Nissan Versa reliability by year
27 recall campaigns and 3,448 owner complaints across 19 model years. Best year to buy: 2022. Year to avoid: 2012.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 7 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 19 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 68, more than the 27 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Versa aggregated across 19 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Nissan Versa?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2022 Nissan Versa scores 8.6/10 — the strongest in the 2007–2025 range. 20 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Nissan Versa year should I avoid?
The 2012 Nissan Versa scores 2.8/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 486 owner complaints with NHTSA, 11 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2012 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Nissan Versa should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2013 (avoid — the brakes — 1 fatality report and 6 crash-related complaints on the brakes); 2012 (avoid — the electrical system — electrical system: 26 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 24,470–66,500 mi); 2007 (avoid — the engine — engine: 34 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 52,000–80,000 mi); 2011 (high-risk ownership — suspension: 45 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 51,000–110,000 mi); 2010 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 3.4/10 — below the segment average); 2009 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 3.0/10 — below the segment average). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Nissan Versa are tracked?
19 model years (2007 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 27 distinct recall campaigns and 3,448 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 68 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Nissan Versa?
airbags is the most-reported category — 1,010 complaints across 14 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.