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2012 Nissan Sentra electrical problems

13 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 45,000.

owner complaints
13
of this car's complaints
7%
typical mileage
45,000
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Ignition
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Nissan Sentra electrical problems in other years

19901995200020052010201520202026

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2012 Nissan Sentra owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed May 31, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · UT

Our nissan Sentra with 106K miles the car lost nearly all power as my son was turning onto the freeway. He could only drive 16 miles an hour and it was hopping and jumping through a 8 lane freeway/highway intersection while he tried to get into a parking lot off the road. He turned it off, waited 5 minutes, and turned it back on, but it was still slowly hopping and jumping. After another 10 minutes my husband drove it for about 10 minutes and it operated normally. This same behavior happened in 2019 with 82k miles at a large intersection. It suddenly lost power and slowly hopped through the intersection. At 60k the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel quit working. When we asked the Nissan Dealership about it, we were told that was typical and it would slowly lose all the functionality of the steering wheel controls. All the functionality was gone by 70k miles. We have learned that Nissan's transmissions are very problematic and these situations are typical as you get closer to 120k miles. We planned to have this car for several more years. If we sell it and buy a different car we are out several thousand dollars or if we keep it we will likely have to pay for a new transmission also several thousand dollars.

Filed Mar 5, 2024 · Electrical · 79,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled and, on several occasions, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the ignition switch, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Jan 7, 2022 · Electrical, Transmission · NY

I was driving on thruway and I pushed the gas pedal and there was no power. I was a nervous wreck. This definitely is dangerous. I would like something done.

Filed Feb 15, 2019 · Electrical · 54,000 miles · AL

The computer system shut down and has locked up my car. I bought it in 2015 and it shutdown on me in early 2018. It was driving fine and all the sudden the computer system quit and the car will not move.

Filed Jan 2, 2017 · Electrical · SC

Door locks not reliable or secure. They will not consistently lock or unlock with the key fob. Battery has been changed in both keys and issue is still occuring. Items stolen from vehicle recently because I thought it was locked after hearing horn sound when pressing lock button on key fob. Car was parked in a public parking lot. This could be a potential safety issue.

Filed Jun 1, 2016 · Electrical · 68,000 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the key less ignition failed and the switch had to be engaged several times several times in order to have the engine started. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 68,000.

Filed Apr 1, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 34,000 miles · GA

I purchase used car from 2012 I never expect to have any car problem for at least 4 yrs, but that was not my case in 5 month of having the car it started to give me problems. The fist problem is that I had a leaking that was coming from the sun roof and the top light. I was told that the way is made it had to drain tube and they get clog. I was also told not to park my car under tree. Uh that's is kind of hard there's a lot trees in the country. I had to change the battery in about 3 months. The car when I turn it off the motor was still running. Few day after the my car would not start not even manually. I told that the ignition was not working and the anti theft system lock therefore I was not able to turn the car on. I also saw that the metal that is under the steering wheel was rusty from the leak. I research the recalls, but was not able to find any on this year. However I found the previous year had a recall and was the same issues I'm having.

Filed Feb 17, 2015 · Electrical, Locks · 50,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the lock mechanism failed to work in all four doors. The contact also stated that the key fob was replaced twice. The doors would not open from inside the vehicle. The contact had to enter the vehicle manually. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the lock mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Electrical, Transmission · 35,000 miles · GA

In the first incident, I came out from seeing a movie and I could not get my car out of park. A friend came to try to help and got it into neutral but it would not shift any further. The problem turned out to be the key release cable. I had a problem again in early november at approx 36,500 miles. This time the key would not come out of the ignition. Same key release cable was the problem. Even now the car still makes a clunking noise under the driver's seat and the key seems to scrape as it comes out of the ignition. Sometimes I pull the key out (and there is the scraping noise) and the doors do not unlock.

Filed Sep 14, 2014 · Electrical · 45,000 miles · TN

Daughter driving car on interstate when engine died. Was driving in left lane and narrowly avoided getting hit when maneuvering to shoulder on right. Problem turned out to be defective maf (mass air flow) sensor. No indication of trouble (check engine light, rough running, etc) prior to engine shutoff. Do not understand why car would not go into default (open loop mode) at this point rather than just shutting down. Vehicle would not restart. This is ever bit as dangerous as gm's ignition switch problem causing engine shutdown. Extremely dangerous when driving at interstate speeds in heavy traffic and vehicle engine just quits causing loss of power steering and power brakes and little time to react to get out of the way of other traffic.

Questions about the 2012 Nissan Sentra electrical

Does the 2012 Nissan Sentra have electrical problems?

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the electrical of the 2012 Nissan Sentra, 7% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2012 Nissan Sentra electrical problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 45,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Nissan Sentra electrical?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Nissan Sentra have the most electrical problems?

The Nissan Sentra model years with the most electrical complaints are 2019 (65 complaints), 2002 (54 complaints) and 2010 (50 complaints).

Other 2012 Nissan Sentra problems

Transmission 68Engine 40Acceleration 22Airbags 20Body 17Visibility 11Fuel system 10Steering 9Brakes 7Suspension 6Driver assistance 4Wheels 3Locks 2Tires 2Lights 1Seat belts 1Seats 1

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