10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,834 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Nissan Sentra drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Nissan Sentra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #66

Jan 072023

Sentra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The Transmission is making a whining nose and smells terribly bad! When driving on the interstate and parkways; after the car reaches 60 -70 miles, the car starts shaking and slows down; almost coming to a complete stop and we have to either get over in the slow lane and/ or sometimes, we have to pull over, off the interstate, because it has came to a complete stop and would not accelerate and/or move forward ! We sat there for an hour waiting for help/ and I called my Granny! When she got there; she checked the oil, added a quart of oil! After sitting there for over an hour; the car accelerated and we drove onto a side road and drove it slowly back to the house! WE took it to Unitires on Charolette ! He told us, the whining noise appeared to be the Transmission ! He repaired the wheel bearing, which stopped some of the shaking; but not all of it!

- Nashville And, TN, USA

problem #65

Sep 172022

Sentra

  • miles
--- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Transmission malfunction, yes available for inspection by NHTSA. 28k miles on odometer. --- How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While driving and starting from a stop, the car loses power momentarily and then jerks forward, causing a dangerous driving condition. --- Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. --- Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, an accident was not caused. --- Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" None. ----

- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, NJ, USA

problem #64

Jun 182022

Sentra 4-cyl

  • miles
While driving on the freeway pulling approximately 70 miles per hour, my car will begin to shake violently, continuously decelerate and my RPMs drop significantly. I am unable to go over 55 miles per hour when this happens. This has happened to me a total of four times now within the last 2 months. I had my car take this one auto repair shop in which my spark plugs were changed out a brand new air intake hose was put in my coils were changed out and everything. Today while driving on the freeway, going 72 mph my car decelerated and would not go above 55. This is a major safety issue considering I drive on the freeway a lot. I just paid $970 to have my car fixed and can't continue to pay to have the car fixed along with still paying a car note and insurance on this car. Well researching transmission issues I came across this page when filing a complaint. I looked to see if there was a recalls on my car and noticed that there is not. My VIN number is [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Pontiac, MI, USA

problem #63

Apr 242022

Sentra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving at around 70 mph on the highway the car suddenly lost power and was no longer able to accelerate. This issue persisted for the duration of the drive and has happened now on more than one occasion. There were no warning lights or messages before or after the car stopped accelerating and this very nearly caused and accident when the car wouldn-€™t accelerate during a lane change even with the gas pedal fully depressed. After a few minutes of no acceleration the car also begins to accelerate suddenly and without warning. I haven taken the car to an auto shop and they were able to pull codes that indicate an issue with the transmission. I have not yet paid for the issue to be fixed and the car is available for inspection upon request.

- New Caney, TX, USA

problem #62

Feb 202022

Sentra

  • miles
Vehicle transmission appeared to slip from gear causing vehicle to lose power while in heavy interstate traffic at 70mph, vehicle lost acceleration and began to slow then "bucked" jolting vehicle several times almost suffered rear collision from following cars. Upon stopping to check fluid in transmission, stick read full for hot.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

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problem #61

Jan 052022

Sentra

  • miles
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.

- Herkimer , NY, USA

problem #60

Dec 102021

Sentra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was getting on the freeway all of a sudden my steering wheel gets stiff and my car comes to a complete stop traffic is going at full speed me and my children could of being in a serious accident and then a few minutes later the car is back to normal. I would really appreciate if it's looked into someone can get hurt.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #59

Nov 052021

Sentra

  • 144,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact drove at a slow speed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #58

Sep 022021

Sentra

  • miles
I was stopped at an intersection. When the light turned green, I pressed the gas pedal, and the car started forward, but it would lunge forward and stop repeatedly, all the way through the intersection until I pulled over and turned the car off. The "slip indicator" light was on when this was happening. The light was not on previously and did not come back on when I restarted the car. I believe the jerking motion was due to the CVT transmission or the Vehicle Dynamic Control system not operating properly, . This was dangerous because I didn't have control of how the car was accelerating. If this had occurred at a faster speed, someone could have easily crashed into me. The problem has only happened once, and has not been inspected by anyone other than me.

- West Jordan, UT, USA

problem #57

Jul 292021

Sentra

  • miles
I was going on a road trip with my sister that should have taken 5 hours and I had enough gas to make it there with no stops. I had gotten an emissions test done a few days prior for registration purposes and the car passed (there were no engine lights present). When we started the drive between Nevada and Arizona, there were many steep inclines and downhill areas. The first few inclines were fine, but about an hour into the trip we were going up a hill and I could not get the car to accelerate past 45mph with the pedal fully to the floor. At first I suspected that I may have made poor use of my momentum, but after cross-checking my RPM gauge, I noticed that the car was not making effort to go over 3000 RPM's. I was very fearful being that the car was barely able to hold 45mph in the 65mph zone and we may not be able to make it over the hill. After suffering through many steep inclines in the middle of nowhere, I was finally able to pull over and turn the car completely off. There were no mechanics within an hour drive in either direction, so I chose to continue. I got back on the highway and the car was behaving normally again. I thought the whole thing was a hoax until it happened again on another bout of uphill stretches. We were trying to find another town to pull over in and hit a thunderstorm at one point. It was absolutely terrifying because we were practically crawling up the hills and unable to hold a constant speed, but it was not safe to pull over because of the weather. We eventually made it through and were able to turn the car off. The problem went away again for a short time and came back a final time on a flat stretch of road. I was unable to accelerate over 70mph. The only problem that I've ever had with the car was that the transmission wasn't changing gears smoothly, and it caused an engine light at one point. I got the engine light checked and it was for the transmission, but the engine light went away soon after and has not come back.

