Owners have filed 2,959 complaints on the Nissan Versa, covering 2007–2025. The system named most often is Air Bags (918 reports). Worst years by volume: 2009, 2012, 2008; cleanest: 2025, 2022, 2019. 223 reports describe a crash, 33 a fire, 13 a death. On average the car was 5.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Nissan Versa
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,959 Versa complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 918 Read
Nissan vehicle was on a main city road in motion and then slowing down to traffics change in speed when rear ended. As soon as vehicle was rear ended, brakes were pressed to prevent further collisions with vehicles up forward. My vehicle seatbelts failed to restrain driver and all passengers wearing them during a…
Driving vehicle about 60-65 mph when collision with another vehicle occurred resulting in moderate front end damage to almost all of front bumper with no airbag deployment and put driver in danger due to speed and mechanism of collision which seems to be a malfunction in safety equipment
Driver lost control of vehicle and slid along fence to hit a tree stump. Driver airbags went off in time and driver was unscathed. Passenger remembers seeing tree hit car (vision was not obscured by deployed airbag). Passenger was seriously injured and needed airlift to local trauma center. Car was hauled by H&H…
Power Train 489 Read
The contact owns a 2015 nissan versa. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, while the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to lose power and jerk, the contact veered to the shoulder of the road where another vehicle crashed into the rear vehicle, contact placed vehicle in park…
I had an accident on 4/8 in the parking lot of my job and a truck slammed into my passenger side and no air bag deployed. She had accelerated due to a manual transmission in her truck. The estimates for body work was 28.92, 500.00 and 5, 658.32 more than half totaled I have problems with the car, the brakes, idiot…
The contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. While the vehicle was in drive, the power door locks unlocked. Also, the gears independently shifted out of drive, reverse, and neutral without warning. The contact stated that there were three manufacturer recalls that needed to be performed, but the dealer indicated that the…
Suspension 388 Read
The contact rented a 2017 nissan versa. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 40-46 mph, the vehicle jerked, shook and swerved. As a result, the driver crashed into a cone. There were no warning lights illuminated. The manual side view mirrors were stuck and failed to move. The roof of vehicle had an…
I was driving around a curve on a city street when my driver side front coil spring snapped impacting the tire causing my vehicle to swerve over a median sustaining major damages to the undercarriage and body of the vehicle. Recall # 15V573000
The contact owns a 2011 nissan versa. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact noticed smoke coming from the front passenger wheel and then the wheel exploded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was…
Electrical System 175 Read
The contact owned a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that her vehicle had caught fire while parked in her driveway. The contact stated that the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The contact was unsure if the fire department used water or chemicals to extinguish the fire. The contact was not…
Nissan versa 2012 has a engine problem with the mass air sensor and also the electrical probelm.my car shut off on the road while I was driving.I sent to the mechanist but they could not find the exact problem.I also sent to a nissan dealership but the problem still remain it. I one time almost got a accident because…
January 2nd I was asked to jumpstart a vehicle in my driveway. Approximately 5 minutes later my nissan versa, with less than 32000 miles, caught on fire. The cables were hooked up correctly. Prior to this incident and at least three times, I had complained of a burning smell after highway driving. I was told by my…
Steering 156 Read
The contact owns a 2010 nissan versa. While driving 20 mph, the contact noticed an abnormal burning odor coming from the steering wheel area of the control panel. The contact also heard an abnormal popping sound. Shortly after, the contact lost control of the vehicle as it spun out of control and crashed into a ditch.…
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…
Rod, piston breaks and punctures tire after losing ability to steer, accelerate, brake. MANUFACTURER DEFECT/RECALL on stated parts not revealed until after car crashed. No test drive given. Car began experiencing horrible loud banging noise immediately after leaving dealership. WAS NOT OFFERED TO TEST DRIVE. Took to…
Engine 115 Read
Transmission went out on highway, car went from 70 to zero while on cruise control on 85 n in SC. Car startled again in traffic causing an accident
The contact owns a 2008 nissan versa. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 mph, smoke started to emit from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. However, the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure…
The contact owns a 2007 nissan versa. The contact was traveling 35 mph when the vehicle stalled and could not be restarted. In addition, the contact observed black smoke and flames coming from the engine. The police were contacted and the vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer…
Service Brakes 106 Read
The vehicle was in motion on a two way street traveling approximately 30 miles an hour the brakes were pressed and then pumped and did not stop the vehicle. The nissan slammed into the back of another vehicle. The nissan has been deemed totaled . The 2016 nissan versa had approximately 9000 miles and had a break…
2021 Nissan Versa S on Aug 26th 2023 driving back from NY heading toward Ma. When a Malfunction sign came up on the dashboard of the car. We pulled over trying to figure out what was happening and took a picture of the warning sign also the Break Assist showing something just happened. Turned the car off and the…
The contact owned a 2016 nissan versa. While driving approximately 30 mph, the brakes failed when the pedal was depressed. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed head on into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact was injured and transported to the emergency room by ambulance. The air bags…
Vehicle Speed Control 76 Read
The contact owns a 2015 nissan versa. While driving approximately 80 mph, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The vehicle caught fire. The driver was fatally injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage center. The cause of the failure was undetermined. The…
Shaking brake pedal, difficulty slowing the car down while driving
The contact owns a 2014 nissan versa. The contact while driving 45 mph, her foot became stuck preventing her from stopping the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear end of another vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to the right toe and scratches to the left shoulder. A police report was filed.…
Versa years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Electrical System,back Over Prevention | 2 | — | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2023 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System,exterior Lighting,engine | — | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 13 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 16 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 23 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 17 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 33 | 5 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 15 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 14 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 20 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 22 | 8 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 18 | 7 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 448 |
| Average complaints per series | 6.6 |
| Worst single series | 35 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.1 years |
A model average of 6.6 hides a worst series at 35. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Versa?
By complaint volume, 2009, 2012, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Versa years are the cleanest?
2025, 2022, 2019 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Nissan Versa have?
2,959 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2007–2025. Of those, 223 describe a crash and 33 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.