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Engine & cooling

Nissan Kicks Engine problems by year

107 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Nissan Kicks's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Engine complaints by model year

YearEngine complaintsCrashesInjuriesRecalls
20261000
20251000
20242000
202310000
20224000
20219000
202021000
201936000
201823000

Latest Kicks engine complaints

2020 Nissan KicksAcceleration & cruise controlEngine & cooling

P0101 engine code, sudden loss of power, multiple dashboard warning lights- ABS, traction control, head on collision when in winding rods or braking suddenly. Vehicle loses power end up having to turn off and on to reset it. Dangerous on highways ir roads that you cannot pull over. I bought this car in Sept 2026 and it has had this issue about 10 times since then. I am putting the most recent date

Filed Incident Vehicle speed control · EngineNHTSA 11776137
2018 Nissan KicksEngine & coolingDriver assistance

Shows an error with the front collision sensor, the engine losses power and eventually shuts down (engine turns off) in the middle of the highway. The check engine light turns on as well as the Automatic Emergency Braking System warning light and the slip indicator light. It also displays the image of the front sensor light on with the warning message "Malfunction. See owners manual" I have taken the car to the shop several times for this specific reason, but nothing fixes this problem. I can start the car...

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again, but it has almost no power, no matter how much I push the gas pedal. Very frustrating and DANGEROUS. This car has been in the family for almost two years and it has always been the same problem with two different drivers.

Filed Incident Engine · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11768605
2018 Nissan KicksEngine & cooling

My transmission failed while traveling on a highway at 60mph almost causing an accident. Issues with this generation of cvt transmissions have been the subject of multiple lawsuits and warrenty extensions. Nissan is knowingly selling defective vehicles and offer no assistance in resolving their failures. Nissan needs to be held accountable for risking the safety of its customers.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11765216
2023 Nissan KicksElectrical systemEngine & cooling

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...

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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. If the P/N is 23701-9EW1A, 9EW2A, 9EW4A, 9EW5A, 5R80B, 5R80D, 5R80E OR 5R81C, reprogram the ECM. I reported this to the dealership but it was not checked out. I was on the interstate when my engine stalled.

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 11763439
2023 Nissan KicksTransmission & drivetrainEngine & cooling

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.

Filed Incident Power train · EngineNHTSA 11763136
2023 Nissan KicksTransmission & drivetrainEngine & cooling

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.

Filed Incident Power train · EngineNHTSA 11763129
2023 Nissan KicksEngine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that there was a green fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were two hoses leaking from the transmission and the radiator. After further inspection, it was determined the radiator had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the failure was being investigated. The failure mileage was approximately 37,100.

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Power trainNHTSA 11759629
2026 Nissan KicksSteeringBrakesEngine & cooling

The contact owns 2026 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The brakes and steering wheel were locked. All the warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there was a total communication failure across the modules. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,086.

Filed Incident Steering · Service brakes · EngineNHTSA 11754398
2018 Nissan KicksElectrical systemEngine & coolingDriver assistance

It originally started about two years ago when the check engine light came on (along with others) that point to a code with the Mass Air Flow sensor. It would stall at low RPMs at traffic lights, and was extremely worrying during normal driving. We got it replaced and so far okay, but recently the ABS and traction control lights come on and stay on. Another issue that many MANY Nissan owners experience. Some people thinks it's a dirty throttle body, dirty front collision sensor, dirfty MAF. The problem is that when...

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any of these issues are fixed, it comes back. We don't know why the ABS and traction control (plus front collision by the way) lights come on. We took it to a mechanic, it was off for two whole days. Now it's back on. Can't wait to have it stall on us in the mean time.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11752756
2019 Nissan KicksElectrical systemEngine & coolingDriver assistance

When driving in rainy, snowy/icy, or wet conditions, water/slush impacts the front sensors/MAF sensor, causing the engine to shudder, stall, and shut off completely while in drive. The ABS, battery, and oil lights instantly flash on the dashboard, and the Automatic Emergency Braking system triggers/faults, creating a severe stall and safety hazard on active roads.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11752190
2020 Nissan KicksEngine & cooling

My vehicle over the last 3-4 years has been showing P0101 code errors, resulting in issues with idle, performance, and fuel economy. Cleaning the MAF sensor does nothing. This causes all sensors to turn off and stay off until the car is subsequently turned off again. I have taken it in to Nissan to be inspected and refuse to pay over $500 just for them to diagnose the issue. Have seen this also being a recurring issue with other owners.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11750705
2019 Nissan KicksElectrical systemEngine & coolingDriver assistance

Frequently and randomly I get errors on my dash for the front collision sensor and slippery roads warning. This seems to occur for no reason as all while I am driving. When this happens my RPM's drop and my car will stall at red lights or stop signs. In a few instances, my car has refused to accelerate because it believes the car is obstructed. This has put me at risk of getting rear ended on numerous occasions. I need to turn my car off and on multiple times in order to get to my destination. Once the car is left...

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alone for awhile, the issues completely goes away and the car drives like normal until it inevitably randomly occurs again. This appears to be an issue with the Kicks model across the board, as loads of other people online have had the same issue and tried multiple things to fix it to no avail. Mechanics have no idea what is causing it or how to fix it. It is also impossible to replicate the issues since it happens for seemingly no reason and then goes away for no reason. 3 images are attached to show proof at different miles (however this has occurred more times than I can count). Dates can be seen in the metadata. This is incredibly unsafe and needs to be recalled.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11745726
2021 Nissan KicksTransmission & drivetrainEngine & coolingFuel system

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...

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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.

Filed Incident Power train · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11743903

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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