2016 Nissan Versa Powertrain (other) Problems

0 The vehicle has a CVT transmission failure causing severe shuddering, jerking, and progressive loss of acceleration. Initially the vehicle would not exceed 20 mph, then worsened to 15 mph, then 10 mph, and now will not exceed 5 mph. The issue consistently occurs after the vehicle has been driven for more than approximately 2 minutes. There are no warning lights or alerts prior to the failure. The vehicle has completely lost power while driving and has stopped in the middle of the road with no ability to accelerate or restart the vehicle, creating an extremely dangerous situation and risk of collision. This appears to be a known and common defect with the CVT transmission on this vehicle model and year. The condition has progressively worsened and makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.

NHTSA ID

11723507

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

While merging onto [XXX] toward [XXX] , my 2016 Nissan Versa suffered a total loss of power while crossing active railroad tracks. The car stuttered and jerked before completely stalling and stopped responding. I was stranded in a high-traffic zone around [XXX] PM. I was worried that the vehicles coming behind me would not see my small car right away, as I was positioned past the railroad tracks and partway down the middle of the downhill slope. Because of the crest of the hill behind me, I lost sight of approaching traffic in my rearview mirror, which meant drivers coming over the top of the hill wouldn't see my stalled car until they were already descending toward me. I was fortunately able to get it restarted and drove it immediately to a Nissan dealership. A diagnostic scan confirmed Code P0746. The service technician told me the CVT assembly is internally destroyed ('toasted') and requires a full replacement. This catastrophic failure happened at only 50,484 miles, which is dangerously premature for a major transmission component. (note- i have a tech video that they sent me of there diagnostic just cant apply to the notes) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11723320

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power, and started jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the RPM needled was fluctuating erratically. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11647000

Incident

Jul 31, 2024

Mileage

84,000 mi

Transmission failure

NHTSA ID

11590897

Incident

Apr 15, 2024

My engine light has always been on in my car contacted the dealership and they never cared to take care of the situation. My car has a problem with picking up speed and turning corners. Took it to a mechanic and said it’s my transmission and that it was never good especially the cvt transmission in my 2016 Nisan versa that it was recalled and no one contacted me. I would like it fixed I’m a single parent and I need my car

NHTSA ID

11540816

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

Since buying car used last summer ive have numerous scares for the car stalling jerking and shutting off while driving or slowing down and taking off. I drove over train tracks on my way home and the car jerked stalled and died luckily i made it over the tracks and there was no train. Had a mechanic look at it and said the Cvt transmission more than likely blame for this problem. After researching more this particular make model and year had numerous of the same complaints and saftey is my main concern here. Thanks

NHTSA ID

11533535

Incident

Jul 20, 2023

Air bag red signal on and off. It is very loose. AC compressor needs repair that cause Belt broken, pulley isn’t working and AC condenser needed to be repair. Power Train catalyst issues. Exhaust leaking at manifold, catalyst too exhaust as exhaust connections. Oxygen sensors too slow to respond. Replace sensors with exhaust repairs.

NHTSA ID

11489244

Incident

Jul 19, 2022

Air bag red signal on and off it is very loose. AC Compressor is locked that cause belt broken and pulley is not working that AC Condenser had to be fixed Power Train Catalyst issues Exhaust leaking at manifold and catalyst too exhaust as Exhaust connections. Oxygen sensors too slow to respond. Need to repair sensors with exhaust.

NHTSA ID

11489237

Incident

Jul 19, 2022

The transmission completely went on my vehicle at 87,015 miles. I regularly drive on a major highway and had this happened while on the highway it could have been catastrophic as speeds generally exceed 70MPH on this road. The problem has been confirmed by my dealer. Nissan will not back the repair as I am 3,015 miles out of warranty. There were no warning lights prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11438215

Incident

Oct 19, 2021

EVERY SINGLE DAY MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY MY ABS LIGHT COMES ON CARS TRANSMISSION JERKS AROUND OR WHATEVER IT IS. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND TURN VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART TO DRIVE AGAIN. I MAY HAVE TO DO THAT A FEW TIMES IN A MILE. I THINK IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN. IT COULD BE IN MOTION OR STOPPED CAR WANTS TO LUNGE FORWARD

NHTSA ID

11408194

Incident

Apr 15, 2021

CAR BOGGING DOWN WON'T ACCELERATE WHEN NEEDED JERKING AROUND NISSAN HAD A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM FOR THIS AND IS REFUSING TO FIX THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11337551

Incident

Jun 27, 2020

Mileage

57,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 NISSAN VERSA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE UP A HILL, THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. KAMAAINA NISSAN (471 KALANIANAOLE AVE, HILO, HI 96720) WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.

