2018 Nissan Kicks: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 84 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is forward collision avoidance (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 84 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“2018 Nissan Kicks evap system has holes in it from Freon that causes the Freon to leak out. The required Freon is contributing to the holes being made in the aluminum evap. It leaks out and the air blows hot. Is there any help with a recall or repair. I was quoted $4000 to fix. Possible lemon laws. If you research on google. The Kicks are notorious for this problem. The mechanics I talked to laughed or knew all about this problem before even looking at it.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2026
“When put in park car started idling rough and then stalled. Engine light, collision warning light, and traction control light came on. Code scanned as a P0101 code.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2026
“The p0101 code has been going on and off of this car since purchase (3 years) the MAF sensor has been replaced twice and the check engine light comes back on after just a few days each time. This poses a safety risk because the car stops at stop lights and turns off, the car shakes at idle, the car refuses to accelerate risking pulling out in front of another car without being able to accelerate. The check engine light comes on and off and the traction control light as well, its so random and the only fix is to "change the sensor" which does not fix it because it happens again immediately after. Its dangerous and needs an actual fix.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jan 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“All brake failure warning lights remain on while driving and ABS no longer works. It is a very common safety failure that Nissan is making a small fortune on. It is a definate safety item.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2026
“Getting code p0101. When car first starts the throttle response is very low. Once the car warms up to seems to go away but it appears to be a consistent problem. Others are reporting as well for this vehicle.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2025
“The ABS and forward collision system failed. This caused the car not to respond during a hard brake when it was raining. I almost had an accident. The car was inspected on September 4, 2025, by Universal Nissan (12785 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, Florida). Universal Nissan found a malfunction in the ABS control (Actuator & ECU Assy antiskid) with a repair cost of $2,448. The car has 18,689 miles. The warning lamps appear as soon as the malfunction starts. The Nissan Kicks owner forum reports this ABS problem as recurrent. There are multiple reports on the website. I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs (Case #5576215). They did not take responsibility for the ABS problem.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Sep 2025
“Code P0101 comes up which indicates an issue with the car's MAF system triggering a check engine light. This is widely known to be a software issue and is chronic in many Nissan Kick's manufactured around 2018-2020. This is a faulty error code and ends up visiting consumers hundreds of dollars to repair and almost always returns despite actions being taken to repair the issue.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2025
“Frequently we get error P0101 and the car loses power. It says "Mass or Volume Air Flow, A Circuit Range/Poerformance error. For us that means the car loses power, limps along or jerks suddenly and the lights flash, this can happen at any time. Happens about one or twice a month at very random times, not dependant on the weather. We have changed the MAF sensor as instructed but this still happens and it quite dangerous when driving or pulling away from a stop.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2025
“For over a year, I have experienced repeated failures of the front radar system, specially during rain or wet weather, when it rains the vehicle displays multiple warning such as: "Front radar unavailable" "automatic emergency braking unavailable" "Front sensor malfunction" This disable essentials safety systems, including the automatic emergency breaking (AEB) and forward collision warning, the Nissan Dealership has attempted several repairs, but the malfunction continues every time it rains, Because this is a critical safety issue that affect the vehicle braking and collision-avoidance and multiple repair have failed”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Jul 2025
“I was driving on the road like normal and suddenly I got a front collision warning on the dash, the car wouldn't accelerate and lost all power. Check engine light also came on with code reading P0101. I've had this issue before and the dealer doesn't know what to do or they want to charge me a lot of money to fix it. I've read online many many people having the same issue. Luckily this hasn't happened on the highway but if it does happen it could be catastrophic”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2018 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Kicks by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2018 Nissan Kicks reliable?
NHTSA has 84 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2018 Nissan Kicks. The most complained-about area is forward collision avoidance (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Kicks problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 8,495 miles or less.
Does the 2018 Nissan Kicks have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.