2013 Nissan Versa problems & reliability
204 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Nissan Versa, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
9 complaints report injuries (13 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Nissan Versa vehicles were involved in 22 fatal crashes with 16 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 73 | 36% |
| Unknown OR Other | 33 | 16% |
| Service Brakes | 32 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 27 | 13% |
| Engine | 26 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 22 | 11% |
| Structure | 18 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 12 | 6% |
| Steering | 8 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 3% |
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 59,938 miles (middle 50% between 23,500 and 89,250 miles), based on 144 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I purchased this vehicle from a private owner. I see that there was a recall on the transmission and since there are no recalls at the moment I believe the original owner must have had it repaired. I am having the same problem as the original recall with the transmission. Since it was a safety recall, I would think…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 22, 2026
“The transmission hoses don't stay on well, I have had to take it to a specialist mechanic on two separate occasions because it's a CVT and no dip stick transmission. Reached 102,000 mi and transmission started to shutter and then 2 weeks later quit. Transmission stopped working January 6th 2026”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jan 8, 2026
“The driver side door is stuck in the closed position and will not open. The only way for the driver to get out of the car is to move to the passenger seat and open the passenger side door. To get inside and drive the car, the driver needs to open the passenger side door and move to the driver seat. The condition…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jan 7, 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
- 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
- Excessive Brake Pedal Travel
Preliminary Evaluation PE14014 · opened May 20, 2014 · closed May 13, 2015
Technical service bulletins
160 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 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 2013 Nissan Versa has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 2013 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 59,938 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.