Was driving on highway with my children when a loud sound filled the cabin as if I had just runover something large. About a minute later we began hearing a thumping sounds and the car was losing momentum, and I suspected we had suffered a blow-out. The right rear passenger tire was shredded. Because no one noticed anything in the roadway, I suspect the tire had suffered a spontaneous blowout and that the sound we had heard was the tire blowing out and the rubber hitting the undercarriage. The tires were: Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires, size 265/75R16. The tires had only 15,098 miles on them and were bought from the Discount Tire located at 5931 Rufe Snow Dr, in Watauga TX 76148, on 04/12/2023, invoice # [XXX]. Because I no longer trusted these tires, I traded in the 3 remaining tires and the destroyed one to the Discount Tire located at 5541 S.Cooper St, Arlington TX 76017 for $150 credit towards new tires. Sales order# [XXX] on 06/20/26 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 2012 Nissan Xterra problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission6
- Airbags4
- Engine4
- Fuel system1
- Tires1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission6
- Airbags4
- Engine4
- Fuel system1
- Tires1
Recalls 2
Suspension: front: hub
- What is wrong
- 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 manufactured below hardness specification may wear prematurely and eventually crack.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is driven in this condition, the wheel hub may break, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replaced the left and right side front wheel hub assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 12V462000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- 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 engine oil filter to the engine in these vehicles may have been manufactured to below specification strength. As a result, the bolt may break at the oil filter attachment point and can cause an engine oil leak.
- Risk
- If there is an engine oil leak, the engine oil pressure would drop and the engine could seize, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector bolts free of charge. The safety recall began on january 30, 2012. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 11V592000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Nissan Xterra 102
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Wiring harness repair information
- Certification label and VIN plate replacement service information
- VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 2005-2013 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER, AND XTERRA; DRIVER AIR BAG COVER CAMPAIGN...
- CAN communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines
- CAN communication – network diagnostic flow chart
- Vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start
- Windshield cracking
- Removing foreign material from the window glass
- Window glass warranty information
- Diagnosis of vehicle pull (DRIFT) and/or steering wheel off-center
2012 Nissan Xterra fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | RWD | 16 | 22 | 18 |
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 15-16 | 20 | 17 |
What 2012 Nissan Xterra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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.
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.
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 4/6/22. Photos of those purchased just in the last couple of years
Nissan states that they have no repair solution on the federal safety agency 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.
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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.
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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.
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.
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.
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
Compare the 2012 Nissan Xterra
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Questions about the 2012 Nissan Xterra
Is the 2012 Nissan Xterra reliable?
Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2012 Nissan Xterra, fewer than a typical Xterra model year.
What is the 2012 Nissan Xterra year score?
The 2012 Nissan Xterra scores 92 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Nissan Xterra: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Nissan Xterra?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 6 complaints. Next is airbags (4).
How many recalls does the 2012 Nissan Xterra have?
2 recalls, covering suspension and engine and engine cooling.
What year does the Nissan Xterra have bad transmission?
The Nissan Xterra model years with the most transmission complaints are 2005 (412 complaints), 2006 (268 complaints) and 2007 (231 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2012 Nissan Xterra get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Nissan Xterra range from 17 to 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.0L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 16 city and 22 highway.
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