YearToAvoid

2012 Nissan Rogue Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Best

Complaint Index

7/100

#15 most-complained of 16 Rogue years

The 2012 Nissan Rogue ranks 15th worst out of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 7 and a 'Best' verdict among Rogue years. NHTSA lists 318 complaints, 2 recalls, and 11 fires, with Transmission & Powertrain as the top problem area at 43% of complaints.

Complaints
318
Recalls
2
Crashes / fires
8 / 11
Injuries / deaths
7 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
24
22.5 city / 27 hwy

Top 2012 Nissan Rogue problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain136 (43%)
  2. Engine76 (24%)
  3. Other46 (14%)
  4. Electrical System42 (13%)
  5. Airbags41 (13%)
  6. Fuel System19 (6%)
  7. Brakes18 (6%)
  8. Structure & Body15 (5%)
  9. Suspension, Wheels & Tires15 (5%)
  10. Seat Belts4 (1%)

What owners report

  • Owners report the vehicle catching fire while parked in the driveway or a parking lot, with smoke or flames coming from under the hood or the front passenger floor area.
  • Some drivers describe the brake pedal failing to respond before rear-ending another vehicle, with airbags not deploying afterward.
  • Electrical fires were reported at highway mileage as high as 140,000 and as low as 30,000 miles.
  • One owner reported the tire pressure warning light staying on for days before a tire failure caused a loss of control.
  • Some report frontal-impact crashes where only some airbags deployed, with Nissan attributing non-deployment to sensor readings.
  • One driver described the CVT transmission having issues along with electrical problems that caused the car to decelerate and stop without warning.
2012 Nissan Rogue complaints: complaints filed per quarter232011 Q42014 Q22016 Q22018 Q22020 Q22022 Q22024 Q32026 Q3
420 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2011 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q3 (23).

2012 Nissan Rogue recalls

2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 15V032000Jan 26, 2015Electrical System468,815 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured March 7, 2007, to November 26, 2013, and 2014 Nissan Rogue Select vehicles manufactured September 23, 2013, to July 2, 2014. The affected vehicles may experience an electrical short in the harness connector due to a mixture of snow/water and salt seeping through the carpet on the driver side floor near the harness connector.

    Risk: An electrical short can cause a vehicle fire.

    Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the kick panel wiring harness connector and will if necessary install a new harness connector and waterproof seal, free of charge. The recall began on February 26, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

  2. NHTSA 12V068000Feb 22, 2012Suspension, Wheels & Tires2,983 vehicles

    Tires:pressure monitoring and regulating systems

    Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 murano and rogue vehicles, manufactured from november 23, 2011 through january 11, 2012. During assembly, the tire pressure monitoring system (tpms) was not activated. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 138,â”tire pressure monitoring system.â”

    Risk: A non-active tpms cannot warn a driver that a tire is underinflated. Underinflated tires can result in tire overloading and overheating, which could lead to a blowout and possible crash.

    Remedy: All of the affected vehicles are still in dealer inventory. Dealers have been instructed to activate all of the tire pressure monitoring systems.

2012 Nissan Rogue fuel economy and fuel cost

City
22.5 MPG
Highway
27 MPG
Combined
24 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,700
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2012 compared with other Rogue years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Best13282223.5
2011Best20362224
2012Best7318224
2013Caution53610124.5
2014Good334401026

All Nissan Rogue years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Nissan Rogue reliable?
Among Rogue model years, 2012 has one of the lowest complaint indexes at 7, ranking 15th worst out of 16 years and earning a 'Best' verdict relative to other Rogue years.
What problems does the 2012 Nissan Rogue have?
NHTSA complaints show Transmission & Powertrain issues make up 43% of the 318 complaints, followed by Engine at 24% and Electrical System at 13%. The median mileage at failure across complaints is 71,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Nissan Rogue have a recall?
Yes, NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2012 Rogue: one for the electrical kick panel wiring harness connector and one for tire pressure monitoring system activation.
Did the 2012 Nissan Rogue catch fire?
NHTSA lists 11 fire-related complaints for the 2012 Rogue, several involving the Electrical System, with fires reported while vehicles were parked.
How does the 2012 Rogue compare to other years?
The 2012 Rogue has a complaint index of 7, far lower than years like 2023 (100) and 2018 (87), which carry 'Avoid' or near-'Avoid' verdicts.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.