2013 Nissan Versa Problems

What owners report

Complaints about the 2013 Versa are dominated by the continuously variable transmission (CVT): owners describe shuddering, hesitation, slipping, and sudden loss of power, often well before 100,000 miles, with many reporting that a dealer diagnosed a replacement transmission. Braking complaints form a second, smaller cluster, mostly about a pedal that travels to the floor or a squishy pedal, and a number of owners also mention the airbag occupant-detection light switching off for lighter front passengers. Reported mileages range widely, from near-new vehicles to well past 150,000 miles.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   CVT shudder, slip and loss of power

   • 59 complaints (29%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (45 state mileage)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe the CVT shuddering or jerking on acceleration from a stop, hesitating before engaging, and in some cases losing power entirely while driving so the accelerator pedal does nothing. Complaints frequently say the car revs without picking up speed, or that it will not move from a stop light until restarted. Many report that after diagnosis the dealer or an independent shop recommended replacing the transmission, sometimes quoting several thousand dollars, and a few say a software update or sensor replacement was tried first without a lasting fix. Reports span from under 50,000 miles to over 150,000 miles, with many clustered between roughly 50,000 and 130,000 miles; several describe the symptom appearing gradually and becoming intermittent.

   8 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for transmission service records and whether any CVT software updates or a transmission replacement were done, and listen for shudder or hesitation during a slow start from a stop. A pre-purchase scan for stored transmission codes is worth the cost.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Transmission went out at 129 thousand miles..called Nissan and they said it was 9 thousand miles out of warranty..and that it was our problem..absolutely rude about it..we have 161 thousand on it now still with a bad transmission cause it's to expensive to fix.. People have told me about recalls on the CVT transmission but I can't find any for this car”

   NHTSA complaint #11300005, filed 2020-01, 129,000 miles

   “While driving the transmission began hard shifting, long shifting, skip shifting, and not shifting. While on cruise control going uphill it will rev up and make out on rpms and I have to turn off cruise control. At one point getting on the highway it had no power like it was in neutral and was almost rear ended. I still am have shifting issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11352490, filed 2020-09, 97,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes to the floor or feels soft

   • 24 complaints (12%)
   • median 17,845 mi at 1.7 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2012–2020

   Owners report the brake pedal sinking to the floor, sometimes intermittently, and occasionally feeling the car surge or creep while stopped with the air conditioning on. Several describe pressing the pedal and getting little or no braking response, leading to a collision or a near miss; others say the dealer attributed the pedal travel to normal ABS modulation or performed a brake fluid flush without resolving it. Early complaints also mention rear brake noise and premature rear brake work within the first year. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 130,000 miles, with several complaints filed in the first two years of ownership.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: With the engine running, hold steady pressure on the brake pedal and see whether it slowly sinks; ask whether the master cylinder or brake fluid has been serviced, and have a mechanic inspect the brake system before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was going 35 MPH and I tried to slow down as I noticed the cars infront of me were at a complete stop at a red light, I pressed my breaks and noticed I barely even slowed down as I got closer to the car ahead of me I put my emergency break on and it made my car slide forward forcing my car into the rear end of the car ahead of mine. The mileage on the car is an estimate.”

   NHTSA complaint #11151375, filed 2018-11, 80,000 miles

   “My brake pedal will sink to the floor if I press hard on it with my foot and keep pressing. I looked at my brake fluid reservoir and it is at the normal 'full' mark. My Nissan dealer says that the pedal keeps moving because the ABS is modulating my brake pedal and that nothing is wrong with my brakes.”

   NHTSA complaint #10604907, filed 2014-06, 13,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Stalling, rough idle and hard starting

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the engine stalling at speed or at stop lights, rough idling, and difficulty restarting, sometimes with the check engine light on. Complaints mention cam or crankshaft sensor codes, a misfire on one cylinder with coils and plugs replaced, and a faulty control module; several say the dealer could not reproduce the problem or found nothing wrong. Spread across the sample from about 30,000 to over 150,000 miles, with several reports between 70,000 and 130,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for any stored engine codes to be read and check whether sensors, coils or the control module have been replaced; a cold start and a short highway drive can reveal rough idle or hesitation.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving on the on ramp to the freeway in las vegas, nv I was trying to accelerate my speed so that I could get on the freeway and my car was having trouble picking up speed, when my car finally just died. I then tried to switch to park so that I could restart my car and move over more towards the shoulder. It took me three try's, when it finally started up again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11004864, filed 2017-07, 77,777 miles

   “There is hesitation when I accelerate, it takes a little bit to get up to speed (which isn't great when you're on the free way). When I push on the break and then take my foot off the break it feels like my car is still breaking. When I'm stopped at a red light my car shakes.”

   NHTSA complaint #11365288, filed 2020-10, 65,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbag light on, passenger airbag switched off

   • 20 complaints (10%)
   • median 43,956 mi at 3.3 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2020

   Owners report the passenger airbag status light turning on and disabling the airbag when a lighter adult sits in the front passenger seat, and in one case even with a child also in the seat. Complaints say dealers described this as working as designed, and some owners note that a separate airbag recall did not cover their vehicle. A few complaints describe airbags not deploying in a collision, one of which the owner linked to an airbag recall campaign. Mostly reported in the first few years and under about 80,000 miles, often with smaller-stature front passengers.

   What to check: With the ignition on, sit in the passenger seat and watch whether the airbag-off indicator stays lit; ask whether any open airbag recalls have been completed for the vehicle's VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Whenever my wife who is about 100 pounds sits in the front passenger seat of our 2013 Nissan Versa ls, the airbag light goes on and the airbag safety feature is turned off. We are driving a rental from the dealer now, a 2013 Nissan rouge and it works just fine. The dealer states that our Versa works as intended???? Even with my wife and my 4 year old in the front passenger seat, now total of 132 pounds the airbag light still turns on and disengages the airbag safety feature.”

   NHTSA complaint #10526330, filed 2013-07, 5,206 miles

   “110 pound women sits in passenger seat and airbag light goes on and off randomly-took to dealer many times and they tell me working as designed-bbb auto sides with Nissan-but told us they will give us a new seat that we are still waiting for-now ,end of march there is a recall on 990000 nissans for that problem- Nissan Versa was not in the recall and we are not the only one with the Versa problem. We did everything possible so far,hopefully it will be resolved before anything drastic happens like with the recent chevy recall and deaths. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10584508, filed 2014-04, 4,993 miles

Buying note. The main thing to verify on a used 2013 Versa is the CVT: ask for service history and whether software updates or a transmission replacement were done, and budget for a possible replacement if records are missing. Also check the brake pedal feel and whether the center console trim recall has been completed before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.