2018 Nissan Kicks Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 26

“2018 Nissan Kicks evap system has holes in it from Freon that causes the Freon to leak out. The required Freon is contributing to the holes being made in the aluminum evap. It leaks out and the air blows hot. Is there any help with a recall or repair. I was quoted $4000 to fix. Possible lemon laws. If you research on google. The Kicks are notorious for this problem. The mechanics I talked to laughed or knew all about this problem before even looking at it.”
NHTSA complaint #11742963, 2026

“P0101 Mass air flow sensor code keeping appearing after repairing it. It causes the car to stall and shut off frequently on its own.”
NHTSA complaint #11655900, 2025

“I was driving in traffic in a 30mph zone and my car turned off, and I was unable to push down on the brakes. I had to use my emergency brake a could hardly turn my wheel and stop in the center divider of the road. I turned on my hazards and waited 15 minutes and was able to restart the car a drive home. This was very dangerous and could have caused an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11553121, 2023

Electrical System 23

“Radio skips songs back and forth randomly, and now radio screen and buttons are block.”
NHTSA complaint #11721890, 2026

“The p0101 code has been going on and off of this car since purchase (3 years) the MAF sensor has been replaced twice and the check engine light comes back on after just a few days each time. This poses a safety risk because the car stops at stop lights and turns off, the car shakes at idle, the car refuses to accelerate risking pulling out in front of another car without being able to accelerate. The check engine light comes on and off and the traction control light as well, its so random and the only fix is to "change the sensor" which does not fix it because it happens again immediately afte…”
NHTSA complaint #11716621, 2026

“The Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to idle roughly, stall unexpectedly, and trigger continuous beeping. During the failure, the power steering locked, making it extremely difficult to steer and creating a serious safety hazard for myself and others on the road. The issue was reproduced and confirmed by a service center, and the sensor was replaced by a Nissan dealership with the system reset/rebooted. However, despite this repair, the vehicle has again begun experiencing the same symptoms, including rough idling, stalling, beeping, and loss of steering control. T…”
NHTSA complaint #11687188, 2025

Engine 21

“Vehicle experienced sudden engine stall/shutdown after warning indicators illuminated. While driving at low speed, the ABS warning light, front collision warning light, and check engine light appeared. After placing the vehicle in Park, the engine shut off unexpectedly. Vehicle would then restart but stall again within several seconds. This created a serious safety concern because the vehicle could lose power unexpectedly in traffic or while entering an intersection, reducing ability to accelerate, steer safely with traffic flow, or avoid a collision. OBD diagnostic codes retrieved were P010…”
NHTSA complaint #11732218, 2026

“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and lost motive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions and was diagnosed with airflow sensor failure. The contact was informed that the airflow sensor needed to be replaced. The airflow sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and again diagnosed with a failed airflow sensor that…”
NHTSA complaint #11729769, 2026

“When put in park car started idling rough and then stalled. Engine light, collision warning light, and traction control light came on. Code scanned as a P0101 code.”
NHTSA complaint #11725369, 2026

Forward Collision Avoidance 19

“When put in park car started idling rough and then stalled. Engine light, collision warning light, and traction control light came on. Code scanned as a P0101 code.”
NHTSA complaint #11725369, 2026

“Intermittently for the last year, car will show 3 dash lights: 1. AEB light 2. Slip indicator light 3. Master warning light When this occurs, the car can be slow to accelerate. When the three lights are on, the problem will persist until the engine is shut off for a period of several minutes. It does not occur every time the car is driven. In the last 3 months, there have been 3-4 instances where the check engine light has come on as well. The code every time has been P1010 or no code displayed. We tried changing out the MAF sensor with a third party part, and the issue occurred even m…”
NHTSA complaint #11717137, 2026

“For over a year, I have experienced repeated failures of the front radar system, specially during rain or wet weather, when it rains the vehicle displays multiple warning such as: "Front radar unavailable" "automatic emergency braking unavailable" "Front sensor malfunction" This disable essentials safety systems, including the automatic emergency breaking (AEB) and forward collision warning, the Nissan Dealership has attempted several repairs, but the malfunction continues every time it rains, Because this is a critical safety issue that affect the vehicle braking and collision-avoidance and m…”
NHTSA complaint #11703524, 2025

