CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2017 Nissan Versa

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

62

Complaints

9

Crashes

0

Fires

6

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Nissan Versa have filed 62 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2017 and March 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 15 of them (24%). The typical failure was reported at 27,007 miles, the median across the 34 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Recalls (3)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

18V551000 · August 22, 2018

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
The risk
If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 153,047 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

17V275000 · April 26, 2017

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Versa, and Versa Note vehicles. The ring plate that secures the air bag cushion to the passenger frontal air bag assembly may fail, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
The risk
In the event of a crash, if the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 509 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

16V724000 · October 11, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2017 Versa vehicles manufactured August 1, 2016, to August 16, 2016. A seam in the fabric section of the side curtain air bags may tear during side curtain air bag deployment, potentially affecting the performance of the air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation", and number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating side curtain air bag deployment, if the side curtain air bags do not deploy as intended there would be an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began on December 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 1,754 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA21002

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021

the air bags

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. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 62.

AIR BAGS 15 24%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 19%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 18%
POWER TRAIN 9 15%
SERVICE BRAKES 9 15%
ENGINE 8 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 10%
SEAT BELTS 6 10%
STRUCTURE 4 6%
STEERING 3 5%
SUSPENSION 3 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 10.

2017 2018 2026
2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 12,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 NISSAN VERSA. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CHAIN REACTION CRASH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, WHICH THEN CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELTS FAILED TO FUNCTION AS INTENDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BRUISED CHEST AND FRACTURED RIBS, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. ..UPDATED

NHTSA complaint 11020309, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 9,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 NISSAN VERSA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. NONE OF THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT AND WAS PENDING EVALUATION BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000. *TT

NHTSA complaint 11104515. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed · 36,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 NISSAN VERSA. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH, AN ONCOMING VEHICLE CUT ACROSS IN FRONT OF HER VEHICLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT FAILED TO OPERATE AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A SIGN POST, RAN OFF OF THE ROADWAY, AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BRUISED LOWER BACK, SEVERAL SCRAPES AND CONTUSIONS, AND A SLIGHT BURN TO THE LEFT ARM FROM THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. AUTONATION NISSAN MARIETTA (925 COBB PKWY SE, MARIETTA, GA 30060, (770)

NHTSA complaint 11182486, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 60,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 NISSAN VERSA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE SUN'S GLARE BLINDED HER EYES WHICH CAUSED HER TO HIT THE ROAD RAILINGS AND BARRIERS. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED SIDEWAYS AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT'S CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND SHE SUFFERED THREE CRACKED RIBS, A BROKEN STERNUM, BRUISING TO THE LUNGS, SEAT BELT BURN TO THE NECK AND GASHES TO THE LEFT HAND. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED AS THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DEEMED TOTALED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS

NHTSA complaint 11399182, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 69,443 miles

The vehicle was involved in a side impact collision at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss after the accident, as the side impact was the drivers side door and wheel well. The air bags never deployed, despite the high rate of speed and the entire front drivers side of the vehicle being affected.

NHTSA complaint 11727553. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On 3/21/25 I was informed by Malik's Auto Repair that I need my transmission replaced after a diagnostic of my car making a vacuum noise. After researching, I found that many Nissan vehicles have been experiencing this problem. I contacted Nissan and they informed me that no recall has been made for my make and model. It is a safety issue because at any time the car could stop causing an accident or fatality. Also, I had to have my starter replaced on this car. My car would not start. I was out with my daughter and if it was not for me having AAA we would have been stranded. Nissan stated that this issue was fixed on my car prior to me purchasing it. There is no record of this issue being

NHTSA complaint 11663471, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car was purchased September 2024 for my grandson. This car was garaged until mid-March when my grandson received his driver's license. End of March 2025, car was in the dealership for service and a complimentary multipoint inspection was done. On May 14, 2025, my grandson was driving to school in the rain. All of a sudden, water starts gushing out of the glove compartment. The whole interior was flooded including the backseat. My grandson received his driver license in March, 2025 (a new driver). There were no warning signs before the water started gushing. Dealership said it was a clogged cowl. Nothing was said about maintenance on this cowl when the car was purchased. There is nothing in

NHTSA complaint 11663122, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Hood latch allowed hood to fly open at 30 mph, causing $3100 worth of damage to car, Potentially causing serious other vehicular/occupant injuries. Apparently the latch was inadvertently engaged, but the secondary latch did not hold and let the hood fly open. This incident happened 8/2023 but was not reported to Nissan and while estimate was obtained, repairs were not made.

NHTSA complaint 11626700. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Power steering goes out while driving often.

NHTSA complaint 11610007. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
These vehicles have a cowl drain located on the passenger side under the wiper blades. The drain is really small so it clogs easily. When there are heavy rains, my car floods. It has happened on several occasions, including Monday 7/8/2024. It happened while driving in June 2023. I am not sure why Nissan hasn’t done anything to mitigate this problem. I am not even sure of this is the appropriate place to contract but I figured I would try. Thanks.

NHTSA complaint 11600998. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Versa

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 94 1
2023 37 1
2022 20 0
2021 31 3
2020 64 2
2019 24 1
2018 54 2
2016 80 0 1
2015 168 1 1
2014 205 2 1
2013 204 1 3
2012 486 10 1
2011 268 6 1
2010 267 7 1

Other 2017 Nissan models

Every Nissan on this site — 200 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst