CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012-2017 Nissan Versa has an expensive CVT transmission failure defect that shows up plainly in our complaint data from the earlier model years in this 2nd generation Nissan Versa.

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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,421 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.

2015 Nissan Versa drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2015 Nissan Versa Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #45

Jan 012017

Versa

  • 20,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to the dealer, where the fuel pump assembly, the lower control arm, and the electronic parking switch were replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #1 had misfired, and the dealer determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a transmission specialist, where the catalytic converter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the catalytic converter was replaced for a second time. Additionally, the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift to first gear. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, Classic Nissan Newport News (12925 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, VA 23608), where the transmission assembly, the ignition coil, and spark plug #1 were replaced. The contact stated while driving after the repair, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while her grandson was occupying the rear passenger's side seat, the seat belt locked and failed to unbuckle. The contact stated that her daughter cut the seat belt and released her grandson. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #44

Oct 152023

Versa

  • miles
The CVT transmission has only 80k miles and is changing gears for no reason up and down at all speeds and won-??t drive safely. Rpm-??s increase and randomly gear kicks in and hits very hard and then stops working.

- Harlingen, TX, USA

problem #43

Mar 172022

Versa

  • miles
I was driving along and I went to stop but the brake didn't stop the car so I put in the car in park. Then the brake and engine lights started flashing at me so I turned of the car. I wasn't driving very fast at all, probably less than 20 miles per hour. Then when I restarted the car the brake and engine lights cam back on and the brake still wasn't working, and the car rolled while it was in park. I was not able to move the car to a safe spot. I had to sit partially in a traffic lane near a dangerous, blind curve. A sheriff's deputy saw my car and pulled in behind me to help protect me while we waited two hours for the Auto Club. My mechanic said the transmission totally failed and caused the problems.

- Van Nuys, CA, USA

problem #42

Feb 012022

Versa

  • 83,300 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while accelerating from at a complete stop, the vehicle jerked forward but failed to move. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle responded. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while accelerating from a complete stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,300.

- Northridge, CA, USA

problem #41

Oct 182021

Versa

  • 31,700 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The contact also stated that the vehicle made abnormally loud sounds while exceeding 20 MPH. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 31,700.

- Brownsville, TX, USA

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problem #40

May 082021

Versa

  • miles
The CVT transmission has gone bad on this vehicle, while on vacation the car started sputtering and shut off at a stop light. When I had the car towed to the dealership they told me I needed a new transmission because the torque converter has gone bad. When I complained that the car has only 97,000 some miles the dealership directed me to I-800-Nissan. I provided the requested information and received a call and the gentleman told me my car was not covered under the extended warranty (was extended to 80,000 miles), he went on to say that after researching to see if Nissan could help in any way he found that I had not have service done at one of their dealership and they could not offer any assistance at this time. The quote to replace the transmission with a remanufactured transmission is $4000. Upon researching this issue (I believe a transmission with a first maintenance schedule at 100,000 miles should at least make it to that maintenance timeline) I have discovered this CVT transmission problem is widespread among many Nissan models, the Versa included. There were no warning lights or prior problems before it just quit.

- Efland, NC, USA

problem #39

Nov 122020

Versa

  • 59,500 miles

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

A rear wheel bearing failed and was replaced at 14,900 miles in 2017. Now, a rear wheel bearing has failed again at 59,500 miles. The dealership will not make any concession on the faulty parts and/or flaw in the quality that Nissan is using. Wheel bearings should not fail at this point in a vehicle's life (low miles). The wheel gets extremely hot and could lock-up causing a loss of control. I have read many complaints for the same issue. This is unsatisfactory. These car models should be checked and replaced if needed by Nissan at no cost to the owner. My vehicle is till within the 60,000 mile warranty but 4 months beyond the 60 months.

