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Problems with 2012 Nissan Versa POWER TRAIN

On average, the 2012 Nissan Versa starts to “feel” problems with the POWER TRAIN and its various aspects after 74 315 miles.

Components Affected by POWER TRAIN Issues

We have classified the 128 complaints from 2012 Nissan Versa about POWER TRAIN into the following categories.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 1

Recently reported POWER TRAIN problems on 2012 Nissan Versa

My transmission started to make clunk noises as i would decelerate and the car would jolt while doing that. i took the car too a nissan dealer and they confirmed there was an issue with my transmission. they also said my transmission fluid was completely black. after a few hours, nissan finally approved a new transmission after they refused to the first time. *tr

While driving at 65mph on highway, my car started jerking and felt like it was losing power. while driving on the streets it also feels like it loses power. when it jerks i do notice that the gage of the rpm fluctuates. my car currently has a little over 48000 miles on it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. while driving 45 mph, the contact's vehicle inadvertently shifted from drive into neutral before stalling. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and it operated normally. the contact also stated that the vehicle shifted into park while driving. when the vehicle stalled, all the warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to southern 441 nissan (9405 southern blvd, royal palm beach, fl 33411, (561) 249-4254) where it was diagnosed with a transmission failure, which caused the vehicle to shift without depressing the brake pedal. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact researched the failure online and found nhtsa campaign number: 12v032000 (power train). the contact was unsure if the vehicle was previously repaired per the recall. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

The car will not shift from park without using the override. i took into the dealer and was told that this part was not under warranty. investigating this, which i should have done before purchasing the vehicle, i see nothing but complaints lodged about the cvt and that the shifter assembly had been recalled for the reverse of my issue. the dealer basically told me that it is a common issue but really not their problem but for a grand they would be happy to repair it. seems to me that nissan has an issue with the assembly and the transmission that they need to address. absolutely ridiculous to have a car that is 2 years old and is inoperable. *tr

Driving back from brooklyn to long island on parkway, approx mph 50 car slows down and stalls coming to a complete stop. shut off car put in park, turn it back on, cars moves extremely slow though i am accelerating on gas pedal. seems transmission is not engaging in any gears( automatic tran). being about 6 miles from home, have to shut car off approx. every 5 blocks to get car moving again. on parkway almost get rear ended numerous times as car continued to stall. spouse in car, thank god children not. as previous complaint air bags dont deploy adding to a sure death or serious injury to anyone in vehicle! i have no other car to transport us to work, doctors or our daily responsibilities. *js

I purchased a 2012 nissan versa from henderson nissan on 7/6/14. here is everything i've been through: 7/24/14- entire transmission replaced after my car lost complete power in the middle of an intersection on the las vegas strip. (had 58,658 miles) 5/28/15- ip cover recall. 11/16/15- transmission replaced again! along with a factory recall. (had 73,918 miles) 7/22/16- ecm software was updated. (had 83,354 miles) 7/26/16- locking system now out. (had 83,400 miles) the car had 39k miles when i purchased it. it now has 86k miles and the transmission is going out again! as soon as my warranty ends, i'm screwed! each time the transmission has gone out, i've lost power on the car. it just dies no matter how slow you are going. the first time i was in motion. the second time i was stationary thankfully! i reported this to nissan's affairs dept. and got no where!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the contact slightly touched the gear shifter mechanism and the lever moved into the neutral without the brake pedal being depressed. the failure recurred twice. the contact stated that the vin was not included in the nhtsa campaign number: 12v032000 (power train). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

Transmission failed and needs to be replace. nissan refuses to repair since the car is only 7000 miles outside the warranty. the 2007-2010 versa had the same issues and warranty was extended to 120,000 miles its the same car same model and was told by nissan that they are unable to cover repairs since i purchase the vehicle with a warranty at 60,000. when ask how long is the transmission suppose to last on 2012 nissan versa the answer was " i don't know that's a rhetorical question." the versus are experiencing the same issues and nissan refuses to fix or pay to repair a defected car. *tr

I was getting ready to back my versa into a parking space. i had my foot on the brake when i shifted the car into reverse the car engine revved up, brakes failed, and the car flew backwards into a wall causing considerable damage to the back end of the car. this could have been deadly if i was backing out of the parking space and not into it. once i hit the wall the brakes came back on. since the dealer was unable to replicate the incident they said it never happened. they also told me that it was impossible for the brakes to fail as they are a cable system. i also contacted nissan motor corp directly and was told this was not a warranty issue and i would have to go through my insurance and pay the deductible. i had mentioned to the nissan dealer previously that i thought the brakes were funny prior to this incident as they would routinely go to the floor if i was traveling at slow speeds. i was told this was normal operation. *js

Transmission failed and needs to be replaced. this versa was part of the recall for transmission safety. nissan refuses to cover the replacement because it was 4000 miles outside of the warranty. i do not believe all the kinks are worked out. i recommend not purchasing a nissan. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. while driving at approximately 10 mph, the fuel pedal was depressed but the vehicle would not accelerate. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 28,000. the vin was unavailable.

