2012 Nissan Quest

Typical pattern

10.1% of complaints about the 2012 Nissan Quest came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (28 complaints), typically at 6.8 yr or about 82,000 miles.

Complaints: 138
Median age at failure: 5.9 yr
Median mileage: 55,000 n=103
Crash / fire / tow: 8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

12V076000 2012-02-29

Electrical system:software

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN QUEST VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 29, 2010, THROUGH FEBRUARY 21, 2012. DUE TO SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING, WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS OR IDLING ON A DECLINE WITH ¼ TANK FUEL OR LESS, THERE MAY BE AN INSUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE MAY STALL.

VEHICLE STALLING COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

In owners’ own words

Power train 100 mi 6 mo in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN QUEST. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH AND APPROACHED A TRAFFIC STOP SIGNAL. WHEN PULLING OFF FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THERE WAS A DELAYED RESPONSE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR GENERATE A TROUBLE DURING THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. UPDATED 7/31/12 *CN UPDATED 08/01/12

Power train 82,000 mi 3.4 yr in service

THE CVT TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT IN OUT 2012 NISSAN QUEST AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE AFTER COMING TO A STOP. *TR

Power train 30,000 mi 2.9 yr in service

ENGINE MOUNT FOUND BROKEN DURING OIL CHANGE. CHANGED AND FOUND BROKEN AGAIN AT ABOUT 50000. CHANGED AND FOUND BROKEN A THIRD TIME AT 75000.

Electrical system 500 mi 11 mo in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN QUEST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT ACCURATELY DISPLAYING THE LEVEL OF FUEL IN THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH DUE TO LOW FUEL ALTHOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT THE TANK WAS HALF FULL. THE CONTACT INQUIRED WITH THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. NUMBER: 12V076000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: SOFTWARE) BEFORE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE AND THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL. THE CONTACT DID NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

Other Quest model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2012 Nissan Quest

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Quest model years

How to read this