2018 Nissan Kicks Problems and Complaints

Users Opinions on 2018 Nissan Kicks

Recommended mentioned in Reviews

Write a Review

Disliked by Users

K
Kelley
• 14/09/2021
Rating:
(1 Out Of 5 stars)
... still being fuel efficient but with space. I didn’t notice most of the things I now consider major defects right away. The first hint came when I had to return it for service 3x before they found that the transmission had totally failed. Transmission was on back order from China or Japan so I didn’t even have the car fir 45 days. When I got it back the smallRead More
Source: edmunds
MR
M. Rickard
• 24/03/2021
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
... The navigation system will not keep synced with my phone (S9+) and I this is a feature I really need as I travel ALOT! SO, after 2 mechanics riding with me in the car and hearing the noise 2 times, I am now told that the Engineers at Nissan are saying," this is a normal condition of the kicks and we are not addressing this issue at this time". NOT ACCEPTABLE NISSAN!!! I was told to get rid of the noise to open the windows and this should fix the noise issue!Read More
Source: edmunds
DK
Dani K.
• 21/08/2020
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
... in and they “couldn’t replicate the sound” however my husband was able to record it while he was in the passenger seat. I don’t know if it my dealership that just isn’t correcting or looking diligently at the issues I’m requesting them to look at, however a brand new car should not have this many issue with her. Read More
Source: edmunds

Nathan Dyer

Senior Editor,

Updated on August 6, 2024

Nissan has been delivering cars in almost all price ranges for a long time now and the 2018 Nissan Kicks is said to be replacing the soon-to-be discontinued Nissan Juke. The Nissan Kicks becomes an affordable subcompact SUV at $18,290 and the car lacks power when compared to cars like the Honda HR-V, the Toyota C-HR, and the Hyundai Kona.

However, it is spacious enough and comes with the necessary technology, good specifications and decent safety features that are expected from a car of this kind. The NHTSA report is quite positive for the Kicks with just a single recall and a total of 42 complaints. That really isn’t a lot and it makes the Kicks stack up well against the rivals in terms of overall reliability.

2018 Nissan Kicks User Complaints and Problems

Electrical Problems

Reverse camera – The camera goes blank at times while reversing leaving the driver to have no image of what’s behind the car.
Warnings – The user reported the traction control warning to flash along with a few other lights and immediately cut down the power of the car. The car had to be restarted in order to get the car to perform normally.
Audio unit – The audio system fails to work while using Android Auto. The system skips 5 seconds of a track with no warning with the dealers unable to explain the issue.
Gauge reading – The software was unable to read the right amount of gas in the vehicle and always displayed the wrong fuel levels.
Instrument cluster – All the digital gauges and displays fail to turn on at times after starting the car. The user requires to restart the car multiple times to get the gauges to work.
Collision sensor – The front radar keeps stating that there is something ahead even though the path is free.
Mirror adjuster – The switch to adjust the exterior mirror fails to work.

Mechanical Problems

Engine – The car was reported to struggle to get the engine started and needed multiple tries before it was up and running. It was also noted that the car lost power all of a sudden while driving and failed to respond to the accelerator.
Brakes – The brakes engage themselves at times without any obstructions ahead and stalls the car. The dealers doubt that it could be due to a faulty front radar. Also, the car vibrates upon applying the brake pedal ultimately resulting in a stall.
Transmission – Users noticed the transmission to be rough when shifting from park to reverse and made a grinding noise.

Interior Problems

Seats – The headrest requires a lot of muscles to barely move them up and down. An average person would not be able to do it and dealers claimed it to be normal.

Recalls

S. No.	Date	NHTSA ID	Issues Noticed	Additional Remarks	Remedy
1	12th September 2019	19V654000	No backup camera display image.	The reverse camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rearview image is no longer visible. This creates a higher chance of a collision.	The owners will be notified and the dealers will update the reverse camera setting software, free of charge.

Should you buy the 2018 Nissan Kicks?

Nissan really wanted to offer an affordable compact SUV and they delivered it without compromising much on the quality. The major focus for the 2018 Nissan Kicks is reliability and from the NHTSA reports, it is clear that the car holds a very limited number of issues and in comparison with the competitors, the Nissan does a much better job. Nissan has also done a good job with the exterior styling and has made sure that it has a very fresh design compared to its rivals.

The Kicks isn’t as powerful as the competitors but offers a much more balanced and refined ride. The cabin space on the Kicks feels much roomy when compared to a few other cars. Also, the Kicks packs in the highest fuel efficiency in the group with a combined economy of 33 miles per gallon. We recommend going for the Nissan Kicks in this segment as it offers the best safety features and the drive quality that is perfect for the city-run and daily commutes.

Similar Cars