KnownCarProblems2009 Nissan Versa Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 504 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Nissan Versa, most often about the suspension (36% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Versa model year since 2000 and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2009 Nissan Versa problems
Suspension
182 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
At first I was hearing "bump" noises that sounded like a sway bar issue for a couple days. Then I heard a noise that sounded like I ran over a branch, except there was nothing in the road before - or after. I drove about 100 miles home on the highway, still thinking it was related to the sway bar. After about 10 miles…
At first I was hearing "bump" noises that sounded like a sway bar issue for a couple days. Then I heard a noise that sounded like I ran over a branch, except there was nothing in the road before - or after. I drove about 100 miles home on the highway, still thinking it was related to the sway bar. After about 10 miles…
Air bags
180 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver's side air bag inflator fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign…
The contact owned a 2009 Nissan Versa. While driving 50 MPH over ice, the vehicle slid and crashed into a wall. Only the driver's air bag deployed. The contact sustained eye, head, and rib injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed destroyed by…
Engine
41 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 64,500 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
Driving on the highway car tends to lose power and sputter and in some cases it will stall. When trying to restart it, it will not start. This can be very dangerous. Also, if driving this vehicle and then shutting the engine off you can not restart it without waiting at least 30 minutes. My 16 year old has been…
Immediately upon startup, a loud rumbling noise similar to after market exhaust was audible as well as a strong vibration down the center long-axis of the car. I stepped out of the vehicle and inspected the undercarriage to find that the flange had eroded and the muffler was dangerously loose. No rust is visible, and…
Wheels and tires
39 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
Within days of buying the new car in 2009, I noticed a loud, clunking squeak and a pop from around my front wheels when I would make a turn after slowing down to a stop. This had been happening during the entire 3.5 years that I have had the car, so I figured it was normal and harmless because the car was already…
The low tire pressure light came on and when I checked I found a tire that was down 15lbs. I dropped it off at the dealer who said the TPMS unit was cracked and needed to be replaced for $218. The tire only has 8,000 miles on it. Will I have to replace the other three sensors?
Fuel system
28 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 56,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
To whom it my concern, the day march/11/13,I was driving my Nissan Versa 2009 at route 9 south, new jersey,when my car stop running, at that time I got scared because it never happen before,I look at my dashboard and what I saw that it was power and gas but my Nissan Versa do not want to stare,after an hour trying, I…
Fuel pump over-current condition resulting in opening of fuel pump electrical supply fuse. Per service technician, this is indication of pending fuel pump failure. When fuse blew, car went from 65 to 0 MPH in less than eight seconds on US 75, mile marker 49. Should this had occurred two days earlier on interstate 80…
Steering
28 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 57,500 miles. Parts named most often: linkages.
To whom it my concern, the day march/11/13,I was driving my Nissan Versa 2009 at route 9 south, new jersey,when my car stop running, at that time I got scared because it never happen before,I look at my dashboard and what I saw that it was power and gas but my Nissan Versa do not want to stare,after an hour trying, I…
Front coil spring shattered tearing up front tire this exact problem was noted for Versa in recall 15v573000 date 09/14/2015. My car was not included in the recall. It appears that the recall was to limited. After getting car repaired Nissan has refused to pay for my repair costs stating the car was not included in…
Transmission
20 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 65,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that he as unable to shut the vehicle off or remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that a mechanism within the gear shifter was broken, not allowing the vehicle to shift into park. The gear…
Passenger side airbag light is on and blinking on dashboard. Nissan states that entire passenger seat needs to be replaced. Computer was reset twice and light is still blinking. The vehicle was purchased new and has never been in an accident. I am afraid this might be part of a earlier recall since I can not determine…
Body and structure
18 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
A lady (1) fall asleep then crash on lady (2), then lady (2) crash on our car, but instead of braking the lady (2) she pushes her accelerator crashes and pushes our car to lady (3) in front of US. Our tire explodes, the airbag passenger did not blow out and my wife has a neck injury. My daughter 4 y/old is fine. We…
A brand new car bought early january 2009. It has 60885 miles when incident occurred. The muffler fall down and broke at flange connection point. Went to Nissan dealer to check out and exam the problem. They indicate that a corrosion from inside the muffler pipe has occurred and caused this cracks, so it fall down. It…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 Nissan Versa recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began february 12, 2020. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Full defect summary
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 equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began march 9, 2018. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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 mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 versa hatchback, and versa sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." nissan is also recalling certain 2009 versa hatchback and versa sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, m
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on march 9, 2018. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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, temperatures, and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on june 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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 u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a". Additionally, if not included in "zone a" above, nissan is recalling certain 2009-2010 infiniti m35 and m45 and 2009 nissan versa sedans and hatchbacks originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia, or "zone b". Additionally, if not included in "zone a" or "zone b" above, nissan is recalling certain 2005-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx4
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began december 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by may 15, 2017. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45, 2003-2004 infiniti i35, 2006-2008 infiniti m35 and m45, and 2007-2008 nissan versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tenn
Suspension: coil springs
Risk: If a front coil spring fractures, it may contact the tire, possibly puncturing it, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front coil springs, free of charge. The recall began on february 2, 2016. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia and wisconsin. Road salt may corrode the front coil springs, possibly resulting in the coil springs fracturing.
Equipment: navigational system(global positioning system)
Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact garmin directly at 1-866-957-1981 or nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Front coil spring fracture
Summary
In a letter dated september 10,2015, nissan north america,inc. (nissan) notified the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) of a safety defect that may result in coil spring fracture in approximately 218,019 model year (my) 2007 through 2012 nissan versa vehiclesproduced from may 8, 2006 through november12, 2012 and originally sold or ever registered in the following 22 states and the district of columbia: connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin (NHTSA recall 15v-5
Questions about the 2009 Nissan Versa
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 Nissan Versa?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: suspension (182 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); air bags (180 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); engine (41 complaints, typically around 64,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 Nissan Versa have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 9, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the Nissan Versa?
- It is the most complained-about Versa model year since 2000, with 504 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.