CarComplaints.com Notes: Be aware the 2007-2011 Nissan Versa was recalled in the US in May 2016 & July 2017 for defective Takata airbags that are potentially deadly. Many Versa owners have reported problems getting Nissan dealers to complete the recall repair, due to scheduling problems & parts shortages.

If you are considering purchasing a 2007-2011 Nissan Versa, call your local Nissan dealer with the VIN# & ask if the airbag recall has been done.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,333 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Nissan Versa engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Nissan Versa Owner Comments

problem #18

Oct 232020

Versa

  • 10 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Before we can get the car fixed while the airbag recall was in effect, while driving the car caught on fire.

- Sebastien, FL, USA

problem #17

Aug 142019

Versa

  • 120,000 miles
For many years*, the exhaust from my Nissan Versa has made me sick (nauseous and headaches) similar to how VW exhaust would make me sick. I am concerned that Nissan vehicles may be cheating on inspections checks like VW was doing. Exhaust from many other vehicles may smell, but this particular exhaust is sickening. Our vehicle passes emission standards for md each year and we always keep it well maintained. So again, I am concerned they have software that works to fool emissions testing by changing the exhaust allowed when hooked up to an emissions testing computer. For a point of reference, my parents own a 23 year old Ford Explorer (also well maintained) whose exhaust does not cause me sickness. Thank you for considering this issue! form is requiring a single date, but this has been continuously making me sick each time we run the vehicle (it does not abate with mileage or weather conditions) since 2011-2012.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #16

Aug 252018

Versa

  • 102,500 miles
While the vehicle was accelerating out from a stop sign, it suddenly without warning or noise lost all ability to accelerate and stalled in the intersection. No lights came on at that point. Restarted car, drove home. I could feel acceleration hesitation in the gas pedal. Next morning I started car, now has engine light on. I drove to work, it repeated the behavior once. The next day I took the car to get the computer code P2138. The car stalls everyday the first time it is driven and I can feel the hesitation everytime. After the inital stall, it drives fine the rest of the day. Check engine light remains on. I did unplug the accelerator pedal sensor to air blow off any dust. It continues to behave the same whether coming out of a stop position or driving on the road or highway and the check engine light remains. Will be taking it to Nissan dealer to have recalls checked and will ask about this issue as well. I went on this site and saw that other Nissan have had this issue over the years.

- York, PA, USA

problem #15

Jul 132016

Versa

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. While driving 55 mph on the highway, the vehicle jerked, lunged, and lost power. There were no warning indicators illuminated before the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (hawkinson Nissan, 5513 miller cir dr, matteson, il 60443) and could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Matteson, IL, USA

problem #14

Dec 142017

Versa

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump and connector failed and needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic advised the contact that the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, however informed the contact that fuel pump was available however the fuel connector was on back order. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Berlin, MA, USA

problem #13

Apr 222017

Versa

  • 95,000 miles
Engine completely stalled four separate times while driving on freeway at freeway speeds. Without warning, totally lost power and had to coast to the emergency lane. At first, engine would restart, cough and sputter, then die. After about ten minutes, however, it restarted like normal and it was like nothing happened. Drove fine for months until it happened again. And again. And again. This started occurring when the vehicle had about 85,000 miles. Took vehicle to dealer after last incident (about 95,000 miles) and they said they ran complete diagnostic tests, but could not find the problem. Advised me to have vehicle brought in next time it stalls (but the problem appears to be transitory). I am afraid to drive the car on the freeway and consider myself lucky I didn't get rear-ended.

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 282017

Versa 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

EXHAUST FAILURE AT REAR FLANGE. POSSIBLE MUFFLER DETACHMENT RESULTING IN A CAR ACCIDENT. VEHICLE UNDER 100,000KM... NOTE, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN, SO MANY EXHAUST FAILURE COMPLAINTS. NISSAN DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY EXHAUST ISSUES, NO RECALLS... VERY UNSATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SERVICE. CONTACT ME PERSONALLY FOR FULL PICTURES VIDEO AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Burnaby, WA, USA

problem #11

May 252017

Versa

  • 125,000 miles
Exhaust became very loud, rattling, etc. Verified that the flange on the muffler had rusted off at the welds. Muffler hangers held the muffler in place. Not able to comment as to whether or not any drivers or passengers suffered from C02 related health or breathing issues.

- Middle Grove, NY, USA

problem #10

Jan 312017

Versa

  • 60,384 miles
The Nissan dealership informed me of a broken mid pipe on the muffler. I researched the issue and found that many people were told that it is related to salt on the roads. The issue appears to be persistent across Nissan Versas in the late 2000 models (especially 2009). There is a loud roaring noise from the muffler and a strong gaseous smell inside when the engine is on and no other heating/cooling functions are turned on.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #9

Jul 242015

Versa

  • 85,786 miles
While driving down a 30mph Chicago street my car engine just shut off. I had enough momentum to turn into a parking lot and actually reach a space but that space was tow zone so I had to sit there with my car for 3 hours while I waited for a tow truck because it was actually rush hour. After taking it to aaa car body shop, they discovered that the engine was just dead. And after they took it apart they could only speculate but with some confidence from seeing something similar in the past that some sort of chain inside the engine snapped and struck the engine and caused the cylinders to come to a halt. The mechanic said that he saw something similar in a mid 2000's Saturn. In which case it ended up being a recall for that line of car. He said if you keep the receipt and someday it ends up being a recall, I could possibly get a refund. Anyways, the bigger deal is that this is a highly hazardous breakdown. Im glad I was not on a highway waiting 3 hours for a tow. But im also glad I could coast on the momentum I had. After the initial breakdown that had a popping sound, my car felt heavy because I lost power steering as well so the turn into the fortunate parking space was actually difficult to maneuver. This could be dangerous not just to me but also to pedestrians. Because during that time if I had to swerve out of the way, I would not have been able to. Also the breaks were heavy.. I had to really press down on them to get the car to stop. Thats about all I can say from my memory of this incident. I do have my records (receipt from aaa)

- Wheaton, IL, USA

problem #8

Jan 312016

Versa

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on the highway car tends to lose power and sputter and in some cases it will stall. When trying to restart it, it will not start. This can be very dangerous. Also, if driving this vehicle and then shutting the engine off you can not restart it without waiting at least 30 minutes. My 16 year old has been driving this car and the first instance it happened was while she was driving it. She lost all power and was not even able to use her brakes. She came very close to hitting a wall but was able to steer it away but steering was very difficult as well. We replaced the fuel pump thinking it wasn't getting enough gas but this still hasn't fixed the issue. We are told by mechanics that the problem can't be duplicated therefore it can't be fixed. I bought this car used and I can't believe that Nissan has not recalled this car due to many complaints with this issue. I guess someone has to lose their life before they will fix it. This is a common problem with the Versa and Nissan takes no responsibility for it. Please look into it and fix it before someone dies.

- Mount Pleasant, PA, USA

problem #7

Nov 182013

Versa

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. While driving at 30 mph, an abnormal noise was heard near the rear driver side. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the muffler exhaust flange fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

problem #6

Nov 302012

Versa 4-cyl

  • miles
I was turning onto a side street and heard a thump under my hood on the right side of the car. There was no difficulty driving although I kept hearing thumps for days after. I went in to a garage to get my snow tires put on and the garage saw that the spring above my right front tire was sheered in half and had damaged my tire. I had it towed to the nearest Nissan and they fixed it while I went and bought new tires. About 3 months later, it happened on the left side. Then about a year after that, the spring above the right front tire broke again, so I replaced it a third time to a cost of $1200 per spring. I contacted Nissan and was told no recall was in place for this. The mechanic at the garage told me this was a common problem for this car. In addition, at the same time, I noticed the engine losing power at different times, especially when stopped at a light or upon acceleration from a low speed to a high speed. No check engine light, no engine trouble noted, just loss of power. Shutting the car off and turning it back on seems to reset it but it's an ongoing issue.

