Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
29–34 mpgcombined; city 26–31, highway 35–39; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$9,550–$11,200U.S. average; Ohio $8,540–$10,010 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Versa. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Air bags
17
8
0
9
Electrical system
13
0
0
0
Power train
13
0
0
0
Unknown or other
12
0
0
0
Engine
9
1
0
0
Service brakes
9
3
0
2
Fuel/propulsion system
7
0
0
0
Seat belts
6
2
0
1
Structure
5
1
0
0
Steering
4
1
0
1
Suspension
4
1
0
0
Visibility/wiper
2
0
0
0
6 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Wheels
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2017 Versa over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 114 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2017 Versa, the latest on Apr 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: power train (36), electrical system (31), equipment (21), engine and engine cooling (12), fuel system (7).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Engineering analysis EA21002 Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2017 Versa.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 7–8 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Versa Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
31 / 39 / 34
Versa Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl
Manual 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
27 / 36 / 30
Versa Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
26 / 35 / 29
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data