NHTSA ID

11320988

Incident

Apr 6, 2020

Mileage

79,000 mi

ON APPROXIMATED ON FEBRUARY 02, 2020 ON THE NORTH BOUND 215 FWY EXISTING FWY OFF RAMP ON NEWPORT BLVD IN MENIFEE CA, WHEN MY 2016 NISSAN VERSA STALL, IT'S ON DRIVE AND NOT MOVING. NO WARNING SIGNS OF ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES, NO ENGINE LIGHT ON. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED THEN I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BUT THE RPM IS MOVING UP AND DOWN. I PULLED OVER TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION AND CALLED MY ROADSIDE ASSISTANT THROUGH GEICO. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO PEDDER NISSAN DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEPT RETURN MY CALL AND NOTIFIED ME THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS OUT ON A LESS THAN FOUR YEARS OLD VEHICLES THAT I PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM THIS DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP & NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIR HAVE BOTH HAVE GIVEN ME THE RUNS AROUND. I SEE THERE BULLETIN FOR MY VEHICLE MODEL AND YEAR. I NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE.

NHTSA ID

11308363

Incident

Feb 2, 2020

Mileage

128,000 mi

I HAD ISSUES WITH THE GEARS THAT INITIALLY THE ISSUE SHOWED UP AS A PROBLEM WITH AC/HEATER NOT WORKING PROPERLY, BUT WHEN THE MECHANIC EXAMINED THE ISSUE, IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH GEARS. SOON AFTER THAT, MY CAR BEGAN TO HESITATE WHILE DRIVING AND THEN BEGAN TO SMELL LIKE SOMETHING BURNT. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED, I DID REGULAR MAINTENANCE AS INSTRUCTED IN THE MANUAL, BUT IT WAS AROUND 60,000 MILEAGE WHEN ISSUES BEGAN TO SHOW UP AND AROUND 90,000 WHEN IT BEGAN HESITATING AND SMELLING. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON CITY STREETS BECAUSE IT WILL NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY AND SO I CANNOT DRIVE IT ON THE HIGHWAY. I CONTACTED NISSAN WHILE I HAD MILEAGE IN THE RANGE OF 80K-84K TO SEE IF THEY WILL EXAMINE MY CVT, GIVEN THE CURRENT LAWSUIT, FREE OF CHARGE. BUT THEY STATED THAT THE LAWSUIT HASN'T BEEN SETTLED YET AND THAT BY THE TIME IT IS, I WILL LIKELY BE OVER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11306195

Incident

Feb 1, 2019

Mileage

83,000 mi

WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY STALLED OUT. RE STARTED IT THEN IT WAS SLUGGISH AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, WHEN I CAME TO A STOP AGAIN I FELT A QUICK THUNK LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. FINALLY GOT IT HOME WHEN PUT IT ON CODE READER IT CAME UP WITH CODE P0705 TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. I RECEIVED A NOTICE OF RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM BUT WHEN TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID IT WASN'T COVERED. NOW I AM STUCK HAVING TO PAY AROUND $2000 TO GET MY CAR FIXED.

