NISSAN KICKS · model year

2019 NISSAN KICKS

239 NHTSA complaints, 9 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

4 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2019NISSANKICKS carries 239 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 9 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2019 KICKS is electrical system with 35 filings, followed by engine (32) and forward collision avoidance: warnings (29). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2019 KICKS, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

239
Complaints
9
Crashes
0
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths
2019 NISSAN KICKS — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2019 NISSAN KICKS. Overall composite: 4.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 4.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 4.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

239 filings

Crashes Reported

9 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 4/5 — Strong NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM35
ENGINE32
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS29
UNKNOWN OR OTHER28
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING23
SERVICE BRAKES17
POWER TRAIN16
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL15
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM11
STEERING4
AIR BAGS4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR3
SUSPENSION3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2

Recalls (1)

19V65400012/09/2019

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. Additio

Recent Complaints

20260106SUSPENSION

Left rear coil spring is broken

20251217FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

While I was driving, my vehicle’s Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) suddenly stopped working. At the same time, the Automatic Emergency Braking / Forward Emergency Braking (AEB/FEB) warning light turned on. While the vehicle was in motion, warning messages appeared on the dashboard, including: “Unavailable: Front Radar Obstruction,” and/or “Forward Driving Aids Temporarily Disabled – Front Sensor Blocked. See Owner’s Manual.” These warnings appeared even though there was no visible obstruction to the front radar sensor. The sudden loss of Intelligent Cruise Control and forward safety features while I was driving reduced my ability to rely on these systems to help maintain a safe following distance. The unexpected warning lights and messages were distracting and created a potential safety risk. This issue occurred during normal driving conditions. I had to take the vehicle in for inspection to determine whether there was a malfunction with the front radar sensor or re

20251217SERVICE BRAKES

While I was driving, my vehicle’s Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) suddenly stopped working. At the same time, the Automatic Emergency Braking / Forward Emergency Braking (AEB/FEB) warning light turned on. While the vehicle was in motion, warning messages appeared on the dashboard, including: “Unavailable: Front Radar Obstruction,” and/or “Forward Driving Aids Temporarily Disabled – Front Sensor Blocked. See Owner’s Manual.” These warnings appeared even though there was no visible obstruction to the front radar sensor. The sudden loss of Intelligent Cruise Control and forward safety features while I was driving reduced my ability to rely on these systems to help maintain a safe following distance. The unexpected warning lights and messages were distracting and created a potential safety risk. This issue occurred during normal driving conditions. I had to take the vehicle in for inspection to determine whether there was a malfunction with the front radar sensor or re

20251215FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle immediately hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Mass Air Flow Sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The sensor was replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken to the local Nissan dealer but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 67,736.

Mileage: 67,736

20251215ENGINE

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle immediately hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Mass Air Flow Sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The sensor was replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken to the local Nissan dealer but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 67,736.

Mileage: 67,736

20251215FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The first time the errors (front collision, traction control/slippery road) happened, I was driving my 2019 Nissan Kicks on a dry night in October (10/23). I was going down a medium sized hill with my breaks slightly engaged, about to run into my apartment complex. There was no one in front of me. Lights lit up with an error that said 'Malfunction: See Owner's Manual.' When I went to back into my parking place, it was like I was trying to dry with my parking break engaged--the car was fighting me for every inch. Turned the car off, left it over night; came back in the morning, no more errors. Drove normally. On 12/10, I was going down that same hill, almost same conditions--shortly after sunset, dry road, no one in front of me. Drive down the hill, breaks slightly engaged, Front Collison and Traction controls light up, malfunction. Park the car, leave it overnight, get ready to take it to work in the morning, seems okay. On 12/11, I make it about 2 miles and I'm in similar conditions

20251215FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The first time the errors (front collision, traction control/slippery road) happened, I was driving my 2019 Nissan Kicks on a dry night in October (10/23). I was going down a medium sized hill with my breaks slightly engaged, about to run into my apartment complex. There was no one in front of me. Lights lit up with an error that said 'Malfunction: See Owner's Manual.' When I went to back into my parking place, it was like I was trying to dry with my parking break engaged--the car was fighting me for every inch. Turned the car off, left it over night; came back in the morning, no more errors. Drove normally. On 12/10, I was going down that same hill, almost same conditions--shortly after sunset, dry road, no one in front of me. Drive down the hill, breaks slightly engaged, Front Collison and Traction controls light up, malfunction. Park the car, leave it overnight, get ready to take it to work in the morning, seems okay. On 12/11, I make it about 2 miles and I'm in similar conditions

20251212SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the ABS module needed to be replaced; however, the part was on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

Mileage: 34,000

20251211FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

While I was driving, I pressed the brake pedal. As soon as I applied the brakes, the vehicle abruptly screeched to a halt in a manner that felt abnormal and uncontrollable. Immediately after this sudden stop, the vehicle lost stability. It slid sideways, causing it to rotate and end up facing in a different direction than the one I had been traveling.

