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EnginePart report

2021 Nissan Kicks Engine Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
12%of 78 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine of the 2021 Nissan Kicks, 12% of the 78 complaints for this model year.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“At 54,000 miles on my car my car was shaking and not wanting to go past 20miles an hour. My check engine light came on. Safety was at risk, there was no warning that my car was having trouble. It was driving fine one minute and ttem all of a sudden check engine light came on. Feel that the cvt engines in Nissan are not safe”

NHTSA complaint #11604841, filed 2024-07

“My CVT transmission has stopped working. At no time during taking it to Nissan dealerships to have oil changes in basic maintenance was it ever suggested to do a filter or fluid change on my transmission although Nissan transmissions are sold to consumers as locked and maintenance free it is a well-known fact that I've come to find out that this is a very incorrect statement and fluid and filters do need change every 30 to 50,000 miles or it will cause severe damage to one's transmission which is what it occurred to me on my 2021 Nissan kicks. …”

NHTSA complaint #11743903, filed 2026-06

“Was driving on the interstate when all of the sudden any time I would hit the accelerator it would start to brake. I went from going 60 to 45 and realized I had to pull over and was able luckily to get to a median to call AAA. Once i got to the median my battery and oil change light appeared and AC stopped working. I attempted to turn my car off and it would just automatically restart. I did that three times and on the third time the lights turned off and ac was back blowing cold but still couldn’t move my vehicle. …”

NHTSA complaint #11495516, filed 2022-11

“I have noticed on more than one occasion the dashboard panel suddenly pops up these RED BRACKET LINES SHOWING AROUND VEHICLE OF COURSE AND BIG STOP FLASHING AND CAR SUDDENLY BRACES then back to normal scary ass f it happens randomly slow speeds between 35-40mph.”

NHTSA complaint #11719789, filed 2026-02

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026111%
202512%
202413%
2023824%
2022417%
2021912%
20202020%
20193526%
20182327%

Other parts of the 2021 Nissan Kicks

Body and structure
24 complaints
Other or unknown
16 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
15 complaints
Electrical system
12 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
11 complaints
Brakes
5 complaints
Air bags
4 complaints
Steering
3 complaints
Vehicle speed control
3 complaints
Lane departure
2 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Nissan Kicks

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology