2016 NISSAN VERSA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
108
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
6
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
The 2016 NISSAN VERSA has received a total of 108 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. 6 technical service bulletins have been issued by Nissan North America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (19 complaints), Power Train (17 complaints), and Unknown Or Other (15 complaints).
Recalls for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
108 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 19 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Power Train | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Steering | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lightingbrake Lights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Trainautomatic Transmissioninternalcvt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Service Brakes Hydraulic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tirestreadbelt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Controlthrottlethrottle Position Sensor Tps | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywindshield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
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.
There is a shutter leaving 1st gear
The airbag warning light has come on and is flashing.Brought it in twice for it was in diagnosis mode the first time. History mode second time and two days later it is on again and flashing that is three times in one month! Nissan needs to have this problem fixed!
My Check Airbag light came on without any incident and has stayed on since January, 2025. I took it to a Nissan dealer and they told me they would charge me $4,000.00 to see if it could be fixed. Charged me $209.96 just to look at the car. Their report said AIRBAG SIDE MODULE LH FAULTY. I am very uneasy now driving around not knowing if my airbag will deploy if ever needed. It is now July, 2025 and I cannot afford putting out this kind of money for the airbag light. I am a [XXX] over [XXX]. Can anyone help? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I own a 2016 Nissan Versa, and the air conditioning system has completely failed due to what I’ve been told is an evaporator core issue. After researching, I’ve found that this is a very common problem among Versa owners across multiple model years. The failure causes extreme heat in the cabin, especially in summer months, and creates a serious distraction and discomfort while driving. It becomes physically exhausting and mentally draining, even leading to dizziness or loss of focus — which I believe is a potential safety hazard. Nissan has not issued a recall or acknowledged the issue, despite the large number of owners reporting the same problem. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this as a potential pattern of manufacturer defect. The heat exposure is more than an inconvenience — it’s a daily health and safety risk. PLEASE look into this!!!!!
Safety Rating for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
The 2016 NISSAN VERSA received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
Nissan North America, Inc. has issued 6 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
NTB17-034k — EQUIPMENT
2013-2017 VERSA SEDAN, AND 2014-2017 VERSA NOTE; CVT JUDDER AND/OR P0746/P0965/P17F0/P0846 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-034k — POWER TRAIN
2013-2017 VERSA SEDAN, AND 2014-2017 VERSA NOTE; CVT JUDDER AND/OR P0746/P0965/P17F0/P0846 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB18-049 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2012 ? 2017 VERSA SEDAN; ECM REPROGRAM INTRODUCTION Nissan is conducting this voluntary service campaign on certain specific model year 2012-2017 Versa Sedan vehicles that are currently registered in the states of Arizona or Nevada. The Engine Control Module (ECM) software will be reprogrammed. This service will...
NTB17-041a — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ADDITIONAL SERVICE WHEN REPLACING CONTROL VALVE OR TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). This bulletin has been amended. Changes have been made throughout. It is necessary for you to read this revised procedure to properly perform this action. Please discard all previous...
NTB17-034d — POWER TRAIN
2014-2017 SENTRA AND VERSA SEDAN, AND 2015-2017 VERSA NOTE; CVT JUDDER AND/OR P0746/P0965 STORED This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This bulletin has been amended to update Table B and make changes to pages 2, 6, 9 and 10. Please discard previous versions of...
NTB13-099E — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
Audio Ulnit Replacement - Vehicles with color display audio and navigation system
NHTSA Investigations for the 2016 NISSAN VERSA
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the NISSAN VERSA
- 2011 NISSAN VERSA — 325 complaints
- 2012 NISSAN VERSA — 672 complaints
- 2013 NISSAN VERSA — 293 complaints
- 2014 NISSAN VERSA — 300 complaints
- 2015 NISSAN VERSA — 259 complaints
- 2016 NISSAN VERSA (current)
- 2017 NISSAN VERSA — 93 complaints
- 2018 NISSAN VERSA — 82 complaints
- 2019 NISSAN VERSA — 39 complaints
- 2020 NISSAN VERSA — 106 complaints
- 2021 NISSAN VERSA — 47 complaints
Other NISSAN Models
- NISSAN ALTIMA — 20,037 total complaints
- NISSAN PATHFINDER — 10,111 total complaints
- NISSAN ROGUE — 9,608 total complaints
- NISSAN MAXIMA — 8,834 total complaints
- NISSAN SENTRA — 8,129 total complaints
- NISSAN MURANO — 7,410 total complaints
- NISSAN FRONTIER — 4,425 total complaints
- NISSAN TITAN — 4,412 total complaints