CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012-2017 Nissan Versa has an expensive CVT transmission failure defect that shows up plainly in our complaint data.

In late 2019, the CVT defect was subject to a class action settlement. However the settlement only covers transmission repairs up to 7 years after purchase or 84,000 miles (whichever occurs first).

Because many owners commonly drive 20,000 miles/year or more, Versa owners experiencing CVT transmission problems may find they are not covered by this settlement due to the mileage limitation.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,937 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.

2014 Nissan Versa engine problems

engine problem

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2014 Nissan Versa Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Feb 252022

Versa

  • miles

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

I purchased my car 2 years ago from a used car dealership. It began to give me problems a few months after that. I then took my car to Nissan to be reprogrammed for free back when there was an open recall on my car when I found out it had too many miles for the warranty that would allow the transmission to be replaced. I've been driving it since and doing normal maintenance on it regularly. It recently began giving me trouble. I had to pull off the interstate because it would not accelerate and could have easily gotten into a car accident. I took it back to the dealership where they will be performing a diagnostic study on the car.

- Bossier , LA, USA

problem #24

May 282021

Versa

  • miles
the problem in my car is ethier the transmission or transmission control module. The transmission started slipping and then suddenly on the hey of 395 north bound it simply just wouldn't do anything it had no reaction at all right in the middle of the freeway and there I was stuck people at 65-70 miles an hour whizzing by me not to mention simi trucks.tge reason I am writing is I looked up the problem at it is a very common problem with this year and make of the car. I went to nissan here in reno nv and they will not honor the recall sayes it is because of a branded title. The car had been wrecked only damaging the front bumper. Nothing to the motor or transmission was rebuilt but because it had previously been turned in as an insurance claim nissan of reno will NOT honor the recall. Any damage that was done was cosmetic not to the motor or transmission. I would like to know if nissan should honor the recalls on my vehicle. It has 98,000 miles on it and falls under the 10 year under 120,000 miles. The service person I talked to treated me like I was dumb and pretty much pushed me out the door and told me that they don't have to honor it. I am tempted to get ahold of previous owner to see if his insurance claim had anything to do with this transmission issue. It has one complaint after another on YouTube over this very issue. Please help me I don't know what to do. Thank you.

- Reno Nv, NV, USA

problem #23

Apr 182021

Versa

  • 59,500 miles
I was driving about 30 miles/hour, there was a sound and the car shut down, engine stopped, lost power steering and brake became heavy, no lights in speedometer and indicators went off/black screen. Brakes were soft but I was able to stop. I restarted the engine and I was able to drive. Then I was on a freeway about 20 min later, driving 65 miles/hour and the car made a big noise, shook as if I drove on a pothole, and it was the same thing. No engine, accelerator didn't work, I was coasting, lost power steering, and hard to push down breaks. Power in the panels were off. I was able to use emergency signal, pulled over eventually and waited for about 3-4 min. Before restarting the car. It worked again and I was able to drive. The same thing happened last year, and today it happened twice. Both times, it was a hot day.

- Emerald Hills, CA, USA

problem #22

Mar 012021

Versa

  • 73,300 miles

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

The car doesn't accelerate when taking off sometime. It sometimes wiil not go over 40 mph. Its coding a input speed sensor inside of the transmission

- Idabel, OK, USA

problem #21

Nov 022019

Versa

  • 90,000 miles
Car stalling, losing speed, due to failing cvt transmission

- Ringoes, NJ, USA

problem #20

Aug 152020

Versa

  • 93,500 miles
Gearshift will not come out of park, have to manually unlock the gearshift with a paper clip; car will not accelerate correlational to the gas pedal, and the rpms go really high on inclines/hills...Nissan saying not responsible/no recalls, but I'm still getting 'claims notices' from GM economic settlement claims center...the Nissan dealership told me to "disregard" the notices coming in the mail....

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #19

Dec 092019

Versa

  • miles

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

My car have 117 K miles and tha tranzmition is bad all tha Nissan car are like tha

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #18

Nov 282019

Versa

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated and stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

- Lanett, AL, USA

problem #17

Dec 202019

Versa

  • 464,500 miles
Problems with transmission. RPM go very high and it won't switch gears, then after struggling it will switch gear but jerk the car very hard and you can hear it switch very hard. It does does in the street and highway. Makes me very concerned about getting on a highway and my transmission failing to switch to higher gears and other cars hitting me for not being able to go into faster speeds. The vehicle is not even at the 50K miles yet.

- Pico Rivera, CA, USA

problem #16

Oct 212019

Versa

  • miles
Vehicle hesitates and cuts off while driving. Check engine light is on and says there's a transmission issue

- Ruckersville, VA, USA

problem #15

Jun 062019

Versa

  • 197,000 miles

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

When car is in motion the brakes will not work and it slides. The ABS and traction control lights come on and the speedometer jumps. I've had 2 mechanics look at it and they say its because the axle nut backs off. Took it to gunter Nissan on 6/6/19 and they refused to service it saying I had to contact Nissan corporate but Nissan corporate says I have to take it to a dealership.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

problem #14

Feb 192018

Versa

  • 123,000 miles
Symptoms ' car driven today about 100 miles. Engine shutoff for gas up. On restart the engine came on, but no power when in gear. Press of accelerator but car barely moved. Shutdown and turn back on and got a little power. Looked at the brake lights and those do not come on when brake pedal depressed. Lights checked and are good bulbs. The engine idled smoothly, the transmission was properly functioning and engaged. There was no response to any movement from on the foot pedal to the engine in any gear, including neutral and park. Again, the engine idled smoothly, the transmission engaged properly when shifted from park to drive, etc. Had this same issue about 5 months ago. When taken to dealer, Nissan mechanic noted the no brake lights and got those to come back on. Once the brake lights worked, the issue suddenly was gone. Versa was brought in for no power and the cruise control kept disengaging. There seems to be some connection between the cruise contorl module, the brake module and the power train. Acts as if the computer control is getting signals that basically disconnects the acceleration signals, or is causing the cvt transmission to disconnect, even though we can shift through th gears with no problem. Just won't get any acceleration at all.