- Sumter, SC, USA

problem #38

Feb 022018

Versa

  • 40,000 miles
When taking off the transmission belt slips all the time so I try to ease into the gas as gently as possible. When A/C is running the car has almost zero acceleration and has a stuttering or stumbling issue that causes issues until I hit 3000 3500 RPM then seems to gain power. I have issues on the highway with the transmission seeming to slip out of engagement of the belt when speeding up to pass. When slowing down for a light, if the light turns before I come to a complete stop and I go to reapply pressure to the gas pedal, if I dont gently apply the gas the transmission belt will slip and cause the car to shutter. Im not sure what is causing this issue, but I have had since I purchased the car around 40000 miles, a cricket chirping noise that in the beginning was always at 2000rpm and no wheres else in the RPM range. Now it has gotten worse to where I seem to hear the chirping noise anywhere around 1500 RPM to 2250rpm range. As well I have had the radiator fan quit working causing the motor to over heat pretty bad but the head gasket didnt fail luckily. I have also had the entire time I have owned the car, an issue with the A/C when it starts up the clutch basically cluncks on or makes an awful noise kicking on and while the A/C would run before the fan failed, the air would start smelling very very bad. It smelled like chemicals of some sort and it would make me very natious to the point I would have to turn the A/C off and living in the desert in tucson, Arizona this does not make for a very good comfortable ride at all.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #37

Jun 122020

Versa 4-cyl

  • 80,900 miles
My car shut off while I was stopped at a stop sign. The radio and air were still on. The car would not move. In order for me to move the vehicle, I had to put it into park, turn the ignition switch to off and turn the ignition back to on. Basically turn it all the way off and restart the vehicle.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #36

May 152020

Versa 4-cyl

  • 47,555 miles
The car don't runs good!, have problems with the transmission only have 47,677 miles, O think have warranty!

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #35

Feb 102020

Versa

  • 70,608 miles

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

Feb. 10th 2020 cvt transmission started shuddering and then broke down in valdosta georiga. Valdosta Nissan said transmission was not covered under recall from class action suit. Had transmission replaced at valdosta transmission with remanufactured Nissan transmission on Feb. 13th 2020. Drove 992 miles to jackson mich. Started having problems with newly installed transmission so bright the 201( Nissan Versa to jackson Nissan. Was informed by service manager jamie baldwin that transmission failed due to transmission cooling tube in radiator failed. Of course the radiator failure was not covered anymore from the earlier class action radiator suit. I also filed a claim with consumer affair Nissan, case #39608867. The representative (austin) I spoke with denied the claim. I've tried to reach austin (615) 725-7582 a few times to get any documentation that was used for his decision to deny this claim, but he has not returned any of my calls. I believe that Nissan has an obligation to the consumer when they have sold defective cvt transmissions and radiators.

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #34

Apr 242019

Versa 4-cyl

  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, while the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to lose power and jerk, the contact veered to the shoulder of the road where another vehicle crashed into the rear vehicle, contact placed vehicle in park turned the vehicle off and back on which failed to resume back to normal. No airbags deployed. Contact sustained chest injuries from hitting steering wheel. No medical attention was contacted. No police report was made. The vehicle received minor damage's to the rear bumper. The contact managed to drive the vehicle to the contact dealer (Nissan South union city 4080 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291 (678) 379-2598) where it was test driven but unable to duplicate the issues. The vehicle was not repaired, stated issues continued. The vehicle was driven to the residents where an independent mechanic came out and diagnoses the vehicle which determined that the tcm (transmission control model) faultily and needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that no recalls was under the VIN. The failure mileage approximately 66,000.

