562 of the
4,513 complaints filed about the Nissan Versa
are about the transmission —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2012.
562
Complaints
12%
Share of all complaints
9
Crashes
2
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
At approximately 135,000 miles my automatic transmission began "slipping" or lurching while accelerating. I took the car to a Nissan dealership, as well as 2 local mechanics, and all 3 sources have told me that my transmission is having identical symptoms to the recalled Versa models that previously had transmission issues. I'm now forced to replace the transmission before it hopefully goes out completely (the CVT). The problem has been diagnosed and reproduced by 3 separate auto mechanic shops, including one Nissan dealership in Colerain, Ohio. There have been absolutely no warning lights, messages, or signals from the car. When I accelerate from a stop, the car lurches at about 20-25 MPH. When I'm driving on the highway at a steady, high speed, I don't have the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11749395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When the vehicle was first purchased , the unit was test driven and liked it. vehicle was purchased new around end of XXXearly XXX, when they told us the vehicle was ready for pick up we went to pick it up and as soon as we drove it out of the lot the unit broke down the transmission would not go into gear the shop is calling it limb mode. so we called our sales rep [XXX] at the time and got us a rental while they looked for the problem. the sales man said it was a sensor, on the XXX it did the same thing ( went into limb mode) we where stranded we called nissan we took the car over the same day. on XXX they told us the could not replicate the issue, they also told us that the first time it was taken they did not do nothing to it as they could not replicate the problem as well. I expressed my concerns to the that out sales rep told us it was a sensor and was taken care of. The check engine does not come on the car will go into gear but will not advance will only go 5-10 miles. the rpms rev up but the car does not shift, no power, no acceleration. nissan said they are getting a specialist to look at it. but it is upsetting that it was not even fixed the first time . at this moment the loaned us a car untill they can figure whats wrong with it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11748923 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Electrical issues the entirety of owning this car. Now the car has a dead transmission at 88k miles. The car has caused me to almost be t-boned in a intersection twice due to unexpected loss of acceleration and power. Before trans went down it would stall, hesitate, and now it is completely dead and wont move and i have to put a new transmission in my car. Completely unsafe, i could have lost my life or at very least been severely injured.
NHTSA complaint #11748589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sudden total loss of power while driving. Multiple lights on dash immediately, at least 5 different lights on dash with message that says check manual. Daughter stranded in the road at 10:30pm. Good Samaritan helped to push vehicle while directing traffic to not get hit. Towing to dealer asap since it will not move. It will start, but won't pull itself & checking manual as instructed wasn't helpful.
NHTSA complaint #11748254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2020 Nissan versa kept hesitating when being put in reverse the engine light kept coming on every few months I kept being told it was other issues until the transmission went out. I got it checked on multiple occasions because of the way it was hesitating and seemed like it was heating up.
NHTSA complaint #11746116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When continuing forward from a stop sign, the car has a slight shutter when accelerating. This was confirmed by an independent service center. Has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No visual warnings or prior symptoms. There was a recall for this particular issue for a 2014 Nissan Versa, but my VIN number was not included for which I believe should have been. My current mileage to date is 35,600.
