacturing will most definitely cause future failure of each in the future. In addition, an explanation and instructions for removing broken part and replacing with new part is difficult for one person since you have to crawl up under the dashboard, locate the part, remove the broken part and correctly replace with a new part. I have purchased 7 pieces which have all broken and been charged approximately $7 each. The first time was the date of purchase and there have been more than 5 additional incidents since. Rubber stopper 46512-9bp1c purchased 9 between 10/14/12 and 4/6/

20240125POWER TRAIN

Clutch burnt out with 5 min between 1st incidence of barely slipping and total failure leaving me stranded on roadside with little notice and nowhere safe to pull off.

20240125FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Extreme smell of gas after filling gas tank while out of town. Odor was so strong it required all windows to be down to drive without feeling affected by fumes and I was terrified that someone would fluck a cigarette out of a car somewhere, especially at a stop light, and cause an explosion. Once the gas tank was only half full or less, the odor diminished. Dealership found that this issue had been reported on other vehicles but did not qualify as a recall. Dealership found faulty gasket INSIDE gas tank and required the entire tank be replaced at a cost to me of more than $2000. I can get receipts from Charlottesville Nissan Dealership.

20230912UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Nissan states that they have no repair solution on NHTSA Recall 23E-012 as of the date of this complaint. Nissan states that this is a safety issue. The originally reported issue is allegedly >8 months old without resolution. This safety issue presents a clear and on-going danger and hazard to the vehicle driver. Please escalate.

20230710AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20230515AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20220227ENGINE

I recently had a diagnosis of radiator coolant mixing with transmission following my vehicle being towed bc I lost power while driving with no warning signs. I was given an estimate for repairs of $5000. I had the extended warranty but wasn't told of the radiator issues w Xterra. My vehicle mileage is 128,000. Just past the 100,000 mileage mark. I just read an article that states this is a known issue with Nissan Xterra where lawsuits were filed. I just paid $7000 loan in full. I would not have done this had I known I would need this $ to repair my vehicle.

20170729POWER TRAIN

PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE ON MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION. LESS THAN 48000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND THE CLUTCH IS GONE. THIS IS FAR TOO LITTLE TRAVEL FOR THE CLUTCH TO BE FAILING AT. DEGRADATION HAS ADVANCED RAPIDLY OVER A MATTER OF WEEKS AND DAYS AND NOW I FEAR HAVING MY FAMILY RIDE IN THE VEHICLE IN CASE THEY BECOMING STRANDED OR NEED TO AVOID A CRASH AND CANNOT DUE TO LOSS OF POWER. GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT THE CLUTCH IS TOO SMALL FOR THIS TRUCK. NISSAN CLAIMS THIS IS A WEAR ITEM AND WILL NOT COVER REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY, OR ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE AT ALL. NISSAN IS QUICK TO BLAME DRIVER'S FOR 'RIDING THE CLUTCH' AS THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE. THIS IS A COP OUT, PARTICULARLY WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THE NUMBER OF XTERRA OWNER'S EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE.

Mileage: 47,291

20160927AIR BAGS

I'M FILING A COMPLAINT BEFORE I HAVE AN INCIDENT. I OWN A NISSAN XTERRA. MANY OTHER NISSAN XTERRA OWNERS HAVE HAD SPONTANEOUS SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WHEN TRAVELING VERY SLOWLY, GENERALLY ON DIRT ROADS. SOME OF THESE DEPLOYMENTS HAVE CAUSED INJURIES. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON ON ALL 2ND GENERATION NISSAN XTERRAS (2006-2016). THE FOLLOWING LINKS ARE TO XTERRA FORUM THREADS AND PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS ABOUT RANDOM AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT IN XTERRAS. THERE ARE MANY MORE DOCUMENTED CASES OF THIS ONLINE, THE LINKS BELOW ARE A TASTE. THIS ALSO MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH NISSAN FRONTIERS, WHICH ARE BASICALLY THE TRUCK VARIANT OF THE XTERRA. BASED ON ABOVE TEXT, NO INCIDENT/CRASH OCCURRED...NO INJURIES. CHANGED INJ TO 0. 2/1/2017 PCO HTTP://TINYURL.COM/HSO3ELX HTTP://TINYURL.COM/J7U9E8K HTTP://TINYURL.COM/ZJT6ZMR HTTP://TINYURL.COM/HQGGBTO

20160914ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN XTERRA. AFTER MOVING THE VEHICLE FROM A PARKING SPOT, THE CONTACT NOTICED OIL LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500.

