My car when in over 95 degree weather, literally will not have power to get up hills and starts to jerk and looses power to make the hills. When the temps outside are cooler the car works fine. I live in [XXX] and I drive long distance to work. I also have a [XXX] son that has to be in the car with me. I can’t have my car messing up all because it’s hot outside and it obviously doesn’t like the heat. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Nissan Kicks jerking problems
17 of the 533 owner complaints about the Nissan Kicks describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 2019
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20251
- 20241
- 20212
- 20201
- 201910
- 20182
Often reported together
CVT failure 4Check engine light 4Transmission failure 3Shudder 3Stalling 2Slipping 2Loss of power 2Hesitation 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P0101 1
What owners say
Driving on a highway when rear differential and drive shaft broke loose from vehicle while driving at 65 mph. Right rear wheel went over real diff. causing the rear end of vehicle to come off the pavement. Fortunately was able to get car under control before it flipped. There was no warning signs prior. We were violently lurched and still are feeling residual effects from that incident.
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, and felt as though it was about to stall before resuming normal operation. The failure occurred more frequently while making left or right turns. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,100.
My vehicle has experienced transmission-related issues that have affected its safety, reliability, and overall performance. The symptoms include hesitation during acceleration, delayed response when pressing the accelerator, jerking, loss of power, and unpredictable driving behavior. These issues have made it difficult to safely merge into traffic, cross intersections, and maintain normal driving speeds. The transmission problems occurred despite routine maintenance and normal vehicle operation. These symptoms raise serious concerns about the safety and durability of the CVT transmission installed in this vehicle. I am concerned that these issues may represent a broader defect affecting 2019 Nissan Kicks vehicles equipped with CVT transmissions. Drivers should be able to rely on their vehicles to accelerate and operate safely without fear of sudden loss of power or transmission failure. I respectfully request that this matter be thoroughly investigated and that Nissan be held accountable for any manufacturing defects associated with the CVT transmission. I also request consideration for appropriate repairs, reimbursement for related expenses, or any other remedy available if this issue is determined to be a known defect.
At first it just seemed sluggish like it didn’t want to take off then the Transmission started jerking would not allow the car to go engine revving up to 5000 rpm before the transmission would engage.
Transmission Issue - The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. It hesitates, revs high, and sometimes jerks when slowing or speeding up. This creates unsafe driving conditions. Electrical Issue -The electronics intermittently shut off, screen goes black, and warning lights appear. These issues occur while driving and affect vehicle control. It’s a safety hazard -These failures happen unexpectedly in traffic and increase the risk of an accident. Often the Problems happens occurs several times per week and happens at speeds between 20–45 mph. Started around 60,000 miles. The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. The RPMs surge, the vehicle hesitates, and there is a jerking or shuddering sensation when speeding up or slowing down. This happens unexpectedly and makes it hard to maintain speed in traffic. The electrical system also malfunctions while driving. The dashboard display and infotainment screen intermittently go black, warning lights appear without reason, and some features shut off. These failures happen at random and affect my ability to safely operate the vehicle. Both issues occur multiple times per week at various speeds (20–45 mph), and the vehicle only has 25,531 miles. These defects pose a significant safety risk because they cause unexpected changes in acceleration and visibility of gauges, increasing the chance of an accident.
My 2019 Nissan Kicks experienced a sudden and dangerous CVT transmission failure. The vehicle began jerking, struggled to accelerate, and at times would not move forward when pressing the gas. The check engine light came on during these incidents. The car also revs without engaging properly and loses power unexpectedly, creating a serious hazard when merging into traffic or crossing intersections. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting Nissan CVT units. The sudden loss of acceleration and unpredictable behavior create a significant safety risk for myself and other drivers. Nissan has denied goodwill assistance for the repair, even though this failure occurred under normal driving conditions. I am submitting this complaint for safety review due to the potential risk of collision.
I purchased a 2018 Nissan Kicks with under 6k miles from Atlanta Luxury Motors (ALM Marietta) on April 29, 2022. The dealer failed to disclose the car was a Canadian import, which voided the manufacturer’s warranty and left me responsible for unsafe defects. At under 30,000 miles, the suspension (struts) failed and had to be replaced, and by 60,000 miles the CVT transmission began showing fault codes, slipping, and jerking, creating serious safety risks while driving. The undercarriage also showed early rust. These problems were confirmed by independent mechanics and service centers, and I have paid over $3,000 in repairs and will inquire more if transmission has to be replaced costing between 6-8k. The vehicle’s defects put me and others at risk of loss of control, and I request the federal safety agency investigation to determine if this model or imported versions are unsafe for U.S. consumers.
Frequently we get error P0101 and the car loses power. It says "Mass or Volume Air Flow, A Circuit Range/Poerformance error. For us that means the car loses power, limps along or jerks suddenly and the lights flash, this can happen at any time. Happens about one or twice a month at very random times, not dependant on the weather. We have changed the MAF sensor as instructed but this still happens and it quite dangerous when driving or pulling away from a stop.
car will not accelerate after pressing gas pedal all the way down; has jerking motion to get it to go then sometimes will not move at all; you have to turn car off and try several times
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Nissan Kicks jerking
Which Nissan Kicks years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (10 complaints), 2018 (2 complaints) and 2021 (2 complaints).
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