Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 64 safety complaints
about the 2020 Nissan Versa with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the exterior lighting and the gasoline fuel system.
The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance,
named in 16 complaints, 25% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 15,000 miles,
the median across the 17
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers July 2020 to July 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
64 complaints on file
64
Complaints
5
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
5
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.
Complaints rose by half year on year: 19 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 12 in the twelve before.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 16 · 25%
16 25%
POWER TRAIN 16 · 25%
16 25%
ENGINE 14 · 22%
14 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 · 22%
14 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 19%
12 19%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 9%
6 9%
AIR BAGS 5 · 8%
5 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 · 8%
5 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 5%
3 5%
STRUCTURE 3 · 5%
3 5%
SUSPENSION 3 · 5%
3 5%
WHEELS 3 · 5%
3 5%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 64.
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 19.
20 15 10 5
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 VERSA, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
11.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Titan, Titan XD, and Versa vehicles. The front right and/or left turn signal bulb can crack and fail to illuminate.
The risk
Inoperable front turn signals cannot alert on-coming drivers and/or pedestrians that the vehicle will be turning, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the bulbs as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 20, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PM986 and PC811.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 30,799 vehicles across all model years covered
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Versa vehicles. Due to a manufacturing issue, the fuel tank wall thickness may be insufficient, potentially causing a small hole in the tank seam area.
The risk
If a small hole is present, a fuel leak may occur if the operator fills the tank over half full, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began April 6, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 46 vehicles across all model years covered
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.
After I crossed a bridge between 55 and 60 mph the aeb gave a collision warning and almost immediately applied full braking power. This caused a 3 car collision that resulted in moderate injuries. Before the incident there were no recalls or other repairs needed on the car. After the incident the car was inspected for potential issues by a team of lawyers the insurance company and the repair shop and no non crash damage related issues were found. Since the vehicle was repaired the problem has occurred on 3 separate occasions during normal daily use.
NHTSA complaint 11443774. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 3,180 miles
I HAD AN ACCIDENT WHERE I STRUCK A DEER. THE FLOOR AIRBAG DEPLOYED AND INJURED ME. MY LEG HAS A BAD HEMOTOMA FROM IT.
NHTSA complaint 11375757. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH, another vehicle ran the stop sign and crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle, and the entire front end of the vehicle was impacted and was significantly damaged. The contact stated that the front bumper separated and the headlights detached. The contact was occupying the front driver's seat while the contact's husband was occupying the front passenger's side seat. The contact stated that all the air bags deployed except the passenger's side curtain air bags, causing the contact's husband to hit his head against the window. Both the contact and her husband later went to the hospital, where the …
NHTSA complaint 11690494, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · 15,000 miles
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER 2020 NISSAN VERSA SR BACK FROM A DOCTORS APPOINTMENT AT 3:30 PM ON 14 FEB 2022 TRAVELING ABOUT 25 MPH THRU RESIDENTIAL AREA WHEN BOTH SIDE AIR BAGS EXPLODED AND TOTALLY ENCAPSULATING HER SO SHE COULD NOT BREATH NOR MOVE TO STEER THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS ALL SHE COULD DO TO APPLY THE BRAKES. A FIRE TRUCK WS RIGHT BEHIND SO SO WERE ABLE TO RENDER ASSISTANCE AND CUT HER OUT OF THE AIR BAGS SO SHE COULD BREATH. THE AIR BAG IMPACT SEVERELY HURT AND CAUSED BRUSES AND HEARING LOSS AND SHOCK. THERE WAS NO IMPACT NOR DOOR CLOSURES NOR ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN A MALFUNCTION WHICH CAUSED THIS. THIS CAR HAS LESS THAN 15,000 MILES. THE. CARS TROUBLE CODE SHOWED A ROLL-OVER CAUSE …
NHTSA complaint 11456328, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
Driving home heard loud metallic sounding”pop” sound at entering driveway in reverse. Found broken spring piece in driveway.
NHTSA complaint 11751799. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
My 2020 Nissan versa kept hesitating when being put in reverse the engine light kept coming on every few months I kept being told it was other issues until the transmission went out. I got it checked on multiple occasions because of the way it was hesitating and seemed like it was heating up.
NHTSA complaint 11746116. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am constantly getting a malfunction for P0101 despite changing my air flow system. It creates acceleration problems everytime.
NHTSA complaint 11743399. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Since 2021 my 2020 Nissan versa SR had been giving me problems with the sensors. All of the dash lights would come on. Then in 2023 my vehicle started to stall and hesitate. It’s gotten to the point where I’d be taking a left turn and I’d press the gas and my car would move a few inches. It’s become very dangerous. Even after changing the air flow sensor my car continues to have problems with acceleration, stalling and hesitating.
NHTSA complaint 11731133. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
several recalls but dealer my did not have any
NHTSA complaint 11728626. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On the interstate from [XXX] to [XXX] the Nissan Versa's License Plate reflected light so bright that it blinded my ride and we had to slow down and wait for them to get farther away from us. This is not random, they have a spray fixative on their license plate designed to block cameras from clocking their license plate or their numbers being recorded. This was easy to see whenever a light is shined onto it, you can see the thin film of camera block spray that is extremely reflective. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11728370. 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, newest campaign on this vehicle filed June 23, 2021.
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