2018 Nissan Versa: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 54 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (26% of complaints); the 2019 model year looks more trouble-free.
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 54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My car was parked out front my house. Weather has been in the 60's no major differences. I walked outside ant 1pm and noticed the entire back windshield was shattered. There was no impact marks, no hole in the window. I'm not sure how this has happened and thankfully we were at home and not driving.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · May 2026
“Out of nowhere my airbag light start blinking, I ran the code and got a P2096 which apparently is not related to the airbag I took it to Firestone to get it checked out and they told me they cannot do anything about the airbag light I would have to go to my dealership for help with that. No one seems to know what to do.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2026
“I was driving on the express way in rush hour traffic, and my car started to judder and rpm were reving high.i tried to accelerate and the car just stop in mid traffic, I had to have the car towed home,and from home to the nissan dealership. They told me that my transmission had failed and needed to be replaced.i had no warning light or any other problem and I could have been hurt really bad if the car behind me hadn't stop and help me get out of the rush hour traffic.”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“loss of power when using turn signal on highway changing lanes and making left or right turn on city streets. Once the signal is off I can accelerate. Left turn signal becomes more rapid as well. The Versa has a manual transmission. recurring issue for a month.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2025
“Has an issue with the mass flow air sensor. I had this car for 7 months with 84,000 miles on it and noticed instantly that it had poor mileage and stalled a lot. Check engine came on the first time and I took it to have a diagnostic test and a P101 code came on, a couple of days later the car wouldn't start. Replaced the mass flow air sensor and the car was driveable but it had the same poor gas mileage and stalling that it did the first time. Went out again within a week for the 2nd time. Got it replaced recently a third time and Im still having acceleration, poor gas mileage, and stalling. Car isn't safe to drive and does not pass the smog test .”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2025
“While driving the car just shuts off and I have to stop the car turn the ignition off and then back on, this has happened multiple times and the dealer said there are no recalls on rhus vehicle.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2024
“Brake's grind and squeal at a slow stop even with new brakes and rotors and electric problems like it's blowing headlights with in weeks of installing and tag lights as well.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2024
“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving 32 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was 34,707.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2023
“The check engine lamp light came on and vehicles current shift lamps not visible. Vehicle began to slip gears and Rev at high rpm. Risk of taking kids to school and myself to work was resolved by parking the car back in driveway. The car diagnostic machine put out code P0705 Transmission Range Sensor A Circuit. Also our vehicle is available for further inspection.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2023
“My Versa appears to have the same transmission issues as other Nissan vehicles where it has a harsh downshift slow speed shutter and bump when when coming to a complete stop vehicle has loud wine coming from transmission and has a slipping feeling under hard acceleration Nissan refuses to do anything about it at the dealer because it is not under the VIN covered vehicles”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 10 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
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 Versa 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 Versa reliable?
NHTSA has 54 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2018 Nissan Versa. The most complained-about area is air bags (26% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Versa problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 32,006 miles or less.
Does the 2018 Nissan Versa have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have 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.