20251211FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

While I was driving, I pressed the brake pedal. As soon as I applied the brakes, the vehicle abruptly screeched to a halt in a manner that felt abnormal and uncontrollable. Immediately after this sudden stop, the vehicle lost stability. It slid sideways, causing it to rotate and end up facing in a different direction than the one I had been traveling.

20251211SERVICE BRAKES

While I was driving, I pressed the brake pedal. As soon as I applied the brakes, the vehicle abruptly screeched to a halt in a manner that felt abnormal and uncontrollable. Immediately after this sudden stop, the vehicle lost stability. It slid sideways, causing it to rotate and end up facing in a different direction than the one I had been traveling.

20251209ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Transmission Issue - The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. It hesitates, revs high, and sometimes jerks when slowing or speeding up. This creates unsafe driving conditions. Electrical Issue -The electronics intermittently shut off, screen goes black, and warning lights appear. These issues occur while driving and affect vehicle control. It’s a safety hazard -These failures happen unexpectedly in traffic and increase the risk of an accident. Often the Problems happens occurs several times per week and happens at speeds between 20–45 mph. Started around 60,000 miles. The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. The RPMs surge, the vehicle hesitates, and there is a jerking or shuddering sensation when speeding up or slowing down. This happens unexpectedly and makes it hard to maintain speed in traffic. The electrical system also malfunctions while driving. The dashboard display and infotainment screen int

20251209ENGINE

Transmission Issue - The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. It hesitates, revs high, and sometimes jerks when slowing or speeding up. This creates unsafe driving conditions. Electrical Issue -The electronics intermittently shut off, screen goes black, and warning lights appear. These issues occur while driving and affect vehicle control. It’s a safety hazard -These failures happen unexpectedly in traffic and increase the risk of an accident. Often the Problems happens occurs several times per week and happens at speeds between 20–45 mph. Started around 60,000 miles. The CVT transmission slips during acceleration and causes the car to lose power. The RPMs surge, the vehicle hesitates, and there is a jerking or shuddering sensation when speeding up or slowing down. This happens unexpectedly and makes it hard to maintain speed in traffic. The electrical system also malfunctions while driving. The dashboard display and infotainment screen int

20251120UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My 2019 Nissan Kicks experienced a sudden and dangerous CVT transmission failure. The vehicle began jerking, struggled to accelerate, and at times would not move forward when pressing the gas. The check engine light came on during these incidents. The car also revs without engaging properly and loses power unexpectedly, creating a serious hazard when merging into traffic or crossing intersections. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting Nissan CVT units. The sudden loss of acceleration and unpredictable behavior create a significant safety risk for myself and other drivers. Nissan has denied goodwill assistance for the repair, even though this failure occurred under normal driving conditions. I am submitting this complaint for safety review due to the potential risk of collision.

20251027ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Manufacture warning collision warning traction warning while driving and unable to accelerate

20251027FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Manufacture warning collision warning traction warning while driving and unable to accelerate

20251027FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Manufacture warning collision warning traction warning while driving and unable to accelerate

20251010FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Check engine light came on, displaying code P0101, front collision malfunction came on. Replaced MAF sensor for code P0101. The car then displayed the same lights, check engine light and AEB light and slip indicator light. My car then stalled while at a red light.

20251010FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Check engine light came on, displaying code P0101, front collision malfunction came on. Replaced MAF sensor for code P0101. The car then displayed the same lights, check engine light and AEB light and slip indicator light. My car then stalled while at a red light.

20251010ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Check engine light came on, displaying code P0101, front collision malfunction came on. Replaced MAF sensor for code P0101. The car then displayed the same lights, check engine light and AEB light and slip indicator light. My car then stalled while at a red light.

Compare 2019NISSANKICKS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2019 NISSAN KICKS have?
The 2019 NISSAN KICKS has 239 NHTSA complaints, 9 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2019 NISSAN KICKS?
The 2019 NISSAN KICKS received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 4/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2019 NISSAN KICKS?
Yes, the 2019 NISSAN KICKS has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 NISSAN KICKS?
The most-complained component for the 2019 NISSAN KICKS is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 35 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS.
Is the 2019 NISSAN KICKS safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2019 NISSAN KICKS has an NHTSA safety rating of 4/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.