Date: XXXTo:the federal safety agencyOffice of Defects Investigation (ODI)1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWest BuildingWashington, DC 20590From:[XXX] [XXX]: FORMAL VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT – Sudden Loss of Propulsion and Traffic Hesitation / 2020 Nissan Kicks (VIN: [XXX])To the Office of Defects Investigation,I am writing to formally report a critical, life-threatening vehicle safety defect involving the powertrain/automatic transmission assembly on my 2020 Nissan Kicks FWD SV.While operating the vehicle at 61,564 miles in active traffic, the vehicle suffered a sudden and dangerous loss of propulsion without any prior warning. Upon pressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission slipped severely, causing the vehicle to hazardously shudder, shake, and hesitate to move forward. This unexpected lag in acceleration left the vehicle moving dangerously slow in a live traffic lane, creating an immediate and imminent risk of a severe rear-end collision.The vehicle was driven to a certified facility, Vann York's High Point Nissan (located in [XXX]), for an emergency mechanical diagnosis. A diagnostic scan revealed active Diagnostic Trouble Codes DTC P17F0 (CVT Judder) and DTC P2859 (Clutch A Pressure). The certified dealership technician explicitly documented on Repair Order #XXX that the transaxle assembly "WONT MOVE AND IS NOISY," prescribing a complete transmission replacement due to internal component failure.Following this diagnosis, I was forced to navigate the vehicle back to my residence under highly hazardous conditions using hazard lights. Due to the high risk of a total sudden stall or sudden loss of acceleration on public roadways, the vehicle has been grounded at my residence and is currently parked as completely undrivable due to severe safety fears.Nissan has a widespread, heavily documented historical record of manufactur INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Nissan Kicks shudder problems
11 of the 533 owner complaints about the Nissan Kicks describe shudder or vibration when accelerating, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 11
- worst model year
- 2019
By model year
- 20251
- 20241
- 20221
- 20204
- 20194
Often reported together
Stalling 6Transmission failure 3Slipping 3Jerking 3Hesitation 3CVT failure 2Loss of power 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P2859 1P17F0 1
What owners say
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.
When driving in rainy, snowy/icy, or wet conditions, water/slush impacts the front sensors/MAF sensor, causing the engine to shudder, stall, and shut off completely while in drive. The ABS, battery, and oil lights instantly flash on the dashboard, and the Automatic Emergency Braking system triggers/faults, creating a severe stall and safety hazard on active roads.
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.
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while driving 49 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle was shuddering. The contact stated that the failure progressively worsened while driving, causing the contact to decelerate to 40 MPH. The contact exited the highway and drove to a store. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear wheels lug nuts were significantly loose and the front wheels lug nuts were moderately loose. The contact was able to tighten the lug nuts with assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where no service was performed. The dealer advised the contact to continue driving the vehicle because the contact was able to drive 40 miles to their location. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200.
The transmission has always juddered and got the run around that nothing was wrong and now the car judders more
The transmission on my 2019 Nissan Kicks shudders, jerks and experiences acceleration problems intermittently. This began more noticeably at the end of the 5 year factory warranty.
They have replaced the transmission two times and this transmission is going bad, it's slipping, shuddering, and hesitating when you hit the gas. This car is a death trap waiting to happen. Nissan knows they put junk transmissions in these cars but still sells them. Nissan is going to end up hurting/killing a lot of innocent lives. It's not safe to be driving this car around, half the time the car doesn't want to go when you hit the gas. My daughter turns 16 and will not be driving this death trap. Nissan needs to recall the 2020 Nissan Kicks SV transmissions too. I do have all the paperwork from the transmissions being put it. I get the run around with the dealer. The vibration issue and they say it'll do that at 90. The collision light is ALWAYS coming on (I have pictures of that too)
During times of weather rain or ice, the AEB system malfunctions. First the slip indicator light comes on. Then a message says that there is a malfunction and to see manual. Next the AEB light will come on. Once both lights are on, the car shudders. Steering is difficult at this point. Next the battery light and oil lights will turn on then the car shuts off while driving. You can no longer hear the engine and acts as if the car was not started. When this occurs I often have to find safety or attempt to “jump start” by shutting the car off completely then turning it back on. The incident repeats itself but will go away after weather is clear. This is a major safety risk specifically while driving and the car shudders then cuts off completely while in drive.
Brand new 2022 Nissan Kicks S, I was driving home from picking it up at the dealership with only 14 miles on the odometer when I was stopped at a red light and the car shuddered and stalled. The battery and oil dash lights came on. I had to place the car into Park, turn it off, and turn it back on to get it moving again. Once restarted, the dash lights went away and the car ran fine. There were no indications prior to the event that anything was wrong or that this would happen. This was incredibly frightening as I was worried traffic behind me would rear end me, even with the hazards on. I am taking it in to be inspected by the dealership this weekend.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Nissan Kicks shudder
Which Nissan Kicks years have shudder or vibration when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (4 complaints), 2020 (4 complaints) and 2022 (1 complaints).
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