NHTSA complaint #11742063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2019 Nissan Versa SV VIN: [XXX] My vehicle experienced intermittent transmission problems including hesitation during acceleration, shuddering, rough deceleration, loss of the Drive ("D") indicator, unexpected rear-view camera activation, and entry into fail-safe (limp) mode. Diagnostic code P0705 (Transmission Range Sensor / PRNDL Input) was stored. A Nissan dealership determined that the cause was a faulty left rear tail lamp assembly. After repairing the tail lamp, all transmission-related symptoms disappeared. My concern is that a failure, corrosion, or poor connection in a rear tail lamp should not be capable of affecting transmission operation, gear recognition, or vehicle propulsion. In this case, a tail lamp electrical fault caused transmission fault codes, loss of proper gear indication, and reduced vehicle performance. This design appears to allow a rear lighting circuit to interfere with transmission control functions. Such a condition may result in hesitation, reduced power, fail-safe mode activation, or loss of propulsion while driving, creating a potential safety hazard when entering traffic, merging, crossing intersections, or responding to emergency situations. I have also located multiple reports from other Nissan Versa owners and Nissan technicians describing similar incidents involving tail lamp corrosion or electrical backfeeding that resulted in P0705 fault codes, transmission-related symptoms, incorrect gear indication, and drivability problems. [XXX] I believe NHTSA should investigate whether this electrical system design defect affects other Nissan Versa vehicles and poses a broader vehicle safety risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11741945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Automatic CVT failure confirmed by Future Nissan of Roseville CA. No warning prior to failure. Replaced by Kirkwood Autoworx Mechanical since Nissan Corporate denied a good-will replacement. Reason: 15k miles over warranty - 75081odometer reading at replacement on 5/27/26. CVT failed while on a busy street [XXX] ). I had only reverse and had to back my way out of traffic. Extremely dangerous situation. New Issue: Left Front Door (Driver) Locking actuator failure on XXX Not a safety issue yet. Will not lock or unlock with key fob. Manual entry only. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11741559 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 cover it. There was warranty extension, but only for 84,000 miles. nissan was unwilling to help fix it and wanted to charge $210 to diagnose it. this is saftey issue because there are probably other nissan Versas out there with the same issue. the point is that there is an issue which knows about. vehicle should be fixed under warranty. car was bought used 4 years ago. tsb is NTB20-036a
NHTSA complaint #11740282 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hi, My name is [XXX] and I live in [XXX] . In October 2023 I purchased a used Nissan Versa 2021 from a dealership. It only had 30k miles on it when I bought it. On May 9, 2026 I was driving to work when my car experienced acceleration failure. It had 80,600 miles on it. When the acceleration failed, I was in the process of making a left turn and came very close to being hit by oncoming traffic. After Nissan claimed to fix the issue and I paid a substantial amount of money and drove about 40 miles, the same thing happened. And again it was during a left turn into oncoming traffic. Twice I've come very close to an accident. Something needs to be fixed with these cvt transmissions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11740221 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle experienced a failure of the transmission/CVT transmission system and is available for inspection upon request. Prior to the failure, the vehicle began showing symptoms including hesitation while accelerating, jerking, slipping between gears, and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal beginning around February 2026. Warning indicators and abnormal driving behavior continued leading up to the complete failure. The issue placed my safety and the safety of others at risk because the vehicle unexpectedly lost power and struggled to accelerate in traffic, increasing the risk of a collision. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership/independent mechanic after inspection of the vehicle. The vehicle and transmission system have also been inspected by service professionals, and documentation of the diagnosis is available if needed.
NHTSA complaint #11739671 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2015 Nissan Versa 83,850 odometer reading Complaint: Safety for other individuals driving similar vehicles. Daughter was driving recently on 91 freeway in Long Beach, CA extremely busy highway on a Friday afternoon. Driving in the middle lane the cars forward movement stopped but car still running. Mechanic diagnosis was the CVT transmission. The car did not give us any warning at anytime there were any issues with the transmission. My concern and hope other would know about CVT transmissions This could of been a very bad day for my daughter if an accident was caused due to this issue. Thank God for the California Highway Patrol, The 911 operator and the California Tow Truck highway Patrol who got her off the highway quickly and safely.
NHTSA complaint #11727795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle unexpectedly jerked and stalled with the transmission warning light and the malfunction indicator warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 155,146.
NHTSA complaint #11726818 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I got into the car and started it up. Put in reverse car shuts off. Re started and put in reverse. Was able to drive out of apartment parking lot then no power to speed and car was a little jerky and on dashboard it said warning malfunction see owners manual with a few pictures on dashboard
NHTSA complaint #11724857 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased this car from Carvana on 02/25/26, 2022 Nissan Versa S Manual Transmission. On four occasions over the course of two separate days, while under way, I lost power and the car went into a limp mode. Twice I was able to pull off the road, twice I had to stop on the road. After coming to a complete stop I was able to place the car in first gear and continue on driving. This power loss puts me at risk to be rear ended by the following car. I took it to the Nissan Dealer on 03/17/26 expressing my concern. I was told that they could not find any code in the car that indicated the trouble I experienced, nor was there any illumination of the check engine light. Because of that I was told that my car could not be serviced.
NHTSA complaint #11724965 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
0 The vehicle has a CVT transmission failure causing severe shuddering, jerking, and progressive loss of acceleration. Initially the vehicle would not exceed 20 mph, then worsened to 15 mph, then 10 mph, and now will not exceed 5 mph. The issue consistently occurs after the vehicle has been driven for more than approximately 2 minutes. There are no warning lights or alerts prior to the failure. The vehicle has completely lost power while driving and has stopped in the middle of the road with no ability to accelerate or restart the vehicle, creating an extremely dangerous situation and risk of collision. This appears to be a known and common defect with the CVT transmission on this vehicle model and year. The condition has progressively worsened and makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.
NHTSA complaint #11723507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While merging onto [XXX] toward [XXX] , my 2016 Nissan Versa suffered a total loss of power while crossing active railroad tracks. The car stuttered and jerked before completely stalling and stopped responding. I was stranded in a high-traffic zone around [XXX] PM. I was worried that the vehicles coming behind me would not see my small car right away, as I was positioned past the railroad tracks and partway down the middle of the downhill slope. Because of the crest of the hill behind me, I lost sight of approaching traffic in my rearview mirror, which meant drivers coming over the top of the hill wouldn't see my stalled car until they were already descending toward me. I was fortunately able to get it restarted and drove it immediately to a Nissan dealership. A diagnostic scan confirmed Code P0746. The service technician told me the CVT assembly is internally destroyed ('toasted') and requires a full replacement. This catastrophic failure happened at only 50,484 miles, which is dangerously premature for a major transmission component. (note- i have a tech video that they sent me of there diagnostic just cant apply to the notes) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11723320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have a 2020 Nissan versa it only has 100,000 miles on it. That’s not really a lot since it had about 75000 miles on it. I noticed that the car started slightly jerking. I couldn’t figure out what was going wrong and neither could anybody else eventually at around 100,000 miles I took it into another mechanic and he found the problem. The transmission is slipping and it is completely ruined. The whole transaxle assembly needs to be replaced not only is this expensive but it’s also very dangerous sometimes when I try to move the car I put in gear I start to drive and it jerks so bad that it starts to stall when I contacted Nissan about this they refused to help with any Solution. The transmission costs anywhere from $8000-$12,000 for that price. I could buy a new 2020 Nissan versa.
NHTSA complaint #11720001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Cvt Transmission failed While driving transmission popped and no forward drive leaving us in traffic unable to move in forward. Had to get out and push the car to the side of the road. No warning lights no warning signs. Just immediate loss of forward drive. Engine revs up but no movement. Dangerously leaving us in harms way. Haven't had the vehicle inspected by nissan yet but will be doing so in the next day or so. Vehicle is and will be Available for inspection or assessment at any time.
NHTSA complaint #11719379 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car has 56000 miles and the power train is still under warranty. The CVT belt recently started slipping. When I stop and then take off normally, there is a jitter in the transmission that can be felt and heard. Sometimes it is quite loud and vibrated quite heavily to the point there is concern it will break or fail. It also hesitates at times when accelerating from a stop or slow down and you can hear and feel the slippage before it kicks in. I took it to St Charles Nissan stating they test drove it and the jittering happened twice. The dealership says that Nissan told them this is normal ans all Nissans do this in Ludington new ones. Mine did not do this when it was new. My daughter has a new Nissn Versa and hers does not do this. The dealership says they can investigate further by re wording the anomaly and will charge me if Nissan says they won't cover it under warranty. Very distressing.
NHTSA complaint #11719265 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.