Your vehicleHome›Nissan›Kicks› 2018

Nissan · Compact Hatchback

2018 Nissan Kicks

Gas

Midsize Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

97 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints1 crash reported 86

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 33 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

The 2018 Nissan Kicks is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact hatchback. The most efficient version, the Kicks, is EPA-rated at 33 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 86 complaints, most often about the forward collision avoidance.

Nissan Kicks — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Nissan Kicks (2016 generation) · Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Kicks	Gas	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl	31	36	33	$2,050

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 40219.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Kicks	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Hatchback/Liftback/Notchback
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Displacement

1.6 L

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim. Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

○minor

Back Over Prevention

1,228,830 vehicles 80% reported repaired built Apr 1, 2018 – May 30, 2019

Problem 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, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) num Risk The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash. Fix Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V654000 reported Sep 12, 2019 Nissan North America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Kicks

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2018 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Nissan publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Nissan’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Nissan Kicks, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

86complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

24 per 10,000 built · Nissan reported 35,295 Kicks built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2018: 3 · 2019: 19 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2026: 11

Most-cited components

Unspecified 26

Forward Collision Avoidance 25

Electrical System 23

Engine 23

Service Brakes 15

Electronic Stability Control 12

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Se me apaga corriendo , ruido en la parte frontal. Y en d no quiere ponerse en marcha

Structure at 23,753 miles Oct 26, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11366540

The front sensor for coalition continuous goes off, snow. Sleet, rain, and now when its sunny out. I've had this car for less then 6 months and it had stop working 23 times

Electronic Stability Control at 16,000 miles Jul 3, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11337307

The vehicle has turned off 3 times on the freeway. And it won't start fast it takes from 15 minutes to half an hour. They have already repaired it 2 times and it continues with the same problem

Electrical System at 8,000 miles Jun 20, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11329825

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Kicks. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v654000 (back over prevention). The vehicle was taken to mears Nissan located at 4825 tuscarawas st w, canton, oh 44708, where the vehicle was repaired under the recall however, the failure persisted.

Visibility/Wiper at 18,400 miles Feb 10, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11308288

The Nissan emergency braking system is giving out false warnings. The system on my car has given me hundreds of false readings and warnings while in motion, mostly on highways and expressways. Nissan refuses to say they have a problem with this. I fear that the system will malfunction and stop me for no reason on the expressway

Service Brakes at 9,000 miles Oct 16, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11268816

Car oversteers,almost rolling over; when on incline or steep driveway, (steep driveway like my home) car rolls back several feet; when shifting from park to reverse, Kicks makes grinding noise and shifts very roughly; have made numerous concerns to Nissan, several near accidents

Power Train at 4,000 miles Jul 22, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11233889

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Nissan itself: 3 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 killed, 4 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 8.5 per 100,000 built. Every Kicks model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 8k

miles, typically

Half the 28 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 4,000 and 18,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

Too few readings for a curve — the 28 on file: 17 under 10k, 4 10k–20k, 2 20k–30k, 1 40k–50k, 1 60k–70k, 1 70k–80k, 2 100k–150k.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 125

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-04-13

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 125 service bulletins

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Power Train, Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System.

NTB09-131C Service bulletin
2026-04-13 · Structure — Body
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides
NTB09-131C Service bulletin
2026-04-13 · Structure — Body
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides
NTB23-048A Service bulletin
2026-04-08 · Electrical System
DTC P17F4 STORED IN THE TCM IF YOU CONFIRM The customer reports transmission vibration when accelerating, HINT: Vibration occurs during quick reacceleration after braking, during a 2-1 downshift of the auxiliary gearbox. AND DTC P17F4 for “AUXILIARY GEARBOX (CL JUDDER)” is stored in the TCM. · If DTCs other than P17F4 are stored, this bulletin does not apply. Refer to the ESM for further diagnosti
NTB19-033G Service bulletin
2025-02-20 · Electrical System
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. You MUST closely follow the entire SERVICE PROCEDURE as it contains information that is essential to successfully completing this repair.
NTB19-071D Service bulletin
2024-09-19 · Air Bags
DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)
NTB13-107G Service bulletin
2024-05-21 · Electrical System
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-027D Service bulletin
2024-05-21 · Electrical System
CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB10-066C Service bulletin
2024-05-21 · Electrical System
CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P0776 P0776 on Nissan →	Pressure control solenoid B is not holding the pressure it was commanded.	Power Train	11 bulletins
P0841 P0841 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	10 bulletins
P0965 P0965 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	10 bulletins
P0101 P0101 on Nissan →	The mass air flow sensor is reporting a figure the engine computer does not believe for the conditions.	Engine · Mass air flow sensor →	2 bulletins · 7 owner reports
P285A P285A on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	9 bulletins
P17F0 P17F0 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	8 bulletins
P2857 P2857 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	8 bulletins
P0741 P0741 on Nissan →	The torque converter clutch is not locking up when commanded.	Power Train	7 bulletins
P0746 P0746 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	6 bulletins
P0456 P0456 on Nissan →	A very small leak in the evaporative emissions system.	Fuel/Propulsion System · Gas cap →	4 bulletins
P0744 P0744 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	4 bulletins
P0875 P0875 on Nissan →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	4 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 5.1%

failed emissions

516 initial inspections of 507 vehicles.

Measure	The 2018 Kicks	Every 2018 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	5.1%	3.0%	515
Failed the safety inspection	3.1%	1.9%	516
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.19%	0.22%	516
Miles driven a year	8,311	10,002	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	68,417	82,833	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Compare the 2018 Kicks with

Any vehicle, your weights →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2018 Toyota Prius c · Compact Hatchback · grade B	Prius c +18.8

Kicks by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A^* 0 0 31 mpg 2026 B 3 9 31 mpg 2025 B 4 42 33 mpg 2024 A 1 38 33 mpg 2023 A 1 18 33 mpg 2022 A 0 23 33 mpg 2021 B 2 78 33 mpg 2020 A 0 97 33 mpg 2019 A 1 134 33 mpg 2018 this page A 1 86 33 mpg

Common questions about the 2018 Kicks

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2018 Nissan Kicks have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2018 Nissan Kicks. The most serious on file is 19V654000, covering Back Over Prevention. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2018 Nissan Kicks yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (97/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

For the 2018 Nissan Kicks, the best EPA combined figure is 33 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Kicks, most often about unspecified, forward collision avoidance, electrical system. Of those, 1 involved a crash. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Nissan Kicks is 7 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

The manufacturer has filed 125 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Kicks, most often covering electrical system, equipment, power train. The most recent is dated 2026-04-13. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2018 Nissan Kicks do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Nissan Kicks failed the emissions check on 5.1% of first inspections — higher than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 3.1% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

Is the 2018 Nissan Kicks better than the 2018 Toyota Prius c?

The Toyota Prius c wins clearly, 97.1 to 78.3, on fuel & range, safety. We publish a full side-by-side of the 2018 Nissan Kicks against the 2018 Toyota Prius c — specifications by family, equipment feature by feature, safety record and ownership costs. You can re-weight what matters to you and the verdict recalculates.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	1 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	1 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	86	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	125	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	7 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API