Owners have filed 72 complaints
about the 2023 Nissan Versa with NHTSA between 2023 and 2025.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 19 of 19 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 — 15
Against the median year of the Nissan Versa. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
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 Versa 4 DR FWD
11.8% 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.
Apr 2023peak 10Oct 2025
NHTSA investigations into the 2023 Nissan Versa
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
PE24007Opened 7 Mar 2024Closed 2 Oct 2025POWER TRAIN
Reduced Power After Engine Stall
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on March 7, 2024, after receiving twenty (20) consumer complaints and multiple field reports describing reduced power (limp mode) after re-starting the vehicle following a stall on certain 2022-2024 model year (MY) Nissan Versa. A Preliminary Evaluation was opened to gather information and assess whether the subject vehicles contain a safety-related defect. During this investigation, Nissan explained that certain 2022-2044 MY Nissan Versa vehicles equipped with a manual transmission may, under specific conditions, experience...
Recalls on the 2023 Nissan Versa
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.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Denver, CO
POWER TRAIN
I'm an employee at a driving school in Colorado and have experienced numerous occasion when loss of power is experienced. The most recent was in 10/05/2025 at 02:10pm. No warning light came on. The car was not accelerating more then 18mph. This issue is concerning. We have students driving for the first time that are affected by this Nissan Versa 2024 malfunction. Please have this issue reviewed and solved before something serious occurs.
NHTSA complaint #11691661 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Denver, CO
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I'm an employee at a driving school in Colorado and have experienced numerous occasion when loss of power is experienced. The most recent was in 10/05/2025 at 02:10pm. No warning light came on. The car was not accelerating more then 18mph. This issue is concerning. We have students driving for the first time that are affected by this Nissan Versa 2024 malfunction. Please have this issue reviewed and solved before something serious occurs.
NHTSA complaint #11691661 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
El Cajon, CA
ENGINE
Recently began driver training on this vehicle with my son (at approximate vehicle mileage of 12,500). Vehicle is manual transmission and had never previously been stalled. Once vehicle had been stalled during driver training, reduced vehicle power was available, creating an unsafe condition when attempting to merge into traffic or driving on an uphill grade. The issue produced no warning message or CEL but did produce a pending OBDII error code of P2615 (camshaft signal output circuit low). The error appears to resolve after a full restart (shut down, unlock and open door, close door, restart). The error is reproducible and has occurred on multiple occasions. The error does not reset if simply restarting vehicle without opening door between restart. I have scheduled an appointment for evaluation by dealer, but it has not yet been confirmed by dealer. I believe this is a manufacturing defect, as the same issue occurs on another identical car owned by me.
NHTSA complaint #11665607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alexandria, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased my 2023 Nissan Versa on December 30th, 2023. Since then I had two incidents occur where the car turned off suddenly while in drive. The first incident occurred April 15th, 2024. As I slowed down to stop at a red light then my engine suddenly shut off and the oil and battery light came on. After panicking for about a minute, I tried turning the car off and then back on again and then it started up and was working like normal with no warning lights. I took the car to the dealership to get it inspected the same day and the Nissan Service Advisor said that nothing could be diagnosed because there were no warning light. He said that this must've been a fluke because a car that new shouldn't be having that kind of issue. Without running any diagnostics he told me to just drive off and come back if it occurs again. Against my better judgment I listened. On March 22, 2025 the same exact issue occurred again. As I was slowing down to stop at a stop sign, my engine suddenly turned off. I took it to the dealership the next morning they were open and they were unable to replicate the issue after driving it and they couldn't find any error codes in the system after running diagnostics. I opened a case with Nissan Consumer Affairs after the car was given back to me and they sent out a technician from the district to look at my car. They held my car for 9 days and then gave it back to me because they do not have any resolution for my issue. They also denied my request for a replacement because it doesn't fall into the category of warrantable repairs. This is a huge safety issue. I'm afraid that the car's engine will shut off while I'm on the highway or making a quick maneuver and I will not be able to avoid collision with another vehicle. The car is shutting down suddenly without warning and that can lead to multiple an accident and even death. The car is unsafe to drive and although Nissan acknowledges the issue, they do not have an resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11663468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alexandria, VA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased my 2023 Nissan Versa on December 30th, 2023. Since then I had two incidents occur where the car turned off suddenly while in drive. The first incident occurred April 15th, 2024. As I slowed down to stop at a red light then my engine suddenly shut off and the oil and battery light came on. After panicking for about a minute, I tried turning the car off and then back on again and then it started up and was working like normal with no warning lights. I took the car to the dealership to get it inspected the same day and the Nissan Service Advisor said that nothing could be diagnosed because there were no warning light. He said that this must've been a fluke because a car that new shouldn't be having that kind of issue. Without running any diagnostics he told me to just drive off and come back if it occurs again. Against my better judgment I listened. On March 22, 2025 the same exact issue occurred again. As I was slowing down to stop at a stop sign, my engine suddenly turned off. I took it to the dealership the next morning they were open and they were unable to replicate the issue after driving it and they couldn't find any error codes in the system after running diagnostics. I opened a case with Nissan Consumer Affairs after the car was given back to me and they sent out a technician from the district to look at my car. They held my car for 9 days and then gave it back to me because they do not have any resolution for my issue. They also denied my request for a replacement because it doesn't fall into the category of warrantable repairs. This is a huge safety issue. I'm afraid that the car's engine will shut off while I'm on the highway or making a quick maneuver and I will not be able to avoid collision with another vehicle. The car is shutting down suddenly without warning and that can lead to multiple an accident and even death. The car is unsafe to drive and although Nissan acknowledges the issue, they do not have an resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11663468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alexandria, VA
ENGINE
I purchased my 2023 Nissan Versa on December 30th, 2023. Since then I had two incidents occur where the car turned off suddenly while in drive. The first incident occurred April 15th, 2024. As I slowed down to stop at a red light then my engine suddenly shut off and the oil and battery light came on. After panicking for about a minute, I tried turning the car off and then back on again and then it started up and was working like normal with no warning lights. I took the car to the dealership to get it inspected the same day and the Nissan Service Advisor said that nothing could be diagnosed because there were no warning light. He said that this must've been a fluke because a car that new shouldn't be having that kind of issue. Without running any diagnostics he told me to just drive off and come back if it occurs again. Against my better judgment I listened. On March 22, 2025 the same exact issue occurred again. As I was slowing down to stop at a stop sign, my engine suddenly turned off. I took it to the dealership the next morning they were open and they were unable to replicate the issue after driving it and they couldn't find any error codes in the system after running diagnostics. I opened a case with Nissan Consumer Affairs after the car was given back to me and they sent out a technician from the district to look at my car. They held my car for 9 days and then gave it back to me because they do not have any resolution for my issue. They also denied my request for a replacement because it doesn't fall into the category of warrantable repairs. This is a huge safety issue. I'm afraid that the car's engine will shut off while I'm on the highway or making a quick maneuver and I will not be able to avoid collision with another vehicle. The car is shutting down suddenly without warning and that can lead to multiple an accident and even death. The car is unsafe to drive and although Nissan acknowledges the issue, they do not have an resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11663468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Albuquerque, NM
POWER TRAIN
This problem has occurred several times since the car was bought new in 2023: The driver is at a red light. When the light changes, the driver depresses the accelerator and the car accelerates very slowly. The RPM go very high and the car will not drive faster than 30 mph. After the car is parked, turned off, and left for several minutes, it starts and drives normally. This occurs at random intervals - perhaps only once every two months. This is potentially dangerous if the driver is turning onto an interstate or crossing a larger busy road from a parking lot stop. It is as if the car is driving in low gear and not bumping up to higher gears. We have taken the car to the dealer twice. They have not been able to recreate the problem so they decline to implement the warranty. We have a dash cam video of an instance of one malfunction, provided to Nissan. They confirmed that this was a malfunction event but could not diagnose it from the video. The upload below is not allowing us to upload the video.
NHTSA complaint #11658936 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Virginia Gardens, FL
POWER TRAIN
Car sometimes stall after releasing clutch too soon on first gear and goes into limp mode. Luckily I haven’t gotten hit from behind yet when this has happened but came close multiple times. The limp mode is what scares me that I will get into an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11656704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Virginia Gardens, FL
ENGINE
Car sometimes stall after releasing clutch too soon on first gear and goes into limp mode. Luckily I haven’t gotten hit from behind yet when this has happened but came close multiple times. The limp mode is what scares me that I will get into an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11656704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Shawnee Hills, OH
ENGINE
Car has manual transmission: If engine stalls from starting on a hill or any other reason, when restarted it runs on limp mode with severe loss of power. Problem usually resolves on next restart, but may take up to 2 restarts to resolve. Issue was reported to Buckeye Nissan, Hilliard Ohio on 11/08/23. at that date it had occurred 3 times in the first 1,200 miles. as of 02/24/25 it has occurred approximately 15 additional times within the first 19,000 miles. potential danger in that most stalls occur from start at traffic light, and if left turn is made at traffic light after restart, there is not enough power to avoid oncoming traffic, merge onto freeway etc. this condition is easily reproduced with an intentional stall.
NHTSA complaint #11644467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Thurmont, MD
POWER TRAIN
Accelerated from a stop sign on a hill. Heard something snap up front and the car rolled backwards. Luckily no one was behind me. Had car towed to Nissan Dealer in Frederick Md where we bought it. The transmission and left drive axle were replaced under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11639468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
West Friendship, MD
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I would like to add my experience to others that are currently being investigated under NHTSA investigation PE24007. I have the same experience with my Versa - after the vehicle stalls, it is significantly under-powered and even with the throttle completely open in third gear, will not accelerate over about 40 mph. This is re-creatable and we will make the car available for inspection. In addition, when we first drove the car home from the dealership (the first time at sustained highway speeds), there was a thumping noise from the front passenger wheel well. After multiple trips to the dealership, Nissan replaced the manual transmission under warranty. This has resolved the thumping, but indicates issues with the construction quality of these cars. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car does not go over 40 mph. This is dangerous in any driving situation that is not a neighborhood road or road with a speed limit of over 40 mph. Others have called this state "limp mode", but I can't see a reason for it. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The tech that replaced the transmission agreed that the car is low on power after a stall. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, dealer representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. The car throws an ODB2 code, but no warning lights appear on the dashboard. This issue has been ongoing since we bought the car in July 2023.
