Nissan Versa: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Nissan Versa: 15 model years scored from 1,719 NHTSA owner complaints and 34 recall campaigns. Worst year 2012, best year 2016.
Nissan Versa: which years to avoid
Across 13 scored model years the Nissan Versa ranges from 26/100 in 2012 to 95/100 in 2019 — a 69-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Versa at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Air Bags (167 of them).
Avoid: 2012, 2014, 2024 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2012 and 2014 Nissan Versa, which have 486 and 337 complaints and scores of 26 and 45, and the 2024 car, an AVOID at 44 on a record still forming; the 2011 car is a CAUTION at 269 complaints. Buy a 2015 to 2021 car: the 2016 has 80 complaints, no recalls and a score of 92. The early cars have two problems. Air Bags is the top category on the 2011 and 2012 cars at 152 and 167 complaints, matched by seven frontal inflator campaigns, most regional, and two side air bag campaigns on the 2012 car. Power Train, the transmission category, is 163 on the 2012 car and leads the 2014 car at 134 with no campaign behind it; the count falls to 47 in 2015 and 20 in 2016. The 2021 car has two campaigns for one electric power steering torque sensor fault, 22V693000 and 23V496000; both must be closed. The 2024 car's 95 complaints are led by Engine at 53.
Read the guide
Used Nissan Versa and Murano: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Versa changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2015–2021
Mean score 87/100, about 8 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (122 complaints). 7 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2023–2024
Mean score 62/100, about 30 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (76 complaints). The record falls 25 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2016 (score 92). Worst: 2012 (score 26, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 86 | BUY | $2,489 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024 | 44 | AVOID | $3,322 | 95 | 1 |
| 2023 | 81 | BUY | $2,794 | 37 | 1 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,700 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 86 | BUY | $2,958 | 31 | 3 |
| 2020 | 83 | BUY | $3,182 | 64 | 2 |
| 2019 | 95 | BUY | $3,235 | 24 | 1 |
| 2018 | 89 | BUY | $3,440 | 55 | 2 |
| 2017 | 85 | BUY | $3,580 | 62 | 3 |
| 2016 | 92 | BUY | $3,742 | 80 | 0 |
| 2015 | 76 | BUY | $4,020 | 168 | 1 |
| 2014 | 45 | AVOID | $4,354 | 337 | 2 |
| 2013 | — | DATA PENDING | $3,960 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 26 | AVOID | $5,059 | 486 | 11 |
| 2011 | 51 | CAUTION | $4,880 | 269 | 7 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Versa, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Nissan Versa
Across every Versa model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train471 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Air Bags441 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Engine279 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other240 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System136 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Vehicle Speed Control129 complaints across all Versa years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Nissan Versa years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2012, 2014, 2024 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2012 is the weakest at 26/100, with its complaints concentrated in Air Bags.
What are the best Nissan Versa years to buy?
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2019 at 95/100, on 24 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Nissan Versa problem?
471 of the complaints filed against the Versa across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04