Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 97 safety complaints
about the 2020 Nissan Kicks with the US government. Of those, 7 describe a crash, 3 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance,
named in 34 complaints, 35% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 6,000 miles,
the median across the 27
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers March 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
97 complaints on file
97
Complaints
7
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
3
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 34 · 35%
34 35%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 · 28%
27 28%
POWER TRAIN 21 · 22%
21 22%
ENGINE 20 · 21%
20 21%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13 · 13%
13 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 · 12%
12 12%
LANE DEPARTURE 10 · 10%
10 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 10%
10 10%
AIR BAGS 7 · 7%
7 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 6%
6 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 5 · 5%
5 5%
STEERING 3 · 3%
3 3%
01531
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 97.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2025 at 26.
28 21 14 7
202020212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2020 Nissan KICKS, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
15.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
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 · 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal, a truck with a snow plow came up on the driver's side of the vehicle where a corner of the plow crashed into the passenger rear driver-side door, and then crashed into the driver's side door. The corner of the plow had torn a gash through the passenger door. The contact stated that both the rear passenger and driver's door glass had shattered. The driver's door was crushed but had not been penetrated by the corner of the plow. The contact had suffered cuts and bruises on his left arm, with a partial tear of his rotator cuff of his left shoulder. The contact stated that he was concussed. The contact …
NHTSA complaint 11497749, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
1 injured · crash · towed · 22,485 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kick. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 20-25 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle suddenly lost control causing the vehicle to go straight across the road instead of completing the left turn. The vehicle crashed into 2 mailboxes before it came to a stop. The passenger side wheel bent outward causing the passenger side fender to lodge into the door. The driver-side wheel had turned in the opposite direction. The passenger side axle detached from the transmission. The lower ball joint detached from the lower control arm and the sway bar had fractured The air bags did not deploy. The mailboxes were damaged. The …
NHTSA complaint 11563345, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
1 injured · crash · towed · 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while the fiancé was driving approximately 30 MPH, and turning left the power steering and power brake suddenly failed causing the fiancé to loose control of the steering and and crash to a traffic pole. The contact indicated that prior to the incident the crash detection warning light had activated. During the crash the air bags deployed and the driver sustain bruising of the left arm and lefts from the air bag deployment and seatbelts. The fiance was transported and treated at the local hospital. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determine. The …
NHTSA complaint 11738156, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed
SIDE IMPACTED BY 52 YEAR OLD JEEP. BOTH DRIVER SIDE DOORS CAVED IN, WINDOWS SHATTERED, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY
NHTSA complaint 11470890. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
Date: XXXTo:National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWest BuildingWashington, DC 20590From:[XXX] [XXX]: FORMAL VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT – Sudden Loss of Propulsion and Traffic Hesitation / 2020 Nissan Kicks (VIN: [XXX])To the Office of Defects Investigation,I am writing to formally report a critical, life-threatening vehicle safety defect involving the powertrain/automatic transmission assembly on my 2020 Nissan Kicks FWD SV.While operating the vehicle at 61,564 miles in active traffic, the vehicle suffered a sudden and dangerous loss of propulsion without any prior warning. Upon pressing the accelerator pedal, the …
NHTSA complaint 11767064, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. While driving from a stop, the vehicle started sputtering and lost motive power. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 45 MPH while driving uphill with the RPM elevated. The failure occurred while the outdoor temperature was above 95 degrees. The failure had persisted over time. The contact stated that the floorboard was extremely hot during the failure. The contact was concerned about being in a crash with her child in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the transmission was flushed, but the failure reoccurred. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to another local …
NHTSA complaint 11764773, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
TIRES
My tire is 205 50r17 and they gave me a 235 tire which made my car feel funny . I’ve been sitting here for an hour waiting on a tire and they messed up my rim
NHTSA complaint 11763575. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
My car when in over 95 degree weather, literally will not have power to get up hills and starts to jerk and looses power to make the hills. When the temps outside are cooler the car works fine. I live in [XXX] and I drive long distance to work. I also have a [XXX] son that has to be in the car with me. I can’t have my car messing up all because it’s hot outside and it obviously doesn’t like the heat. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11763325. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2020 Nissan Kicks with 62,000 miles, went into limp mode on XXX and after a diagnostic test by the Pinnacle Nissan dealership in Scottsdale ([XXX]), it was determined a "Throttle Body Replacement" was needed. I paid $1,143.69 for that work. On XXX, the car went into limp mode again while on the freeway and the Pinnacle Nissan dealership in Scottsdale stated it needed an "Engine Wire Harness" replacement that would cost $8,057.83. I then contacted Nissan consumer affairs and after one month of review, it was determined that the car was out of warranty and there was nothing they can do. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11757117. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Check engine light appears on and throws code p0101, mass air flow sensor. Have changed mass air flow sensor twice, had code cleared at mechanic. Drive 5 miles and BAM check engine light appears. As soon as my car hits 2000 RPM, the front and rear collision lights and traction light come on… my car almost doesn’t move when I press the gas to go after this happens and the rpm’s are up to 3000-4000 just going 30 mph
NHTSA complaint 11750491. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst