2018 Nissan Kicks Owner Complaints

It originally started about two years ago when the check engine light came on (along with others) that point to a code with the Mass Air Flow sensor. It would stall at low RPMs at traffic lights, and was extremely worrying during normal driving. We got it replaced and so far okay, but recently the ABS and traction control lights come on and stay on. Another issue that many MANY Nissan owners experience. Some people thinks it’s a dirty throttle body, dirty front collision sensor, dirfty MAF. The problem is that when any of these issues are fixed, it comes back. We don’t know why the ABS and traction control (plus front collision by the way) lights come on. We took it to a mechanic, it was off for two whole days. Now it’s back on. Can’t wait to have it stall on us in the mean time.

NHTSA ID

11752756

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

2018 Nissan Kicks evap system has holes in it from Freon that causes the Freon to leak out. The required Freon is contributing to the holes being made in the aluminum evap. It leaks out and the air blows hot. Is there any help with a recall or repair. I was quoted $4000 to fix. Possible lemon laws. If you research on google. The Kicks are notorious for this problem. The mechanics I talked to laughed or knew all about this problem before even looking at it.

NHTSA ID

11742963

Incident

May 4, 2026

Vehicle experienced sudden engine stall/shutdown after warning indicators illuminated. While driving at low speed, the ABS warning light, front collision warning light, and check engine light appeared. After placing the vehicle in Park, the engine shut off unexpectedly. Vehicle would then restart but stall again within several seconds. This created a serious safety concern because the vehicle could lose power unexpectedly in traffic or while entering an intersection, reducing ability to accelerate, steer safely with traffic flow, or avoid a collision. OBD diagnostic codes retrieved were P0101, P0102, and P0113. Based on research into common 2018-2020 Nissan Kicks issues, these codes may be secondary/false airflow sensor warnings caused by a failing or sticking electronic throttle body rather than an actual mass air flow sensor failure. Sudden stalling and restart-then-stall behavior are consistent with throttle body malfunction. Problem appears intermittent. Vehicle/component is available for inspection upon request. No prior warning lamps were present before the incident.

NHTSA ID

11732218

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and lost motive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions and was diagnosed with airflow sensor failure. The contact was informed that the airflow sensor needed to be replaced. The airflow sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and again diagnosed with a failed airflow sensor that required replacement. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure continued. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 100,574.

NHTSA ID

11729769

Incident

Apr 7, 2026

Mileage

100,574 mi

When put in park car started idling rough and then stalled. Engine light, collision warning light, and traction control light came on. Code scanned as a P0101 code.

NHTSA ID

11725369

Incident

Mar 18, 2026

Radio skips songs back and forth randomly, and now radio screen and buttons are block.

NHTSA ID

11721890

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

Intermittently for the last year, car will show 3 dash lights: 1. AEB light 2. Slip indicator light 3. Master warning light When this occurs, the car can be slow to accelerate. When the three lights are on, the problem will persist until the engine is shut off for a period of several minutes. It does not occur every time the car is driven. In the last 3 months, there have been 3-4 instances where the check engine light has come on as well. The code every time has been P1010 or no code displayed. We tried changing out the MAF sensor with a third party part, and the issue occurred even more frequently. We then went back to the first sensor after cleaning it with MAF sensor cleaner. This seemed to resolve the issue for a month, but then it started to reoccur. The last two occurrences of the check engine light have occurred after rapid acceleration. - Yes original part is available for inspection. - Safety is at risk for self and others as car can have issues accelerating, which makes it dangerous to enter freeways and highways (which are necessary for my commute). - Dealer has not reproduced the error, however they have not seen it with a check engine code (taking the car in tomorrow). - no inspection by insurance, police, or manufacturer. - before the 3 error lights started to come on fairly regularly (several times a week) I had a few issues of intermittent sluggish acceleration over the course of 1-2 years when this issue first started, but no lights came on at first.

NHTSA ID

11717137

Incident

Feb 10, 2026

The p0101 code has been going on and off of this car since purchase (3 years) the MAF sensor has been replaced twice and the check engine light comes back on after just a few days each time. This poses a safety risk because the car stops at stop lights and turns off, the car shakes at idle, the car refuses to accelerate risking pulling out in front of another car without being able to accelerate. The check engine light comes on and off and the traction control light as well, its so random and the only fix is to "change the sensor" which does not fix it because it happens again immediately after. Its dangerous and needs an actual fix.

NHTSA ID

11716621

Incident

Jan 23, 2026

All brake failure warning lights remain on while driving and ABS no longer works. It is a very common safety failure that Nissan is making a small fortune on. It is a definate safety item.

NHTSA ID

11713616

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

Getting code p0101. When car first starts the throttle response is very low. Once the car warms up to seems to go away but it appears to be a consistent problem. Others are reporting as well for this vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11706522

Incident

Dec 21, 2025

For over a year, I have experienced repeated failures of the front radar system, specially during rain or wet weather, when it rains the vehicle displays multiple warning such as: "Front radar unavailable" "automatic emergency braking unavailable" "Front sensor malfunction" This disable essentials safety systems, including the automatic emergency breaking (AEB) and forward collision warning, the Nissan Dealership has attempted several repairs, but the malfunction continues every time it rains, Because this is a critical safety issue that affect the vehicle braking and collision-avoidance and multiple repair have failed

NHTSA ID

11703524

Incident

Jul 23, 2025

The Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to idle roughly, stall unexpectedly, and trigger continuous beeping. During the failure, the power steering locked, making it extremely difficult to steer and creating a serious safety hazard for myself and others on the road. The issue was reproduced and confirmed by a service center, and the sensor was replaced by a Nissan dealership with the system reset/rebooted. However, despite this repair, the vehicle has again begun experiencing the same symptoms, including rough idling, stalling, beeping, and loss of steering control. The recurrence of this problem after dealership repair indicates that the issue may extend beyond a single component and presents an ongoing safety concern. The vehicle and repair records remain available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11687188

Incident

Jun 5, 2025

The ABS and forward collision system failed. This caused the car not to respond during a hard brake when it was raining. I almost had an accident. The car was inspected on September 4, 2025, by Universal Nissan (12785 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, Florida). Universal Nissan found a malfunction in the ABS control (Actuator & ECU Assy antiskid) with a repair cost of $2,448. The car has 18,689 miles. The warning lamps appear as soon as the malfunction starts. The Nissan Kicks owner forum reports this ABS problem as recurrent. There are multiple reports on the website. I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs (Case #5576215). They did not take responsibility for the ABS problem.

NHTSA ID

11686580

Incident

Sep 3, 2025

I purchased a 2018 Nissan Kicks with under 6k miles from Atlanta Luxury Motors (ALM Marietta) on April 29, 2022. The dealer failed to disclose the car was a Canadian import, which voided the manufacturer’s warranty and left me responsible for unsafe defects. At under 30,000 miles, the suspension (struts) failed and had to be replaced, and by 60,000 miles the CVT transmission began showing fault codes, slipping, and jerking, creating serious safety risks while driving. The undercarriage also showed early rust. These problems were confirmed by independent mechanics and service centers, and I have paid over $3,000 in repairs and will inquire more if transmission has to be replaced costing between 6-8k. The vehicle’s defects put me and others at risk of loss of control, and I request NHTSA investigation to determine if this model or imported versions are unsafe for U.S. consumers.

NHTSA ID

11684867

Incident

Sep 3, 2025

Code P0101 comes up which indicates an issue with the car’s MAF system triggering a check engine light. This is widely known to be a software issue and is chronic in many Nissan Kick’s manufactured around 2018-2020. This is a faulty error code and ends up visiting consumers hundreds of dollars to repair and almost always returns despite actions being taken to repair the issue.

NHTSA ID

11682015

Incident

Aug 4, 2025

Frequently we get error P0101 and the car loses power. It says "Mass or Volume Air Flow, A Circuit Range/Poerformance error. For us that means the car loses power, limps along or jerks suddenly and the lights flash, this can happen at any time. Happens about one or twice a month at very random times, not dependant on the weather. We have changed the MAF sensor as instructed but this still happens and it quite dangerous when driving or pulling away from a stop.

NHTSA ID

11675888

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle occasionally experienced reduction in automotive power with the "System Malfunction" message displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the battery had been replaced twice however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11672377

Incident

Dec 31, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

I was driving on the road like normal and suddenly I got a front collision warning on the dash, the car wouldn’t accelerate and lost all power. Check engine light also came on with code reading P0101. I’ve had this issue before and the dealer doesn’t know what to do or they want to charge me a lot of money to fix it. I’ve read online many many people having the same issue. Luckily this hasn’t happened on the highway but if it does happen it could be catastrophic

NHTSA ID

11670107

Incident

Jun 29, 2025

P0101 Mass air flow sensor code keeping appearing after repairing it. It causes the car to stall and shut off frequently on its own.

NHTSA ID

11655900

Incident

Apr 21, 2025

My steering is erratic and sometimes it feels like it’s pulling hard to one side or the other and when I try to correct it actually over corrects. I’ve read about the eps problems when looking into options for repair/replace. I feel it too dangerous for driving anywhere. It is a 2018 Nissan Kicks. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11651290

Incident

Mar 28, 2025

ABS system warning light turns on and off, and ABS fails after 50,000 miles on vehicle. System requires ABS actuator replacement, but replacement isn't reliable. Nissan has been contacted and refused to acknowledge issue or offer assistance with issue. This has been an issue in ALL Nissan Kicks and Leaf models dating back to 2018 and through current models. I believe a recall should be instated for this problem because multiple cars could potentially be driving without their ABS systems active. This could lead to poor ability to stop in inclement weather and could lead to more accidents on highways. The lights randomly turning off could mislead drivers into thinking that nothing is wrong with their vehicles. Upon first inspection at local Nissan dealership they reported no problem but loose battery terminal.

NHTSA ID

11616750

Incident

Sep 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the crash indicator warning light illuminated causing the vehicle to stall. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to be restarted but was unable to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11584123

Incident

Apr 19, 2024

Mileage

70,000 mi

while driving will stall and power off in the middle of traffic, the dealer said this issue was caused by the idle air control valve sensor, but continued to do this even after the sensor was cleaned and replaced, this has been happening over several years. it started when i received the vehicle 18k miles and continued periodically, it is extremely unsafe, now it is unusable, at 88k miles i am replacing the computer. i hope this will finally fix the issue.

NHTSA ID

11581803

Incident

Apr 16, 2021

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID

11576778

Incident

Jan 9, 2024

Driver side coil spring broke near the lower part of the spring, spring was still seated and operating but rubbing on strut. There was no way to tell that the spring was broken other than the fact that I found the broken piece laying on the ground - so we immediately took it to Nissan to be repaired. This is the second coil spring to break - the passenger spring broke at the same location at around 46,000 miles - again no way to tell that the spring was broken other than the fact that I had visually inspected the car and noticed the spring broken. This is the exact same issue we had with our 2012 Nissan Versa - both coil springs within 60,000 miles - however Nissan did issue a recall for those parts.

NHTSA ID

11563446

Incident

Jan 3, 2024