2018 Nissan Kicks

No clear pattern

0.6% of complaints about the 2018 Nissan Kicks arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2018 vehicle, but with only 157 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is other (26 complaints), typically at 3.8 yr or about 3,000 miles.

Complaints: 157
Median age at failure: 4.2 yr
Median mileage: 5,000 n=54
Crash / fire / tow: 1.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

19V654000 2019-09-12

Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, thes

The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Other 3,000 mi 1.5 yr in service

CAR, SHUTS OFF IN REVERSE , TRANSMISION PULLS FRONT SENSOR SIGNALS FALLS OBJECTS WHEN DRIVING AT THE HIGH IT STOPS SHUTS OFF

Other 15 mi 1.7 yr in service

FRONT COLLISON SENSOR KEEPS MALFUNCTIONING ON A BROAD RANGE OF NEWER NISSANS INCLUDING THE KICKS WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STOP ON ITS OWN. ALSO, MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE SCRATCHED UP AND MALFUNCTIONING TOUCH SCREEN RADIO UNITS.

Other 75 mi 1.8 yr in service

THE FRONT SENSOR AND MALFUNCTION LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON 3 TIMES,ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY,ONCE ON A CITY STREET AND THE THIRD TIME TURNING ONTO A CITY STREET.THESE HAPPENED AT DIFFERENT TIMES,THE LIGHTS WENT OFF AFTER EACH TIME.

Electrical system 2,700 mi 1.1 yr in service

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.

Other Kicks model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2018 Nissan Kicks

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Kicks model years

How to read this