2018 Nissan KICKS problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
84 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
6,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2018 model year. Data snapshot: . 31 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Unknown Or Other is the most frequently named component, appearing in 26 of 84 complaints (31.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 22 | 26.2% |
| Engine operation | 12 | 14.3% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 8 | 9.5% |
| Steering behavior | 3 | 3.6% |
| Transmission and shifting | 2 | 2.4% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 26 |
| Electrical System | 23 |
| Engine | 21 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | 16 |
| Service Brakes | 14 |
| Electronic Stability Control (Esc) | 12 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 8 |
| Power Train | 8 |
Unknown Or Other: 26; Electrical System: 23; Engine: 21; Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings: 16; Service Brakes: 14; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 12; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 8; Power Train: 8
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 26 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 2 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 2 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 26; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 2; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (26). 53 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 | 9 |
2018: 3; 2019: 19; 2020: 8; 2021: 8; 2022: 12; 2023: 9; 2024: 5; 2025: 11; 2026: 9
Pattern summary
Unknown Or Other leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 22 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 12 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11165757 · 2019-01-04 (January 4, 2019)
FREQUENT AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING DEACTIVATION WHILE DRIVING DURING WHICH A WARNING IS DISPLAYED THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEACTIVATED, A WARNING LIGHT IS DISPLAYED AND CRUISE CONTROL IS DEACTIVATED.
Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 11165757 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11180493 · 2019-02-16 (February 16, 2019)
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATORS WOULD APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. VEHICLE INDICATORS WILL GO OFF EVEN IF THERE IS NO VEHICLES AHEAD
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11180493 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11428173 · 2021-08-07 (August 7, 2021)
Upon acceleration vehicle stalls and will not move forward, I had to put car in park, turn off and then restart engine to accelerate. This issue has happened many times over the last month with no idea of what the faulty issue might be. I was almost side wiped in an intersection due to the car not wanting to accelerate and it requiring to be restarted to get it to move. It only does this after driving and coming to a stop and then attempting to move forward. There has been a message thats come across the dashboard twice that says system off, ho…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11428173 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11429962 · 2021-08-21 (August 21, 2021)
1: the back-up camera display may suddenly go dark while you’re in the middle of reversing 2: the vehicle would not start and something stalls when driving with with a boost off and had the vehicle serviced twice for this issue, but to no availability answer. The Nissan Dealership can’t find any problems .
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11429962 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11123848 · 2018-08-31 (August 31, 2018)
MY UNCLE, [XXX], PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2018 NISSAN KICK, FROM STEVENS CREEK NISSAN, IN SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, LAST WEEK. THEY OWN A TOTAL OF FIVE NISSAN'S NOW, ONE FOR EACH DAUGHTER AND ONE FOR [XXX], THEY HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THEIR OTHER NISSANS. [XXX] HAS BOUGHT FIVE VEHICLES OVER A TEN-YEAR TIME SPAN, HE HAS PLACED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND FAITH INTO NISSAN. ON AUGUST 27TH, THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN ON THE FREEWAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO NISSAN OF SERRAMONTE, IN COLMA, C…
Owner-reported narrative. 85 miles reported. Look up ODI 11123848 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11438445 · 2021-10-27 (October 27, 2021)
205/55/R17 I’ve taken the car to Nissan Jackie cooper in Tulsa ok they’ve replaced the battery from running on low power. Left it there for two days & they said the computer system is failing always restarting while I’m driving backup camera doesn’t work sometimes or is very very blurry. My car has stalled on me almost daily & shuts down i put it in park & it’s fine but it’s a ticking time bomb it has 47,000 miles always put Mobil 1 full synthetic & a Mobil one oil filter top of the line these things should absolutely not be happening & also th…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11438445 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11140171 · 2018-10-13 (October 13, 2018)
AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED THE ENGINE STARTS BUT NONE OF THE INSTRUMENTS IN THE DASHBOARD (DIGITAL GAUGE, SENSORS, ETC...) INCLUDING THE STEREO WOULD TURN ON. IN ADDITION POWER STEERING IS NOT FUNCTIONAL. IT TAKES SEVERAL TRIES OF RESTARTING THE CAR IN ORDER TO GET ALL THE GAUGES, SENSORS, STEREO AND POWER STEERING TO FUNCTION. THIS ISSUR CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS COMPLETELY OFF AND IT IS TURNED ON. I EVEN TOOK A VIDEO SHOWING THE ISSUE.
Owner-reported narrative. 2,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 11140171 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11651290 · 2025-03-28 (March 28, 2025)
My steering is erratic and sometimes it feels like it’s pulling hard to one side or the other and when I try to correct it actually over corrects. I’ve read about the eps problems when looking into options for repair/replace. I feel it too dangerous for driving anywhere. It is a 2018 Nissan Kicks. Thank you.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11651290 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11233889 · 2019-07-22 (July 22, 2019)
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
Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11233889 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11684867 · 2025-09-03 (September 3, 2025)
I purchased a 2018 Nissan Kicks with under 6k miles from Atlanta Luxury Motors (ALM Marietta) on April 29, 2022. The dealer failed to disclose the car was a Canadian import, which voided the manufacturer’s warranty and left me responsible for unsafe defects. At under 30,000 miles, the suspension (struts) failed and had to be replaced, and by 60,000 miles the CVT transmission began showing fault codes, slipping, and jerking, creating serious safety risks while driving. The undercarriage also showed early rust. These problems were confirmed by in…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11684867 at NHTSA ↗