2023 Nissan Kicks: What to check before buying

The engine stalls at stop lights or while moving, usually with no warning lights, and dealers often find nothing wrong. Some cars won't start and then start after sitting for 20 minutes to an hour. That report comes at about 64,000 miles. A second pattern is false warnings. Forward collision alerts go off with nothing ahead, a red BRAKE light flickers, traction control and cruise control drop out, and rear sonar sensor errors store fault codes. Stalling in traffic and sluggish acceleration while merging both raise crash risk. Repeat dealer visits often end without a repair.

Power steering cuts out. In these reports it comes with a battery warning light, loss of acceleration, a Malfunction See Owner's Manual message, and a no-start that takes repeated jump attempts. A mechanic traces one case to an unstable electrical connection in the sensor that measures how hard the driver turns the wheel, a fault that can disable power assist. Losing steering assist or engine power while turning raises the risk of a crash.

Automatic emergency braking engages with nothing in the car's path. It triggers on parking blocks while backing in, on pedestrians walking on the sidewalk, and on open road. One event slows the car from 55 mph to about 30 mph before the driver can accelerate again. Reverse sensors beep about obstacles that aren't there, and collision warnings sound with no cars around. Dealers say the sensors test fine and offer no fix. Hard, unexpected braking at highway speed creates a real risk of being rear-ended.

Sudden shutoffs hit at stops or while driving at low speed, with no warning beforehand. After a stall, the collision, battery, and oil lights come on. The start button may not respond for a few minutes, and the car can roll backward while still in drive. Problems appear early, at just over 2,000 miles. False forward emergency braking at road speed also shows up. Dealers struggle to reproduce the faults, and one is told a software update for the stalling is coming with no release date.

Rear automatic braking brings the car to a grinding stop while backing up with nothing behind it. A false obstacle warning sounds first, and the car refuses to reverse for several minutes. This shows up at about 2,000 miles, and the dealer says the car is performing within parameters. A separate complaint says the brake and gas pedals sit so close together that the driver presses both at once. The car then surges forward while parking and nearly hits another vehicle.

The hood flies open at highway speed, around 50 mph, and damages the hood and both front quarter panels on a recently leased car. Separately, the driver's door stops working when the temperature drops to 25 degrees or below, so the driver has to climb over the center console to get in or out. Both complaints date from December 2022, early in ownership. A hood opening at speed is a serious safety hazard, and a stuck door blocks the driver's normal way out of the car.