Most common 2010 Nissan Versa problems
Share of the 269 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Versa complaints by model year
Best Versa years: 2019, 2017, 2018. Years to avoid: 2024, 2012, 2009, 2008. Compare all years →
2010 Nissan Versa recalls (7)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2011-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2018.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temperatures, and temperature…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas,…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017.
Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall began on February 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Show 1 more recall
Equipment › Electrical › Navigational system(global positioning system)
Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected GPS units can overheat.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on September 16, 2010.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2010 Nissan Versa:
Front Coil Spring Fracture
In a letter dated September 10,2015, Nissan North America,Inc. (Nissan) notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a safety defect that may result in coil spring fracture in approximately 218,019 model year (MY) 2007 through 2012 Nissan Versa vehiclesproduced from May 8, 2006 through November12, 2012 and originally sold or ever registered in the following 22 states and the District of…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2010 Nissan Versa owners say
Air bags all 130 →
I bought my car while living in Florida from a lady that didn't drive it for a while and after I bought it I drove it i drove to Washington two and a half times. before this though it had an airbag safety issue where the airbags didn't deploy and also my gas gauge does not work correctly as well as the suspension, which the coils are not up to codes and regulation also my odometer does not work well period when I got in my car accident my airbags had not deployed which is the safety risk and I looked up online due to the multiple risk zones that I crossed over I know that it is a good chance that I qualify for recalls that maybe it wasn't listed prior to putting up on here because I was unaware of a recall list.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The steering wheel enclosure failed to close. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer and was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V449000 (Air Bags) and 18V044000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact that a diagnostic test needed to be performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Suspension all 69 →
There has been a popping and creaking noise when turning the wheel at low speeds to the left, the passenger side of the car has now dropped and the spring, struts and mounts have to be replaced. The same issue that these make and models were recalled for, yet the vin does not have any recalls.
I noticed that something was wrong with "feel" of right front wheel so took vehicle in for oil change and tire rotation and asked service to check on that wheel issue. He called me in to see that the right front suspension spring had totally cracked and broken off and had been rubbing on the inside of the tire creating a deep groove in the rubber. It was worn through and close to puncturing and could not even be driven to a dealer. This vehicle has under 37000 miles on it and has been totally maintained and not driven on any poor road surfaces. This was a 15 month old tire with about 14000 miles. Totally destroyed in what was a potentially life threatening situation due to a faulty part. Not normal wear and tear for springs. The mechanic said he sees this spring breakage on a lot of versas and the Nissan dealer acknowledged that Nissan is "aware" of this problem! …
Engine & cooling all 24 →
Check engine light came on. Took car to auto shop and had them use the code reader. The code thrown was for cylinder 1 misfiring. Under further investigation it was found to the valve cover gasket needed replaced. After replacing the valve cover gasket the torque strut mount plugs and engine coils the car seemed to run fine. About 3 hours later the car started having trouble accelerating and the engine started to shake bad. And hour later while at a red light the car stalled out and wouldn't start again. Had to have the car towed. Noticed a good amount of oil leaked in the bottom of the engine.
Heard noise coming from engine. Went to dealership. Car is 4.5 years old...not even paid off yet but about 4,000 miles over warranty. I was at the dealership for almost 31/2 hours. They had to dismantle my whole engine to diagnose the problem. I was even charged an hour of labor because it took them so long to figure out what the noise was. Finally, the service manager, came out to speak to me. Apparently they had discovered "piston slap" in two of my cylinders. I was told that there is no way to "fix" the problem other than replacing the engine. He said he did an estimate on the parts as between three to four thousand dollars....plus labor. The manager was very sympathetic towards me as I cried. …
2010 Nissan Versa engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 28 / 34 / 30 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 26 / 34 / 29 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 26 / 33 / 28 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 26 / 31 / 28 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 24 / 32 / 27 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Nissan Versa a good car?
Based on 269 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2010 Versa rates average: 1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Versa at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2010 Nissan Versa?
The air bags — 130 complaints, 48% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the suspension (69) and engine & cooling (24).
How many recalls does the 2010 Nissan Versa have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2010 Nissan Versa, the most recent from January 9, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Versa?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2019, 2017 and 2018. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2012, 2009 and 2008. See the full Nissan Versa years comparison.
At what mileage do 2010 Nissan Versa problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 65,000 miles; 32% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.