2012 Nissan Sentra Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2012 Nissan Sentra, 38% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 71,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “cvt transmission” (19% of reports).
- 68power train complaints
- 71,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 56%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- CVT transmission: mentioned in 13 of 68 complaints (19%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2012 Nissan Sentra at $5,150, and half of them between $3,200 and $5,850.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2017–2021), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 48 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 68 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Nissan Sentra power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sentra | 4 | 13% | — |
| 2024 Sentra | 9 | 22% | 28,000 |
| 2023 Sentra | 2 | 10% | 75,300 |
| 2022 Sentra | 6 | 7% | 36,000 |
| 2021 Sentra | 4 | 3% | 118,000 |
| 2020 Sentra | 10 | 5% | 25,500 |
| 2019 Sentra | 54 | 24% | 62,000 |
| 2018 Sentra | 46 | 25% | 75,500 |
| 2017 Sentra | 76 | 33% | 60,000 |
| 2016 Sentra | 127 | 47% | 87,000 |
| 2015 Sentra | 172 | 49% | 75,500 |
| 2014 Sentra | 182 | 48% | 82,000 |
| 2013 Sentra | 311 | 49% | 75,000 |
| 2012 Sentra | 68 | 38% | 71,000 |
| 2011 Sentra | 18 | 13% | 91,458 |
| 2010 Sentra | 18 | 13% | 80,000 |
| 2009 Sentra | 3 | 5% | 90,000 |
| 2008 Sentra | 20 | 12% | 70,000 |
| 2007 Sentra | 17 | 11% | 70,000 |
| 2006 Sentra | 8 | 7% | 140,500 |
| 2005 Sentra | 10 | 6% | 63,141 |
| 2004 Sentra | 7 | 4% | 37,000 |
| 2003 Sentra | 9 | 5% | 70,378 |
| 2002 Sentra | 20 | 7% | 28,000 |
| 2001 Sentra | 9 | 4% | 67,847 |
| 2000 Sentra | 8 | 5% | 44,180 |
| 1999 Sentra | 4 | 7% | 72,900 |
| 1997 Sentra | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1996 Sentra | 11 | 8% | — |
| 1995 Sentra | 4 | 3% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2012 Nissan Sentra. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Leaking transmission oil. Also burning engine oil a week after doing an oil change to the point there is no oil but no leaks.
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Nissan Sentras have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 68 owner complaints about power train for the 2012 Nissan Sentra (38% of the 180 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Nissan Sentra power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 71,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2012 Nissan Sentra?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,150 (half paid between $3,200 and $5,850), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2012 Nissan Sentra?
The most frequent phrase is “cvt transmission”, in 13 of 68 complaints.
See all 2012 Nissan Sentra problems or power train problems across all Sentra years.