Reliable Auto DB

2012 Nissan Rogue reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Nissan Rogue holds 318 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 9 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Rogue years on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Tire pressure monitoring.

2012 Nissan Rogue
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

318

Per year

9

Recalls

2

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (136 of 318), then Engine (43) and Electrical system (42). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Rogue has 610 complaints, 21 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Nissan Rogue. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Electrical system 2015-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 15V032000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall tires, tire pressure monitoring 2012-02-22 · NHTSA campaign 12V068000
Summary 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,”TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM.”
Remedy ALL OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE STILL IN DEALER INVENTORY. DEALERS HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ACTIVATE ALL OF THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS.

Complaints by component (318 total)

Powertrain
136
Engine
43
Electrical system
42
Air bags
41
Speed control
41
Fuel and propulsion system
17
Service brakes
10
Wheels
9
Seats
8
Tires
7
Structure
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Seat belts
4
Steering
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Equipment
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Suspension
2
Visibility
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Air brakes
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

11

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201142012920131220142620154420163820174820183620193020201120212220221320231320247202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle had been parked for approximately 2 days. With no one around the car alarm started, brake lights came on and rear wiper started to operate. Heavy electrical burning smell followed 2-3 minutes by smoke. 3-4…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-16
  • "The doors unlock or lock on their own. Some locks then don’t lock or unlock. Sometimes they have to be unlocked manually. The trunk does not unlock at all. I can’t open the trunk."
    Electrical system · filed 2026-04-26
  • "August 1, 2025 I was trying to get to [XXX] from [XXX] to see my mother, before Kansas City, Mo. Before getting to KC while cruise was engaged car RPM’s began amping but car did not speed up. I put it park and turned…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-03-27
  • "2008-13 Nissan Rogue/2014 Rogue Select (S35) Driver’s Kick Panel Harness Connector Inspection Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign Reference: R1421 I spoke with Nissan and the recall does not cover my VIN number however I…"
    Electrical system, Seats, Unknown or other · filed 2026-02-23
  • "I was looking at the fact that this car has 2 recalls for problems that I never bothered to check, but it's better to have everything in order. everything is in order."
    Electrical system, Wheels · filed 2025-12-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Nissan Rogue SUV AWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Nissan Rogue SUV FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Rogue all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 22 26 23 MPG $2800
Rogue front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 23 28 25 MPG $2600

Specs and fitment

1st generation (T31), 2012–2013
Body styles Crossover
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L QR25DE) , 4.875 qt capacity
Tire size 225/65R17 (typical)

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 15V-032 covers certain 2008-2013 Rogues and 2014 Rogue Select vehicles: snow, water, and salt can seep through the driver-side carpet to a kick-panel harness connector and short, raising fire risk; dealers inspect the connector and install a waterproof seal or a new connector and seal as needed. The campaign unit total covers those model years together, not 2012-2013 alone.

Compare

Next year 2013 Nissan Rogue See every Nissan Rogue model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Nissan Rogue reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Nissan Rogue holds 318 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 9 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Rogue years on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Tire pressure monitoring.

What are common problems with a 2012 Nissan Rogue?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (136 of 318), then Engine (43) and Electrical system (42). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Nissan Rogue more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Rogue has 610 complaints, 21 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Nissan Rogue been recalled?

The 2012 Nissan Rogue has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Nissan Rogue?

Owners have filed 318 complaints about the 2012 Nissan Rogue with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Nissan Rogue get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Nissan Rogue is 24 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Rogue take?

Use the viscosity and capacity listed for your generation; turbo, AWD, and engine size change both—confirm in the owner’s manual.

Did NHTSA issue a CVT safety recall for 2014-2018 Rogues?

No safety recall for the CVT itself is listed for those years; Nissan extended CVT warranty coverage on certain 2014-2018 Rogues to 84 months/84,000 miles and states that extension is not a safety recall.