2017 Nissan Versa
Gas Compact car
The 2017 Nissan Versa is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Versa, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 72 complaints, most often about air bags.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versa | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl | 31 | 39 | 34 | $1,850 |
| Versa | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl | 27 | 36 | 30 | $2,100 |
| Versa | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl | 26 | 35 | 29 | $2,150 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
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Recalls (3)
Electrical System
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Nissan NV200, Sentra, NV3500 Van, NV3500 Bus, NV200 Taxi, NV1500, NV2500 Van, Chevrolet City Express, 2017-2018 Frontier, Versa Note, and Versa Sedan vehicles that have a mechanical (physical) key ignition system. In these models, over time, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the vehicle stalls, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production information on the ignition switch, and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air Bags
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017 Versa, and Versa Note vehicles. The ring plate that secures the air bag cushion to the passenger frontal air bag assembly may fail, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air Bags
highProblem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2017 Versa vehicles manufactured August 1, 2016, to August 16, 2016. A seam in the fabric section of the side curtain air bags may tear during side curtain air bag deployment, potentially affecting the performance of the air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation", and number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating side curtain air bag deployment, if the side curtain air bags do not deploy as intended there would be an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began on December 2, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (open)
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
Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002
Owner complaints
72 complaints filed
11 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 10 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2017: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2020: 10 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 1
Most-cited components
- Air Bags — 17
- Electrical System — 13
- Power Train — 13
- Unknown Or Other — 12
- Service Brakes — 9
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.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR FWD | not rated | ★★★★☆ | not rated | ★★★★☆ | 14% |
| 5 HB FWD | not rated | ★★★☆☆ | not rated | ★★★★☆ | 15% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Other Versa model years
2025 Versa
0 recalls · 11 complaints
A2024 Versa
1 recalls · 95 complaints
A2023 Versa
1 recalls · 37 complaints
A2022 Versa
0 recalls · 20 complaints
C2021 Versa
3 recalls · 31 complaints
C2020 Versa
2 recalls · 64 complaints
A2019 Versa
1 recalls · 25 complaints
B2018 Versa
3 recalls · 58 complaints
A2016 Versa
0 recalls · 108 complaints
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). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 38055, 38056, 38057). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.