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.

8.6

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$3,480
Average Mileage:
82,500 miles
Total Complaints:
42 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace transmission (32 reports)
  2. not sure (10 reports)
2014 Nissan Versa transmission problems

transmission problem

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2014 Nissan Versa Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #42

Nov 192019

Versa SV 1.6sv

  • CVT transmission
  • 44,274 miles

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

My Nissan Versa 2014 transmission failed and it was sent to the Nissan Dealer (DARCARS Nissan of Rockville, MD 20855) repair on 11/19/2019. They said my car transmission 5 year warranty has expired, and they replaced transmission. It cost me $4,091.24. I paid already.

I think that my car just 5 years and 44,274 miles. The transmission totally failed in such a short time or mileage, and that means Nissan transmission has defects.

- kathychen99, Rockville, US

problem #41

Sep 122019

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 123,221 miles

The original problem started in late 2017 or early 2018. The CVT transmission is the absolute WORST THING that I've ever seen in a vehicle!!! It was slipping out of gear and shuddering like it was dying while I was driving it at highway speeds. At that time it was at 76,000 miles, which was 16,000 over the extended warranty. We live 40 miles away from Austin TX, so going anywhere is ALWAYS a drive, AND it makes the mileage go up very quickly. They tried to blow me off with that excuse of it being out of warranty by 16,000 miles. I told the warranty company that since it was a KNOWN FACTORY DEFECT, they WOULD be helping me with the cost of the repairs. Both the warranty company and I spent about $1500 EACH to fix it the first time!

Fast forward to September of 2019 when it was at roughly 122,000 miles and it's having the same problem again AND now there's a terrible vibration from the drivers front end. We've contacted a transmission repair shop and they said that we would have to REPLACE IT AGAIN but with a completely new transmission! The CVT transmission is a total piece of crap and shouldn't be used in ANY vehicles that are being sold to consumers.

It's already been repaired once and now it needs to be replaced, which is EXACTLY what they were supposed to do but didn't. They just put a bandaid on it and sent us away, KNOWING that they didn't do it right by us & NOT CARING about the potential risks of driving a ticking time bomb!! If anyone else has this issue, DON'T let them ignore the customers and do a piss-poor job of FIXING IT!! It's a calculated risk on their part, weighing the cost of fixing thousands of cars against the potential fatalities that could result from their corporate GREED. It's appalling that any company would do this, but it's prevalent in the world of manufacturing products for consumers. They just don't care about anything except the PROFITS!

- Liz O., McDade, US

problem #40

Feb 102020

Versa 3.2L

  • CVT transmission
  • 88,000 miles

So I purchased a 2014 Nissan Versa as used "certified". I understand the risk of purchasing a used vehicle but I said, hell, I have purchased 3 other Nissans in past and have never ever had any other problems - so I figured what could go wrong?!

WELL, WRONG!!!

I purchased the car in 8/2019 and last week the transmission goes out!!! I took it back to Freed Haas country to see if it is covered by warranty and - what a shocker - it was not... they wanted to charge me $3600 to replace transmission so I had it towed back to my home. As a single mom that was not an option. I have it now at a transmission shop getting repaired and am waiting for the result of the removal of said transmission to see what they can do for me.

But, needless to say, I am pissed - how does a 2014 Nissan's transmission go bad??? I also filed a complaint with Nissan consumer affairs which has done nothing yet. If you plan on buying a Nissan, BEWARE!!!

- Barbara M., Houston, US

problem #39

Jul 012020

Versa LX

  • CVT transmission
  • 130,000 miles

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

Specifically, my engine light went on and I find out its my transmission that ultimately needs to be replaced. My car is a Nissan Versa 130,000 miles which I still owe 3800. Furthermore, after listening to my mechanic and researching I find out that this has been an ongoing issue with this faulty transmission. The repairs have been estimated at 3200 that includes labor and a 1200 transmission from Nissan. Please can you offer any help or advice?

- Robert F., Boca Raton, US

problem #38

Mar 102021

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 69,019 miles

In 2019, I purchased a pre-owned 2014 Nissan Versa for $7,000. It only had 43,000 miles at the time of purchase. In March 2021, I was driving home and stopped at a stop light. when the light turned green, I stepped on the gas and the car RPM'd to 6, but did not accelerate. It was very sudden. I tried multiple times, without any luck. Finally, I got the car to roll and although I was stepping on the gas lightly, it was unable to engage. After shutting the car off and trying again and again, it finally started moving. However, this just continued to happen. it would not engage when I stepped on the gas, or accelerate. Nothing.

Cars break down. I get it. I wasn't too worried and ready for AAA to take it to get repaired. But what REALLY concerns me, is what was wrong with it. The dealership told me my CVT Transmission needs to be fully replaced for only $3,800. What? I had this car less than 3 years and drove less than 30K miles in it and the transmission is broken? The extended warranty i bought just happened to expire 6 months prior. convenient The day it broke down, it had 69,012 miles on it. Did you know that's practically the life expectancy for a 2012-2017 Nissan Versa? Because that's what I am seeing and hearing. In fact that's the message the Nissan Customer Service Manager delivered to me when he refused to assist me in any way! this is a well known issue with Nissan. But they do not care. They will not assist their customers.

There are many forums of people going through the exact same situation with the same vehicle. But Nissan does not care. The transmission costs as much as the car is worth (probably more). The choice is obvious. I am getting rid of the Nissan Versa. And the Nissan Altima that we own as well? well that car will run it's course, and we will move far away from Nissan then too. Because they've shown me that they don't measure up to the great manufacturers out there that stand behind their name and resolve known issues, and own them, and even fix them! Nissan made some major mistakes with the 2012-2017 Versa, but an even bigger mistake pretending it doesn't exists.

- Erin B., Fremont, NH, US

problem #37

Jan 082020

Versa 1.6L

  • CVT transmission
  • 70,960 miles

I bought a used Nissan Versa 2014 in Jan 2016 with mileage about 40,000 (70,000 now). In Jan 2020 my wife found the issue - the car cannot accelerate when gas pedal is fully pressed down. Then we brought this car to a car shop, the technician found no problem and he could drive the car as normal. Since there was no indication of error or warning on the dashboard, he could not confirm any problem.

On 30th Jan 2020 in the evening, we noticed the car could not accelerate again and we sent it to Mequon Auto Tech, where the technician identified this might be a transmission line issue. We brought the car to a Nissan dealer shop called Amato Nissan in Milwaukee, they did a full diagnosis (charging me $175) and found the transmission line of this car has a major fault and need to be replaced with cost of $4171.27. The warranty expiry date is Dec 9 2020, not up to two months ago.

We called North American Nissan and filed a complaint and requested them to fully cover this repair cost. This is a critical safety issue, it started one year ago and no error/alarm is shown in the dashboard to draw our attention.

Nissan North American talked with us about this complaint, and offered to cover 50% of the cost, as he said the warranty already expired. However, I cannot accept this offer because:

1. The transmission failure is a critical safety issue, why is there no indication of warning on dashboard to draw our attention? This is product defect and make us unaware of the safety risk, and also let us miss the opportunity of finding this issue before warranty expiry date.

  1. This issue firstly occurred one year ago, which is in the warranty period so North American Nissan should fully cover the repair cost.

    3. As a consumer we have been driving this car with critical safety defect for one year, this really risk our life. And fortunately, my wife was not driving in highway when this issue occurred so she could pull over safely.

    4. Tons of cases of transmission failure for Versa 2014 with low mileage from 50K to 80K. This is known issue for Nissan, it seems that Nissan try to ignore this critical safety defect of its product and push the responsibility to consumers.

    Based on your experience, please give me some advice in my case.

- Alex L., Mequon, US

problem #36

Mar 112019

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 58,000 miles

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

CVT Transmission would not shift properly, RPM stuck at 4000-4500 at about 35-40 mph. Took the car to the dealer, was told that they can fix the transmission but I would have to pay. Mileage was around 58K but car was few months over 5 year..., so no Warranty. We had no choice, agreed to have it fixed at the cost of $1237, but opened claim with Nissan USA.

Picked up the car 1-2 days later, but found that the issue was NOT fixed. We took the car back, dealer WOULD not give us refund. Dealer then told us that the transmission needed to be replaced, cost around $3300-$3500.

Spent over 1 week for Nissan USA to respond and agree to cover transmission replacement cost. They've responded and offered to cover 90% of the CVT replacement (but no refund for the initial fix that didn't fix anything).

Our total cost was around $1600, and received used rebuilt CVT with 12 months warranty.

- pacja, Barrington, IL, United States

problem #35

Apr 112019

Versa

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,000 miles

Purchased used Nissan Versa note from Carmax with 40,000 miles, and purchased a 75,000 mile Warranty. Drove vehicle fro 39,000 miles and the transmission failed. After investigating Nissan Versa reputation, there are thousands of customers who have purchased this vehicle with the same problem of the transmission failing between 70 and 80 thousand miles on new vehicle. This is a new vehicle with low miles, there should be 0 reasons why this transmission shouldn't last longer. But the problem is the manufacturer, its has defects and was designed this way. There should be a recall on this product. I spoke with Carmax and explained that I purchased a 75,000 mile warranty. I only used 34,000 of the warranty, but they refused because it's the total mileage including the 40,000 miles it originally had on it. According to them it was over 4,000 on the warranty. To anyone reading this... DO NOT BUY NISSAN PRODUCTS!!!!

