Nissan Versa Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Nissan Versa options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Nissan Versa has 395 owner complaints and 13 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is ENGINE. 2024 drew the most complaints; 2025 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Nissan
- Model
- Versa
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 395
- Safety recall campaigns
- 13
- Crash-related complaints
- 35
- Fire-related complaints
- 0
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2024 (93 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (11 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Nissan Versa: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe NISSAN VERSA has 395 NHTSA complaints and 13 recalls on record. 35 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 395 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 13 federal recall campaigns
- 35 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Jul 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
13 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:BULBS
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:BULBS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 395 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
395 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
When the vehicle was first purchased , the unit was test driven and liked it. vehicle was purchased new around end of XXXearly XXX, when they told us the vehicle was ready for pick up we went to pick it up and as soon as we drove it out of the lot the unit broke down the transmission would not go into gear the shop is calling it limb mode. so we called our sales rep [XXX] at the time and got us a rental while they looked for the problem. the sales man said it was a sensor, on the XXX it did the same thing ( went into limb mode) we where stranded we called nissan we took the car over the same day. on XXX they told us the could not replicate the issue, they also told us that the first time it was taken they did not do nothing to it as they could not replicate the problem as well. I expressed my concerns to the that out sales rep told us it was a sensor and was taken care of. The check engine does not come on the car will go into gear but will not advance will only go 5-10 miles. the rpms rev up but the car does not shift, no power, no acceleration. nissan said they are getting a specialist to look at it. but it is upsetting that it was not even fixed the first time . at this moment the loaned us a car untill they can figure whats wrong with it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Sudden total loss of power while driving. Multiple lights on dash immediately, at least 5 different lights on dash with message that says check manual. Daughter stranded in the road at 10:30pm. Good Samaritan helped to push vehicle while directing traffic to not get hit. Towing to dealer asap since it will not move. It will start, but won't pull itself & checking manual as instructed wasn't helpful.
Vehicle engine and all electrical shut-off, at intersection of XXX. in [XXX] on February 4th (on or before 6:57 AM MST) where the hazard lights failed to come on. My further answers to the questions above as [jhh]answer[/jhh]: What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? [jhh]The engine, and all electrical, lost power, including the hazard lights. The rental car company has possession, I do not know if they will allow a safety inspection, or not.[/jhh] How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? [jhh]The vehicle was disabled in the middle of the intersection, blocking traffic, I had to open the door, get out of the vehicle, and manually push it out of the way so that a cement truck, and other traffic could get through. My safety was put at risk, as the hazard lights failed to operate, so that fast moving, un-coming traffic, can be warned, to prevent a lethal collision.[/jhh] Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? [jhh]Not that I know of.[/jhh] Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? [jhh]The vehicle has been inspected by the rental car company when it was returned on February 12th.[/jhh] Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? [jhh]The hazard lights failed to turn on. I suspect, if there is an "advanced safety feature" installed, it may have created an unsafe, "failsafe" condition, where it not only disables the vehicle, but also, disables the hazard lights. There was some road space between me and the traffic light, so I slowly drove forward while looking down at the dash board. This is about the time the vehicle shutoff completely, when the light turned green, and I could not move out of the way, of traffic, and could not turn on the hazards.[/jhh] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended and made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was driven to the nearest family member's residence due to safety concerns. The contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle was driving significantly sluggish and was jerking abnormally. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The contact turned off the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle was driven but failed to drive at the intended speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that fuel was not reaching the engine and two other unknown failures were found. The dealer added fuel to the vehicle, and unknown clamps were installed on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to Nissan of Downtown LA (635 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015); where it was determined that the failure could be related to the fuel quality. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the dealer that an unknown computer part for the engine needed to be installed, and the vehicle needed to be reset. The vehicle was not repaired because the first dealer who sold the vehicle declined to cover the repair. An unknown yellow warning light was intermittently illuminated. The failure mileage was approximately 13.
When making a left hand turn the was a vehicle way behind the line. My car stopped suddenly and I couldn’t move I was stuck next thing I know the other vehicle collided with me. This vehicles auto braking is very dangerous leading to crash! I could not avoid the speeding car coming towards me I was paralyzed from this matter and then the vehicle had a crash. My concern is there. There was time for me to move through the intersection, but my vehicle locked up which made the other vehicle collide into the front of my car or the rental car so my concern is that automatic breaking is very dangerous.
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that during cold starts, the vehicle was jerking and vibrating abnormally. After the engine had warmed up, the jerking and vibration were self-corrected, but the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer on several occasions, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13.
Read 14 more owner reports
Vehicle: 2025 Nissan Versa Mileage: 276 Date: 01/17/26 Location: my home in Winston salem nc Warning lights: None observed / Unknown While reversing to park, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering and braking assistance at the same time. The steering became extremely hard to turn, and the brakes did not stop the vehicle. I lost control, and the car continued rolling backward, resulting in a collision with another parked vehicle. After the vehicle stopped, I shifted into Park and the engine shut off. When I attempted to restart, the vehicle would not start. After approximately one minute, it restarted normally and I was able to move the vehicle. This failure occurred without warning and created a serious safety hazard due to loss of steering and braking control.
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated the vehicle failed to exceed 45 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle entered LIMP Mode. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle independently reset. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,800.
My windshield started to crack from the very bottom middle (just above the hood) and made its way up and splintered in multiple directions rapidly. I believe it's maybe heat related (probably defective) because I can't find an impact spot if it was a rock or something similar. I can feel the crack on the outside of the windshield at the very bottom (just above the hood) where the glass starts for about 3 maybe 4 inches, a nice little groove then after splintering in multiple directions I can no longer feel the cracks. Can you please look into this issue.
The contact rented a 2025 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor illuminated when it started to rain. The Forward Collision Avoidance sensor warning light illuminated, and a message to “Please go to Safety Map Information” was displayed. The contact stated that as soon as it stopped raining, the warning light turned off. The contact attempted to inform the vehicle inspector of the failure; however, the inspector did not understand the failure that was experienced. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.
I had experienced a power loss. I could not go over 50 mph on the highway. I'm a new driver so I believe this was because I've been stalling it quite a bit and restarting the car.
At approximately 135,000 miles my automatic transmission began "slipping" or lurching while accelerating. I took the car to a Nissan dealership, as well as 2 local mechanics, and all 3 sources have told me that my transmission is having identical symptoms to the recalled Versa models that previously had transmission issues. I'm now forced to replace the transmission before it hopefully goes out completely (the CVT). The problem has been diagnosed and reproduced by 3 separate auto mechanic shops, including one Nissan dealership in Colerain, Ohio. There have been absolutely no warning lights, messages, or signals from the car. When I accelerate from a stop, the car lurches at about 20-25 MPH. When I'm driving on the highway at a steady, high speed, I don't have the issue.
Electrical issues the entirety of owning this car. Now the car has a dead transmission at 88k miles. The car has caused me to almost be t-boned in a intersection twice due to unexpected loss of acceleration and power. Before trans went down it would stall, hesitate, and now it is completely dead and wont move and i have to put a new transmission in my car. Completely unsafe, i could have lost my life or at very least been severely injured.
I brought this car in August 2022 and now out of no where the rear breaking collision system is randomly malfunctioning. There will be nothing near my vehicle or in the line of sight and when you reverse it just slams on breaks and will continue to doo so very few seconds causing loud grinding. this will stop for a few days or weeks and randomly starts up again which causes problems when parking or backing up because its continuously slamming on breaks for no reason.
I purchased this car from Carvana on 02/25/26, 2022 Nissan Versa S Manual Transmission. On four occasions over the course of two separate days, while under way, I lost power and the car went into a limp mode. Twice I was able to pull off the road, twice I had to stop on the road. After coming to a complete stop I was able to place the car in first gear and continue on driving. This power loss puts me at risk to be rear ended by the following car. I took it to the Nissan Dealer on 03/17/26 expressing my concern. I was told that they could not find any code in the car that indicated the trouble I experienced, nor was there any illumination of the check engine light. Because of that I was told that my car could not be serviced.
Rear windshield shattered for no reason. It was cold out. There were no chips in the back windshield. Was driving the car for a few minutes and heard a loud bang and then back windshield was shattered.
vehicle change to limp mode randomly. i need to stop turn all off wait 1 minute to restables the normal power on engine.
The issue that I am experiencing has been intermittent, however it seems to be a safety concern that Nissan is not taking seriously. As I am driving at any speed with no cars around me the car collision icon will come on and flash as well as the front portion of the car in the advanced driver assistant system will flash yellow. This has happened on more than one occasion, but will always go away eventually. I believe that my safety is at risk because what if I was driving with my cruise control on and this occurred, would it slam on my brakes causing an accident? It has not been duplicated by the dealership that I have taken my car to however I have been able to record it several times when it occurred. There are no other warning lights that come up when this occurs, however I have codes that show that some of my radar sensors are not functioning properly. Nissan has not done anything about this issue and has dismissed it as a common problem with the vehicle when it clearly is a safety issue.
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle seemed sluggish, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The contact stated that several times, the vehicle was driven to the shoulder and the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was driven without further failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,300.
If the vehicle stalls when starting or depressing the clutch too fast, the vehicle will sometimes enter a low power (limp mode), where the driver can floor the accelerator and the car will barely accelerate. The absolutely max speed when this happens seems to be around 55 and it takes 30 seconds to reach this speed. Turning the car off and letting it sit for 15 seconds, and then restarting the car seems to fix the problem. This has happened to me 3 times over the past 2 years.
Showing 20 of 395 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Nissan Versa
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Nissan Versa, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Nissan Versa has 395 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Nissan Versa has 13 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 35 of the Nissan Versa's 395 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Nissan Versa vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Nissan Versa vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Nissan Versa has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Nissan Versa reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Nissan Versa reliable?
Poor. The Nissan Versa has 395 NHTSA owner complaints and 13 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ENGINE. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Nissan Versa years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2024 (93 complaints), 2020 (64 complaints), 2017 (62 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Nissan Versa problems?
Top reported issues: ENGINE (127 complaints); POWER TRAIN (113 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (79 complaints).
Does the Nissan Versa have recalls?
Yes — 13 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Nissan Versa. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.