This is a followup to nhtsa id number: 10565392: the morning of march 21, 2014, my dad died. i found out at about noon, went home to make plane reservations and pack, then drove to the nearest airport, about an hour and a half away, mostly interstate. less than an hour in, i started having trouble, so i stopped to eat lunch and let the cvt cool. shortly after i started out again, one exit before the airport exit, the car suddenly dropped to 40mph -- in a 70mph zone -- and kept losing power. i had barely enough power to get off the freeway and coast into a gas station. i had it towed to a nissan dealer, rented a car, rescheduled my flight for the next day, and booked a room in a hotel. i was gone for over a week. it took a whole week for the dealer just to get permission to replace the cvt after the mechanic "pulled cvt oil pan and found excessive metal shavings in pan and inside transmission", so i had to rent another car to get home and to work the next few days. the invoice only said "all nissan genuine parts carry a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty", so i asked if that was the case for the cvt as well. the response was so outrageous, i asked for it in writing. i was told that, if i had bought an suv, the cvt would be warrantied for 120,000 miles, but as i owned a versa, it was only warrantied for 20.5 months or 60,000 miles, whichever came first. i had only had the car for about 1.5 years before the original cvt started to go. it died at 2 years 4 months and 34,167 miles, which means this cvt is warrantied to last less time and mileage than the original. it also means the car is intended to last less than the 5 years it will have taken to pay off the loan. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the crank shaft seals needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not aware of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 41,457.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate when shifting. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was advised that the accelerator pedal was the cause of failure. there were unknown repairs made to the vehicle however, the failure persisted. the dealer then replaced the transmission but also to no avail. the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the manufacturer to inquire of nhtsa campaign id number: 12v032000 (power train) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. the manufacturer declined to provide any further assistance to the contact. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 55,000.

I was driving 75 mph (the speed limit) on as flat stretch of tx190 when the vehicle suddenly lost power. i was only able to keep it at 60mph by pressing the accelerator to the floor. i was only able to resume normal driving speed by taking my foot off the accelerator and then pressing it to the floor again. i've owned this car for 2 years and have had problems with this car for the last 8 months. it started with a hesitation and squeal when i lightly touched the accelerator to adjust my speed at freeway speeds. two months ago it started hesitate-surge behavior, like it was searching for the right gear, at freeway speed limits or when accelerating to freeway or city speed limits. sometimes it's so strong i'm afraid i'm going to lose control of the vehicle. from what i've read online, nissan has had problems with its cvt for years, yet i've been unable to get 3 nissan dealers in 3 different towns to service this problem. one said they couldn't reproduce the problem. the other two wouldn't even give me an appointment. they basically said this is just how this transmission works, live with it. i have this incident and others on dashcam footage. *tr

January 2nd i was asked to jumpstart a vehicle in my driveway. approximately 5 minutes later my nissan versa, with less than 33000 miles, caught on fire. the cables were hooked up correctly. prior to this incident and at least three times, i had complained of a burning smell after highway driving. i was told by my insurance company, i should bring it to a nissan dealer where a licensed nissan mechanic could determine the cause of the fire. when the dealer neglected to do so, nissan north america was called in to do an inspection. they completed their inspection and would not cover the expense or release the report to me or the nissan dealer. they opted to keep the information undercover. i believe it is related to the recall on the shifter recall. this may have caused the torque converter to leak and the engine to catch on fire. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact was driving approximately 68 mph when the vehicle suddenly began to erroneously accelerate and decelerate before stalling. the vehicle was diagnosed at the dealer but no repairs were performed. the contact was informed by the dealer that the cvt internal clutch was damaged. the manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Nissan versa 2012. this is my second cvt transmission replacement. i received the first transmission replacement in december 2013 and it has broken again in may 2014. the vehicle got stuck in gear and would not shift. it accelerated and decelerated without my foot on the gas pedal. the vehicle made front end noises and pops like it was going to fall apart. it's very unsafe to drive. the airbag and check engine lights came on. i took my car to the dealer and got the run around. don' t know what caused the problems and need more time to run test. the second transmission is under warranty and the dealer gave me every excuse to not fix my car. i was told, by the dealer, after seven days of waiting on repairs, that they (dealer) were waiting for a response from nissan headquarters to run test. fix my vehicle and run all the test you want but not at my sacrifice. the dealer said that they could not help me with a rental until nissan gave the dealer an answer as far as what test to run and if to repair the vehicle, which is under warranty. the dealer just said, sorry but we can't do anything. it wasn't until nine days later that the dealer gave me a rental car, only, after my dad lit the fire. i was inconvenienced getting off work, very late hours, with no transportation. i informed the dealer about my late night dangerous experiences. it should not take, let's see, i'm on day twelve as of this complaint to fix a warranty problem. these cvt transmissions have been a long, ongoing problem with nissan. this is a nightmare for all nissan owners and nissan should be held accountable for knowing about these issues and ignoring their issues. nissan puts the blame on the car owners so that they can pay. this is wrong. very disappointed in a reputable company. no longer reputable for me.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. while driving various speeds and attempting to accelerate by depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate and would decelerate instead without warning. when the failure occurred on 11/25/2013, the vehicle was taken to kelly nissan of route 3 (3830 easton-nazareth hwy, easton, pa 18045 (610) 258-8600) where it was diagnosed that the continuously variable transmission (cvt) needed replacement. the vehicle was repaired. on 7/31/2014, while the vehicle was undergoing a routine oil change at town center nissan (2310 barrett lakes blvd, kennesaw, ga 30144 (866) 799-4725), the technician stated that the cvt needed replacement. the part was not replaced. the manufacturer stated that they could not assist because the power train was out of warranty. the contact stated that the failure recently recurred on 7/10/2017. the vehicle was taken don franklin auto mall (3380 richmond rd, lexington, ky 40509 (859) 263-5020) where it was diagnosed that the cvt needed replacement. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact mentioned that the failure persisted intermittently ever since the cvt was replaced in november of 2013. the contact stated that the manufacturer was notified once again of the failure, but did not assist. the failure mileage in november of 2013 was approximately 49,000.

