Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the transmission, steering, and electrical. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2021Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2021 Nissan Versa: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
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 2021's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2021 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2021 Nissan Versa. 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 | 35 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2021 Nissan Versa, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The CVT can suddenly lose forward drive. The engine revs but the car does not move, stranding drivers in traffic or mid-intersection, often with no warning light. Other reports describe sluggish, delayed engagement when pulling away from stops or turning, then a sudden kick into gear. Whining, jerky shifts, stalling on acceleration, and dashboard malfunction warnings also appear, along with grinding when reversing. One mechanic found code P17F4. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault, so many cars leave unrepaired.
These reports mix several systems. In the most serious one, the brakes fail to stop the car, which leads to a crash with an injury. Others describe brakes that grab or lock, steering that tugs to one side, and a sudden loss of power when pulling away during a turn. One owner reports shudder and unpredictable acceleration after collision repairs. Another filing describes no failure at all. The owner is waiting on parts for a steering repair notice that has dragged on.
Fuel gauge errors come up most often. The needle falls to a quarter tank within a few miles of filling up, or stays put after a fill. The radio cuts in and out or stops working. More serious reports describe transmission jerking with smoke and electrical failure, and the failure returns a second time. In another case, intermittent traction control warnings come before the car becomes completely inoperable at about 45,000 miles.
Two crash reports involve injuries. In one, a front-end collision at 60-65 mph does not deploy the airbags. In the other, the driver's airbag deploys and the driver is unhurt, but the passenger is seriously injured. Neither report includes a dealer or manufacturer inspection that confirms a fault. The third complaint is not about airbags at all. It describes night-time distortion through a rear window with dealer-installed tint.
Night driving brings severe distortion in the rear window, with several reflections of each headlight behind the car. That makes it hard to judge where traffic is. Both reports involve dealer-installed tint. The driver's sun visor can also drop on its own while driving and block the view. The windshield can crack too. In one case, a crack starts at the top near the defroster on a frosty morning and spreads down the glass, and the dealer calls it a stress fracture.
Power can cut out suddenly, leaving the car unable to accelerate past about 35 mph. The problem recurs over the car's life, and the dealer finds nothing wrong and blames the fuel. Coolant also drops steadily from the max mark to the min mark in a car with fewer than 6,000 miles, with no cause identified. Both reports come from owners who say dealers have not resolved the problem.
Excerpts from complaints Versa owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
When I bought the car, I knew it was not going to be a fast car. After driving for a couple months, I would be going to turn left at an intersection, and it would be sluggish getting across. Eventually you could feel it kick into gear and take off. It now seems to be getting worse. A local mechanic said it had a code P17F4. They would not do touch it there. I took it to Greeley Nissan now and am awaiting a diagnosis.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2023
I got into the car and started it up. Put in reverse car shuts off. Re started and put in reverse. Was able to drive out of apartment parking lot then no power to speed and car was a little jerky and on dashboard it said warning malfunction see owners manual with a few pictures on dashboard
Filed with NHTSA, March 2026
The brakes fight and lock from time to time. The steering will get a tug like a car is in front of me. The engine has a weird tug before pulling of and switching gears.when I pull off while turning the car feels like it completely losses power!?
Filed with NHTSA, September 2024
First the furl gage reads the wrong amount I filled up and the gauge never changed. The radio which is a known problem cuts in and out or just stops working
Filed with NHTSA, October 2023
Driving vehicle about 60-65 mph when collision with another vehicle occurred resulting in moderate front end damage to almost all of front bumper with no airbag deployment and put driver in danger due to speed and mechanism of collision which seems to be a malfunction in safety equipment.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2022
Rear window tinting - dealer installed. Causes severe distortion/refraction on rear windshield during night driving making it impossible to determine where the cars are behind me.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2021
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2021 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 5 Versa 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 2021 is the third model year of the Versa's third generation (2019–2023).
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 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.
Risk: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code and replace the steering column assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA26. This recall involves vehicles that were previously inspected, but did not receive a steering column replacement, under recall number 22V-693. These vehicles will need to be reinspected for this recall.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.
Risk: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code, and replace the column, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 9, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PMA10 / PMA25.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Titan, Titan XD, and Versa vehicles. The front right and/or left turn signal bulb can crack and fail to illuminate.
Risk: Inoperable front turn signals cannot alert on-coming drivers and/or pedestrians that the vehicle will be turning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the bulbs as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 20, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PM986 and PC811.
Cars shoppers compare with the Nissan Versa, with their own 2021 checklists.
2021 owner complaints, side by side
