68 of the
898 complaints filed about the Nissan Kicks
are about the transmission —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
68
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
My car when in over 95 degree weather, literally will not have power to get up hills and starts to jerk and looses power to make the hills. When the temps outside are cooler the car works fine. I live in [XXX] and I drive long distance to work. I also have a [XXX] son that has to be in the car with me. I can’t have my car messing up all because it’s hot outside and it obviously doesn’t like the heat. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11763325 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
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.
Driving on a highway when rear differential and drive shaft broke loose from vehicle while driving at 65 mph. Right rear wheel went over real diff. causing the rear end of vehicle to come off the pavement. Fortunately was able to get car under control before it flipped. There was no warning signs prior. We were violently lurched and still are feeling residual effects from that incident.
NHTSA complaint #11761598 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, and felt as though it was about to stall before resuming normal operation. The failure occurred more frequently while making left or right turns. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,100.
NHTSA complaint #11760343 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
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
NHTSA complaint #11756958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 road and I had to sit for 30 minutes for it to cool off before driving home
NHTSA complaint #11752854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle has experienced transmission-related issues that have affected its safety, reliability, and overall performance. The symptoms include hesitation during acceleration, delayed response when pressing the accelerator, jerking, loss of power, and unpredictable driving behavior. These issues have made it difficult to safely merge into traffic, cross intersections, and maintain normal driving speeds. The transmission problems occurred despite routine maintenance and normal vehicle operation. These symptoms raise serious concerns about the safety and durability of the CVT transmission installed in this vehicle. I am concerned that these issues may represent a broader defect affecting 2019 Nissan Kicks vehicles equipped with CVT transmissions. Drivers should be able to rely on their vehicles to accelerate and operate safely without fear of sudden loss of power or transmission failure. I respectfully request that this matter be thoroughly investigated and that Nissan be held accountable for any manufacturing defects associated with the CVT transmission. I also request consideration for appropriate repairs, reimbursement for related expenses, or any other remedy available if this issue is determined to be a known defect.
NHTSA complaint #11749692 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11747575 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 a very incorrect statement and fluid and filters do need change every 30 to 50,000 miles or it will cause severe damage to one's transmission which is what it occurred to me on my 2021 Nissan kicks. Also all my safety features that told me if I was outside of a lane or anything like that would go off and not work properly tell me that it was wet conditions when it wasn't tell me I was going to crash when I wasn't even near anything. This occurred before the transmission completely bottomed out.
NHTSA complaint #11743903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
On 05.28.2026 my car veered sporadically to the right causing my tire to hit the curb as I was going under a viaduct with a high curb I lost my hub cap and damaged my rim slightly. Now my wheel is at a constant angle to the left, and veers sporadically left and right. After being in a reddit forum and seeing other people had this problem and it should be covered under warranty. However, I was told I would still have to pay for an alignment because its needed after a a bushing is replaced. If the bushing was defective and caused my wheel alignment to be off then why do I have to pay? I dont mind... I'm just curious
NHTSA complaint #11741961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CEL on, code PO101 indicates MAF sensor is faulty with related ABS, FCW, and slippery road lights illuminating when braking on a curve or at a stop sign. Car often loses power and need to be turned off to reset and become driveable again. Cleaning and replacing the MAF sensor and air filter does not fix the problem. This is a known issue for 2019 Kicks that Nissan is failing to address. This issue renders the car unreliable and unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11739866 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
About 15 minutes after starting car and about 5 miles, I was making a right turn from a stop sign. Made almost a complete turn and the car stopped moving. Engine revved from depressing accelerator and car did not move (except for backwards due to being on an incline). Applied the brakes. Looked to make sure I was in gear and I was. Display said D for drive and gear selector was in D. For about after 10 seconds of wondering what was happening, the transmission engaged and I was able to continue. Called Nissan and was told as long as it's driving now, they will look at it at my next service (10,000 m).
NHTSA complaint #11729033 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle but was unable to shift to drive(D). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that prior to the failure the vehicle was taken to a dealer for service and was advised that the transmission fluid needed to be flushed. The transmission fluid was not flushed. Additionally, during an oil change at a fast oil change service, the technician advised the contact that there was an oil leak coming from one of the spark plugs. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic to be diagnosed. The oil leak was not repaired. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer or independent mechanic for the transmission failure. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
NHTSA complaint #11727902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I was pulling out of my driveway, my car wouldn't accelerate and started making a terrible noise. I lost all power and couldn't get it to move leaving me stuck in the middle of the road. It wouldn't even let me coast off to the side of the road. I have had this same problem before with this transmission and had it replaced with a new manufactured for my car by Nissan transmission.
NHTSA complaint #11723914 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle will not go forward when accelerating, the vehicle does go in reverse. It is available for inspection at Nissan Vacaville. It is a safety risk as I was driving, it stalled in turning lane on street and wouldn't go. I had to have it put in neutral so I could get it to a safe location so I could have it towed to my residence. I have a service report saying that there's a faulty piece in the transmission by Nissan In Vacaville. No indication that there were any issues to the vehicle when I took it for service on Saturday 2/28/26. No lights came on the car or anything that would warrant an issue.
NHTSA complaint #11721705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle was just purchased from a Nissan Dealership (2020 Kicks) and less than 1,300 miles of driving throwing a code stating there is a problem with CVT transmission. Will not produce enough power when going uphill. RPMs will suddenly not go over 1 when given gas uphill. There was a recall for this problem on other 2020 kicks but ours isn't covered and we just purchased this vehicle and drove it home less than 2 months ago.
NHTSA complaint #11720354 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.