2018 Nissan Versa: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
55 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
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. Read the full note on the model page. 2018 specifically: a year the record favours — 55 complaints, score 89/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Nissan Versa and Murano: the years to avoid, including 2018 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 55 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 6.88
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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 is available for inspection No recall but very unsafe. While attempting to cross street it didn’t go into gear and I was almost hit. Also almost rear ended cause driver behind me didn’t expect me to n…
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 Nissan has known about. Nissan was contacted to see if they could warranty the transmission, but was told they were not going to cover it. There was warranty extension, but only for 84,000 miles. nissan …
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. I’m not sure how this has happened and thankfully we were at home and not driving.
Recalls: 2 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 19V654000 | Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | 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. |
| 18V551000 | Electrical System:Ignition | 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. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a city car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 34 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Electrical System17 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine14 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Air Bags13 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other13 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Power Train10 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Service Brakes6 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
Other Nissan Versa years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Nissan Versa?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (17 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2018 Nissan Versa a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 89/100, computed from 55 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2018 Nissan Versa's most common problem?
17 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2018 Nissan Versa sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2018 Nissan Versa cost to run per year?
About $3,720 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $18,600 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2018 Nissan Versa have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2018 Nissan Versa, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 12/09/2019. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other economys of about the same age.
What will a 2018 Nissan Versa really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 55 complaints, 2 recalls on record
- 55 NHTSA complaints on record (6.9/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (11.0/yr)
- 2 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems