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2015 Nissan Versa: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
49%
106 of 217 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

49% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 Nissan Versa are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 62% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 37 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 42%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
106
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
254
this model year
Fires reported
4
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
26 crashes · 29 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN68 · 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER48 · 19%
ENGINE37 · 15%
AIR BAGS35 · 14%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL31 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM29 · 11%

The years either side

2010
23%
32 of 268
2011
17%
19 of 269
2012
67%
213 of 486
2013
53%
95 of 204
2014
61%
184 of 343
2015
49%
106 of 254
2016
54%
45 of 109
2017
43%
23 of 72
2018
56%
25 of 58
2019
61%
14 of 25
2020
53%
31 of 64
2021
60%
15 of 31
2022
too few complaints
2023
76%
28 of 37

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other subcompact cars with no elevated signal

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

POWER TRAIN02/24/2020CRASH1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN VERSA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHILE THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND JERK, THE CONTACT VEERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHERE ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR VEHICLE, CONTACT PLACED VEHICLE IN PAR…
POWER TRAIN05/23/2026
The vehicle experienced a failure of the transmission/CVT transmission system and is available for inspection upon request. Prior to the failure, the vehicle began showing symptoms including hesitation while accelerating, jerking, slipping between gears, and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal beginning around…
POWER TRAIN03/29/2026
2015 Nissan Versa 83,850 odometer reading Complaint: Safety for other individuals driving similar vehicles. Daughter was driving recently on 91 freeway in Long Beach, CA extremely busy highway on a Friday afternoon. Driving in the middle lane the cars forward movement stopped but car still running. Mechanic diagno…

Three of 106 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 (2)

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
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 Niss…
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured June 9, 2015, to June 10, 2015, and 2015 Nissan Sentra and Ver…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2015 Nissan Versa

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.

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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. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.