Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, wheels and tires, and wipers and visibility. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Nissan Kicks: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Nissan Kicks. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4-cyl | FWD | 33 mpg |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD, FWD | 30–31 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Nissan Kicks, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Screens go dark. Reports describe a black infotainment screen at startup, an instrument panel that blinks and then goes dark, and a black rearview camera image along with a dark instrument panel. One case brought constant beeping and flashing warning lights that would not shut off. Another needed a new instrument panel, and the repair waited on the part. The one crash-related report involves a remotely started car with the parking brake off. It rolled down a driveway at about 10 mph with children inside.
Lug nuts and wheel covers come loose. One report describes a rear-end shudder at highway speed that kept getting worse until the driver slowed down. The rear lug nuts turned out to be significantly loose, and the front ones moderately loose. The dealer performed no service. In another report, a front hubcap came off during a low-speed turn at about 500 miles. A separate complaint objects that the car ships with a can of tire sealant instead of a spare tire.
Windshields crack without warning, often within the first few months of ownership. Owners describe cracks appearing during normal highway driving and glass that breaks too easily. In one case the glass cracked by 2,000 miles. The replacement then leaked at the top of the passenger side, soaked the passenger floor, and let ice form along the inside base of the windshield. Other owners report delays getting replacement glass for this model because demand is high.
The rearview camera shows a black screen or a grainy, distorted image at night. Most reports are about a recall repair that owners cannot get done. Dealers say the part is unavailable, one owner was told the remedy does not work, and one dealer never called back to schedule. A camera that only failed at night passed a dealer check in a dark garage. Owners say the wait for the repair has gone past a reasonable time.
Excerpts from complaints Kicks owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The windshield cracks and breaks super easy this is a hazard because the windshield protects us. There needs to be a recall for a better sturdier windshield. I am not the only one with the nissan kicks who has this issue!
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks fifth for owner complaints among 9 Kicks years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2025 is the eighth model year of the Kicks's first generation (2018–2025).
It includes the 2021 update.
What changed for 2021
Recall repairs are free at any Nissan dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Frontier and Kicks vehicles. The center information display unit may display a blank screen when shifted into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A rearview image that does not display can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the software on the vehicle’s center information display, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 10, 2025. The manufacturer numbers for this recall are PD152 and PMA48.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Kicks vehicles. The certification label may have been printed with the incorrect Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) values, which can result in the vehicle being overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification." Additionally, certain 2025 Nissan Kicks SR trim level vehicles equipped with an optional 19-inch wheel package may have a certification label that states an incorrect wheel size. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims.".
Risk: An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash. Vehicles with incorrect wheel and tire information may lead to tires that are inflated improperly, which can also increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install new labels, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will mail replacement labels to owners. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD136 and PMA47.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Kicks vehicles. The "Shift-to-Park" warning may not activate as intended when the vehicle is shut off and still in a gear other than "Park." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention.".
Risk: When the vehicle is not in "Park" and the ignition is shut off, the vehicle could move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway and crash.
Fix: Dealers will reconfigure the body control module (BCM) to activate the "Shift-to-Park" warning, free of charge. Some owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2025. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a future date, anticipated, May 7, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA42.
Cars shoppers compare with the Nissan Kicks, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
