NISSAN VERSA · model year

2009 NISSAN VERSA

614 NHTSA complaints, 34 crash reports, and 8 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2009NISSANVERSA carries 614 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 34 crashes, 6 fires, 19 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 VERSA is air bags with 177 filings, followed by suspension (175) and steering (27). 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 8 active recall campaigns, 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 2009 VERSA, 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.

614
Complaints
34
Crashes
6
Fires
19
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

614 filings

Crashes Reported

34 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS177
SUSPENSION175
STEERING27
WHEELS26
ENGINE18
POWER TRAIN17
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER15
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM14
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS10
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL10
TIRES8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE7

Recalls (8)

16V34900024/05/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississ

17V44900017/07/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temper

15V57300014/09/2015

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

Nissan (Nissan North America, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Nissan Versa vehicles manufactured May 8, 2006, to November 12, 2012, that were sold or ever registered in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland,

10V40100010/09/2010

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.

18V04400010/01/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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 Marian

17V02800010/01/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2012 Nissan Versa hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the

22E06600009/08/2022

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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 2

20V00800009/01/2020

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are

Recent Complaints

20260217SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving out of a parking lot at 10 MPH, the front end of the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound, and the contact noticed a strong rubber odor. The contact inspected underneath the vehicle and became aware that a part had fractured underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to reverse into the parking space. Several independent mechanics were contacted and advised that the failure might be related to the front coil springs corrosion and associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V573000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated that even though the vehicle was not registered in the States listed in the recall, the vehicle had been driven in one of the States listed while the contact was in school. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

20251216AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driver’s air bag module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact was referred to a dealer and to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.

Mileage: 146,000

20250418AIR BAGS

dealership nissan would not closed recall campaign on my crs repairs done already

20241004STEERING

See attached document for complaint.

20241004ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

See attached document for complaint.

20240530AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's and passenger's side air bag warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the driver's side air bag. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22E066000 (Air Bags), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 299,000.

Mileage: 299,000

20230907VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the alarm erroneously activated. The contact clicked on the key fob to disarm the alarm however, the alarm failed to turn off. The contact walked outside to the vehicle and noticed that the rear driver’s side window had shattered without impact. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 96,632.

Mileage: 96,632

20230325AIR BAGS

Indicator light appeared week of March 19, 2023. Took vehicle to the dealership March 24, 2023, and after a $225 diagnostic was told, “90626 FOUND DTC B1054. CUSTOMER NEEDS AIRBAG AND THE MODULE” (from invoice). Parts need to be ordered and will cost ~$1,000 less the diagnostic. Concerned about how a safety feature no longer functioning properly and needing replacement is the responsibility of the customer for an amount of this size.

20220422POWER TRAIN

Transmission failure as not changing gears, not starting driving when accelerator push down, shaking.

20220204CrashAIR BAGS

Airbags failed to deploy in an accident at 55 mph.

20211209POWER TRAIN

Unknown transmission make a real bad noise and now not move only in reverse

20211208SUSPENSION

There is a safety recall campaign for the front coil springs breaking for all Nissan Versas registered in "salt states" The car is registered in a "salt state" and the the front coil has snapped. For a reason that neither corporate Nissan nor the local Nissan service center can explain, this car is excluded from repair.

20210827POWER TRAIN

Jatco Cvt transmission failed at 70,200 miles. Bearings burned out, engine roaring, then sudden deceleration and acceleration.

20210817AIR BAGS

Airbag inflator recall was repaired but the airbag light on the dash did not go off or clear, further diagnostic tool showed airbag sensor was flashing and broken clock spring was listed on diagnostic sheet. Nissan dealership did not repair the airbag sensor or change or fix clock spring therefore still being a safety hazard during deployment, which can lead to metal fragments breaking and bursting thru causing possible threat by shooting metal fragments to car occupants. Nissan airbag recalled the inflator for the specific reason of repairing it completely free of possible injury from metal fragments breaking during deployment and Nissan did not repair it. The recall states dealership is not to release vehicle until successful inspection. It is not repaired and still poses the same threat the recall states. It's now reported as fixed to manufacture, stating zero recalls. The 97.7 million dollar lawsuit Amended requirements Sept 2017 for dealership to repair to full inspection regulati

20210726VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Throttle is impaired; P2138 very dangerous when accelerating across traffic and suddenly there is only partial throttle command. This now has happened twice.

20210427FireAIR BAGS

BEFORE WE CAN GET THE CAR FIXED WHILE THE AIRBAG RECALL WAS IN EFFECT, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE.

Mileage: 10

20210427FireENGINE

BEFORE WE CAN GET THE CAR FIXED WHILE THE AIRBAG RECALL WAS IN EFFECT, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE.

Mileage: 10

20210427FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

BEFORE WE CAN GET THE CAR FIXED WHILE THE AIRBAG RECALL WAS IN EFFECT, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE.

Mileage: 10

20210331SUSPENSION

MY SPRING BROKE WHILE PULLING INTO A TIRE SHOP AND WENT FLYING ACROSS A PARKING LOT, LEAVING PART OF THE BROKEN SPRING STUCK IN THE CRADLE.

Mileage: 189,600

20201222SUSPENSION

REPLACING THE EXHAUST THE REAR SPRINGS WERE BROKEN TO THE POINT THE INSULATORS FELL OUT . THE SPRINGS ON BOTH THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WERE BREAKING. THERE WASN'T ANY SIGNIFICANT RUST ON THE SPRINGS THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE FRONT WHICH WAS DONE. THE INSULATORS MISSING MAKES A METAL TO METAL CONTACT WHICH WOULD MAKE IT WEAR OUT FASTER AND MORE PRONE TO RUST. WHY ARE THE SPRINGS BREAKING?

Mileage: 160,000

Compare 2009NISSANVERSA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2009 NISSAN VERSA have?
The 2009 NISSAN VERSA has 614 NHTSA complaints, 34 crashes, 6 fires, 19 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2009 NISSAN VERSA?
Yes, the 2009 NISSAN VERSA has 8 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 NISSAN VERSA?
The most-complained component for the 2009 NISSAN VERSA is AIR BAGS with 177 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION and STEERING.
Is the 2009 NISSAN VERSA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.