Mileage: 1,500

20150310ENGINE

VEHICLE'S ENGINE SEIZED WHILE BEING OPERATED AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED. REASON GIVEN BY DEALERSHIP WHEN TOWED IN WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE HOWEVER THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT FOR EITHER OIL OR ENGINE ISSUE DISPLAYED AT ANY TIME LEADING UP TO ENGINE FAILURE. THERE HAD BEEN A PREVIOUS OIL LEAK APPROXIMATELY 10 MONTHS EARLIER WHICH HAD BEEN REPAIRED. THERE HAD BEEN NO INCIDENTS IN THE INTERIM AND NO INDICATION OF ISSUES. THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE OIL FILTER AND ENGINE BUT ACCORDING TO NISSAN, MY VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECT TO THE RECALL. I WAS FORCED TO PAY IN ADVANCE OF WORK BEING STARTED FOR A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAD ONLY 4 MONTHS LEFT ON MY 39 MONTH LEASE. *TR

Mileage: 6,800

20140205POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,633. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Mileage: 23,633

20130617POWER TRAIN

I FIRST NOTICED MY CLUTCH START TO SLIP UPON LEAVING A STOP SIGN. 15 MILES LATER I WAS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH NO GEARS. MY CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT ON A BRAND NEW XTERRA WITH 1800 MILES ON IT. IT WAS TOWED TO THE CONCORD, CA NISSAN DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED IT. I WAS BADGERED ON ABUSING THE CAR SINCE IT HAD SOME MUD ON THE TIRES AND THEY INSISTED I DID NOT NO HOW TO DRIVE MANUAL. I HAD TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH AND "BLUED" FLYWHEEL SINCE THEY DID NOT COVER IT WITH THE WARRANTY. THEY SAID THIS WAS THE WORST FLYWHEEL THE SHOP HAS SEEN. HERE I AM WITH 22,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND THE CLUTCH IS SEVERELY SLIPPING AGAIN. I WILL BRING MY CAR IN TO NISSAN TOMORROW. I BOUGHT A NISSAN BECAUSE I EXPECTED HIGH RELIABILITY STANDARDS BUT I WAS WRONG. THIS IS THE LAST NISSAN I WILL BUY AND I WILL CERTAINLY PASS ON THE WORD TO MY FRIENDS. THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS SO I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. *TR

Mileage: 1,782

20130523AIR BAGS

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES ON W/ SEAT OCCUPIED (120LB ADULT), SEAT BELT FASTENED, SEAT IN NORMAL UPRIGHT POSITION - INDICATING THE AIR BAG IS DEACTIVATED. I ASKED THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE (NEW) FROM ABOUT THIS ANOMALY AT THE FIRST SERVICE (2220 MILES/3MOS) ON 2-20-2013 AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO - "READ THE OWNERS MANUAL". WE DID MANY DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTS WITH SEATING POSITION, SEAT BACK ANGLE ON SUBSEQUENT TRIPS, WITH NO POSITIVE RESULTS. THE ONLY EXPERIMENT THAT PROVIDED POSITIVE RESULTS WAS FOR HER TO HOLD OUR 20 LB DOG ON HER LAP - NOT A SATISFACTORY OR PERMANENT SOLUTION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER FOR THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE ON 4-22-2013 AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD DO NOTHING, AND THAT I SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHICH I HAVE DONE WITH ZERO HELP OR SATISFACTION AS OF TODAY. AS SOMEONE WHO SPENT SOME 30 YEARS IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS LIKE THIS AND OVERSEEING THE DEVELOPMENT, TESTING AND PRODUCTION OF FIXES

20130406ENGINE

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, BECAUSE OF A BROKEN CLUTCH PEDAL STOPPER. THIS BROKEN PART PREVENTED THE DEPRESSED CLUTCH PEDAL FROM ACTIVATING THE CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH. THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT, BECAUSE THIS A 4WD VEHICLE INTENDED FOR OFF-ROAD USE; HAD THIS PART BROKEN "IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE," A SERIOUS SAFETY-RELATED INCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. ALSO, THIS PART BROKE A JUST 1540 MILES ON A VEHICLE THAT HAS NOT BE ABUSED. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. PART WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

Mileage: 1,540

20130406POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, BECAUSE OF A BROKEN CLUTCH PEDAL STOPPER. THIS BROKEN PART PREVENTED THE DEPRESSED CLUTCH PEDAL FROM ACTIVATING THE CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH. THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT, BECAUSE THIS A 4WD VEHICLE INTENDED FOR OFF-ROAD USE; HAD THIS PART BROKEN "IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE," A SERIOUS SAFETY-RELATED INCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. ALSO, THIS PART BROKE A JUST 1540 MILES ON A VEHICLE THAT HAS NOT BE ABUSED. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. PART WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

Mileage: 1,540

Compare 2012NISSANXTERRA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA have?
The 2012 NISSAN XTERRA has 16 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA?
The 2012 NISSAN XTERRA 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 3/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA?
Yes, the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is SUSPENSION:FRONT:HUB. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA?
The most-complained component for the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA is POWER TRAIN with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2012 NISSAN XTERRA 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 XTERRA 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.