NHTSA complaint #11632968 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mountain View, CA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I am adding my own experience to previous reports of the car entering limp mode after popping the clutch. It has happened to me three or four times: when the car has accidentally stalled and turned off, after turning the car back on, the car accelerates very slowly, much slower than normal. Typically, this problem resolves at the end of a trip after the car has been turned off for a while.
NHTSA complaint #11631898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jonesboro, AR
ENGINE
I went to take off and cross traffic and lost all power to my car it would barley move. I was almost hit by a Semi truck. This is not the first time this has happened either. My car is barely a year old. It had no warning light on or anything. I have to stop, shut my car off, take the keys out and let it set then restart it for it to start working right.
NHTSA complaint #11623958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 11,000 milesLos Angeles, CA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were yet contacted. The failure mileage was 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11620663 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 11,000 milesLos Angeles, CA
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were yet contacted. The failure mileage was 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11620663 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Charleroi, PA
POWER TRAIN
I stalled my vehicle (5-speed manual) in a drive through. I quickly restarted the vehicle and proceeded through. When I pulled out onto the main road my car had no power. There was nowhere safe to pull over so I had to continue. My car would not accelerate above 20mph and even that was extremely hard. I had to downshift to 1st gear to proceed up the hill. Finally, I was able to pull off and restart my car. This fixed the issue and I was able to drive home. I’ve not stalled the car before so I had never experienced this issue. I’ve read about it, and having it happen is terrifying. Had the car who was driving behind me been going faster, I likely would have been hit when I pulled out of the drive through. This is extremely dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11615328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Charleroi, PA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I stalled my vehicle (5-speed manual) in a drive through. I quickly restarted the vehicle and proceeded through. When I pulled out onto the main road my car had no power. There was nowhere safe to pull over so I had to continue. My car would not accelerate above 20mph and even that was extremely hard. I had to downshift to 1st gear to proceed up the hill. Finally, I was able to pull off and restart my car. This fixed the issue and I was able to drive home. I’ve not stalled the car before so I had never experienced this issue. I’ve read about it, and having it happen is terrifying. Had the car who was driving behind me been going faster, I likely would have been hit when I pulled out of the drive through. This is extremely dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11615328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Charleroi, PA
ENGINE
I stalled my vehicle (5-speed manual) in a drive through. I quickly restarted the vehicle and proceeded through. When I pulled out onto the main road my car had no power. There was nowhere safe to pull over so I had to continue. My car would not accelerate above 20mph and even that was extremely hard. I had to downshift to 1st gear to proceed up the hill. Finally, I was able to pull off and restart my car. This fixed the issue and I was able to drive home. I’ve not stalled the car before so I had never experienced this issue. I’ve read about it, and having it happen is terrifying. Had the car who was driving behind me been going faster, I likely would have been hit when I pulled out of the drive through. This is extremely dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11615328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield Beach, FL
POWER TRAIN
Car stalled on highway. Car would not push pass 20 mph no matter how much I pressed on the gas. Eventually car stopped moving and this happened on the highway while I was driving normally and then it slowed down and then stopped. This happened before about 5 months ago and I turned car off and it drove again so didn't think of an issue until today when it happened again and didn't move. I had to wait 2hrs for a tow to the Nissan Dealer for service in the morning.
NHTSA complaint #11612931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield Beach, FL
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Car stalled on highway. Car would not push pass 20 mph no matter how much I pressed on the gas. Eventually car stopped moving and this happened on the highway while I was driving normally and then it slowed down and then stopped. This happened before about 5 months ago and I turned car off and it drove again so didn't think of an issue until today when it happened again and didn't move. I had to wait 2hrs for a tow to the Nissan Dealer for service in the morning.
NHTSA complaint #11612931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield Beach, FL
ENGINE
Car stalled on highway. Car would not push pass 20 mph no matter how much I pressed on the gas. Eventually car stopped moving and this happened on the highway while I was driving normally and then it slowed down and then stopped. This happened before about 5 months ago and I turned car off and it drove again so didn't think of an issue until today when it happened again and didn't move. I had to wait 2hrs for a tow to the Nissan Dealer for service in the morning.
NHTSA complaint #11612931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Aguada, PR
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I had a oem battery replaced 6 months ago and the battery went dead again in 6 months and now I have to jumpstart the battery to start the car.
NHTSA complaint #11607213 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Aguada, PR
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I had a oem battery replaced 6 months ago and the battery went dead again in 6 months and now I have to jumpstart the battery to start the car.
NHTSA complaint #11607213 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pearland, TX
POWER TRAIN
While driving on city streets the check engine light came on and I was unable to accelerate or maintain speeds above 30mph. Because the car couldn’t operate at posted speed limits, other vehicles were stuck behind me or had to go around. It was also slow to start at traffic signals. I will be taking the vehicle to the dealer shortly for further diagnosis.
NHTSA complaint #11601776 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