NHTSA ID

11286629

Incident

Nov 30, 2019

Mileage

87,000 mi

VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING JERKS CAR WHEN GETTING SPEED WHEN GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAR WANDERS BACK AND FORTH HARD TO KEEP IT ON THE ROAD , CLUNKING NOISE COMES FROM CVT TRANSMISSION WHEN CHANGING GEARS ALSO PRODUCES SEVERE VIBRATIONS WHEN CAR IS IN MOTION GETTING WORSE AND WORSE HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE PROBLEMS SINCE I PURCHASED CAR 1 YEAR AGO AT 27,000 MILES NOW HAVE 70,000 MILES AND CAR IS NOT VERY SAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD I HAVE REPLACED STRUTS HUB BEARINGS CONTROL ARMS AND TIE ROD ENDS ALONG WITH MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION MOUNTS BUT THE PROBLEM KEEPS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE EVERY DAY. TOOK IT TO LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE HERTZ CAR RENTAL PLACE THAT SOLD IT TO ME WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM TOOK IT TWICE TO PEP BOYS BUT I WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG I'VE SPENT ABOUT A 1,000 DOLLARS IN PARTS TO TRY AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT STILL NO LUCK

NHTSA ID

11257255

Incident

Oct 1, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 5TH OF 2018 WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY HOME THE VEHICLE QUIT ACCELERATING. WE LIMPED THE VEHICLE HOME WHERE A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS APPARENT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. THE QUOTE WE RECEIVED WAS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS "SHOT". THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PURCHASED USED AND WAS ONLY OWNED ABOUT 16 MONTHS.

NHTSA ID

11192913

Incident

Nov 6, 2018

Mileage

56,823 mi

MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN IT LOOSE SPEED THEN WAS UNABLE TO GET IT OUT OF GEER. WAS TOLD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR USE AS IS, NO GURANTEE. I HAVE NO MONEY FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION WILL COST ME OVER $2000??????????????

NHTSA ID

11129991

Incident

Aug 27, 2018

BOUGHT THE 2016 VEHICLE OCTOBER 15, 2015. RIGHT AWAY NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFT NOT MOVING SMOOTHLY FROM GEAR TO GEAR. THE BRAKES GROANING/WHINING AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LOOSENING. CAR DRIFTING/PULLING RIGHT ON HIGHWAYS AND LEFT ON STREETS. RATTLING FROM UNDER CAR CARRIAGE. POPPING AND SQUEAKING ON RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. THE A/C STRAINING AND NOT COOLING CAR CABIN AS IT SHOULD AND THE A/C INTERIOR SWITCH NOT ENGAGING OR STAYING ENGAGED WHEN PUSHED. THUMPING/CLICKING SOUND HEARD WHEN BRAKING. AFTER NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS MADE THE DEALERSHIP VERIFIED ALL OF MY COMPLAINTS BUT NOT IN A TIMELY MANNER. FIRST COMPLAINT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED ON OCTOBER 28, 2015 BUT CLAIMED THERE WASN'T ANY ABNORMALITIES FOUND. ON DECEMBER 8, 2015, MARCH 16, 2016, APRIL 22, 2016, AUGUST 17, 2016 AND AUGUST 23, 2016 REPAIRS WERE REPEATEDLY MADE CONSISTING OF REPLACING GEAR SHIFT KNOB, ENTIRE GEAR SHIFT ASSEMBLY, SANDING ROTORS, REPLACING BRAKE PADS, REPLACING ENTIRE BRAKE ASSEMBLY AND TIGHTENING EMERGENCY BRAKE. BUT AS TO DATE PROBLEMS STILL EXIST. ON FEBRUARY 9, 2016 REPAIR TO THE SUSPENSION AND STEERING. ON APRIL 5, 2016 REPAIR TO LOWER REAR EXHAUST SHIELD REMOUNTED. ON MAY 31, 2016 DOOR CHECK STRAPS RE-SECURED. ON JUNE 23, 2016 FAULTY BMC SWITCH REPLACED BUT PROBLEM WITH A/C STILL NOT RESOLVED AND A SECOND PROBLEM HAS ARISEN. A/C TURNS ON WHEN DEFROSTER IS ENGAGED. ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 PROBLEM WITH BOTH FRONT INNER CV JOINTS AND AXLES ACKNOWLEDGED BUT PART ON BACK ORDER. REPAIRS MADE ON OCTOBER 27, 2016 IN ANOTHER STATE. PROBLEM NOT RESOLVED. SOUND STILL HEARD WHEN DRIVING OVER SPEED BUMPS, CRACKS OR SLIGHT BUMPS ON STREETS OR HIGHWAYS.

NHTSA ID

10955911

Incident

Dec 1, 2016