Service Brakes 15 1 crash

“WITHIN THE FIRST 300 MILES THE SENSORS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SIDE SENSORS. THE THE FRONT SENSOR RELATING TO THE AEB STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. I NOW HAVE 6000 MILES ON THE CAR IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF SHOP WITH NO CLEAR SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE FRONT SENSOR, BUT WITHIN 24 HOURS IT WAS MALFUNCTIONING AGAIN. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT 6 DAYS AGO, THE AEB DID NOT ENGAGE, THE SENSORS DID NOT ENGAGE. WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED (2 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) IT WAS DRIZZLING, BUT I WAS STATIONARY WHEN SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED. IT WOULD ALSO MALFUNCTION ON A DRY…”
NHTSA complaint #11156033, 2018 · crash

“Intermittently for the last year, car will show 3 dash lights: 1. AEB light 2. Slip indicator light 3. Master warning light When this occurs, the car can be slow to accelerate. When the three lights are on, the problem will persist until the engine is shut off for a period of several minutes. It does not occur every time the car is driven. In the last 3 months, there have been 3-4 instances where the check engine light has come on as well. The code every time has been P1010 or no code displayed. We tried changing out the MAF sensor with a third party part, and the issue occurred even m…”
NHTSA complaint #11717137, 2026

“All brake failure warning lights remain on while driving and ABS no longer works. It is a very common safety failure that Nissan is making a small fortune on. It is a definate safety item.”
NHTSA complaint #11713616, 2026

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 12 1 crash

“WITHIN THE FIRST 300 MILES THE SENSORS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SIDE SENSORS. THE THE FRONT SENSOR RELATING TO THE AEB STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. I NOW HAVE 6000 MILES ON THE CAR IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF SHOP WITH NO CLEAR SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE FRONT SENSOR, BUT WITHIN 24 HOURS IT WAS MALFUNCTIONING AGAIN. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT 6 DAYS AGO, THE AEB DID NOT ENGAGE, THE SENSORS DID NOT ENGAGE. WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED (2 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) IT WAS DRIZZLING, BUT I WAS STATIONARY WHEN SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED. IT WOULD ALSO MALFUNCTION ON A DRY…”
NHTSA complaint #11156033, 2018 · crash

“THE FRONT SENSOR FOR COALITION CONTINUOUS GOES OFF, SNOW. SLEET, RAIN, AND NOW WHEN ITS SUNNY OUT. I'VE HAD THIS CAR FOR LESS THEN 6 MONTHS AND IT HAD STOP WORKING 23 TIMES.”
NHTSA complaint #11337307, 2020

“FRONT SENSOR FOR THE VEHICAL KEEPS STATING THAT THE SENSOR IS OBSTRUCTED. THE EXTERIOR OF THE CAR HAS BEEN CLEANED AND LOOKED AT BY THE DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AND REFUSE TO DO SO, DUE TO THE CLAIM THAT RAIN AND BUGS ARE THE CAUSE OF SETTING OFF THE SENSOR. THE SENSOR HAS BEEN GOING OFF SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN AUGUST OF 2018.”
NHTSA complaint #11318069, 2020

Power Train 8

“I was driving on the road like normal and suddenly I got a front collision warning on the dash, the car wouldn’t accelerate and lost all power. Check engine light also came on with code reading P0101. I’ve had this issue before and the dealer doesn’t know what to do or they want to charge me a lot of money to fix it. I’ve read online many many people having the same issue. Luckily this hasn’t happened on the highway but if it does happen it could be catastrophic”
NHTSA complaint #11670107, 2025

“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle occasionally experienced reduction in automotive power with the "System Malfunction" message displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the battery had been replaced twice however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11672377, 2024

“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while trying to place the vehicle into reverse(R) the gear shifter failed to move. The contact turned off the vehicle and on several occasions the contact had to wait for over 20 minutes before the shift lever would move into reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure started as an intermittent failure but was now constant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed due to a fee being charged. The vehicle had not b…”
NHTSA complaint #11497771, 2022

Fuel/Propulsion System 4

“The p0101 code has been going on and off of this car since purchase (3 years) the MAF sensor has been replaced twice and the check engine light comes back on after just a few days each time. This poses a safety risk because the car stops at stop lights and turns off, the car shakes at idle, the car refuses to accelerate risking pulling out in front of another car without being able to accelerate. The check engine light comes on and off and the traction control light as well, its so random and the only fix is to "change the sensor" which does not fix it because it happens again immediately afte…”
NHTSA complaint #11716621, 2026

“Code P0101 comes up which indicates an issue with the car’s MAF system triggering a check engine light. This is widely known to be a software issue and is chronic in many Nissan Kick’s manufactured around 2018-2020. This is a faulty error code and ends up visiting consumers hundreds of dollars to repair and almost always returns despite actions being taken to repair the issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11682015, 2025

