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:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,387 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.

2013 Nissan Versa brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Nissan Versa Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Jul 292023

Versa

  • miles

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

For ten days my car suddenly loses 90% or more braking power-?"after moving at above 40 miles per hour for five minutes or more. Incredibly dangerous and no war I g lights and hard to diagnose. We are replacing master cylinder as they were investigated on this year and model. I want them to reopen that investigation and I want compensation.

- Woodstock , NY, USA

problem #30

Oct 242021

Versa

  • miles
Breaks was unsafe, some piece was broken close by my tires

- San Diego , CA, USA

problem #29

May 082020

Versa

  • 132,000 miles
Brake pedal goes to the floor occasionally while applying the brakes to come to a stop. Had Nissan perform a brake system flush and still have the problem. They asked about changing out the master cylinder and the way that they asked made me believe that they might know of a problem with this year and make of car. I checked up to see if there was a recall and noticed an investigation is in progress for this problem. This problem happens in street traffic or highway when trying to slow or stop the vehicle and is intermittent in nature and still occurs after the brake flush to remove any air in the system.

- Fairview, TN, USA

problem #28

Nov 132018

Versa

  • 80,000 miles

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

I was going 35 mph and I tried to slow down as I noticed the cars infront of me were at a complete stop at a red light, I pressed my breaks and noticed I barely even slowed down as I got closer to the car ahead of me I put my emergency break on and it made my car slide forward forcing my car into the rear end of the car ahead of mine. The mileage on the car is an estimate.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #27

Sep 302016

Versa

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Versa. While driving approximately 35 mph, the brakes lost power and did not stop the vehicle. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and crashed into a parked vehicle. Various warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged and was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called michael jordan Nissan (919-489-3800, 3930 durham-chapel hill blvd, durham, nc 27707) and was referred to the Consumer Affairs division of the manufacturer. An inspector was sent to investigate the failure and the contact was informed that there was no brake failure. Prior to the failure, the contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (vehicle speed control, service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #26

Jul 142017

Versa

  • miles
Takata recall, have been experiencing delays in barking procedures, like the pedal is stuck and my foot or heel has gotten stuck even when I have distance myself enough car distance from a car in front of me. Have put me in a situation that I had ton use the emergency brake, feel pressure all the time, when I out the car in revers, there is a noise in the shifting of gear to reverse, this has caused close calls to me being in a severe accident, this has happened on more than one occasion, I was involved in an accident in February 2018, fortunately I was not the cause of the accident,

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #25

Mar 272018

Versa

  • 45,000 miles

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

Brake pedal wants to sink to the floor at times for no reason. Kinda scary because it works fine tgen it doesnt

- La Verne, CA, USA

problem #24

Nov 022017

Versa

  • 113,500 miles
It was a rainy day outside. The front and back brake pads/shoes were replaced 10,000 miles previously at a Nissan dealership in dover, oh. I was driving on normal pavement. I drove on a highway at speed limit of 70 mph. I drove on a village main St at a speed limit of 25 mph. It did not matter what speed or whether the vehicle was straight or turning: Whenever the brake pedal was depressed there was a loud clunking noise. After that, when the gas pedal was depressed there was another clunking noise. The noise was coming from the brakes. I asked a passenger to join me to test the noise and even let them drive. They confirmed. The noise suddenly stopped after 30 minutes of driving. Once it stopped we pulled over and popped the hood and smelled what seemed to be brake fluid. Checked all the fluids in the car and they were fine.

- West Lafayette, OH, USA

problem #23

Jan 212017

Versa 4-cyl

  • 57,000 miles
I was drviing my car on greenbelt rd, md, and noticed S stange low noise or sputtering..of some ssort. I decided to stop the car...however car did nto stop...I put in park, turned engine off...did not stop...I uesed emergency brake...did not stop...I felt it accerelated on its own..and had loss of brake effectiveness. I sounded the horn loudly to warn people. But the car kept going and going. I am a single mom, and my child was with me...for safety of life and property... I intentionally drove into a ditch. I felt like it was an unintentional acceleration and loss of brake effectiveness issue. I have called Nissan Consumer Affairs to report it, and my car is now at the dealership. I am not an expert. I need for a safety investigation into my vehicle by an independent Agency other than Nissan. I am still shaken....updated 02/13/17...updated 02/22/17 updated 08/10/2017

- College Park, MD, USA

problem #22

Jul 012016

Versa

  • 50,512 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Nissan Versa. While driving 30 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact was rendered unconscious from the air bag deployment. The contact was transported to the hospital for injuries that required medical attention. The front and rear seat passengers sustained seat belt burns. The rear seat passenger also suffered a displaced hip. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,512. The vehicle was destroyed.