- Sparks, NV, USA

problem #56

Jul 252021

Sentra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased a 2012 Nissan Sentra for my daughter for school. Sunday July 25th she was driving on I95 when the vehicle began to lose speed while driving in the middle lanes. She proceeded to pull the vehicle over and turned it off to see if the car needed to cool down. Once started, the car was fine but the car began to lose speed once again. This was ongoing on a Sunday night while she was on here way home from DE into NJ (2hour drive). The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who diagnosed the car as having transmission failure and the car will need a new transmission. This is extremely frustrating and this car should be recalled based on the danger while on the road and continued reported issues with the CV.

- Plainfield, NJ, USA

problem #55

Jul 222021

Sentra

  • miles
Continuously Variable transmission (CVT) failure. Specifically the torque converter and valve body. While operating the vehicle, without warning, it goes into safe mode, effectively losing all power. When in the mode, power to the engine stops and power steer and brakes are disabled. The risk of an accident, when this occurs, is extremely high and very dangerous. Especially with a newer driver (17 years old). No warning lights or chimes come on indicating a problem. The vehicle was taken to the Nissan dealership where it was confirmed that it needed a new transmission (99988). Nissan has extended the warranty for the CVT for model years 2003-2010 and for 2013 and later but not 2012 (or 2011). As there were no changes in the transmission for those two years, they are aware of the high risk of failure but appear not to be concerned with the increased risk of injury or death from an accident caused by the transmission going into safe mode.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #54

Jul 072021

Sentra

  • miles
CVT Transmission Failure: My son was driving on an Interstate at 75 miles per hour when suddenly the 2012 Nissan Sentra he was driving, suddenly powered down and he was not able to go over 40 miles per hour. No warning lights came on and the only indicator was the vehicle making a knocking sound and jerking around on the highway. This created a very dangerous situation with other traffic going 75 MPH or faster. He pulled onto the shoulder to avoid a wreck and being rear-ended. He called a tow company to take him and the vehicle to the nearest town and to a non-Nissan dealership which was the only option. They did a diagnostic and stated that they thought it was the CVT transmission but recommended we tow to a Nissan dealership. We then had to tow the vehicle over 100 miles back to our hometown and to a Nissan dealership. They ran diagnostics and found that the CVT transmission went out and would need to be replaced. Counting a 100 mile tow, this CVT transmission problem is going to cost my family around $5,000 for repairs. I can't believe that the 2012 Nissan Sentra is not included in the Nissan Extended Warranty for the CVT transmission as it is basically the exact same transmission of the other years that were having the same problem. In researching this problem, I found that hundreds if not thousands of 2012 Nissan Sentra owners were having the same problem. Imagine going 75 MPH on an interstate and suddenly your vehicle drops down to 40 MPH in traffic with traffic behind you. That is a very serious safety risk and I am thankful that my son was able to pull over before getting in an accident.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #53

Mar 122021

Sentra

  • miles
I realized I was losing power while driving down the sagtikos parkway. I pulled to the side of the road, turned off the car, and attempted to restart. The car would start, but would not change into drive, nor reverse (or would not register). I was effectively stranded along the parkway. It was determined that my car experienced -- what I understand to be -- transmission failure. I purchased the car only six (6) months ago.

- White Plains, NY, USA

problem #52

Feb 212020

Sentra

  • 100,220 miles
Was driving on snow when the check engine light illuminated, upon running a code scan it showed tcm lost communication. When dealer checked they said they detected a shutter in the cvt.

- Russellville, AR, USA

problem #51

Apr 012016

Sentra

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to move forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact and her daughter had taken the vehicle to rocking Nissan of stafford (1 coachman cir, stafford, va 22554) and Nissan of orangeburg (2827 St matthews rd, orangeburg, SC 29118) on two separate occasions and both dealers were unable to diagnose the vehicle. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he diagnosed the vehicle with a transmission issue linked to the RPM's. the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #50

May 202020

Sentra

  • 95,000 miles
Driving down the freeway then all of a sudden my car lost 90% of power and could only go about 25mph. There was no warning. Car jerks violently steering becomes harder. You try to punch down on the gas and nothing happens. Also was forced to take city streets due to not being able to go a safe speed to stay on freeway/highway.

- Redlands, CA, USA

problem #49

May 172020

Sentra 4-cyl

  • 103,000 miles
While driving from AZ to ca on the highway, my vehicle lost the ability to speed up while pushing the pedal. It happened a total of three times on 2 different days.the first two times I couldn't get above 60 however on one occasion, it dropped down to 3-5 miles per hour and the pedal was to the floor. I was on a 2 lane highway with semi trucks having to pass me on the left. I was terrified, had no cell service and had to drive on the shoulder with my hazards on until the shoulder disappeared. Eventually it returned to normal, but it was a very scary experience. I see now that Nissan has had a multitude of complaints with the same problem. Shame on you for not recalling the transmission.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #48

Feb 202019

Sentra

  • 4,444 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, without warning the vehicle began to jerk as the brake pedal shakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer premier Nissan of san jose 1120 w capitol expy, san jose, ca 95136 (408) 978-1234 to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or retrieve any diagnostic trouble codes. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle then was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximate 4,444.

- Foster City, CA, USA

problem #47

Sep 182019

Sentra

  • 118,000 miles
Right after purchasing our Nissan Sentra, my daughter went on a road trip to South Carolina and the car lost power and started stuttering. As it turns out the cvt transmission went out. We had to purchase a used transmission to get the car running. The car only had 118,000 miles when this occurred which is riduclous.

- Duluth, GA, USA

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