“I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO CALL IT., THE CAR WILL TURN COMPLETE OFF WHEN DRIVING AND IT WILL ALSO HAVE THE CRASH LIGHT COME ON ALMOST ALL THE TIME ALONG WITH THE CAR WITH THE WIGGLE LIGHT COME ON. ALSO YOU CAN SMELL GAS WHEN YOU PUT GAS IN THE TANK REAL HEAVY FUME.....I BROUGHT THIS CAR ON OCT 1 2022., I EXPLAIN TO THE DEALER SHIP THE SAME THING THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING SINCE I BROUGHT THE CAR FROM THE USED CARD DEPARTMENT.”
NHTSA complaint #11545794, 2022

Steering 4

“My steering is erratic and sometimes it feels like it’s pulling hard to one side or the other and when I try to correct it actually over corrects. I’ve read about the eps problems when looking into options for repair/replace. I feel it too dangerous for driving anywhere. It is a 2018 Nissan Kicks. Thank you.”
NHTSA complaint #11651290, 2025

“I was driving in traffic in a 30mph zone and my car turned off, and I was unable to push down on the brakes. I had to use my emergency brake a could hardly turn my wheel and stop in the center divider of the road. I turned on my hazards and waited 15 minutes and was able to restart the car a drive home. This was very dangerous and could have caused an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11553121, 2023

“CAR OVERSTEERS,ALMOST ROLLING OVER; WHEN ON INCLINE OR STEEP DRIVEWAY, (STEEP DRIVEWAY LIKE MY HOME) CAR ROLLS BACK SEVERAL FEET; WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE, KICKS MAKES GRINDING NOISE AND SHIFTS VERY ROUGHLY; HAVE MADE NUMEROUS CONCERNS TO NISSAN, SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS”
NHTSA complaint #11233889, 2019

Suspension 4

“I purchased a 2018 Nissan Kicks with under 6k miles from Atlanta Luxury Motors (ALM Marietta) on April 29, 2022. The dealer failed to disclose the car was a Canadian import, which voided the manufacturer’s warranty and left me responsible for unsafe defects. At under 30,000 miles, the suspension (struts) failed and had to be replaced, and by 60,000 miles the CVT transmission began showing fault codes, slipping, and jerking, creating serious safety risks while driving. The undercarriage also showed early rust. These problems were confirmed by independent mechanics and service centers, and I hav…”
NHTSA complaint #11684867, 2025

“Driver side coil spring broke near the lower part of the spring, spring was still seated and operating but rubbing on strut. There was no way to tell that the spring was broken other than the fact that I found the broken piece laying on the ground - so we immediately took it to Nissan to be repaired. This is the second coil spring to break - the passenger spring broke at the same location at around 46,000 miles - again no way to tell that the spring was broken other than the fact that I had visually inspected the car and noticed the spring broken. This is the exact same issue we had with ou…”
NHTSA complaint #11563446, 2024

“PURCHASED 2018 NISSAN KICKS WITH 1,000 MILES ON IT ON 08/16/19. HAS BEEN TO DEALER TWICE NOW. CLICKING SOUND IN SPEEDOMETER AREA (STARTED 2 DAYS WITHIN PURCHASE) WHICH HAS BEEN COMPLAINED ABOUT 3 TIMES AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THERE IS NO REASON AS THEY CANNOT HEAR IT (I HAVE VIDEOED NUMEROUS TIMES) . WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASE THE A WARNING SIGN CAME ONTO DASH STATING UNABLE TO DETECT FRONT CRASH SENSOR AND WITHIN SECONDS FRONT CRASH LIGHT APPEARED. AT THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING 25-30 MPH AND THERE WAS NOT A CAR IN FRONT OF ME FOR AT LEAST 100 YEARS. HUSBAND TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT HEA…”
NHTSA complaint #11265809, 2019

Exterior Lighting 3

“My headlights, dome lights and tail lights were flickering changed alternator. Kept doing it took it to the dealership in Daphne, Alabama. Had it put on the machine. They told me it was because it was a refurbished alternator. I finally found a new one in Tampa fla. So I ordered it and had it put on. And it is still doing it. The danger of this is that sometimes they will go off. And you can't see anything if it's dark. There was no warning light prior to the problem. The dealership said its because the refurbished alternator was strong enough. That was the findings from them. But like I said…”
NHTSA complaint #11491455, 2022

“1: the back-up camera display may suddenly go dark while you’re in the middle of reversing 2: the vehicle would not start and something stalls when driving with with a boost off and had the vehicle serviced twice for this issue, but to no availability answer. The Nissan Dealership can’t find any problems .”
NHTSA complaint #11429962, 2021

“AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED THE ENGINE STARTS BUT NONE OF THE INSTRUMENTS IN THE DASHBOARD (DIGITAL GAUGE, SENSORS, ETC...) INCLUDING THE STEREO WOULD TURN ON. IN ADDITION POWER STEERING IS NOT FUNCTIONAL. IT TAKES SEVERAL TRIES OF RESTARTING THE CAR IN ORDER TO GET ALL THE GAUGES, SENSORS, STEREO AND POWER STEERING TO FUNCTION. THIS ISSUR CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS COMPLETELY OFF AND IT IS TURNED ON. I EVEN TOOK A VIDEO SHOWING THE ISSUE.”
NHTSA complaint #11140171, 2018

Vehicle Speed Control 3

“PURCHASED 2018 NISSAN KICKS WITH 1,000 MILES ON IT ON 08/16/19. HAS BEEN TO DEALER TWICE NOW. CLICKING SOUND IN SPEEDOMETER AREA (STARTED 2 DAYS WITHIN PURCHASE) WHICH HAS BEEN COMPLAINED ABOUT 3 TIMES AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THERE IS NO REASON AS THEY CANNOT HEAR IT (I HAVE VIDEOED NUMEROUS TIMES) . WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASE THE A WARNING SIGN CAME ONTO DASH STATING UNABLE TO DETECT FRONT CRASH SENSOR AND WITHIN SECONDS FRONT CRASH LIGHT APPEARED. AT THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING 25-30 MPH AND THERE WAS NOT A CAR IN FRONT OF ME FOR AT LEAST 100 YEARS. HUSBAND TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT HEA…”
NHTSA complaint #11265809, 2019

“WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND/OR MOVING, THE AEB SYSTEM (THE FRONT RADAR) DOES NOT WORK. NO MATTER THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE SYSTEM WILL DISABLE ITSELF AND BECOME INACTIVE. MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE DEALER WHERE PURCHASED AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE ON OCTOBER 29, 2018.”
NHTSA complaint #11222906, 2019

“FREQUENT AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING DEACTIVATION WHILE DRIVING DURING WHICH A WARNING IS DISPLAYED THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEACTIVATED, A WARNING LIGHT IS DISPLAYED AND CRUISE CONTROL IS DEACTIVATED.”
NHTSA complaint #11165757, 2018

Air Bags 2

“The drive side airbag where the seatbelt is connected is coming out.”
NHTSA complaint #11519783, 2023

“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the airbag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 64,215.”
NHTSA complaint #11477310, 2022

Visibility/Wiper 2

“Radio skips songs back and forth randomly, and now radio screen and buttons are block.”
NHTSA complaint #11721890, 2026

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN KICKS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V654000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MEARS NISSAN LOCATED AT 4825 TUSCARAWAS ST W, CANTON, OH 44708, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IMAGES FROM THE BACKUP CAMERA WAS NOT CLEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,400.”
NHTSA complaint #11308288, 2019

Communication 1

“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the crash indicator warning light illuminated causing the vehicle to stall. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to be restarted but was unable to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11584123, 2024

Lane Departure 1

“Radio skips songs back and forth randomly, and now radio screen and buttons are block.”
NHTSA complaint #11721890, 2026

Seats 1

“I am unable to adjust the headrests. A very strong person can with difficulty move them, but I cannot. This is either a design problem, or manufacturing problem wherein tong separations do not align with channel separations. This means passengers cannot adjust headrest heights properly. I have been into the dealership 2times and gotten only a 'that is how they are built' response. I would have the headrests removed, but this is not legal.”
NHTSA complaint #11439715, 2019

Structure 1

“SE ME APAGA CORRIENDO , RUIDO EN LA PARTE FRONTAL. Y EN D NO QUIERE PONERSE EN MARCHA.”
NHTSA complaint #11366540, 2019

Tires 1

“205/55/R17 I’ve taken the car to Nissan Jackie cooper in Tulsa ok they’ve replaced the battery from running on low power. Left it there for two days & they said the computer system is failing always restarting while I’m driving backup camera doesn’t work sometimes or is very very blurry. My car has stalled on me almost daily & shuts down i put it in park & it’s fine but it’s a ticking time bomb it has 47,000 miles always put Mobil 1 full synthetic & a Mobil one oil filter top of the line these things should absolutely not be happening & also the air filter that lets air into the engine accordi…”
NHTSA complaint #11438445, 2021