Reliable Auto DB

2012 Nissan Versa reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 486 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Versa over 15 years — 27 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Versa years here — over the median of the other years, which is 10. NHTSA has 11 recalls on file, including Inflator, Coil springs, and Side and window.

2012 Nissan Versa
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

486

Per year

27

Recalls

11

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (167 of 486), then Powertrain (163) and Engine (50). Those filings include 40 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 24 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Versa has 204 complaints, 18 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Nissan Versa. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (11)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2022-08-09 · NHTSA campaign 22E066000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, and both driver and passenger-side inflators designed to fit 2007-2012 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback vehicles. Please see Nissan's recall report for the specific part numbers. These replacement inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the inflators as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 14, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2018-06-15 · NHTSA campaign 18V401000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2011-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Nissan is also recalling 2010-2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2010-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2018-01-10 · NHTSA campaign 18V044000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Versa Hatchback, and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Nissan is also recalling certain 2009 Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall suspension, front, springs, coil springs 2017-10-11 · NHTSA campaign 17V637000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Road salt may corrode the front coil springs, possibly resulting in the coil springs fracturing.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall began December 6, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. This campaign expands recall 15V573.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2017-07-17 · NHTSA campaign 17V449000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temperatures, and temperature cycling.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall air bags, side and window 2017-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 17V144000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa vehicles. Degradation of the side impact sensor connector pins may cause the curtain and seat-mounted air bags to deploy unexpectedly if the door is slammed.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a new jumper harness, and replace the side impact satellite sensors, free of charge. The recall began November 28, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-01-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V028000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 and 2009 Nissan Versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on June 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall suspension, front, springs, coil springs 2015-09-14 · NHTSA campaign 15V573000
Summary Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Road salt may corrode the front coil springs, possibly resulting in the coil springs fracturing.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall began on February 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall speed control, accelerator pedal 2015-08-12 · NHTSA campaign 15V507000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles manufactured June 9, 2011, to March 11, 2015, and 2014-2015 Nissan Versa Note vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to March 11, 2015. The affected vehicles have a center console trim panel that may catch the driver's shoe and delay the transition from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will modify the console trim panel, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall air bags, side and window 2012-02-14 · NHTSA campaign 12V055000
Summary NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ALTIMA AND VERSA VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS THAT CONTAIN AN INCORRECT PROPELLANT MIXTURE FOR THE INITIATOR COMPONENT USED, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT OUTPUT OF COMPRESSED GAS.
Remedy NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ONE OR BOTH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG MODULES, AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 12, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 615-725-1000.
Recall powertrain, manual transmission, shift pattern indicator 2012-02-01 · NHTSA campaign 12V032000
Summary NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 VERSA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 9, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 13, 2012 FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114,”THEFT PROTECTION.” DUE TO INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE SHIFTER ROD AND THE SHIFT KNOB, THE VEHICLES MAY BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL.
Remedy NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE SHIFTER KNOB OR THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY AS NEEDED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MEARH 5, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Complaints by component (486 total)

Air bags
167
Powertrain
163
Engine
50
Electrical system
34
Speed control
33
Service brakes
29
Suspension
28
Steering
24
Structure
18
Fuel and propulsion system
14
Electronic stability control (ESC)
10
Exterior lighting
10
Engine and engine cooling
6
Wheels
6
Seat belts
5
Visibility
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Hydraulic brakes
3
Forward collision avoidance
2
Seats
2
Tires
2
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Interior lighting
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

40

Fire-flagged

6

Injury reports

24

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

2201120201218201340201465201555201612820176420183120192220201520218202272023520245202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "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…"
    Unknown or other, Engine, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-01-30
  • "The transmission failed on the highway making the car serging violently from high to low speeds and then to nothing"
    Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2025-10-14
  • "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…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2025-09-04
  • "I bought a used 2012 Nissan Versa from a third party at a very low mileage (46k miles), and it’s now at 54k, and the CVT is showing issues. Check engine light recently came on and I’ve always went to Nissan technicians…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-07-01
  • "It won’t let me go over 30 without the rpm’s significantly increasing and transmission light is on"
    Powertrain, Speed control · filed 2025-05-28

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Nissan Versa 4 DR FWD 4 stars 3 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2012 Nissan Versa 5 HB FWD Not rated 3 stars Not rated 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Versa 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 28 33 30 MPG $2150
Versa 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 37 33 MPG $1950
Versa 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed Front-wheel drive 24 31 27 MPG $2400
Versa 1.6L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Versa 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 31 28 MPG $2300

Specs and fitment

Second generation (N17 sedan), 2012–2019
Body styles Sedan
Oil SAE 5W-30 with API Certification Mark (10W-30 conventional may be used as temporary alternative per manual) , 3.75 qt capacity
Tire size 185/65R15

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 15V-507 covers certain 2012-2015 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles (and 2014-2015 Versa Note vehicles in the same campaign). The center console trim panel may catch the driver's shoe and delay moving from the accelerator to the brake pedal, which lengthens stopping distance and increases crash risk. Remedy: dealers modify the console trim panel free of charge. When NHTSA lists Versa sedan and Versa Note together, the published unit count is shared across both.

Compare

Next year 2013 Nissan Versa See every Nissan Versa model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Nissan Versa reliable?

Owners have filed 486 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Versa over 15 years — 27 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Versa years here — over the median of the other years, which is 10. NHTSA has 11 recalls on file, including Inflator, Coil springs, and Side and window.

What are common problems with a 2012 Nissan Versa?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (167 of 486), then Powertrain (163) and Engine (50). Those filings include 40 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 24 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2012 Nissan Versa more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Versa has 204 complaints, 18 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Nissan Versa been recalled?

The 2012 Nissan Versa has 11 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Nissan Versa?

Owners have filed 486 complaints about the 2012 Nissan Versa with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Nissan Versa get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Nissan Versa is 29.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Nissan Versa take?

N17 (2012-2019) manuals list SAE 5W-30 with the API Certification Mark. N18 (2020-on) lists 0W-20 full synthetic (ILSAC GF-5). Confirm the filler-cap grade for your year.

What tire size does a Nissan Versa use?

N17 sedans commonly use 185/65R15. N18 sedans list 195/65R15, 205/55R16, and 205/50R17 depending on trim.

What does NHTSA recall 15V-507 cover on early Versas?

Certain 2012-2015 Versa sedans (and 2014-2015 Versa Note in the same campaign): the center console trim may catch the driver’s shoe and delay moving from accelerator to brake.