The 2012 Nissan Xterra has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 17,135 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION12V4620002012-09-202,417 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING11V5920002011-12-1914,718 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
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.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
6
AIR BAGS
4
ENGINE
4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints17
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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.…”
“Nissan states that they have no repair solution on nhtsa 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…”
“The contact owns a 2012 nissan xterra. The contact received notification of nhtsa 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…”
“The contact owns a 2012 nissan xterra. The contact received notification of nhtsa 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…”
“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…”
“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.”
“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…”
“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…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Nissan Xterra as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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