The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal sounds, failed to accelerate while turning, and shuddered abnormally. The RPM remained steady with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the wheel bearing and continuously variable transmission (CVT) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 59,200.
Nissan Versa cvt failure problems
153 of the 3,330 owner complaints about the Nissan Versa describe cVT failure, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 153
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,000
- typical mileage
- 77,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 47Jerking 36Stalling 19Slipping 19Shudder 16Check engine light 15Hesitation 14Loss of power 11
Trouble codes mentioned
P2101 1P0746 1
What owners say
At approximately 135,000 miles my automatic transmission began "slipping" or lurching while accelerating. I took the car to a Nissan dealership, as well as 2 local mechanics, and all 3 sources have told me that my transmission is having identical symptoms to the recalled Versa models that previously had transmission issues. I'm now forced to replace the transmission before it hopefully goes out completely (the CVT). The problem has been diagnosed and reproduced by 3 separate auto mechanic shops, including one Nissan dealership in Colerain, Ohio. There have been absolutely no warning lights, messages, or signals from the car. When I accelerate from a stop, the car lurches at about 20-25 MPH. When I'm driving on the highway at a steady, high speed, I don't have the issue.
Automatic CVT failure confirmed by Future Nissan of Roseville CA. No warning prior to failure. Replaced by Kirkwood Autoworx Mechanical since Nissan Corporate denied a good-will replacement. Reason: 15k miles over warranty - 75081odometer reading at replacement on 5/27/26. CVT failed while on a busy street [XXX] ). I had only reverse and had to back my way out of traffic. Extremely dangerous situation. New Issue: Left Front Door (Driver) Locking actuator failure on XXX Not a safety issue yet. Will not lock or unlock with key fob. Manual entry only. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Hi, My name is [XXX] and I live in [XXX] . In October 2023 I purchased a used Nissan Versa 2021 from a dealership. It only had 30k miles on it when I bought it. On May 9, 2026 I was driving to work when my car experienced acceleration failure. It had 80,600 miles on it. When the acceleration failed, I was in the process of making a left turn and came very close to being hit by oncoming traffic. After Nissan claimed to fix the issue and I paid a substantial amount of money and drove about 40 miles, the same thing happened. And again it was during a left turn into oncoming traffic. Twice I've come very close to an accident. Something needs to be fixed with these cvt transmissions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The vehicle experienced a failure of the transmission/CVT transmission system and is available for inspection upon request. Prior to the failure, the vehicle began showing symptoms including hesitation while accelerating, jerking, slipping between gears, and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal beginning around February 2026. Warning indicators and abnormal driving behavior continued leading up to the complete failure. The issue placed my safety and the safety of others at risk because the vehicle unexpectedly lost power and struggled to accelerate in traffic, increasing the risk of a collision. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership/independent mechanic after inspection of the vehicle. The vehicle and transmission system have also been inspected by service professionals, and documentation of the diagnosis is available if needed.
2015 Nissan Versa 83,850 odometer reading Complaint: Safety for other individuals driving similar vehicles. Daughter was driving recently on 91 freeway in Long Beach, CA extremely busy highway on a Friday afternoon. Driving in the middle lane the cars forward movement stopped but car still running. Mechanic diagnosis was the CVT transmission. The car did not give us any warning at anytime there were any issues with the transmission. My concern and hope other would know about CVT transmissions This could of been a very bad day for my daughter if an accident was caused due to this issue. Thank God for the California Highway Patrol, The 911 operator and the California Tow Truck highway Patrol who got her off the highway quickly and safely.
0 The vehicle has a CVT transmission failure causing severe shuddering, jerking, and progressive loss of acceleration. Initially the vehicle would not exceed 20 mph, then worsened to 15 mph, then 10 mph, and now will not exceed 5 mph. The issue consistently occurs after the vehicle has been driven for more than approximately 2 minutes. There are no warning lights or alerts prior to the failure. The vehicle has completely lost power while driving and has stopped in the middle of the road with no ability to accelerate or restart the vehicle, creating an extremely dangerous situation and risk of collision. This appears to be a known and common defect with the CVT transmission on this vehicle model and year. The condition has progressively worsened and makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.
While merging onto [XXX] toward [XXX] , my 2016 Nissan Versa suffered a total loss of power while crossing active railroad tracks. The car stuttered and jerked before completely stalling and stopped responding. I was stranded in a high-traffic zone around [XXX] PM. I was worried that the vehicles coming behind me would not see my small car right away, as I was positioned past the railroad tracks and partway down the middle of the downhill slope. Because of the crest of the hill behind me, I lost sight of approaching traffic in my rearview mirror, which meant drivers coming over the top of the hill wouldn't see my stalled car until they were already descending toward me. I was fortunately able to get it restarted and drove it immediately to a Nissan dealership. A diagnostic scan confirmed Code P0746. The service technician told me the CVT assembly is internally destroyed ('toasted') and requires a full replacement. This catastrophic failure happened at only 50,484 miles, which is dangerously premature for a major transmission component. (note- i have a tech video that they sent me of there diagnostic just cant apply to the notes) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Cvt Transmission failed While driving transmission popped and no forward drive leaving us in traffic unable to move in forward. Had to get out and push the car to the side of the road. No warning lights no warning signs. Just immediate loss of forward drive. Engine revs up but no movement. Dangerously leaving us in harms way. Haven't had the vehicle inspected by nissan yet but will be doing so in the next day or so. Vehicle is and will be Available for inspection or assessment at any time.
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. The dealership says that Nissan told them this is normal ans all Nissans do this in Ludington new ones. Mine did not do this when it was new. My daughter has a new Nissn Versa and hers does not do this. The dealership says they can investigate further by re wording the anomaly and will charge me if Nissan says they won't cover it under warranty. Very distressing.
Related recalls
Power train: manual transmission: shift pattern indicator
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 versa vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and manufactured from june 9, 2011, through january 13, 2012 for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114,theft protection. due to interference between the shifter rod and the shift knob, the vehicles may be shifted out of the park position without depressing the brake pedal.
- Risk
- The operator can inadvertently shift the vehicle into gear without the brake pedal being depressed, increasing the risk of a crash or injury to a nearby pedestrian.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the shifter knob or the shifter assembly as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on mearh 5, 2012. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 12V032000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Versa cvt failure
Which Nissan Versa years have cVT failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (47 complaints), 2014 (30 complaints) and 2013 (20 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix CVT failure on the Nissan Versa?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,000 (median of 21 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Nissan Versa?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history