Problems · NHTSA complaints

2023 Nissan Kicks problems

Owners filed 34 complaints about the 2023 Nissan Kicks with NHTSA between Dec 2022 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is forward collision avoidance (11).

Complaints
34
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Forward collision avoidance11
  2. Electrical system8
  3. Engine8
  4. Power train4
  5. Back over prevention4
  6. Service brakes4
  7. Engine and engine cooling2
  8. Lane departure2
  9. Steering2
  10. Vehicle speed control2
  11. Structure2
  12. Visibility/wiper1
  13. Exterior lighting1
  14. Air bags1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20222
20237
20245
20257
202613

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Forward collision avoidance

11 reports1 crash
“My car will just slam on the brakes for no reason at all. The only thing I did different was use the emergency brake the day before when I was on a slope. There is nothing in front of me causing this to happen. I've been to the shop about this before they charge you $190 to put it on a sensor and tell you there's nothing wrong with it that was a good while ago probably a year. It happened again Saturday morning driving home from work I was able to get to the shop today Tuesday morning. I told them I saw online that other people were having this issue. I could not afford to give them another $190 even though they said they could only diagnosis if it would happen while the mechanic was driving it or they could find it on the machine that would cost $190. I have a warranty on this car and I don't feel that it's fair that although they have to know about this issue they still want to charge me and will not even acknowledge that they're aware of this. I told the woman on the phone when I called in Saturday morning for an appointment which by the way they couldn't get me in until Monday anyways, that I had an hour commute to and from work and that if anyone would…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 12, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11737437

Electrical system

8 reports
“The first incident was one week after purchasing the vehicle. All of my maintenance lights flashed on after driving my vehicle for several miles. I pulled over and immediately turned my car off and called my mechanic. He immediately came over and my lights flashed on again. He said for me to take it to the dealership. I did and when I turned off my car to go into the dealership and returned, the lights were off after starting my engine up. It took 3 starts for them to not appear. They refused to service my car since no codes were thrown up. The second incident is much more important. I got off the interstate and was pressing my brake. When I put my foot off the brake and about to push the gas, my engine completely stalled. I had to stop completely and put my car into park and restart my car. Immediately took it to the dealership and had a diagnostics done. They told me it was the battery, but my certified mechanic tested it previously before I took it in. They said nothing else was wrong. Nissan's bulletin applies to 2023 Nissan Kicks and Versa vehicles. If the engine shuts off when coming to a stop, and no DTCs are present, confirm the current ECM part number.…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 10, 2026Electrical system, EngineODI 11763439

Engine

8 reports
“February 2024: The vehicle was in drive and was stopped at a red light. When the traffic light changed the driver pressed the accelerator. The engine/powertrain did not respond, and the vehicle did not move. The driver turned the car off, then back on. The driver was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location and inspected operator level systems. No problems could be found. Benton Nissan in Birmingham, AL evaluated the vehicle and could not find a malfunction record or reproduce the malfunction. Nissan USA was notified and stated the issue was a known problem in engineering review at the time. We stopped receiving any response from their representative in March 2024.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11763129

Power train

4 reports
“September 9, 2026: The vehicle had the same malfunction as in February 2024. The vehicle was in drive and was stopped in a parking lot. When the driver pressed the accelerator there was no response from the engine/powertrain and the vehicle did not move. The ignition was cycled and the vehicle could be moved.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11763136

Back over prevention

4 reports
“The driver side (left) camera seems to be partially out (gets a faint signal in sunlight, fully out at night) and it is unclear how well the saftey features work as a result.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 9, 2026Lane departure, Back over preventionODI 11743070

Service brakes

4 reports1 crash
“Vehicle: 2023 Nissan Kicks SR Incident Detail: On April 1, my son was involved in an auto accident. According to my son, he was traveling at approximately 20–30 mph. Upon approaching slowed traffic, my son applied the service brakes; however, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. To mitigate the impact, my son veered to the right. Despite this evasive maneuver, the front-left side of the Nissan Kicks struck the rear-right bumper of the lead vehicle. My son was only able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by engaging the emergency brake. Notably, despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. This incident could have resulted in serious bodily injury or death for all involved and cause significant property damage and anxiety. The highway patrol was on scene and working on a full investigation. No warning lights appeared during the incident. The incident occurred 2 days ago and has not been inspected yet. The vehicle is available for inspection.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 3, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceCrash reportedODI 11729021
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.