Transmission complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 33% | — |
| 2024 | 34 | 35% | 2,000 miles |
| 2023 | 15 | 41% | — |
| 2022 | 7 | 35% | — |
| 2021 | 9 | 28% | 75,000 miles |
| 2020 | 16 | 25% | 25,000 miles |
| 2019 | 11 | 46% | 31,000 miles |
| 2018 | 10 | 18% | 15,000 miles |
| 2017 | 9 | 15% | 32,000 miles |
| 2016 | 20 | 25% | 79,000 miles |
| 2015 | 47 | 28% | 64,000 miles |
| 2014 | 82 | 40% | 82,000 miles |
| 2013 | 73 | 36% | 86,000 miles |
| 2012 | 163 | 34% | 70,000 miles |
| 2011 | 8 | 3% | 69,000 miles |
| 2010 | 6 | 2% | 109,000 miles |
| 2009 | 20 | 4% | 67,000 miles |
| 2008 | 17 | 4% | 94,000 miles |
| 2007 | 13 | 4% | 55,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Sudden total loss of power while driving. Multiple lights on dash immediately, at least 5 different lights on dash with message that says check manual. Daughter stranded in the road at 10:30pm. Good Samaritan helped to push vehicle while directing traffic to not get hit. Towing to dealer asap since it will not move. It will start, but won't pull itself & checking manual as instructed wasn't helpful.
When the vehicle was first purchased , the unit was test driven and liked it. vehicle was purchased new around end of XXXearly [redacted], when they told us the vehicle was ready for pick up we went to pick it up and as soon as we drove it out of the lot the unit broke down the transmission would not go into gear the shop is calling it limb mode. so we called our sales rep [redacted] at the time and got us a rental while they looked for the problem. the sales man said it was a sensor, on the [redacted] it did the same thing ( went into limb mode) we where stranded we called nissan we took the car over the same day. on [redacted] they told us the could not replicate the issue, they also told us that the first time it was taken they did not do nothing to it as they could not replicate the problem as well. …
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH and as she was accelerating to merge onto a highway, the vehicle was losing forward momentum. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and was still losing forward momentum. The contact manually shifted the vehicle to a lower gear and depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle was only driving at 30 MPH and no faster. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had pulled over and turned the vehicle off and on and was able to regain normal vehicle function. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but was a recurring failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed 30 MHP. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had occurred eight times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,700.
This problem has occurred several times since the car was bought new in 2023: The driver is at a red light. When the light changes, the driver depresses the accelerator and the car accelerates very slowly. The RPM go very high and the car will not drive faster than 30 mph. After the car is parked, turned off, and left for several minutes, it starts and drives normally. This occurs at random intervals - perhaps only once every two months. This is potentially dangerous if the driver is turning onto an interstate or crossing a larger busy road from a parking lot stop. It is as if the car is driving in low gear and not bumping up to higher gears. We have taken the car to the dealer twice. They have not been able to recreate the problem so they decline to implement the warranty. We have a dash cam video of an instance of one malfunction, provided to Nissan. …
The car lost power and would not go over 40 MPH. This made for a dangerous situation on the road. P2615-00 A Crankshaft Position Sensor code was thrown, but when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the problem. I have video documentation of the problem I can provide. Since I posted my video, several other people have come forward with the same issue. It seems as if when the manual transmission version of this car is stalled or fails to start, it will throw this code and severely reduce the power. It seems to be a simple software issue, but so far all the Nissan dealers who have looked at these cars have not been able to provide a fix. This problem apparently affects all 2022-2023 Versas with the manual transmission. The problem is likely they did not properly code for the removal of the push to start button. …
My 2022 Nissan Versa manual transmission: there have been times after starting the vehicle or after the vehicle has stalled and been restarted where the engine goes into a limp mode. That is, pressing on the accelerator will increase RPMS on the engine but there is very little torque generated to move the vehicle. This has created a risk of accident when trying to accelerate for a merge or other time sensitive maneuver. I took the vehicle to the dealer and found that the clutch was burned out. This was after 42k miles. The vehicle has a hill assist that will prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when you take your foot off the break and before you engage the transmission. I believe the limp mode is tide to this problem. I later discovered that if you turn off the car and take the key out of the ignition, upon restart the problem goes away. …
In 2023 from time to time if we accidnetly stalled out, the car went in to limp mode after we restarted it. We learned that if we took the key out and waited a couple minutes it would drive normally again. That change on [redacted] when I was in downtown Atlanta and it would not get out of limp mode for a long time. It was very scary and I had kids in the car with me. I was able to get it to the dealership that day but they said it was fine and insisted I had been in the wrong gear. I knew this was not the case so when it happened again [redacted] I took a video of it in limp mode and took it to Mike Rezi Nissan the next day. They said they could find nothing wrong with it and told me we'd hear from someone but we are still waiting. I discovered you have an investigation PE24007 open on this and would like to add us to the claim.
Related recalls (1)
Power train › Manual transmission › Shift pattern indicator
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 versa vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and manufactured from June 9, 2011, through January 13, 2012 for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the shifter knob or the shifter assembly as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on mearh 5, 2012. Owners May contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA investigations
Reduced Power After Engine Stall
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation on March 7, 2024, after receiving twenty (20) consumer complaints and multiple field reports describing reduced power (limp mode) after re-starting the vehicle following a stall on certain 2022-2024 model year (MY) Nissan Versa.
Frequently asked questions
Which Nissan Versa years have transmission problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2012 (163), 2014 (82), 2013 (73), 2015 (47) and 2024 (34) model years. Transmission complaints make up 34% of all complaints for the 2012.
Is there a recall for Nissan Versa transmission problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 12V-032 (shift pattern indicator, Feb 1, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Nissan Versa transmission problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles; 28% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic transmission (10 mentions), followed by the automatic transmission › internal › cvt (3).
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.