MajorCommonEngine

Nissan Note: HR12DDR DIG-S supercharger drive belt wear and slip

HR12DDR DIG-S supercharger drive belt wear and slip is a common engine fault on the Nissan Note on the 2012–2020 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $380 to $850 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 31 documented faults on the Nissan Note.

Vehicle: Nissan Note
Engine: HR12-DDR
Years: 2012–2020
Fuel: petrol
System: Engine

This page covers the Nissan Note as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Nissan Note faults31 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

The HR12DDR 1.2L three-cylinder DIG-S engine uses a belt-driven Roots-type supercharger for boost. The drive belt stretches and glazes with high mileage, typically beyond 80,000 km, causing the supercharger to slip under load. This results in noticeable power loss, audible squealing under acceleration, and inconsistent boost delivery. The belt is not always listed in standard service intervals and is frequently overlooked. NZ workshops report it as one of the most commonly missed service items on E12 DIG-S imports from Japan.

What you would notice

High-pitched squeal or chirp under moderate to hard acceleration
Noticeable loss of low-end power or sluggish acceleration at high mileage
Inconsistent power delivery especially in mid-range RPM
Visible belt dust, cracking, glazing or fraying on inspection

How to check it

Where to look. Supercharger drive belt pulley, front of engine

With engine off, locate the supercharger drive belt on the front of the engine. Check for cracking, glazing, fraying, or unusual polish. With engine running, listen for a belt squeal increasing with engine load during a blip of the throttle. Request service records to confirm whether the supercharger belt has been replaced.

What it costs to put right

$380 to $850 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has the supercharger drive belt been replaced? At what mileage?”
“Has the car ever been diagnosed for power loss or squealing under acceleration?”
“Are full dealer or workshop service records available?”

Now check the Nissan Note you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Nissan Note buyer questions

Is hr12ddr dig-s supercharger drive belt wear and slip serious on a Nissan Note?

We rate it major and common on the Nissan Note. The HR12DDR 1.2L three-cylinder DIG-S engine uses a belt-driven Roots-type supercharger for boost. The drive belt stretches and glazes with high mileage, typically beyond 80,000 km, causing the supercharger to slip under load. This results in noticeable power loss, audible squealing under acceleration, and inconsistent boost delivery. The belt is not always listed in standard service intervals and is frequently overlooked. NZ workshops report it as one of the most commonly missed service items on E12 DIG-S imports from Japan.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan Note?

$380 to $850 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Nissan Note years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2012–2020 Nissan Note. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.