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #5

Sep 032013

Versa 4-cyl

  • 91,000 miles
I bought two 2009 Nissan Versas brand new. First the front right hub cap fell off both vehicles within the first year. Next the key hole cover on the door handle fell off on both cars. By the fourth year the ac compressor went out and I had to pay $1,300 to replace it. Finally I walk out to my vehicle, go to open the door, and the driver door handle came completely off. When I was driving on the highway I saw another Nissan Versa (same model) with the door handle missing. The part is defective.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #4

Jun 252011

Versa

  • 86,000 miles
My oil plug came out during a 45 mile drive home. I had my oil changed in Feb. And in June it fell out during the drive. My engine started knocking and almost blew up. It was smoking upon the stop to look at it. I put 4 quarts of oil in it and it came out in a matter of seconds. I had the oil plug replaced and put 5 quarts of oil in and it has been fine since.

- Walterboro, SC, USA

problem #3

Nov 022011

Versa 4-cyl

  • 30,516 miles
July 2, 2013 - while driving the service engine soon (ses) light comes on. The rate of speed does not seem to have an impact on this problem. I have taken my car to the Nissan dealership on 7 different occasions for this problem. Each time the computer reveals the following code: P2A00 A/F sensor failed. So far the following repairs have been done: Replaced front air/fuel sensor (Nov 2011), replaced O2 sensor and reprogrammed the engine control module (ECM) (Mar 2012), replaced the A/F sensor for the 2nd time, and reprogrammed the ECM for the 2nd time (April 2013), replaced the fuel pump (May 2013), replaced the A/F sensor for the 3rd time (June 5, 2013), reprogrammed the ECM (June 18, 2013),and finally replaced the O2 sensor for the 2nd time (June 27, 2013). These repairs have not fixed the problem. The ses light has come back on after my latest service in June 2013. I am frustrated and feel that something else must be going on. Nissan is of no help and is not offering any further assistance other than to replace the same parts over and over and reprogram the ECM. Very frustrating!

- Grovetown, GA, USA

problem #2

Jan 042013

Versa 4-cyl

  • 64,700 miles
My service engine soon light came on so I dropped by advanced auto parts to have them pull the code. It read as cylinder 4 misfire. I took it in to mcgee auto to have a detailed diagnostic, which indicated that I had a bad coil on one of my spark plugs. I had four spark plugs replaced, an ignition coil changed, and intake manifold resealed; however, after leaving and getting a few miles up the road the ses light came on again. I stopped at another advanced auto to have the code pulled and again it read as a cylinder 4 misfire. I contacted the repair shop and was asked to bring the car back in. They did another full work up and again found everything to be fine. After leaving the shop again the light came on a few miles up the road. This happened repeatedly, and every time they would shut the light off it came back on and remained on. In March under new management, I returned to mcgee auto and they took another look. After posting my symptoms into the computer they noticed that my original plugs had been replaced with aftermarket plugs. They replaced all four plugs and coil, and did something with the fuel injection at no additional cost to me. After leaving the shop a couple miles up the road, the light came on again. I took the car back in on Monday, 3/18. Further research entailed a compression test. Cylinders 1 through 3 had 130% compression, but cylinder 4 only had 70% compression. I was advised that the issue is an engine problem and without tearing it down they are unable to identify the exact cause, but it could have something to do with the piston in cylinder 4. in contacting Nissan, they found that my warranty coverage is for 60,000 miles and unfortunately I was at 66,000. When asking what this really means I was told that I will likely need a new engine or a new car because it would be costly to tear down the engine to find the problem.

- Ormond Beach, FL, USA

problem #1

Feb 272013

Versa

  • 56,100 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the exhaust shook and made a loud noise. The contact also stated that the vehicle lost acceleration power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was told the flange that connects the manifold to the engine along with the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 56,000. The VIN was not available.

- Barre, VT, USA

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