- Fitzgerald, GA, USA

problem #21

Sep 162016

Versa

  • 115,000 miles

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

While operating my vehicle on a highway, at approximately 75mph, traffic slowed and I lightly depressed my brake pedal to slow my vehicle in response and no braking was detected. I pressed the pedal further to no avail. The brake pedal had to be pressed all the way to the floor before the brakes finally engaged. Thankfully, I was traveling at a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of me. Nevertheless, the experience was unsettling. Normal brake operation resumed for a short time. Within 25 miles of the last occurrence, I once again experienced the excessive brake pedal travel, followed by normal brake operation. I cautiously made my way to a Nissan dealership the next morning. The car was inspected, and the dealership confirmed the cause of the problem to be a leak in the master cylinder. Despite the 115000 miles on my vehicle, I find it quite terrifying that the failure of a component could put my occupant and I in such a perilous situation without any warning whatsoever. I have contacted the manufacture, and am awaiting further assistance/remedy.

- Cicero, IL, USA

problem #20

Jul 252016

Versa

  • 47,000 miles
Driving in a straight line on a highway going 65 mph, stepped on brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor- no brakes at all. Coasted to slow down and tried again at 55 mph and brakes worked. Am trying to get ahold of dealership.

- Knoxville, MD, USA

problem #19

Oct 202015

Versa

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Versa. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle did not respond when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a fence. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact suffered whiplash and injuries to the neck, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #18

Jun 242015

Versa

  • 30,000 miles
Foot caught between pedals car would not brake or stop

- Auburn, GA, USA

problem #17

Apr 092014

Versa

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Versa. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle changed into different gears and the brake pedal extended to the floorboard when it was depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired with a new transmission, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Hendderson , NV, USA

problem #16

Feb 262015

Versa

  • 35,287 miles
This is an event similar to ODI resume (PE 14-018) opened on 06/24/2014 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Similar to complainant, voq 10597004, my foot was trapped by the trim panel. Panel is located next to the accelerator pedal and the lower corner is positioned such that it is near the right outer edge of the driver's shoe. Also similar to complainant 10573057, when attempting to remove my foot from the accelerator pedal to apply the brake, my shoe was caught by the trim panel which delayed braking ability several times. It is important to note that this vehicle was purchased from a rental facility, enterprise car sales in elmwood park, NJ. The photographs in ODI resume PE 14-018 illustrate the same safety issue I am having with my vehicle.... updated 03/19/15 updated 6/18/2015

- Englewood, NJ, USA

problem #15

Feb 132015

Versa 4-cyl

  • 17,845 miles
I was parked in the driveway. I applied the brakes and slowly started backing down the sloped driveway, as it started rolling back faster I applied the brakes harder and they didn't work. Instead the pedal went to the floor with no response. The car continued to roll backwards and I pumped the brakes to try and get a response and just as it reached the street the brakes finally clicked back on.

- Walnut Creek, CA, USA

problem #14

Jun 112014

Versa

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Versa. While at a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled abruptly to the floorboard. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,000.

- Aberdeen, MD, USA

problem #13

Sep 022014

Versa

  • miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Versa. When the vehicle reached a complete stop and the brake pedal was applied, the vehicle rolled forward. As a result, the contact was involved in a fender bender. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #12

Sep 092014

Versa

  • 39,000 miles
I was driving on interstate 55 South. I heard a pop on the driver's side and the car crossed over into the passing lane and hit the rail. I lost all control of the car. I have injuries such as back strain, whiplash, hand contusion and thigh contusion. The car is totaled and the brake is defective and the axel on the front car is broken. I could have been killed. It is a miracle that I am alive. I was sold a defective car. I only had the car one month.

- Charleston, MO, USA

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