Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: the numbers are mixed and the complaint record is worth reading before you commit.
Owners have filed 269 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Nissan Versa, and it carries 7 recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 134 | 50% |
| Suspension | 36 | 13% |
| Unknown or other | 12 | 4% |
| Steering | 9 | 3% |
| Engine | 6 | 2% |
| Electrical system | 5 | 2% |
| Structure | 4 | 1% |
| Suspension | 3 | 1% |
| Seats | 3 | 1% |
| Air bags | 2 | 1% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
Brake Caliper because stuck or seized mid driving making braking unsafe or near impossible.
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH in a parking lot, the front driver's side air bag unexpectedly deployed without an impact to the vehicle. In addition, the air bag explod
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
I was working for Uber Eats in New Smyrna Beach, FL. The car was front parked and I reversed the car to pull out from the parking lot. I drove at 5 MPH on the parking lot ready to drive to the main road. The main road wa
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the rear passenger's side door failed to unlock and unlatch as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local de
NHTSA complaint: Latches/locks/linkages
BOTH front coil springs suddenly without warning broke while driving collapsing the front end of the vehicle creating difficulty in steering and handling. Although this year/model are the subject of a front coil spring
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Versa. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V349000 (Air Bags) and 17V449000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local de
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Versa. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V401000 (Air Bags) and 17V449000 (Air Bags); however, the dealer refused to complete the recall repairs. The contact s
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
On September 11th, my wife was involved in a car accident while driving her 2011 Nissan Versa. The collision resulted in the vehicle rolling over and ending up upside down. Shockingly, none of the airbags deployed during
NHTSA complaint: Air bags
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2011 Nissan Versa. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2011 Nissan Versa sedan vehicles and 2011-2012 Nissan Versa hatchback vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, N
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Versa Hatchback, and 2009-2011 Versa Sedan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marian
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-72
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and 2007-2012 Versa Hatchback vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver frontal air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to moderate absolute humidity, temper
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the subject inflator with a new one manufactured by a different supplier, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Ni
| Reliability raw | 53 | average |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 65 | good |
| Maintenance | 84 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 54 | average |
| Performance | 43 | below average |
| Efficiency | 53 | average |
| Safety | 53 | average |
Percentile ranks against other midsize & large cars in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 269 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and air bags is the most reported area with 134 of them (50%). There are 7 recalls on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 53/100 (average) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 65/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2011 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: be careful, because the numbers are mixed and the complaint record is worth reading before you commit. Its overall ownership score is 53/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.