- Freddie M., Santa Paula, US

problem #34

Dec 272018

Versa

  • Manual transmission
  • 88,200 miles

The transmission just completely went out while driving. Only had a little over 88000 miles on it. Definitely put a damper on the holidays and a bigger hole in my pocket. I bought it new off the lot and haven't even paid it off yet. This car was definitely a very bad choice.

- Mallorie L., Conyers, US

problem #33

Dec 192018

Versa

  • Manual transmission
  • 79,568 miles

Original owner of this vehicle and it was well maintained and never abused. Heard a "thunk" while driving and transmission started making a loud noise. Took it to shop and advised transmission had failed and needed replacing. Of course, powertrain warranty is expired. There is no justification for a part failing at this low mileage and age of vehicle. Will never buy a Nissan again.

- JC D., San Antonio, TX, US

problem #32

Oct 172018

Versa LX

  • CVT transmission
  • 76,000 miles

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

Just at 76,000 miles tis transmission should've never gone out. A clear problem that should've been resolved by Nissan. What a rip off!

- Darcelle M., Huntington Beach, US

problem #31

Sep 012018

Versa SV

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,200 miles

I bought my brand new 2014 Nissan Versa in 2013. I chose the Versa because it was affordable and because Nissan had a reputation of building long lasting vehicles. I now hear from friends that Nissan's reputation comes from the 70's and 80's and is no longer true. My car was just five years old and needed a new transmission at 72,200 miles. Not covered by warranty (because corporate Nissan does not back up their cars) it would have cost me $3,880.00 to replace. Not bad as that is the cost of transmissions today, but this car was only 5 years old. I expected it to last another five years so I was totally caught off guard. I traded the car in rather than put the $3,880.00 into it and I now have a new Hyundai with a 100,000 mile warranty, and also an unexpected payment.

PS. I will not ever buy or recommend Nissan. I feel they screwed me.

- Michael L., Syracuse, US

problem #30

Apr 022018

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 82,000 miles

I have a 2014 Nissan Versa. In April of 2018 I took my car, that was still under warranty at this time, into a Nissan dealership. I told them that my car was jerking and having trouble switching gears. They told me that they couldn't duplicate the problem and that there was no code, so there wasn't anything they could do.

I took it to another Nissan dealership a week later and got the same answer. Some months later I knew that something wasn't right so I took it to a local mechanic and he revealed right away that my transmission was slipping. I then took it back to the same Nissan dealership (at this point I am now outside of my warranty coverage). When I took it back they magically found the problem and had all the codes in the world to diagnose my car. They told me that it would cost $3,000 and that it wouldn't be covered.

After fighting for weeks with Nissan, they told me that would cover some of the cost but not all! Then on top of that they told me that while my car was getting fixed I would have to pay 35 dollars a day for a loaner car! Everyone I dealt with at Nissan was rude besides one agent named David!

I will NEVER buy another Nissan!

- Jasmin C., Wilmington, DE, US

problem #29

Aug 022018

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 60,066 miles

I have had the car for only a year I do not think the car transmission should be having any problems. I do have an extended warranty, however the diagnosis price is ridiculous alone, plus I have a deductible. Which may be pricey along with a other bills including a car note. If Nissan knew about this issue they should have priced it for a lesser price, and told the truth about the vehicle! No one is going to try, and continue to pay for a car that is known to have transmission problems that doesn't make sense! . In other words people like myself are being shafted by dealers, that's like being sold a dream.

- Stephanie C., Chicago, IL, US

problem #28

Jul 162017

Versa 1.6L

  • CVT transmission
  • 94,000 miles

I purchased a 2014 Nissan Versa with 94,000 mi. from a private owner a little over a year ago. I drove it for 3 weeks. I did put almost 700 mi. on the car in that 3 weeks and noticed no problems. A friend of mine and I even took a 150 ml. road trip during that period. He drove and felt the car performed fine as well.

Then on a Sunday morning, I noticed what seemed like power loss. The car would not move more than a few mph. I did manage to get creep the car to a Monroe Muffler. Thanking god someplace was open on a Sunday. The mechanic hooked it up to the diagnostic machine. He told me the codes read it was the CVT and my cars Transmission needed to be replaced. I had no Money left for such a repair as I just put all my savings into that car 3 weeks earlier. So I had the car towed home.

