2012 Nissan Versa: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
67%
213 of 320 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
67% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2012 Nissan Versa are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 88% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 166 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 44%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
AIR BAGS,ENGINE01/14/2013CRASH1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN VERSA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED CAUSING THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES TO DEACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK AND CHEST INJURIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE …
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDA01/30/2026
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 traction control. Don't turn on when it's supposed to. And needs to my cruise control, quit working when t…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10/14/2025
The transmission failed on the highway making the car serging violently from high to low speeds and then to nothing
Three of 213 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (11)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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 A…
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
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…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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 ba…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Nissan Versa
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
11 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
