2012 Nissan Versa: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 485 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 11 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
485
Complaints
11
Recalls
40
Crash reports
6
Fire reports
31
Injuries
99.8
Severity index
Severity index 99.8 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Nissan Versa ranks 30 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 77% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 167 | 34.4% |
| POWER TRAIN | 162 | 33.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 51 | 10.5% |
| ENGINE | 50 | 10.3% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 34 | 7.0% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 33 | 6.8% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 32 | 6.6% |
| SUSPENSION | 28 | 5.8% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 167 of 485 complaints (34.4%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 20 |
| 2013 | 18 |
| 2014 | 40 |
| 2015 | 65 |
| 2016 | 54 |
| 2017 | 128 |
| 2018 | 64 |
| 2019 | 31 |
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 1 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18V401000 | 15/06/2018 | 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 Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, |
| 17V144000 | 06/03/2017 | 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-mounted air bags to deploy unexpectedly if the door is slammed. |
| 17V449000 | 17/07/2017 | 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 bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absol |
| 17V028000 | 10/01/2017 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Isla |
| 17V637000 | 11/10/2017 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hamps |
| 18V044000 | 10/01/2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, |
| 15V507000 | 12/08/2015 | 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 Nissan Versa Note vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to March 11, 2015. The affected vehicles have a center co |
| 15V573000 | 14/09/2015 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS | Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachuset |
| 12V055000 | 14/02/2012 | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ALTIMA AND VERSA VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS THAT CONTAIN AN INCORRECT PROPELLANT MIXTURE FOR THE INITIATOR COMPONENT USED, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT OUTPUT OF COMPRESSED GAS. |
| 12V032000 | 01/02/2012 | POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:SHIFT PATTERN INDICATOR | NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 VERSA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 9, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 13, 2012 FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114,THEFT PROTECTION. DUE T |
| 22E066000 | 09/08/2022 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.