Research · Compact Cars

2012 Nissan VersaRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 11 safety recalls and 486 owner complaints for the 2012 Nissan Versa. Most complaints involve air bags (167) and power train (163). The EPA rates it 27–33 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 4 stars overall.

Combined MPG
27–33mpg
EPA · 5 versions
NHTSA overall
4of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
11campaigns
Latest Aug 2022
Owner complaints
486
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$1,900est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

11 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, and both driver and passenger-side inflators designed to fit 2007-2012 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback vehicles. Please see Nissan's recall report for the specific part numbers. These replacement inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Aug 9, 2022NHTSA 22E066000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2011-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Nissan is also recalling 2010-2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2010-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jun 15, 2018NHTSA 18V401000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 Versa Hatchback, and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Nissan is also recalling certain 2009 Versa Hatchback and Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 10, 2018NHTSA 18V044000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 7, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

486 complaints filed with NHTSA · Oct 2011 – Jan 2026
  1. Air bags167
  2. Power train163
  3. Engine50
  4. Electrical system34
  5. Vehicle speed control33
  6. Service brakes29
  7. Suspension28
  8. Steering24
  9. Structure18

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

By model year

Complaints for each Versa model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2007354
2008381
2009504
2010269
2011269
2012486
2013204
2014343
2015255
2016110
201772
201860
201925
202064
202132
202220
202337
202497
202513
Crashes reported
40
Fires reported
6
Injuries reported
31
Deaths reported
1
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

167 reports28 crashes1 fire
“The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the horn failed to function while needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised the contact to reach out to the local dealer because the failure might be due to a possible air bag failure. The local dealer advised the contact to reach out to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the manufacturer related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign that was possibly associated with the VIN in the past. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 27, 2025Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11638727

Power train

163 reports4 crashes1 fire
“The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the RPM was revving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic determined that the transmission had failed. An unknown repair was completed; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she had stopped driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 24, 2023Power trainODI 11518694

Engine

50 reports2 crashes2 fires
“My car keeps having sensors go out. Such as the tire pressure sensor and fuel compression sensor I think is what they called it anyways. They start to go up a hill. And my car loses all speed and slows way down my traction control. Don't turn on when it's supposed to. And needs to my cruise control, quit working when this went out. And my engines started sounding louder, which is weird because it's the one variable transmission. I love this car. I really. I'm tired of replacing sensors, though. Why do they keep going out? I kind of need those sensors to keep the carving good and the tire sensor lets me know if my tires are going flat or not. And I don't know now. I have to constantly be checking my tires with it. Pressure gauge also May I ask how to find out value? I found out the Carla. I'm buying this from has charged me 3 times more than it's claimed value that carmax says it's worth Which honestly I love this car so much? It really doesn't bother me that they did. But at the same time, I'm having to spend all this money getting it fixed. Because things keep going out. Online it says that it's only worth maybe 6000 I'm paying almost 15000 plus I've paid out…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 30, 2026Unknown or other, Engine, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11714475
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

5 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Compact Cars
Engines
1.6L 4-cyl · 1.8L 4-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Manual 5-spd · Manual 6-spd · Automatic 4-spd
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 7, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Versa
Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.6 L · Front-Wheel Drive
303733$1,900269
Versa
Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.8 L · Front-Wheel Drive
283330$2,100296
Versa
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.6 L · Front-Wheel Drive
273530$2,100296
Versa
Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L · Front-Wheel Drive
263128$2,200317
Versa
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L · Front-Wheel Drive
243127$2,300329
  • Versa
    Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.6 L
    30 city · 37 hwy · $1,900/yr
    33
    mpg comb.
  • Versa
    Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.8 L
    28 city · 33 hwy · $2,100/yr
    30
    mpg comb.
  • Versa
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.6 L
    27 city · 35 hwy · $2,100/yr
    30
    mpg comb.
  • Versa
    Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L
    26 city · 31 hwy · $2,200/yr
    28
    mpg comb.
  • Versa
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L
    24 city · 31 hwy · $2,300/yr
    27
    mpg comb.
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 7, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
Overall rating
4/ 5
4 of 5
Nissan Versa 4 DR FWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
4 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
14.7%
Overall
— / 5
Nissan Versa 5 HB FWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
Not rated
Side pole
Not rated
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
14.0%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 7, 2026Vehicle 6158Vehicle 6157
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2012 Versa questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Nissan Versa have?

11 safety recalls as of Nov 7, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2012 Nissan Versa problems?

Owners filed 486 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (167), power train (163), engine (50). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2012 Nissan Versa get?

The EPA rates the 2012 Nissan Versa at 27–33 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (5 versions rated).

How safe is the 2012 Nissan Versa?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2012 Nissan Versa 4 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 7, 2026