I was able to buy a 2007 Hyundai Accent with 205000 mi. on it for $600. I've been driving that ever since. It now has 226,000 mi on it,

A year later there the 2014 Nissan still sits. I still have not repaired it because I can't afford it. I wish I had put all of my money into a newer Hyundai from the start. If I had, I probably would not have an expensive dead horse sitting in my driveway as a daily reminder. UGH!

- Judie F., Livonia, NY, US

problem #27

Jul 162018

Versa SL 1.6L

  • CVT transmission
  • 122,500 miles

I own a 2014 Nissan Versa with 122,500 miles. At 52,000, the CVT transmission failed and was replaced under warranty with a re-manufactured CVT transmission. Now, at 122,500 miles, the CVT transmission has failed again (20 mos and 56,000 miles later). My local Nissan Dealership (AutoFair Nissan Stratham NH) won't give me the time of day. They charged me $125 to tell me that the CVT failed again. So, I contacted Nissan North America and spoke to Markita Scott, Nissan Arbitration specialist. All see could say is that my car was out of warranty and they would do nothing. I mentioned to Markita that my car was stalling at intersections, posing a risk to my and other drivers safety. Her reply was that my car was out of warranty and they would do nothing. She keep repeating that as her mantra. It became apparent to me that she didn't really care.

So, I have filed a lawsuit against Nissan North America, filed a complaint with the NH Attorney General, NTSB, and USDOT. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY SPEED. It poses a risk to driver, passengers and other drivers as IT STALLS AT TIMES WHEN ACCELERATING, thus posing a hazard, especially when entering a traffic stream, or intersection.

I urge all reading this to take action. There is a pending Versa class action suit against Nissan. I urge all to go online, file a NTSB, USDOT, and a complaint with your states attorney general. You can do all of this online and it takes only 5-10 minutes to file a complaint online.

I also urge you to take Nissan to court. Check with your local small claims court and file a claim. You can usually so this with paying a $50-100 fee.

Lastly, we need to all stand up and take action. Please feel free to email me at: johnrand1115@gmail.com

I'd be happy to give you any assistance I can. I'm just really pissed off at Nissan because my experience/research shows that their CVT transmissions are of poor design, unsafe, prone to premature failure, and very costly to replace. Nissan really screwed up with this CVT and they know it. Now, they need to pay for their mistake. Thank you.

- John R., Greenland, NH, US

problem #26

Dec 012017

Versa SV 1.6L V4

  • CVT transmission
  • 98,000 miles

Horrible vehicle transmission. The car first started to not want to come down the rpm range but I thought nothing of it. Then the problem progressed to the point where after stopping completely, I would have to slightly accelerate then release the accelerator so that the rpms would drop then reapply the accelerator. Then the car eventually got to the point where the rpms got stuck in the high range and the entire car would shake. I would have to either pull over or put it in neutral, turn the vehicle off, turn it back on and put it in drive then continue. Then it started to get even more horrible and gave a noise upon accelerating as though I had a supercharger in a 2014 Nissan Versa SV. The car would take a few seconds to shift to reverse and would roll forward before doing so. Now the car does not go past 2.5 rpm and the car remains at 18 mph. Taking it back to Carmax tomorrow for repairs. I will update.

- DaMarius T., Jackson, US

problem #25

Apr 272018

Versa SD

  • CVT transmission
  • 90,000 miles

I'm blown away that this is a known issue with Nissan, come to find out, with their CVT transmissions. This car is a 2014 with just 90K miles on it and I'm having to replace the transmission. I have owned Toyota's and Honda's and never run into a transmission issue this early. My son's 2008 Camry has 190K and the transmission is still going strong as well as the engine.

- Joe L., Piedmont, US

problem #24

Dec 152017

Versa

  • CVT transmission
  • 99,000 miles

I can't drive this car but I am still paying a car note. I am driving a rental car. This is a hardship on me as a single mother paying for childcare. I struggle every month to pay bills because I am paying for rental cars and car note at the same time.

- Tequila J., Oakland, CA, US

problem #23

Apr 012018

Versa SV 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 96,000 miles

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN AGAIN. These cars are straight GARBAGE. I have had so many cars in my day and NEVER have I needed a replacement transmission within two years of purchase. Nissan is wrong for this and there should be something we can do. These transmissions are not making it past 100,000 miles on ANY car. Nissan owners: UNITE!!!

- Mieka H., Washington, DC, US

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