Reliable Auto DB

2018 Nissan Versa reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Versa over 9 years — 9 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Versa years here — under the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Camera and Ignition.

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

55

Per year

9

Recalls

2

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (17 of 55), then Engine (14) and Air bags (13). Those filings include 11 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Versa has 62 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2019 has 24 complaints, 3 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Nissan Versa. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 19V654000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Recall electrical system, ignition 2018-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 18V551000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (55 total)

Electrical system
17
Engine
14
Air bags
13
Powertrain
10
Service brakes
6
Speed control
4
Steering
2
Structure
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Wheels
2
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Show 5 more Show less
Crash-flagged

11

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220178201811201952020920213202262023220244202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Car jerks and doesn’t go into gear right away. Never know when it will happen. There is a notice from Nissan that it happens because of short in tail light. Happened approx 3 yrs ago and has started again but worse. It…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2026-08-27
  • "2018 Nissan Versa transmission issues. i have 2018 Nissan Versa with 116,993 miles. Transmission is starting to skip and slip. it was diagnosed as a possible chain slip. there was bulletin out for this issue in which…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-05-27
  • "My car was parked out front my house. Weather has been in the 60’s no major differences. I walked outside ant 1pm and noticed the entire back windshield was shattered. There was no impact marks, no hole in the window.…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-05-03
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving approximately 4 MPH, the vehicle was shaking violently. There were no warning lights illuminated. When the heater was activated, there was a…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-03-12
  • "Out of nowhere my airbag light start blinking, I ran the code and got a P2096 which apparently is not related to the airbag I took it to Firestone to get it checked out and they told me they cannot do anything about the…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-01-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Nissan Versa 4 DR FWD 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 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 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 31 39 34 MPG $1900
Versa 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed Front-wheel drive 26 35 29 MPG $2250
Versa 1.6L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150

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

Previous year 2017 Nissan Versa Next year 2019 Nissan Versa See every Nissan Versa model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Nissan Versa reliable?

Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Versa over 9 years — 9 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Versa years here — under the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Camera and Ignition.

What are common problems with a 2018 Nissan Versa?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (17 of 55), then Engine (14) and Air bags (13). Those filings include 11 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Nissan Versa more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Versa has 62 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2019 has 24 complaints, 3 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Nissan Versa been recalled?

The 2018 Nissan Versa has 2 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 2018 Nissan Versa?

Owners have filed 55 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Versa with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Nissan Versa get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Nissan Versa is 31 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.