Owners have filed 34 complaints
about the 2023 Nissan Kicks with NHTSA between 2025 and 2026.
The largest single group is the driver assist & collision avoidance.
Across this model's run it ranks 8 of 9 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 17
Against the median year of the Nissan Kicks. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 46
8.8% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 57
33% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
25,000 – 49,999 miles
466.7%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
116.7%
75,000 – 99,999 miles
116.7%
NHTSA crash tests
The agency crash-tested this model year itself. These are its own
photographs and star ratings.
Frontal crash test
Side barrier crash test
Side pole crash test
Photographs taken by NHTSA during its own New Car Assessment Program crash
tests of this model year. Public domain.
Configuration
Overall
Front
Side
Rollover
2023 Nissan Kicks Later Release SUV FWD
15.5% risk
2023 Nissan Kicks Early Release SUV FWD
15.5% risk
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jul 2025peak 6Sep 2026
Recalls on the 2023 Nissan Kicks
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
United States — NHTSA
24V154000
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2024 Titan, Frontier, Infiniti QX60, Pathfinder, 2023-2024 Sentra, Versa, Kicks, Infiniti QX50, and 2023 Rogue vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the driver's air bag inflator may absorb moisture, and cause the air bag to deploy improperly.
Risk: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 202412924 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, the driver-front airbag may not have been manufactured properly. Over time, moisture could enter the inflator and cause it not to inflate properly in a crash. Safety Risk: An airbag that doesn't inflate properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Nissan will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the driver-front airbag.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Los Angeles, CACrash
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Los Angeles, CACrash
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Shreveport, LA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The first incident was one week after purchasing the vehicle. All of my maintenance lights flashed on after driving my vehicle for several miles. I pulled over and immediately turned my car off and called my mechanic. He immediately came over and my lights flashed on again. He said for me to take it to the dealership. I did and when I turned off my car to go into the dealership and returned, the lights were off after starting my engine up. It took 3 starts for them to not appear. They refused to service my car since no codes were thrown up. The second incident is much more important. I got off the interstate and was pressing my brake. When I put my foot off the brake and about to push the gas, my engine completely stalled. I had to stop completely and put my car into park and restart my car. Immediately took it to the dealership and had a diagnostics done. They told me it was the battery, but my certified mechanic tested it previously before I took it in. They said nothing else was wrong. Nissan's bulletin applies to 2023 Nissan Kicks and Versa vehicles. If the engine shuts off when coming to a stop, and no DTCs are present, confirm the current ECM part number. If the P/N is 23701-9EW1A, 9EW2A, 9EW4A, 9EW5A, 5R80B, 5R80D, 5R80E OR 5R81C, reprogram the ECM. I reported this to the dealership but it was not checked out. I was on the interstate when my engine stalled.
NHTSA complaint #11763439 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Shreveport, LA
ENGINE
The first incident was one week after purchasing the vehicle. All of my maintenance lights flashed on after driving my vehicle for several miles. I pulled over and immediately turned my car off and called my mechanic. He immediately came over and my lights flashed on again. He said for me to take it to the dealership. I did and when I turned off my car to go into the dealership and returned, the lights were off after starting my engine up. It took 3 starts for them to not appear. They refused to service my car since no codes were thrown up. The second incident is much more important. I got off the interstate and was pressing my brake. When I put my foot off the brake and about to push the gas, my engine completely stalled. I had to stop completely and put my car into park and restart my car. Immediately took it to the dealership and had a diagnostics done. They told me it was the battery, but my certified mechanic tested it previously before I took it in. They said nothing else was wrong. Nissan's bulletin applies to 2023 Nissan Kicks and Versa vehicles. If the engine shuts off when coming to a stop, and no DTCs are present, confirm the current ECM part number. If the P/N is 23701-9EW1A, 9EW2A, 9EW4A, 9EW5A, 5R80B, 5R80D, 5R80E OR 5R81C, reprogram the ECM. I reported this to the dealership but it was not checked out. I was on the interstate when my engine stalled.
NHTSA complaint #11763439 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alabaster, AL
POWER TRAIN
February 2024: The vehicle was in drive and was stopped at a red light. When the traffic light changed the driver pressed the accelerator. The engine/powertrain did not respond, and the vehicle did not move. The driver turned the car off, then back on. The driver was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location and inspected operator level systems. No problems could be found. Benton Nissan in Birmingham, AL evaluated the vehicle and could not find a malfunction record or reproduce the malfunction. Nissan USA was notified and stated the issue was a known problem in engineering review at the time. We stopped receiving any response from their representative in March 2024.
NHTSA complaint #11763129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alabaster, AL
POWER TRAIN
September 9, 2026: The vehicle had the same malfunction as in February 2024. The vehicle was in drive and was stopped in a parking lot. When the driver pressed the accelerator there was no response from the engine/powertrain and the vehicle did not move. The ignition was cycled and the vehicle could be moved.
NHTSA complaint #11763136 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alabaster, AL
ENGINE
February 2024: The vehicle was in drive and was stopped at a red light. When the traffic light changed the driver pressed the accelerator. The engine/powertrain did not respond, and the vehicle did not move. The driver turned the car off, then back on. The driver was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location and inspected operator level systems. No problems could be found. Benton Nissan in Birmingham, AL evaluated the vehicle and could not find a malfunction record or reproduce the malfunction. Nissan USA was notified and stated the issue was a known problem in engineering review at the time. We stopped receiving any response from their representative in March 2024.
NHTSA complaint #11763129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alabaster, AL
ENGINE
September 9, 2026: The vehicle had the same malfunction as in February 2024. The vehicle was in drive and was stopped in a parking lot. When the driver pressed the accelerator there was no response from the engine/powertrain and the vehicle did not move. The ignition was cycled and the vehicle could be moved.
NHTSA complaint #11763136 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 37,100 milesWindsor Mill, MD
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that there was a green fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were two hoses leaking from the transmission and the radiator. After further inspection, it was determined the radiator had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the failure was being investigated. The failure mileage was approximately 37,100.
NHTSA complaint #11759629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 37,100 milesWindsor Mill, MD
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that there was a green fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were two hoses leaking from the transmission and the radiator. After further inspection, it was determined the radiator had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the failure was being investigated. The failure mileage was approximately 37,100.
NHTSA complaint #11759629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 78,632 milesHillsborough, NC
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while stopped at light, the vehicle did not accelerate and lost power. The vehicle was towed to a friend's residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the CVT transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,632
NHTSA complaint #11743307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Indianola, MS
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I find driving my Nissan 2023 Nissan kicks 2023 when I look to my right my rearview mirror obstruct my view. It do not allow me to see completely what I’m approaching while my car is moving. I have to lean to my right and look under my mirror to get a clear view of what beside me. Or or what I am approaching. Or what is approaching me. I have had two accident in his car due to my rearview mirror obstructing my view. I went back to the dealership and I told them about this situation and they said it was nothing they can do. I was injured in the last accident did not see the car approaching me at all. The Nissan car dealership did not give a height verification of people who should drive this car. I am five 9 1/2 and I am buying a Nissan kicks 2023 and I tell you you have call me back pain I have to get shots in my back because of all the linking and ducking I have to do to see why this car is moving. This is a dangerous vehicle on the road. It should be taken off the road. It should be taken off the market. Should nobody buy this a Nissan kicks. The word.Period.
NHTSA complaint #11743116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Indianola, MS
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
I find driving my Nissan 2023 Nissan kicks 2023 when I look to my right my rearview mirror obstruct my view. It do not allow me to see completely what I’m approaching while my car is moving. I have to lean to my right and look under my mirror to get a clear view of what beside me. Or or what I am approaching. Or what is approaching me. I have had two accident in his car due to my rearview mirror obstructing my view. I went back to the dealership and I told them about this situation and they said it was nothing they can do. I was injured in the last accident did not see the car approaching me at all. The Nissan car dealership did not give a height verification of people who should drive this car. I am five 9 1/2 and I am buying a Nissan kicks 2023 and I tell you you have call me back pain I have to get shots in my back because of all the linking and ducking I have to do to see why this car is moving. This is a dangerous vehicle on the road. It should be taken off the road. It should be taken off the market. Should nobody buy this a Nissan kicks. The word.Period.
NHTSA complaint #11743116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Adelphi, MD
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The driver side (left) camera seems to be partially out (gets a faint signal in sunlight, fully out at night) and it is unclear how well the saftey features work as a result.
NHTSA complaint #11743070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Adelphi, MD
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
The driver side (left) camera seems to be partially out (gets a faint signal in sunlight, fully out at night) and it is unclear how well the saftey features work as a result.
NHTSA complaint #11743070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Adelphi, MD
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
The driver side (left) camera seems to be partially out (gets a faint signal in sunlight, fully out at night) and it is unclear how well the saftey features work as a result.
NHTSA complaint #11743070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lisbon, OH
SERVICE BRAKES
My car will just slam on the brakes for no reason at all. The only thing I did different was use the emergency brake the day before when I was on a slope. There is nothing in front of me causing this to happen. I've been to the shop about this before they charge you $190 to put it on a sensor and tell you there's nothing wrong with it that was a good while ago probably a year. It happened again Saturday morning driving home from work I was able to get to the shop today Tuesday morning. I told them I saw online that other people were having this issue. I could not afford to give them another $190 even though they said they could only diagnosis if it would happen while the mechanic was driving it or they could find it on the machine that would cost $190. I have a warranty on this car and I don't feel that it's fair that although they have to know about this issue they still want to charge me and will not even acknowledge that they're aware of this. I told the woman on the phone when I called in Saturday morning for an appointment which by the way they couldn't get me in until Monday anyways, that I had an hour commute to and from work and that if anyone would have been behind me they would have hit me. She seemed unconcerned. Everyone at Nissan seems unconcerned.
NHTSA complaint #11737437 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car will just slam on the brakes for no reason at all. The only thing I did different was use the emergency brake the day before when I was on a slope. There is nothing in front of me causing this to happen. I've been to the shop about this before they charge you $190 to put it on a sensor and tell you there's nothing wrong with it that was a good while ago probably a year. It happened again Saturday morning driving home from work I was able to get to the shop today Tuesday morning. I told them I saw online that other people were having this issue. I could not afford to give them another $190 even though they said they could only diagnosis if it would happen while the mechanic was driving it or they could find it on the machine that would cost $190. I have a warranty on this car and I don't feel that it's fair that although they have to know about this issue they still want to charge me and will not even acknowledge that they're aware of this. I told the woman on the phone when I called in Saturday morning for an appointment which by the way they couldn't get me in until Monday anyways, that I had an hour commute to and from work and that if anyone would have been behind me they would have hit me. She seemed unconcerned. Everyone at Nissan seems unconcerned.
NHTSA complaint #11737437 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lewisville, TX
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I use the adaptive cruise control a lot because I had ankle surgery and it bothers it to drive and use it a lot. The cruise control is fantastic I love it but it started giving me a warning light at the end of drive. I drive from [XXX] to [XXX] 4 days a week. The warning light will pop up randomly sometimes it will do it every day and sometimes it won't do it at all. sometimes it will only do it in the morning and not on my drive home. So I didn't think anything of it but then it got more frequent and now my warranty is running out but the dealership can't duplicate the issue. This is a major issue because it's not predictable and could happen at any moment. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11736495 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Los Angeles, CACrash
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Los Angeles, CACrash
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11729021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bristol, TN
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Back window shattered spontaneously without notice
NHTSA complaint #11725483 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mount Airy, MD
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Back glass was shattered with no visible impact. Back glass was replaced by Safelite.
NHTSA complaint #11713664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
El Paso, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WHILE COMING FROM THE GROCERY STORE TO MY APARTMENT I HEARD A LOUD POP AND I SAW THRU MY MIRROR THAT MY REAR WINDOW WAS SHATTERED. I. STOP ON THE NEXT BLOCK AND PARK TO SEE IF SOMEONE OR SOMETHING HIT MY WINDOW BUT NOTHING... I NOTICED ON THE SIDE OF THE SORROUNDI WINDOW THE WINDOW WAS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDOW FRAME... I DID SOME RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT IT HAS HAPPEN TO OTHER NISSAN OWNERS .... I WILL BE CONTACTING MY NISSAN DEALER TO SEE IF THEY WILL REPAIR IT FOR FREE... I CAN'T DRIVE IT BECAUSE THE WINDOW CAN FALL TO THE STREET... I CAN'T PUT NO PLASTIC AROUND IT BECAUSE ITS BEEN RAINING ALL THIS WEEKND.... THIS HAPPEN ON FRIDAY THE 16, 2026 AROUND 430PM
NHTSA complaint #11713289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 64,000 milesEl Paso, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over. The contact had to wait for 20 minutes to an hour before being able to start the vehicle. The failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
NHTSA complaint #11704047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Adelphi, MD
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I started braking and the red "BRAKE" started intermittently shining. Later on, the warning, front collision, and traction control lights suddenly turned on. I cannot use cruise control now either. A quick look online shows this to be a widespread issue across many Nissan Kicks, but the dealership is saying that the issue only applies to some models of Kicks, not mine. But my issue is identical to the one people online have said applied to theirs and was covered, so I think it is a more widespread issue than Nissan is letting on/admitting. This is dangerous as these systems are last-resort braking systems for emergencies, so when they are supposed to engage is precisely when you need them most (to prevent a deadly crash). Additionally, there is now a second instance of one of the side cameras going out. The first one happened at roughly ~20k miles, and now the other side at ~36k miles. This is dangerous since these cameras feed into the lane keeping and blind spot systems, as well as the parking system.
NHTSA complaint #11682783 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
