I know this probably has been ask before but what is the difference in pre 2/2012 production and post 2/2012 production on the 2012 versa’s.

I need to replace my front wheel bearings and having 212,000 miles on the car I decided to go with salvage parts with 28,000 miles. But, there are notes on the listings that say before 2/2012 or after 2/2012.

I have looked up part numbers and the only difference I can find is a knuckle part number. The bearing and everything else seem to be the same.

Does anyone know why they won’t work?

Never realized there was such a difference for the 2012s. My 2012 Versa was built after 2/2012.There must have been some type of part change in that time frame is the only thing I can think of. It's not unusual for manufacturers to make such part changes in the middle of a model year. Maybe the parts department at your local Nissan dealership might know the answer? Glad you've driven yours to such a high mileage. I only traded my 2012 Versa which I loved dearly for a 2019 to avoid the big price increase for the 3rd generation Versa. I hope I have as good a run with my 2019 as you're having with your 2012.

I replaced the spindles with a late production part and found the only difference in the assembly’s is the backing plate design. There is a section of the backing plate that will need to be trimmed with sheet metal shears to match the original backing plate.

This is the reason they say they are not interchangeable and also due to the backing plate being pressed on the spindle not bolted.

I now have 223,000 miles on the car and she still runs great. I have put over 10k miles on the new spindle and bearing assemblies with no problems.