2 Star Reviews for 2012 Nissan Versa

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

3.20/5 Average
57 Total Reviews
This Year's Model Updates:

The 2012 Nissan Versa sedan has been fully redesigned, with major improvements being made to interior roominess and fuel economy. However, the Versa hatchback carries over from last year's model with only minor changes to standard equipment.

Pros:
  • Roomy interior with an adult-friendly backseat
  • Large trunk
  • Excellent sedan fuel economy.
  • Many available convenience features
  • Comfortable ride
Cons:
  • Sedan missing a few features found on hatchback
  • So-so fuel economy for hatchback.
  • Bland driving dynamics

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 57.00
  • Quality like made in china - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    No reliability!!!! This car is piece of junk. The paint peels off all around the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even in cracks of lights where you can not reach. Not from physical damage. I went to Nissan dealer for windshield pillar paint peeled off, they said it might by from physical damage. Second time the paint peeled off in crack of back light of Quarter panel, they accept that this is warranty issue but they need 2-3 day for fixing it... and no providing car.... I have problem with door window, but I do not want even call them, they will need 5 days for repair it and I will need to rent a car. Cheaper will be to pay for fix. Even contacting global Nissan do not helped. Do not but this c

  • Realistic expectaiton still to much to meet for this car - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    Just hit 68k and the CVT is shot. First thing to give me problems were the breaks at about 12k. From there is was heat shields on the exhaust to door seals. I bought this car to get back and forth to work (150mile round trip). All I expected was a affordable car to get me to and from work at the most reasonable cost. I purchased the Nissan after comparing it to my normally purchased vehicles and it was a better value, it actually exceeded in over all space in a real world comparison to Chevy and Ford. MPG avg is 37.1 but the 10.9 tank.....10 gal usable, keeps me at the gas station every 2 to 3 days. As of now it is dead in my driveway, will not move.

  • A Total Disappointment - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    I purchased this Versa in 2013; after about 68,000 miles I started having transmission problems. I was totally frustrated especially after no one would take responsibility for the problem. It is just a disgrace that so many other owners of the same model are having transmission problem as well and there should be a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of this vehicle!!!!!

  • fuel pump went out at 50k - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    I have a love/hate thing with this car. Its roomy for a compact car, great mpg, attractive, easy and comfortable to drive. The problem is, numerous recalls, fuel pump went out at 50k miles, just outside of warranty, and pretty expensive repair. Have had R headlamp go out every 90 days or so, turns out to be a fuse, and now the same with reverse lamp. I would not recommend this car, and it pains me to say because I have always loved/been loyal to Nissans. Update: about 6 months/approx 6 to 8 thousand miles later, the transmission went bad. My dealer quoted an almost $6,000 repair bill. Our payoff was less than that, so after pleading and arguing with Nissan North America, who basically told us we were on our own, we took our business elsewhere and traded in the awful car for a different brand. Not only are Nissans no longer quality vehicles, but Nissan North America doesnt give one thought if you are a loyal customer and have bought multiple vehicles from them. They will NOT stand behind their vehicles. Never again will I purchase another Nissan.

  • Dont wast your dough. Keep looking - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    Ive had my Versa since September and its been in the shop twice and its going back next week. ECU issues followed by a window that is not working at this time. Granted, this is one of the few cars where my 5 foot 9 inch son can comfortably sit in the back seat. However the build quality is suspect. The CVT is jerky and noisy. Road noise is a pain and lower and mid level models dont even have folding rear seats or variable speed wipers for mist etc. Also there is no arm rest. I would suggest getting nice used car rather than buying this thing new. Id sell it if I could. Keep looking. The Versa is OK for the most basic transportation, nothing else

  • The Price reflects the quality - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    When I purchased my 2012 Versa hatchback, it was the least expensive new car available in North America. And the car is what it is. On the positive side, the car always started. I consider that a big plus. Also, the interior, which is naturally cheap and flimsy, is designed to feel deceptively roomy. On the negative side, right after my warranty expired, the keyless entry stopped working on the front doors and the hatchback. The front passenger door and the hatchback wouldnt open at all. A part in all the doors had to be replaced, and it was a very expensive repair. The dealership decided to do the work free, due to the car had only been out of warranty for a few weeks.

  • Problems - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    I bought my Nissan versa in august of 20111, 1st thing went wrong trim on top of roof fell off, 2nd needed a air filter I thought, 2nd needed a new transmission, 3rd needed new rear brakes, 4th blew a tire on the freeway and lastly contacted Nissan customer consumer affairs and after 3 weeks of playing phone tag their was not a thing they could do for me. And by the way did I mention that my dealership said I have roadside assistance which is only for a tow up to 100 dollars and a rental

  • Very Unreliable - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    I purchased a 2012 Nissan Versa SV certified preowned in September of 2013 with 25k miles. For the first seven months, the car was fine, but after that is when all issues started to occur. My brakes were making noises when I would hit them. It was a whistling noise. I paid to my rotors resurfaced, but that wasnt the issue. I needed the rear shoes replaced. About four months later, my transmission failed at 34k miles. Right after that, my starter went bad and right after that I needed new brake calipers. Everything accept rotors were under warranty. The car would make weird noises that went undiagnosed. All of these issues occurred before hitting 36k miles. Traded car in after 1 year.

  • Bummer - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    See "Car and Driver" review here - http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/nissan/versa for a succinct and accurate description. However dont believe the fuel economy claims. The first time I used this car for a trip, it ran out of gas in only 320 miles at highway speeds. The drivers manual says it has an 11.7 gallon tank. Thats only 27 mpg. Also the gas guage cannot be seen in bright sunlight wearing sun glasses, and even without sun-glasses cannot be seen safely while driving. Also the low fuel indication started flashing only 20 miles before the fuel ran out, and I got off the freeway once in a failed attempt to find a gas station in that 20 miles.

  • Bad CVT at 72,000 miles - 2012 Nissan Versa
    By -

    Bought this car in October of 2013. The car had 8,500 miles on it, it was a loaner vehicle that the dealership used so I knew it was in great shape. Purchased the car, and at 30,000 miles the heat shield started coming apart. The cost to replace that was 500 dollars. At 40,000 miles new brakes were needed which is normal, but little to my knowledge the rear brakes were drum brakes, fast forward to 50,000 miles the serpentine belt snapped, the cost to replace that? 650.00 dollars. Finally at 72,000 miles my transmission started going bad, at first it started with a whining at low RPMs, then it had a hard time going into reverse and on multiple occasion would disengage from drive and the car had to be turned off and started again. Finally, when I was on the freeway, the car completely lost all power and stalled (thank goodness I got over to the shoulder). I had the car towed to Nissan, were it was determined that the transmission had failed but they couldnt figure out why because the transmission oil was good and it was at normal levels. I was quoted 4,000 dollars to replace the transmission, I almost called the auto-loan company and told them to take there car back. My uncle works for Nissan, and had me make a call to Nissan USA. After explaining my frustration with a bad transmission on a four year old car, I would never buy another Nissan product or recommend Nissan to any friend or family member. The service request was sent to a supervisor, about a week later Nissan called back and covered 3,600 dollars of the expenses. It took about 3 weeks to get the car back, as there was only one tech in the entire shop who knew had to drop a CVT and put in a new one. Ive had the car back and it has about 77,000 miles on it now. Guess what? The whining came back and the car is having a hard time going into reverse. I am trading this thing in as soon as I can get the negative equity paid off on it. The car goes back into the shop Tuesday, the transmission has a year warranty on it.

Nissan Versa Reviews By Year:
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