What 253 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Nissan Versa Note Sr

The vehicle experienced a failure of the transmission/CVT transmission system and is available for inspection upon request. Prior to the failure, the vehicle began showing symptoms including hesitation while accelerating, jerking, slipping between gears, and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal beginning around February 2026. Warning indicators and abnormal driving behavior continued leading up to the complete failure. The issue placed my safety and the safety of others at risk because the vehicle unexpectedly lost power and struggled to accelerate in traffic, increasing the risk of a collision. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership/independent mechanic after inspection of the vehicle. The vehicle and transmission system have also been inspected by service professionals, and documentation of the diagnosis is available if needed.

NHTSA ODI 11739671

2015 Nissan Versa 83,850 odometer reading Complaint: Safety for other individuals driving similar vehicles. Daughter was driving recently on 91 freeway in Long Beach, CA extremely busy highway on a Friday afternoon. Driving in the middle lane the cars forward movement stopped but car still running. Mechanic diagnosis was the CVT transmission. The car did not give us any warning at anytime there were any issues with the transmission. My concern and hope other would know about CVT transmissions This could of been a very bad day for my daughter if an accident was caused due to this issue. Thank God for the California Highway Patrol, The 911 operator and the California Tow Truck highway Patrol who got her off the highway quickly and safely.

NHTSA ODI 11727795

The PS warning light has been coming on intermittently. The power steering goes out and the vehicle is hard to steer. My safety and others are put at risk if I lose power steering. We have done research online and plan to take it to a dealership to confirm the exact issue. The PS warning light has come on a few times over the last several months and the power steering comes and goes.

NHTSA ODI 11715927

My skid mark symbol comes on, does not go off until 2or 3 days later. My Nissan will not accelerate over 20 miles per hour. I have had mu vehicle checked several times at the Grainger Nissan dealership several times within the past 4 years after they installed a new transmission. They found and corrected other issues, but not what causes the traction lights to come on and decrease speed causing me to have to use flashers and bike lanes where ever available until I get home. Independent mechanics have checked, knocked off traction light. It only comes on again. I have another mechanic at Precision Tune to check it out tomorrow. The last date of this occurrence was 12/ 08/2025

NHTSA ODI 11704982

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11701170

The contact owned a 2015 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that her vehicle had caught fire while parked in her driveway. The contact stated that the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The contact was unsure if the fire department used water or chemicals to extinguish the fire. The contact was not advised as to the cause of the fire. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact had informed her insurance provider, who declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11700118

I was driving on the highway and my hood came up and hit my windshield. The windshield was cracked. The hood brackets were bent and the hood was dented. A trooper arrived on scene. The hood was tied down with bracing and needs repair. The hood latch gave way.

NHTSA ODI 11696296

The contact's brother rented a 2015 Nissan Versa Note through Turo. The contact stated that while her brother was driving at approximately 15 MPH in a tunnel, the transmission was slipping, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle unexpectedly rolled backwards while on an incline. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The renter contacted the company, which stated that it was normal for the engine light to be illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11686823

The arm that comes in from the firewall of the clutch master cylinder that has the little plastic clip that attaches to the rod of the clutch pedal, constantly pops off leaving you with complete loss of control of your car. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY ALL NISSAN VERSA OWNERS!! This faulty issue has happened to so many people that have even had brand new clutch master cylinders replaced. Many owners have had to create a fix themselves due to this faulty clip. This can be extremely dangerous while driving. In my situation yesterday in HIGH traffic I lost complete control of my clutch. I have uploaded some photos that another person posted on a forum to show the clip and rod and that they used their own concoction to fix this. This has caused many versa owners complete loss of control of their vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11635788

Only have 81000 miles on my versa took to shop and did diagnose on it said I need a new transmission I don’t even drive that much and quoted $8000 to replace it I called a transmission shop and they told me those cars are known to have bad transmission Nissan needs to step up and admit the transmission or faulty

NHTSA ODI 11615945

I have had two major instances where the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF) has caused my vehicle to lose total power. The first incident occurred around midnight one night as I was heading home. I was unable to accelerate from a stop sign and had to put the car in neutral and coast in reverse to be able to get my vehicle out of the road and along the curb. The vehicle would not start on its own. I had to have the vehicle towed and taken to a mechanic where repairs were completed. WIthin two months of these repairs, I notice the problem seems to be returning. Three times I notice the car not accelerating correctly and one instance where I tried to press the gas pedal and had no response from the car to it. Ultimately these issue led to my coming home one night around 2am and the car simply would not accelerate at all. I had to pull over and again call a tow truck. My mechanic tells me the the MAF sensor is faulty, but the company handling the extended warranty wants to see the car orior to repairs being done. However, that means I am stuck waiting almost a week before repairs can even begin. Its very nerve racking having this issue on your vehicle. Its an intermittent problem that seems to creep up whenever it feels like it, I have to drive my car for work and I often keep late hours. I dont like the idea of breaking down at night in an area I am not familiar with Having thid problem affects not only my and others safety but my overall well being and financial stability

NHTSA ODI 11598681

When driving the electric power steering began to malfunction in short periods of driving, making it very hard to drive safely. Until a few weeks later the whole unit stopped working and the power steering light came on. This made it hard to steer in high and low speeds. This put my car and others at risk in lane changing and during turns because of the seizing steering. Imagine if a person jumps out in front of the car and the brakes weren’t a viable option, I would not be able to swerve out of the way. Or run off the road. Our auto mechanic recommended we report it to NHTSA because the car can lose control due to the steering seizing. The mechanic said the car is not old enough for it to be failing and should be recalled due to safety. Research on the internet shows these cars with low miles are all having the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11597151

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.

NHTSA ODI 11595690

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Versa Note. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle after a rainstorm, the contact became aware that the vehicle was flooded on the passenger side from water that had poured in the vehicle upon opening the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the cowl panel drain was clogged. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred two more times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.

NHTSA ODI 11589328

While I’m driving the car it starts swaying or jerking to the right sometimes to the left. Mostly when I press the gas to go faster. It’s very scary and I’m afraid it will run me in a ditch or into another vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11584621

When you press on the accelerator and gain speed the car abruptly jerks to the right. I believe it’s caused by a defect of the traction control system.

NHTSA ODI 11575989

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.

NHTSA ODI 11550905

The vehicle engine stalled while driving in motion at approximately 65 miles per hour, and occasionally would stall without warning while waiting at a traffic light stop. The vehicle occasionally would not allow for the key to turn its ignition and would remain locked unpredictably and would require extended amounts of time to lock/unlock via security key fob repeatedly to allow for the key to turn the ignition.

NHTSA ODI 11545844

Transmission locked up and almost got me hit my 2015 Versa note only has 67000 miles on it I’ve only had it 4 months and it’s not covered by warranty and even though I’m glad my kids were not in the car I’m not happy with the fact that the transmission issue is known but still being sold if I knew this was a possibility I would not have bought it

NHTSA ODI 11531188

the power steering system in my Nissan Versa has put me at risk it must be repaired because it is part of the recall car affected

NHTSA ODI 11499285

These cars have known issues with the CVT transmissions. Our car has 42k miles and is in need of a complete transmission replacement that Nissan refuses to cover. Our son was put in a dangerous situation driving in the way when the car began sputtering and losing power.

NHTSA ODI 11488142

After I bought my 2015 Nissan Versa with VIN: [XXX[ in April 2019, the water gained entry inside the car due to heavy rain a month later. The incident has continued to occur; Unfortunately, I had kept blaming it on the height between the parking ground and the car floorboard. The design flaws on the Versa allow water to collect below the windshield. When the collected water doesn't drain, so it flows into the car on the front passenger side floor below the compartment gloves area. It causes visibility problems during rainy and winter seasons since the inside car is not completely sealed causing insulation issues. I had to buy different products to address the visibility problems. My car got flooded last May 2022 to the point I had to get a cup to get some of the water out. I started hearing a sloshing sound and quirking sound when pressing on the brake not too long and so on. I initially paid $1,200 to repair the electrical problems to a Nissan dealer and later found out the harness needed to be replaced due to water damage costing $7,200. The design flaw made my car unsafe due to the visibility problem during inclement weather. There is a blog where 2014 through 2018 Nissan Versa owners describing the same issue I have been experiencing. I am dumbfounded Nissan has never bothered to address this issue for so long; very few people have a disposable income to pay for repairs or constantly buy a new car in less than 5 years. The sad thing, I had to borrow money from my life insurance to pay the car off. I know Nissan will use the inspection defense. Please keep in mind all the cars that have been recalled before passed inspection, so it is not a valid point. Please click onthelinktitling“WetCarpetPassengerSide”://www.nissanversaforums.com/threads/wetcarpetpassengerside.42416/page2#:~:text=Turns%20out%20that%20there%20are%20some%20serious%20design,one%20side%20of%20the%20car%%20to%20the%20other. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11474360

Las revoluciones no se quedan estable cuando estoy manejando, el vehículo empieza a dar jalones y podría ser la transmisión.

NHTSA ODI 11465367

Steering wheel assembly cracked and also the left side of the steering wheel piece broke. Very expensive to fix and wasn’t offered a car to use. Order for this assembly is on back order!!!! Nissan said the crack could only be if it was blunt force to it which would consist of 300 lbs. So it’s a Nissan failure but no recalls on it which is sad.

NHTSA ODI 11464333

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.

NHTSA ODI 11457297