2016 Nissan Versa problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (13) · Power Train (12) · Service Brakes (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Versa model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
50 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (139)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Air Bags 2024-09-19 · NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dtc b00a0-00 stored this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin. if you confirm dtc b00a0-00 (occupant detection sensor unit) is stored, and ocs zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 139 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-07 · Exterior Lighting · 🔥 fire“the turn signal lights suddenly came on and were stuck on. when i started the car it began smoking in the dashboard then caught fully on fire. …”
2026-08-13 · Electrical System“in july 2024 my airbag light came for no apparent reason. i took it to nissan service-they got it off with no guarantee it would stay off and said the airbag would have to be replaced if it came on again. in came on again in june 2026. i got my oil changed at a local shop and they got the light off verifying it was the l side airbag causing it to f…”
2026-03-11 · Unknown Or Other“ 0 the vehicle has a cvt transmission failure causing severe shuddering, jerking, and progressive loss of acceleration. initially the vehicle would not exceed 20 mph, then worsened to 15 mph, then 10 mph, and now will not exceed 5 mph. the issue consistently occurs after the vehicle has been driven for more than approximately 2 minutes. there are n…”
2026-03-10 · Power Train“while merging onto [xxx] toward [xxx] , my 2016 nissan versa suffered a total loss of power while crossing active railroad tracks. the car stuttered and jerked before completely stalling and stopped responding. i was stranded in a high-traffic zone around [xxx] pm. i was worried that the vehicles coming behind me would not see my small car right a…”
2025-12-20 · Unknown Or Other“the vehicle has a cvt transmission failure causing severe shuddering, jerking, and progressive loss of acceleration. initially the vehicle would not exceed 20 mph, then worsened to 15 mph, then 10 mph, and now will not exceed 5 mph. the issue consistently occurs after the vehicle has been driven for more than approximately 2 minutes. there are no …”
2025-09-05 · Unknown Or Other“there is a shutter leaving 1st gear…”
2025-07-31 · Air Bags“the airbag warning light has come on and is flashing.brought it in twice for it was in diagnosis mode the first time. history mode second time and two days later it is on again and flashing that is three times in one month! nissan needs to have this problem fixed!…”
2025-07-28 · Air Bags“my check airbag light came on without any incident and has stayed on since january, 2025. i took it to a nissan dealer and they told me they would charge me $4,000.00 to see if it could be fixed. charged me $209.96 just to look at the car. their report said airbag side module lh faulty. i am very uneasy now driving around not knowing if my airbag …”
2025-07-23 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2016 nissan versa, and the air conditioning system has completely failed, making the car almost unbearable to drive in the florida heat. i have already spent over $1,000 trying to fix the issue — including replacing multiple a/c components — and the air still doesn’t work. a mechanic told me the evaporator core needs to be replaced, but tha…”
2025-07-23 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2016 nissan versa, and the air conditioning system has completely failed due to what i’ve been told is an evaporator core issue. after researching, i’ve found that this is a very common problem among versa owners across multiple model years. the failure causes extreme heat in the cabin, especially in summer months, and creates a serious dis…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.