NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 85 owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan Kicks.
1Safety recalls
85Owner complaints
1Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: backover prevention and rearview camera. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off while driving (16 complaints, 19%). Most-reported area: electrical system (23 complaints, 27%).
1 safety recall for the 2018 Nissan Kicks
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: KICKS.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
Owners have filed 85 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Kicks. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Stalling or shutting off while driving16 · 19%
Check engine light12 · 14%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages11 · 13%
Hesitation or slow acceleration4 · 5%
Loss of power or limp mode3 · 4%
Won't start3 · 4%
Shaking, shuddering or vibration3 · 4%
Backup camera problems3 · 4%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Electrical system23 · 27%
Engine22 · 26%
Forward collision avoidance19 · 22%
Most named: warnings (16); automatic emergency braking (8)
Brakes14 · 16%
Stability control12 · 14%
Powertrain8 · 9%
Fuel and propulsion system4 · 5%
Unknown or other26 · 31%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Nissan Kicks recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2021 Kicks drew the most (46) and the 2018 drew 30.
Owner complaints
2018: 85 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Kicks
Model year
Complaints
2018
85
2019
134
2020
96
2021
76
2022
23
2023
34
2024
37
2025
37
2026
7
Safety recalls
2018: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Kicks
Model year
Recalls
2018
1
2019
1
2020
0
2021
2
2022
0
2023
1
2024
1
2025
4
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Nissan Kicks SUV FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Kicks problems?
In the 85 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Kicks, the problems described most are stalling or shutting off while driving (16), the check engine light coming on (12), and driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages (11). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
How do I check if my Kicks has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: KICKS.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.