2018 Nissan Versa problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (12) · Power Train (8) · Engine (7)
🧭 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
26 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2019-09-12 · campaign 19V654000 · 1,228,830 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible an
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Electrical System:ignition 2018-08-21 · campaign 18V551000 · 153,047 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Service bulletins (88)
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 88 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-06 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“on september 17, 2026, my 2018 nissan was involved in a severe rear-end collision on the freeway. the vehicle sustained extensive rear-end damage and was subsequently determined to be a total loss. none of the airbags deployed during the collision. immediately after the crash, i believe i may have briefly seen an airbag-related warning or message o…”
2026-10-06 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“on september 17, 2026, my 2018 nissan was involved in a severe rear-end collision on a freeway. the vehicle sustained extensive damage and was declared a total loss. none of the airbags deployed. i am concerned that the airbag/srs system may not have functioned as designed. after the collision, i observed exposed components in the severely damaged …”
2026-08-27 · Power Train“car jerks and doesn’t go into gear right away. never know when it will happen. there is a notice from nissan that it happens because of short in tail light. happened approx 3 yrs ago and has started again but worse. it is available for inspection no recall but very unsafe. while attempting to cross street it didn’t go into gear and i was almost hi…”
2026-05-27 · Power Train“2018 nissan versa transmission issues. i have 2018 nissan versa with 116,993 miles. transmission is starting to skip and slip. it was diagnosed as a possible chain slip. there was bulletin out for this issue in which nissan has known about. nissan was contacted to see if they could warranty the transmission, but was told they were not going to cove…”
2026-05-03 · Visibility/Wiper“my car was parked out front my house. weather has been in the 60’s no major differences. i walked outside ant 1pm and noticed the entire back windshield was shattered. there was no impact marks, no hole in the window. i’m not sure how this has happened and thankfully we were at home and not driving. …”
2026-03-12 · Engine · 105,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 nissan versa. the contact stated that while driving approximately 4 mph, the vehicle was shaking violently. there were no warning lights illuminated. when the heater was activated, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the technician was unable to dupli…”
2026-01-13 · Air Bags“out of nowhere my airbag light start blinking, i ran the code and got a p2096 which apparently is not related to the airbag i took it to firestone to get it checked out and they told me they cannot do anything about the airbag light i would have to go to my dealership for help with that. no one seems to know what to do. …”
2025-09-08 · Power Train“i was driving on the express way in rush hour traffic, and my car started to judder and rpm were reving high.i tried to accelerate and the car just stop in mid traffic, i had to have the car towed home,and from home to the nissan dealership. they told me that my transmission had failed and needed to be replaced.i had no warning light or any other p…”
2025-08-06 · Engine“loss of power when using turn signal on highway changing lanes and making left or right turn on city streets. once the signal is off i can accelerate. left turn signal becomes more rapid as well. the versa has a manual transmission. recurring issue for a month.…”
2025-03-24 · Engine“has an issue with the mass flow air sensor. i had this car for 7 months with 84,000 miles on it and noticed instantly that it had poor mileage and stalled a lot. check engine came on the first time and i took it to have a diagnostic test and a p101 code came on, a couple of days later the car wouldn't start. replaced the mass flow air sensor and th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.