- River Dale, GA, USA

problem #33

Oct 012016

Versa

  • miles
Please tell the government or whoever is the biggest boss of car manufacturer Nissan to punish Nissan severely and extremely for making unsafe cars that puts consumer a T a severe safety risk. For their transmissions, shocks, struts, everything in the car. Ever since I got the car in October 2016 I have to bring it to the shop every 2-3 months, there is always something wrong with the car, October 2019 I had to replaced the fan, before that the motor mounts, the shocks needs to be replaced, the struts too, the airbag light came on and stays on, multiple problems with the car.. replaced the transmission before and the transmission needs to be replaced again. The car jiggles, waddle, the shock, struts, gets starts to worn out at 20,000 miles, at 50, 60, 70, 80,000 miles the car extremely unstable when driving on the highway. It feels so light, feels like its wheels will break or pull off to one side. Car is physically unstable and bounce way too much. The car motor mounts makes so much clicking noise, brakes terrible. Major car safety hazard. 90.000 miles currently car is not safe to drive due to transmission problems mechanic said and I cannot repair it. Please make Nissan refunded me my money & take full responsibility for their faulty car. Their is a current class action lawsuit against them for their faulty transmissions will stop working on the Nissan Versa and Sentra cars from 2013-2017 year models. And even if you replace the transmission it will fail after 30,000 miles. Please make Nissan pay for their fraudulent car parts that they made that is going to not work soon. For a month I also drove a 2019 Nissan Sentra rental brand new car at 1000 miles. At 5,000 -7,000 miles the car transmission makes so much noise. Nissan Sentra and verssa cars are not safe. Nissan needs to be punished extremely and severely for putting people's safety at risk..

- Eagle Lake, TX, USA

problem #32

Oct 012018

Versa

  • miles
12/5/2018 I replaced the transmission on the Nissan Versa 2015 at 37,000 miles. 2 months at 42,000 miles later car making noise not knowing what it is, after many car checks with auto mechanics. On September 2019 at 93,000 miles I received a post card about a class action lawsuit filed by Nissan owners against 2013-2017 Nissan Versa and Sentra cars ''cvt' transmissions not properly working to not working at all. I finally had the car checked and the Nissan only mechanic said my 2015 Nissan Versa is not safe to drive due to the transmission not working properly and it needs to be replaced for a third time at mossy Nissan houston, tx. Its extremely not fair. Nissan manufacture fail to provide 100% of repair cost and refuse to take full responsibility of the pain and suffering their terrible car transmission cause me. Many people and transmission repair shops knows Nissan transmissions are not good. You can replace a Nissan transmission today and the same year or next year you have to replace the transmission again. Its extremely not fair what Nissan manufacturer & dealership did. II replaced the first transmission at 37,000 miles in year 2 of owning my car, at 42,000 or 50,000 miles the transmission starts going bad. And year 3 at 93,000 I have to replaced again. That is a major highway safety hazard. The reason I did not have a major accident with this car I strongly believe, is because I prayed everyday when I start driving for jehovah god to protect me, not to have an accident, and not to kill anyone with this car. So every 30,000 miles or every year you have to replace the transmission on a Nissan Versa depending how much you drive for the year.. I had to deal with extreme stress been in the hospital 3 times. Please make money greedy Nissan pay for their deliberate fraud act. I don't drive the car because its unsafe to drive with a very bad transmission.

- Eagle Lake, TX, USA

problem #31

Jan 022020

Versa

  • 134,000 miles
No acceleration. When turning car stutters. The car runs this way all the time. Took the car to the dealer, tech found code P1715, P2765, and P0965

- Peoria, AZ, USA

problem #30

Nov 012019

Versa

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. While driving various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly and, eventually, failed to start. The vehicle was taken to passport Nissan (5000 auth way, marlow heights, md) where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #29

Nov 092019

Versa

  • 56,000 miles
Having problem stopping my car in wet or snowy weather. Anti-lock breaks not working correctly. There is a recall for my year but when I do a search it says there are zero recalls for my vehicle. Transmission does nit shift properly.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

problem #28

Nov 082019

Versa

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the transmission failed. When driving the vehicle, it failed to accelerate and an unknown warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to riverside Nissan (8330 Indiana ave B, riverside, ca 92504, (951) 509-6500) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could only assist with 60% of the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was invalid.

- Hemet, CA, USA

problem #27

Jan 012019

Versa

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle shuddered and failed to accelerate. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact continued driving to her destination and later took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number: 37662491. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #26

Sep 022019

Versa

  • miles
The gear shift does not lock and the transmission jumps gears. Occasionally it doesn't have enough power while driving

- Richmond, VA, USA

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