I put my car into reverse and was unable to depress the brake pedal and had to put the car in park to get it to stop while nearly hitting another vehicle. the low lights also have to available settings but one doesn't work so it stays the same no matter which one you put it on. also why would i have an oil leak at 35,000 miles. my whole transmission apparently needed to be changed due to a broken or missing cap. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred on two occasions. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired twice but the failure recurred after each repair. the approximate failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 19,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a residential driveway, the vehicle shifted out of park and into reverse independently. as a result, the vehicle rolled away in reverse and crashed into a tree. there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, but they could not diagnose the cause of the failure. the vehicle was repaired for the body damages but not the shifting failure. the manufacturer was not notified of the incident. the failure mileage was 2,000.

(1) the car was parked, turned on engine, and attempted to go in reverse to pull out of parking lot; however, the engine just revs. the gear shifts but when in reverse nothing happens. had to put in neutral and physically push the car to move it. (2) driving on the freeway the engine speeds up and slows down. ****this was an enterprise rental, will be returning to the company today, and have already notified them of the issue.. 844 w. san marcos blvd. #112, san marcos california. phone (760) 591-4120.**** *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when it rolled backwards and crashed into a wall and another vehicle. there were no injuries. the vehicle was not destroyed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, but the failure was unknown. the manufacturer was notified and they took a report. the contact was also given a case number. the failure mileage was 3,000.

2012 nissan versa. consumer writes in regards to several issues with vehicle and quality *tgw the consumer stated the defroster was a major concern. in order to turn on the defroster, he must turn the knob to defrost, but also slide the horizontal switch underneath the dash to defrost as well. then, he had to turn the driver and passenger side vents toward the glass, all while operating the vehicle. the defroster worked fair at best. it only eliminated about half the fog on the front windshield and none on the rear windshield and side windows. half the time, when the consumer attempted to turn off the vehicle, the key did not want to come out of the ignition. he would have to jiggle the key and the shift knob to get the key out. the auto door locks did not unlock when he put the vehicle in park. the vehicle had to be turned off in order for the auto doors to unlock. also, the transmission would emit a loud bang, when the consumer put the vehicle in reverse. *jb

2012 nissan versa. consumer writes in regards to repair recall repairs *tgw the consumer was informed the recall did not apply to her vehicle. recall # 12v032000

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that the key was unable to be removed from the ignition. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technicians were unable to duplicate the failure. the technician did however advised the contact that the gear shifter could possibly have been moving slightly into reverse while parked, interfering with the removal of the key. the contact was unaware of the specific repairs that would be performed to the vehicle but she believed a plastic piece in the gear shifter assembly would be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 350. updated 02/15/12*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. 02/17/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated the gear was not locking in park tight enough; therefore, it began to shift into other gears whether the key was is in the ignition or not. the key also could not be removed from the ignition when the engine was turned off or on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer previously for twenty days where they inspected the failure and replaced the shift assembly; however, the failure continued to occur. the manufacturer was notified and the contact requested they buy the vehicle back but the manufacturer refused and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 1,037 and the current mileage was 1, 217.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph approaching a traffic signal with the brake engaged, the vehicle jerked with force in reverse for a few seconds. the brake pedal was applied repeatedly before coming to a stop. the identical failure occurred twice. currently, the vehicle was being diagnosed at an authorized dealer and the data recorder would be used to determine the cause of failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 78.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan versa. the contact stated that the vehicle rpm idles high but the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was engaged. the contact mentioned that the brakes made a grinding noise when the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 1 and the current mileage was 14,000.

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