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#BS-2012-NISVER-2A592012 Nissan Versa
Based on reports from 672 owners and 11 recalls for this exact model.
Preliminary Verdict
Red Flag
Based on 672 complaints, 65 crashes, 11 fires, and 11 recalls. Complaint rate is 2.4x the class average. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.
Top reported problems
transmission failure
76 complaints β’ Severity 9.2/10
engine stalls dies while driving
9 complaints β’ Severity 8.4/10
difficulty steering
6 complaints β’ Severity 9.3/10
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
165 owners reported airbags issues β failures commonly reported around 59K miles.
Failure Timeline by Mileage
Peak failure range: 60β90K miles (141 reports) β’ Median: 59K miles
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Airbags (165 reports).
Also in your report
Owner Intelligence
AI-synthesized themes from real complaints
Buyer Lot Checklist
Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers
Negotiation Talking Points
Data-backed dollar deductions
Buy / Skip Verdict
Final recommendation with conditions
Where the complaints fall
2012 Nissan Versa: Known Issues & Problem Areas
Airbags Issues
Airbags complaints account for 25% of all reports filed for the 2012 Nissan Versa, with 165 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 59,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 59K-mile mark.
Drivetrain Issues
Drivetrain complaints account for 24% of all reports filed for the 2012 Nissan Versa, with 160 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Engine Issues
Engine complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2012 Nissan Versa, with 53 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Speed Control Issues
Speed Control complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2012 Nissan Versa, with 32 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.
Complaint trend by year
Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2012 Nissan Versa. Recent trend: decreasing.



Don't negotiate blind β know what this car costs to own
Repair costs β’ Negotiation scripts β’ Mechanic checklist β’ Buy/skip verdict
Recall History (11 recalls)
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:SHIFT PATTERN INDICATOR
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 VERSA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 9, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 13, 2012 FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114,ΒTHEFT PROTECTION.Β DUE TO INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE SHIFTER ROD AND THE SHIFT KNOB, THE VEHICLES MAY BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ALTIMA AND VERSA VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS THAT CONTAIN AN INCORRECT PROPELLANT MIXTURE FOR THE INITIATOR COMPONENT USED, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT OUTPUT OF COMPRESSED GAS.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles manufactured June 9, 2011, to March 11, 2015, and 2014-2015 Nissan Versa Note vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to March 11, 2015. The affected vehicles have a center console trim panel that may catch the driver's shoe and delay the transition from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Road salt may corrode the front coil springs, possibly resulting in the coil springs fracturing.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45 and 2009 Nissan Versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B". Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2008 Nissan Versa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
+ 6 more recalls in the full report
Recall severity analysis & seller scripts
The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
This is the worst model year for the Nissan Versa according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is transmission.
2012 Nissan Versa vs. Class Average (Compact Cars)
This vehicle
672
Class avg
282
2.4x the class average β significantly more complaints than typical compact cars vehicles.
Complaint counts correlate with sales volume β popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.
About this data
NHTSA Complaints
Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 672 records for this vehicle.
NHTSA Recalls
Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 11 recalls found for this vehicle.
Repair Cost Data
Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.
Other Nissan Versa Model Years
View all Nissan Versa years β2012 Nissan Versa: Frequently Asked Questions
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Get the Full 2012 Nissan Versa Report
10 sections of AI analysis based on 672 owner reports. Know before you buy.