2021 Nissan Kicks problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (24) · Power Train (8) · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Kicks model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2023-07-18 · campaign 23V496000 · 11,824 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.
Risk: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code and replace the steering column assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA26. This recall involves vehicles that were previously inspected, but did not receive a steering column replacement, under recall number 22V-693. These vehicles will need to be reinspec
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2022-09-15 · campaign 22V693000 · 20,040 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.
Risk: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code, and replace the column, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 9, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PMA10 / PMA25.
Service bulletins (102)
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
Electrical System 2026-04-08 · NTB23-048A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dtc p17f4 stored in the tcm if you confirm the customer reports transmission vibration when accelerating, hint: vibration occurs during quick reacceleration after braking, during a 2-1 downshift of the auxiliary gearbox. and dtc p17f4 for “auxiliary gearbox (cl judder)” is stored in the tcm. · if dt
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
automatic emergency braking warning light blinking applied systems: vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see figure 1) service information if the automatic emergency braking (aeb) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and there are no rel
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent cruise control inoperative and aeb/feb warning light on or radar obstruction message displayed with dtc c1a16 or c2582 if you confirm important: the purpose of action (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. you must closely follow the entire ser
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)
Showing the 6 most recent of 102 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-09 · Vehicle Speed Control“the car won’t accelerate pass 40mph , abs light will turn on , it completely stopped on the free way. i waited 5 minutes and the car started running. i d been doing this since march 2026. got a diagnosis they thought it was a wheel bearings and sensor but the car didn’t accelerate again. and stopped working. …”
2026-10-03 · Power Train“engine timing and transmission failed and replaced before 90,000 miles, …”
2026-09-03 · Engine“engine light keeps coming on, just had 1 camshaft changed.…”
2026-08-21 · Unknown Or Other“the rear door actuator on the passenger side failed causing the door to not be able to unlock electronically. this is particularly concerning as this is the side we would put our infant child on and we would be unable to access in an emergency. the dealership was not helpful in addressing this issue with nissan corporate. we are extremely concerned…”
2026-08-14 · Wheels“i had a noise and highway vibration in my 2021 nissan kicks. brought it to the dealer and was told the front axle nut was loose. they said it is a common issue. there is a tsb on it but i believe it is a safety issue due to it being a loose axle nut and vibration…”
2026-07-25 · Power Train“the cvt transmission is slipping and losing acceleration while driving, overheating and smelling really bad like burnt rubber, the oil is black and smells burnt, its currently at 52,100 miles and i sent it up to chuck colvin nissan and they did not fix my car, they drove it back to me and when i test drove it myself it broke down on the side of the…”
2026-07-07 · Seat Belts · 💥 crash“i was involved in a pile up on the highway, upon impact, my seatbelt and my daughter’s seat belt popped off. my sons however, remained intact. the air bags did not go off.…”
2026-06-30 · Power Train“at first it just seemed sluggish like it didn’t want to take off then the transmission started jerking would not allow the car to go engine revving up to 5000 rpm before the transmission would engage.…”
2026-06-13 · Power Train“my cvt transmission has stopped working. at no time during taking it to nissan dealerships to have oil changes in basic maintenance was it ever suggested to do a filter or fluid change on my transmission although nissan transmissions are sold to consumers as locked and maintenance free it is a well-known fact that i've come to find out that this is…”
2026-06-02 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch · 108,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 nissan kicks. the contact stated while her boyfriend was driving approximately 35 mph, the hood unexpectedly flew open, hit and cracked the windshield. the driver was able to pull over to the side of the road and pushed down the hood. the driver continued driving. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it wa…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.