MODELYEARINDEX

Which Nissan Kicks years to avoid

No Nissan Kicks model year in 2018–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2019 and 2020, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Nissan Kicks Full report
C
Grade 2018–2021
2019 vs model median 1.5×
Model median3× median
Driver Assist 20
Electrical 20
Engine 18
Weakest

2019 · 2020

Best

2018 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2018
0.85× 82 B
2019
1.50× 126 C
2020
1.15× 102 B
2021
0.76× 78 B
2022 P
0.41× 37 A
2023 P
0.28× 26 A
2024 P
0.38× 43 A
2025 P
0.43× 43 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2019 C 126 reports · median 16,750 mi

  1. Driver Assist 20

    I purchased this vehicle a nissan kicks 2019 at naples nissan in may 2019 at 5 miles and it started having problems in september 2019. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 20

    Radio turns off and on. On its own!!! Car stops on it's own!!! Transmission slips in reverse on hills!! Now a grinding noise when starting the vehicle. Only have had my kicks 1 year!!! I AM livid!!!!! I AM so mad!!! owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 18

    Transmission has been iffy. Randomly slipping RPMS. Driving down the highway everything shut off and it stopped in the middle of the road multiple cars narrowly missing me. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 5 injuries

2020 B 102 reports · median 5,850 mi

  1. Driver Assist 33

    When entering tunnel feb system illuminated as though a vehicle had entered the path of the vehicle. Nothing was in the path of the vehicle. Forward motion approximately 45 MPH. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 11

    The car stalled while driving causing a safety concern. The engine was still running, however, the car would not move. After shutting it down and restarting the car a secomd time, the car started moving again. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 10

    What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Forward collision - warning lights how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? owner complaint filed with NHTSA

12 crash · 4 injuries

The best year for the Kicks

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring Kicks model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.1 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2021 at 0.76× this model’s median, against 0.85× for 2018.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.85× 82 B
2021 0.76× 78 B
2020 1.15× 102 B

Recalls

8 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
19V654000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2018, 2019 1,228,830
25V324000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2025 79,755
26V331000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2025 51,598
25V188000 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 2025 37,003
22V693000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2021 20,040
23V496000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2021 11,824
24V154000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2023, 2024 351
24V969000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM 2025 89

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2019 were reported at a median of 16,750 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Nissan Kicks years should you avoid?
No Nissan Kicks model year in 2018–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2019 and 2020.
What is the best year for the Nissan Kicks?
2018 is the best-scoring Nissan Kicks model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.1 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Nissan Kicks have?
8 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Nissan Kicks model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2019 Kicks
Complaints in window
126
Severity-weighted
211.5
Model median (weighted)
141
vs model median
1.50×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
1
Open investigations
0
Score 60.1 C