Nissan · Kicks · 2020
0
Recalls
87
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2020 Nissan Kicks has no recalls and 87 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: forward collision avoidance (7 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
15.5% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Vehicle was just purchased from a Nissan Dealership (2020 Kicks) and less than 1,300 miles of driving throwing a code stating there is a problem with CVT transmission. Will not produce enough power when going uphill. RPMs will suddenly not go over 1 when given gas uphill. There was a recall for this problem on other 2020 kicks but ours isn't covered and we just purchased this vehicle and drove it home less than 2 months ago.
The dash board lights up and the check engine light comes. It’s hard to accelerate or reverse and its idles high. I have replaced coils, spark plugs, censors and it’s costs me thousands of dollars and it’s still not fixed.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver's side seat belt independently unlatched. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 197. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that the ABS, Forward Facing Camera, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), Lane Variation, and other safety feature lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the ABS and Forward-Facing Camera. The dealer diagnosed that the ADAS needed to be replaced; however, the part was on back order. While awaiting parts for the repair, the battery started to lose power and needed to be jump-started several times. The manufacturer was informed of the issue. The manufacturer opened a case for the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed electronic control module. The contact was informed that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were on back order. In addition, the contact referenced an online site, which referenced the failure with the vehicle, and for parts were not being available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
I was driving and needed to come to a stop because there was a four-way stop sign, and the brakes didn’t work. The pedal went all the way to the floor and even though I pumped the brakes, it wouldn’t stop. This is the second incident where this happens. I checked the brake pads and fluid everything is good. No warning lights come on when this happens. So the mechanic says they cannot check and see what’s wrong with it because no lights come on.
When driving my car the crash light comes on in traffic and sometimes when braking. Recently it started to flash the hydroplaning symbol and now the check engine is on. I’ve seen other people online having the same issue with their vehicles as well.
The engine harness and electrical wiring have caused the entire vehicle to lose signal. This issue has cause my.car to stall and not accelerate while driving. Entire lights on dashboard come one and vehicle is unable to accerlerate. Vehicle is currently at the dealer and that is the tecnicians conclusion. No signs before aside from dashboard lights turning on. Vehicle was taken to DMV soon after.
I purchased the used vehicle in March and I have had an intermittent check engine light (p0101 code), my forward collision warning lights and traction control lights come on and my car brakes like I was in an emergency braking situation. Since the second day of owning the car. I've had it in the shop more than 5 times. They have not found the issue. I've been told there is nothing wrong so even with my extended warranty I'm unable to have this issue repaired. All these lights come on together and leave together. This is dangerous because stopping suddenly on the highway could result in me getting killed. I haven't found a tsb or recall but according to multiple nissan forums this is happening to hundreds of 2019 -2021 Kicks owners. This happened again yesterday and scared me. I can't afford another car right now. I just want this one to be repaired properly before it's too late. This morning no lights or check engine light present.
P0101 code keep coming back after so many repairs plus all lights are on like lane assist front collision prevention rear collision detection and slippery road it will reset after turning off and on
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 98,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 108,000.
The car gives me warning signals. All the warnings display on my screen and then the car doesn’t advance. It has happened several times and I’ve been put in danger since I live in San Antonio TX and there’s always traffic. I’ve called the dealer and they just tell that there’s no recalls for that vehicle. A lady that works at the same company I do has had the save issue. I searched online and many others are having the same issue. Also I purchased a code scanner which tells me it’s the mass air flow sensor and I replaced it but the issue persists. I put yesterday’s date’s for the incident but it has also happened to me at least 4 times before Please assist. My email is [XXX] . My name is [XXX] and my vin number is: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Collision warning came on auto brakes for a second. Then light stayed on. Took to Dealership and was told Collision camera was out of alignment due to brackets moved or bent.
