2024 Nissan Versa Problems

What owners report

Most complaints about this model year come from owners of manual-transmission cars who report that after an accidental stall and restart the engine stays in a reduced-power state, with weak acceleration and low top speed that sometimes clears after switching the car off and on again. A smaller group describes similar sluggishness or stalling without an obvious stall trigger, and a few report intermittent CVT or clutch noises and shifting concerns on very low-mileage cars.

1. 1
   Engine

   Reduced power / limp mode after stalling (manual)

   • 39 complaints (41%)
   • median 429 mi at 0.6 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners of 5-speed manual cars describe stalling the engine, then restarting and finding the car stuck in a low-power state: the gas pedal goes to the floor but the car creeps and will not reach highway speed. Many say there are no warning lights, that the condition often clears after shutting the car off for a minute or more, and that dealers either could not reproduce it or said they were waiting on a fix. Some mention a check engine light or a P2615 code appearing with the symptom. Reported from the first few hundred miles on new cars, usually after an accidental stall, with several owners citing repeated occurrences within the first few months.

   What to check: On a test drive with a manual car, ask the seller to let you stall it deliberately in a safe lot and then restart; watch whether power returns normally. Ask whether the dealer has documented or attempted any repair for reduced power.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This vehicle came with a 5-speed manual transmission. I am still learning how to drive a stick shift well, and on my way home from the dealer there were several instances of me stalling the engine due to letting the clutch out too fast. In several of these cases, when I restarted the engine, it acted almost as if it were in limp mode, or if the clutch was slipping badly.”

   NHTSA complaint #11552341, filed 2023-10

   “This is a 5-speed manual transmission. When the car is stalled, upon restarting, the vehicle's power is significantly reduced. It becomes very dangerous to start from a stop, which is particularly concerning, as I bought this car for my 16-year old daughter.”

   NHTSA complaint #11562282, filed 2023-12
2. 2
   Engine

   Sudden loss of power or no acceleration while driving

   • 38 complaints (40%)
   • median 1,064 mi at 0.5 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe the car revving but not moving, or steadily losing speed on inclines and on-ramps even with the accelerator pressed fully, in both manual and automatic cars. Several say turning the car off and restarting restores normal power, and some report no warning lights at all. Dealers reportedly could not duplicate the condition in some cases, while others replaced parts such as an alternator or a camshaft sensor without fully resolving it. Often reported within the first few thousand miles, sometimes within days of purchase, and more noticeable when merging or climbing hills.

   What to check: Drive the car on a hill and an on-ramp during the test drive and note whether it holds speed. Ask for any service history related to power loss, accelerator response, or codes such as P2615.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Turning on my vehicle I had extreme loss of power. I will be taking it to the dealer tomorrow. It would not accelerate past 55 miles per hour when the gas petal was pushed all the way to the floor. When I pulled over and turned the car off the vehicle ran fine with Normal power. This is a brand new vehicle with 1000 miles on it. I got it with 3 miles on it”

   NHTSA complaint #11574591, filed 2024-02

   “Intermittently the car will not accelerate when needed. It becomes excrutiatingly and terrifyingly slow. This is life-threating when coming into highway speed traffic from an exit ramp. On the highway, I've had cars slam on brakes behind me as I tried to accelerate from traffic lights. I saw no warning lamps.”

   NHTSA complaint #11609353, filed 2024-08
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   CVT jitter, hesitation and transmission noise

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe jittering or shuddering when pulling away from a stop, hesitation before the car engages, and growling or whining noises, in some cases leading to transmission replacement under warranty. Others report unexpected downshifting or slow, noisy shifting on cars with very low mileage. Some owners say a dealer test drive confirmed the symptom while others were told nothing could be reproduced. Reported from roughly 1,000 miles upward, including a case near 56,000 miles where the belt reportedly began slipping.

   What to check: Test low-speed starts and stops repeatedly and listen for shudder or whine; ask whether the transmission has been replaced or serviced and request the warranty repair records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I just purchased my 2024 Nissan VERSA two weeks ago August 24, 2024. Since I have had it my car doesn’t seem to want to shift speed like it should. My transmission seems to be stalling to change out. My car also constantly makes a growling noise when left I’m on my brakes sitting. I took my car back to the dealerships and they tried tell me that it was the compressor which is false my AC nor my defrost is on. I really need this problem resolved. The noise it’s making is unbelievable coming from a brand new car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11613937, filed 2024-09

   “The car has 56000 miles and the power train is still under warranty. The CVT belt recently started slipping. When I stop and then take off normally, there is a jitter in the transmission that can be felt and heard. Sometimes it is quite loud and vibrated quite heavily to the point there is concern it will break or fail. It also hesitates at times when accelerating from a stop or slow down and you can hear and feel the slippage before it kicks in. I took it to St Charles Nissan stating they test drove it and the jittering happened twice. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11719265, filed 2026-02
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine stalling while driving

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the engine cutting out while the car is moving, including on ramps and while downshifting, with one describing loss of power steering and braking assist at the same moment. Some say the car restarted normally afterwards, while another reports it would not crank and needed a tow after a fuse blew. Dealers in these accounts either could not reproduce the stall or replaced only the fuse. Reported on cars with a few thousand miles, typically during gear changes or merging maneuvers.

   What to check: Ask whether the car has ever stalled in motion and whether any fuse or electrical repairs were done; check that the battery and charging system were tested.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When you take off from stopping, it jerks some and doesn't want to move. It also will stop in the middle of the road while driving. I bought this car new in 2024. It's very dangerous especially when I have children in the car. It has happened several times.”

   NHTSA complaint #11724292, filed 2026-03

   “I bought my car on February 12th and it is now February 28th. The car has basically lost all power 3 times now, after I stalled the car 3 times. This is very dangerous as if I’m in a lot of traffic and going too slow, that can cause accidents.”

   NHTSA complaint #11574575, filed 2024-02

Buying note. Give a manual car a thorough test drive that includes a deliberate stall-and-restart, a hill and an on-ramp, and ask for the full service history on any power-loss or transmission complaint. Automatic cars deserve the same low-speed start-and-stop check for transmission shudder, and buyers should confirm whether the open air bag inflator recall was completed.

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.