Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Nissan Versa Note owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Versa Note. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light and the brake warning light illuminated. The contact also stated she noticed water underneath the front passenger's seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the cowl drain was clogged and was causing water retention. The dealer informed the contact that the failure had led to an electrical issue. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
I have been taking my car to nissan since my purchase. I was having cooling issues, radiator issues, and car not starting. with all these issues and years of repairs..my CVT transmission finally went out. I had no clue as they were fixing and servicing this car. I call nissan affairs dept as i had to pay $5050.00 to replace it out of my pocket! Nissan states out of warranty 5 months ago!!. I inquired to why i was NEVER contacted about transmission issues and problems or the opportunity to be included in the civil action with this vehicle. They CLAIMED they had the old owners information which is a LIE as i have received prior documentation for warranty notifications in my name! excuse after excuse to not help me. that got me good with the 5050.00 for an ongoing issue for this vehicle. NISSAN does not help at all!
Regarding my 2014 Nissan Versa Note, with "continuous variable (cone shaped) transmission": I first noticed the transmission issue beginning October of 2020. When accelerating quickly, it feels like the transmission FREEZES, so I back off the accelerator and it usually kicks back into gear. When my husband first experienced it, he told me to shift to neutral and back to drive which seems to work; however being on a public thoroughfare and manually shifting gears to keep moving forward seems like a MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. I have read several posts regarding this same issue. MY QUESTION IS: Why hasn't this American/Japanese automobile conglomerate addressed this SAFETY ISSUE WITH A TRANSMISSION RECALL?
Transmission malfunction. No light indicators turned on to signal transmission issues. Took car to dealer x 2 to file complaint. Told car was fine and that was how car functions. 3rd time went to dealer for same issue and told new transmission needed.
My car has 2 codes, P285 and P0420. When i drive the car and accelerate the car starts to skip. At 1 point in time i was at a stop with my feet on the breaks and i tried to go once the light was green the car was not accelerating.!
Was driving on highway during stop and go traffic and engine cut off completely while the car was in drive. Put car in park, and try to restart but vehicle would not restart and had to be pushed to the side of the road during traffic. Made several attempts to restart vehicle and it would not start. I let car sit for 30 minutes and car finally restarted. I took the car to dealership on 7/6/15 and they adjusted the idle but could not diagnose the issue. On 8/8/15, I was leaving a store and started to yield to turn onto a busy street and the car completely died again. I took the car on 8/11/15 to Nissan dealership and they reprogrammed the ECM, but did not say that would permanently fix the issue. I'm an extremely concerned consumer as I have seen several post online from consumers for this very issue, and I don't feel Nissan has done their part to diagnose the issue. …
When starting up from a stop, the vehicle fails to accelerate when the gas pedal is pushed. This problem is intermittent and has happened 4 times in the 18000 miles I have driven the car since new. This is a dangerous situation when trying to accelerate into traffic. When reported to the dealer, he didn't seem concerned but told me I could leave it for a few days to try and make it happen. With no offer of a loaner, I could not be without the car. I have seen that other owners have experienced this same problem and will return to the dealer and demand a full evaluation. I understand that the infrequency of the problem makes it difficult to diagnose, but that does not make the potential for serious injury any less serious.
Maybe not a safety issue, but highly irritating. In winter, no matter how cold, the vehicle takes way too long to heat up for warm cabin air. I live 7 miles from work, but it still takes almost 20 minutes to get there. I am not getting warm enough air until im almost at work. It matters not how long I let it idle. On very cold days, I dont get defroster heat and I have interior frost all the time. After reading Versa forums online, im LED to bellieve its all because the car has two thermostats and an oil cooler. In contrast, my wifes new 3 cylinder Mitsubishi mirage is warm in about 5 minutes. Dealer says its normal for this car. Had I known this before hand I probably wouldnt have bought it.
Driving on city road at about 40 MPH going over bridge, and car just shut off in middle of driving. Cars had to swerve to avoid hitting me. Almost got hit a couple times. Stuck in middle of a busy road.the car has 61,000 miles on it. Regularly oil changes and serviced. There was no warning lights or warnings beforehand that prepared me for the incident. Checked battery connections and tried to restart, no startup. Had to car a tow truck to get it towed to home, then to Nissan dealership in my area. The Nissan service in my area has been trying to figure out what the issue is, and they have no idea.
Connections in the exhaust system crack and you must replace the entire system including the pipe and the muffler. In addition, the pipe from the crack forward is also beginning to crack. This was made with defective metal, as a vehicle with 43,000 miles should not have to replace this pipe and muffler, because Nissan made it as one piece. This ends up to be a $400+ job which should have been in service for many more miles. This muffler and pipe must be ordered from Nissan because there are no aftermarket alternatives. There are a number of complaints about this same problem on line.
Engine complaints in other Versa Note years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2014 Nissan Versa Note?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2014 Nissan Versa Note, 18% of the model year's 136 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2014 Nissan Versa Note engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2014 Nissan Versa Note, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Nissan Versa Note engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 69% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.