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2021 Nissan Kicks

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Nissan Kicks do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 37.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 6 of 76 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Structure. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

76 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 3, 2026
Engine

Engine light keeps coming on, just had 1 camshaft changed.

NHTSA ODI #11761804

Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2026
Unknown Or Other

The rear door actuator on the passenger side failed causing the door to not be able to unlock electronically. This is particularly concerning as this is the side we would put our infant child on and we would be unable to access in an emergency. The dealership was not helpful in addressing this issue with Nissan corporate. We are…

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The rear door actuator on the passenger side failed causing the door to not be able to unlock electronically. This is particularly concerning as this is the side we would put our infant child on and we would be unable to access in an emergency. The dealership was not helpful in addressing this issue with Nissan corporate. We are extremely concerned that this issue occured and concerned that the dealership does not appear to be willing to help bring this issue to corporate. I already reached out to nissan consumer affairs to report this issue but wanted to bring this issue to the attention of relevant safety organizations as I am not sure if it is a larger issue.

NHTSA ODI #11758421

Mileage unknown · Aug 14, 2026
Power TrainSteeringWheels

I had a noise and highway vibration in my 2021 Nissan Kicks. Brought it to the dealer and was told the front axle nut was loose. They said it is a common issue. There is a TSB on it but I believe it is a safety issue due to it being a loose axle nut and vibration

NHTSA ODI #11756958

Mileage unknown · Jul 25, 2026
Power Train

The CVT transmission is slipping and losing acceleration while driving, overheating and smelling really bad like burnt rubber, the oil is black and smells burnt, its currently at 52,100 miles and I sent it up to Chuck Colvin Nissan and they did not fix my car, they drove it back to me and when I test drove it myself it broke dow…

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The CVT transmission is slipping and losing acceleration while driving, overheating and smelling really bad like burnt rubber, the oil is black and smells burnt, its currently at 52,100 miles and I sent it up to Chuck Colvin Nissan and they did not fix my car, they drove it back to me and when I test drove it myself it broke down on the side of the road and I had to sit for 30 minutes for it to cool off before driving home

NHTSA ODI #11752854

Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2026
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrash

I was involved in a pile up on the highway, upon impact, my seatbelt and my daughter’s seat belt popped off. My sons however, remained intact. The air bags did not go off.

NHTSA ODI #11748928

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2026
Power Train

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.

NHTSA ODI #11747575

Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2026
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

My CVT transmission has stopped working. At no time during taking it to Nissan dealerships to have oil changes in basic maintenance was it ever suggested to do a filter or fluid change on my transmission although Nissan transmissions are sold to consumers as locked and maintenance free it is a well-known fact that I've come to f…

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My CVT transmission has stopped working. At no time during taking it to Nissan dealerships to have oil changes in basic maintenance was it ever suggested to do a filter or fluid change on my transmission although Nissan transmissions are sold to consumers as locked and maintenance free it is a well-known fact that I've come to find out that this is a very incorrect statement and fluid and filters do need change every 30 to 50,000 miles or it will cause severe damage to one's transmission which is what it occurred to me on my 2021 Nissan kicks. Also all my safety features that told me if I was outside of a lane or anything like that would go off and not work properly tell me that it was wet conditions when it wasn't tell me I was going to crash when I wasn't even near anything. This occurred before the transmission completely bottomed out.

NHTSA ODI #11743903

108,000 miles · Jun 2, 2026
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while her boyfriend was driving approximately 35 MPH, the hood unexpectedly flew open, hit and cracked the windshield. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road and pushed down the hood. The driver continued driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent m…

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The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while her boyfriend was driving approximately 35 MPH, the hood unexpectedly flew open, hit and cracked the windshield. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road and pushed down the hood. The driver continued driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the hood latch was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was waiting to hear back the auto warranty company. The dealer was contacted and referred the contact to an autobody repair shop for assistance. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 108,000.

NHTSA ODI #11741518

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other

Immediately after turning car on and putting it on Drive gear, the collision light and traction light on dashboard came on and a message “Malfunction See Owner’s Manual” came on too. As I tried to get out of my parking garage it was little hard to accelerate. I turned my car off for a few seconds, the collision/traction engine l…

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Immediately after turning car on and putting it on Drive gear, the collision light and traction light on dashboard came on and a message “Malfunction See Owner’s Manual” came on too. As I tried to get out of my parking garage it was little hard to accelerate. I turned my car off for a few seconds, the collision/traction engine light turned off, but check engine light turned on. I had battery checked by AAA who confirmed battery is still in good condition. Took vehicle to auto zone to scan and was notified about got code “P0101” Air filter is changed with every oil change, maintenance has been kept up as well.

NHTSA ODI #11734187

Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2026
Visibility/wiper

The air conditioning system failed due to a suspected A/C compressor failure. No warning lights were present. The failure occurred around June 2025 at approximately 60,000 miles and resulted in complete loss of cabin cooling. The issue poses a safety risk due to extreme interior heat and reduced driver comfort and alertness, esp…

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The air conditioning system failed due to a suspected A/C compressor failure. No warning lights were present. The failure occurred around June 2025 at approximately 60,000 miles and resulted in complete loss of cabin cooling. The issue poses a safety risk due to extreme interior heat and reduced driver comfort and alertness, especially during summer weather. The vehicle is available for inspection, and a dealership diagnostic is pending.

NHTSA ODI #11731965

Official recalls

2

23V496000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Jul 18, 2023

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code and replace the steering column assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PMA26. This recall involves vehicles that were previously inspected, but did not receive a steering column replacement, under recall number 22V-693. These vehicles will need to be reinspected for this recall.

22V693000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Sep 15, 2022

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021 Versa and Kicks vehicles. An intermittent electrical connection in the electric power steering (EPS) torque sensor can disable the power steering assist.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Loss of power steering assist can increase the steering effort required, especially at low speeds, and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the steering column torque sensor lot code, and replace the column, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 9, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PMA10 / PMA25.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.