2012 Nissan Versa problems & reliability
486 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Nissan Versa, alongside 10 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
24 complaints report injuries (31 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2012 Nissan Versa vehicles were involved in 71 fatal crashes with 51 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 167 | 34% |
| Power Train | 163 | 34% |
| Unknown OR Other | 51 | 10% |
| Engine | 50 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 34 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 33 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 29 | 6% |
| Suspension | 28 | 6% |
| Steering | 24 | 5% |
| Structure | 18 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 63,000 miles (middle 50% between 37,000 and 80,000 miles), based on 299 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My car keeps having sensors go out. Such as the tire pressure sensor and fuel compression sensor I think is what they called it anyways. They start to go up a hill. And my car loses all speed and slows way down my traction control. Don't turn on when it's supposed to. And needs to my cruise control, quit working when…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jan 30, 2026
“The transmission failed on the highway making the car serging violently from high to low speeds and then to nothing”
Power Train · filed Oct 14, 2025
“The contact owns 2012 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling or while driving at various speeds, the driver's side floor was significantly hot, and the contact could feel the heat on her feet. The contact stated that the front driver's side floor carpet was burned, and the metal was…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Sep 4, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Inadvertent Curtain and Seat Air Bag
Preliminary Evaluation PE16013 · opened Sep 28, 2016 · closed Mar 20, 2017 · led to recall 17V144000
- Front Coil Spring Fracture
Preliminary Evaluation PE15019 · opened May 13, 2015 · closed Oct 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V573000
- Pedal Operation Interference
Engineering Analysis EA15003 · opened Apr 1, 2015 · closed Sep 1, 2015 · led to recall 15V507000
- Pedal Operation Interference
Preliminary Evaluation PE14018 · opened Jun 24, 2014 · closed Apr 27, 2015
- SRS Warning Light Illumination
Preliminary Evaluation PE12023 · opened Aug 15, 2012 · closed Jan 22, 2013
- Autoliv Air Bag Propellant Mixture
Investigation EQ12002 · opened Feb 14, 2012 · closed May 8, 2012
Technical service bulletins
157 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Nissan Versa. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND…
NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2024
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2012 Nissan Versa has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2012 Nissan Versa?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 63,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.