There are 5 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2010 Nissan Versain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The car was having slow acceleration, horrid loud noises for awhile but no issues were found during checks but parts were replaced to try and troubleshoot but the sound and idle and running issues still persisted. The first sign of severe major issue was when the car was started it jolted forward while still in park in a first start up. Turned off the car and restarted it and it repeated the same action and then I put the car into reverse but it wouldn't reverse. Took the car to my local Firestone and they said it had an internal transmission problem and I should take it back to the dealership. Within the month I went to the dealership in person and explained the issue and they said there wasn't a recall or service call for my car. That I'd have to pay for repairs and my car wasn't under warranty since the extra service plan I purchased already ran out. While coming home from work my car started to shudder and jolt and wasn't accelerating properly. I stopped at a gas station to see if the car smelled odd and to refuel. It started up but repeated jolting shudder and less than a mile down the road the car suddenly slowed by itself and stopped accelerating. I had to hook slide to the side of the road. I put the car in park and accelerated the engine responded. So I turned off the car and restarted put it in drive after multiple tries I got it to finally accelerate. Less than half a mile down the road as the car was going downhill the car started to shutter jolt again before coming to a complete stop at a light. No matter how long I waited it would not drive but would only reverse at that point. I had to contact family to help me push the car to the roadside and called a tow. The car currently sits in the driveway will start up and reverse but when attempting to accelerate sometimes it might drive for a few minutes before refusing to accelerate. I have the 2010 Nissan Versa SL hatchback with the CVT Xtronic transmission.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY THIS EVENING ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 19TH WHEN I AM TRYING TO DOWNSHIFT FROM 6TH AND TRYING GET OFF THE FREEWAY I COULDN'T GOING TO GEAR SO THAT'S WHEN I HAD THE CRUISE UNTIL I CAME TO A STOP SO AFTER TURN THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES I PUT IT IN FIRST GEAR AND THEN I PROCEEDED IT AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO ONLY DRIVE IN FIRST GEAR ON THE WAY HOME
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED THE RPMS GOING HIGH AND REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CLUTCH I HEARD A NOISE IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER IN A SAFE SPOT. MY MECHANIC CAME TO LOOK AT IT AND HE TOLD ME THOSE CARS CAME OUT DEFECTIVE FROM THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AFTER THIS HAPPENED AND SEE A LOT OF THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.
THE TRANSMISSION FAILED OUT OF THE BLUE AT 150,000 MILES. THIS OCCURRED AS THE CAR WAS TURNING FROM A BUSY ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT AND CREATED A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. THERE WAS NO SLIPPING OR LEAKS TO SPEAK OF BEFOREHAND. THE TECH WHO INSPECTED IT SAID THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNAL SEAL LEAK FAILURE. $4100 TO REPLACE IT (MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH AT THIS POINT).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN VERSA. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO ACCELERATE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026