- Alta Loma, CA, USA

problem #13

Dec 282017

Versa

  • 71,140 miles
* car hesitates when the gas pedal is pressed at a complete stop and then jolts forward takes longer than normal for the car to start moving when gas pedal is pressed * when I try to speed up to pass on the freeway it takes a long time to get up to speed

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

problem #12

May 262017

Versa

  • 109,000 miles
In motion. This car would vibrate while steering (turning) and accelerating, forcing the rmps to flex up without gain of power. The rpma would randomly flex up and down while driving at a maintained speed. Then a day at a store I turn the car on, went to put it in drive an it stalled out- 5 times to get to to move. Then it would stall out while coming to a stop/at a stop/still in gear (drive) so I would have to slam it into neutral when slowing down for a stop or at a stop. Until one day as I was driving I didn't need to completely stop as I turned to another road bc no one was coming, as I used the accelerator to gain my speed the rmp flexed up and down but my speed decreased leading to the car stallling out on side of road. I turned it off then tried to start it and to put it in gear it again stalled out, after that it wouldn't turn over an it got towed to my place where it sits and doesn't start or move, it has 3 recalls come to find out an I contacted Nissan which told me to contact the nearest Nissan dealership that told me to go call Nissan. So pretty much I've gotten zero information an a run around. This car is a safety hazard. I'm lucky I wasn't driving 60mph or more and the engine shuts off and everything locks up. Will be trying to start this car to determine if it should need to be towed 3 hours away from the nearest Nissan dealership.

- Mars Hill, ME, USA

problem #11

Sep 222016

Versa

  • 40,999 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Versa. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle's speed decreased to 10 mph without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,999.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #10

Apr 032016

Versa 4-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, SUNDAY, APRIL 3 AROUND 12:30 PM, TEMPERATURE AROUND 40 DEGREES, SUNNY CONDITIONS, NO RAIN. THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST CONTROL OF ACCELERATION FROM THE FOOT PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAR STILL HAD HALF A TANK OF GAS PROVIDED FROM THE SELLER, HERTZ, SO WE PUT LESS THAN 100 MILES SINCE THE PURCHASE. THE ENGINE IDLED SMOOTHLY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS PROPERLY FUNCTIONING AND ENGAGED. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO ANY MOVEMENT FROM ON THE FOOT PEDAL TO THE ENGINE IN ANY GEAR, INCLUDING NEUTRAL AND PARK. AGAIN, THE ENGINE IDLED SMOOTHLY, THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED PROPERLY WHEN SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE, ETC. THE THROTTLE RESPONSE RETURNED AFTER THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF THEN TURNED BACK ON. THE 2014 VERSA HAS FLY- BY- WIRE THROTTLE, SO DIRECT LINKAGE IS NOT BROKEN, THIS SUGGESTS EITHER A SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION OR AN INTERMITTENT APP SENSOR. UPON INVESTIGATION ON THE INTERNET, SEVERAL NISSAN AUTOMOBILES OF THE SAME YEAR HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE VERSA WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IF YOU HAVE ANY SERVICE BULLETINS WITH THIS REFERENCE, COULD YOU PROVIDE THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER SO THAT I CAN TAKE THE CAR TO A DEALER. I FEEL THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE IF IT WERE TO OCCUR IN TRAFFIC OR AT HIGH SPEEDS, THEREFORE I HAVE FILED A REPORT WITH NHTSA. I FEEL THIS POTENTIALLY AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY SUPPORT YOU CAN PROVIDE WITH SERVICE BULLETINS, OR ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER NISSAN RECALLS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND THAT THIS VEHICLE WILL NOT STALL IN TRAFFIC I MAY BE CONTACTED AT [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #9

Dec 262015

Versa

  • 12,200 miles
My 2014 Nissan Versa S will not exceed 23 miles per hour. It happened first on 12/26/15 and I had it towed to a Nissan dealership. They called several hours later saying the car was fine and was unable to find a problem. Today it happened again 12/28/15 I was leaving a from a doctor appointment and once again the vehicle would not go faster than 23mph. I drove the vehicle about 3 miles into the nearest Nissan dealership and had them drive it so they could see what I meant. They did drive it and said they will give me a loaner car and would diagnose more tomorrow. This is a safety hazard for sure, .

- Kenner, LA, USA

problem #8

Jul 312015

Versa

  • 3,000 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Nissan Versa. While driving at approximately 10 mph, the contact was distracted by his animal in the vehicle. The contact's foot became caught under the brake pedal and the vehicle crashed into a pole. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained face and ribs injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.

- New Haven, CT, USA

problem #7

Sep 202015

Versa

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,000 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Nissan Versa. While driving approximately 15 mph uphill, the contact encountered a steep curve and crashed into a ditch. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained injuries that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed by the insurance company. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 02/05/16 the consumer stated the tires did not hold air. Updated 02/10/16.

- Hector, AR, USA

problem #6

Jul 202015

Versa

  • 28,876 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Versa. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. While the vehicle was stopped, it attempted to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,876.

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

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