I own a 2020 Nissan Kicks and have experienced recurring and unpredictable electrical and system malfunctions while driving. At times, a "Malfunction, see owner's manual" warning appears on the dashboard, accompanied by multiple warning lights including: Forward collision warning Slippery road / traction control warning. Occasionally, the high beam headlights turn on by themselves, and I have noticed that the malfunction also leads to the engine stalling when I switch to reverse to park my car. These warnings appear randomly, about a few times a month, while driving under normal conditions. The issue usually resolves temporarily after restarting the vehicle, but this raises serious concerns about the reliability of key safety systems such as traction control, collision avoidance, and issues with the engine itself. On several occasions, the check engine light (CEL) accompanied these other warning lights during the "malfunction" and the CEL remained on even after a restart. A diagnostic scan revealed P0101 (Mass Air Flow Sensor Performance issue). However, when I had the vehicle inspected at a Nissan dealership, the technicians stated that the MAF sensor and related systems were operating correctly, and they could not identify a specific mechanical issue. Despite that, the CEL and other malfunctions continue to occur intermittently. They were also not able to recreate the situation I explained with the malfunction since it occurs at random times. This issue has happened multiple times and creates uncertainty about whether the vehicle is safe to operate. I have found numerous reports online from other Nissan Kicks owners experiencing the same combination of issues (P0101, engine stalling, random warning lights, and vehicle malfunctions that reset upon restart). I have attached a repair invoice from the dealership. Just recently on 6/22, this happened again as I was driving at night. When I went to park my car, the engine stalled again. I attached a dashboard photo.
1.the vehicle brakes on it's own 2.the vehicle stops accelerating while driving even if when the engine is still running and stepping on the gas pedal. 3. lane departure malfunctions
I own a 2020 Nissan Kicks and have experienced recurring and unpredictable electrical and system malfunctions while driving. At random times, a "malfunction" warning appears on the dashboard, accompanied by multiple warning lights including: Forward collision warning Slippery road / traction control warning Occasionally, the high beam headlights turn on by themselves These warnings appear randomly, about a few times a month, while driving under normal conditions. The issue usually resolves temporarily after restarting the vehicle, but this raises serious concerns about the reliability of key safety systems such as traction control and collision avoidance. On several occasions, the check engine light (CEL) accompanied these other warning lights during the "malfunction" and the CEL remained on even after a restart. A diagnostic scan revealed P0101 (Mass Air Flow Sensor Performance issue). However, when I had the vehicle inspected at a Nissan dealership, the technicians stated that the MAF sensor and related systems were operating correctly, and they could not identify a specific mechanical issue. Despite that, the CEL and other malfunctions continue to occur intermittently. They were also not able to recreate the situation I explained with the malfunction since it occurs at random times. This issue has happened multiple times and creates uncertainty about whether the vehicle is safe to operate. I have found numerous reports online from other Nissan Kicks owners experiencing the same combination of issues (P0101, random warning lights, and vehicle malfunctions that reset upon restart). This suggests it may be a systemic electrical or ECU problem, not isolated to my car. I urge the NHTSA to investigate whether this issue warrants a recall, software update, or mandatory fix. It undermines the safe and reliable operation of the vehicle.
I was coming off the highway as soon as I got to stop my car shut off. I had to restart my car again. This is about the fifth time it did it. I have sent it to the dealership and they cannot find nothing wrong with it.
Transmission went out with no warning
The transmission control module or, (TCM), is the system that failed and or malfunctioned and it is available for inspection upon request of the company. The safety of myself and my husband was put at risk when this component failed and the vehicle would not move forward in traffic. Yes the problem has been reproduced and confirmed, NOT by a dealer, but by myself. No the component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or other representatives with the Nissan Co.. Yes there were warning lamps such as the check engine light no messages and no other symptoms of the problem prior to its failure. The issue first appeared last week of February 2025 so, from my perspective, just last week. 02/25/2025 was date of incident.
Driving and the collision lights came on, took back to have fixed,they said no lights are coming up for them , then it happened again , gave me loaner car it’s happened three other times they still have the car
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2020 Nissan Kicks has 0 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 87 owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Nissan Kicks.
The 2020 Nissan Kicks received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2020 Nissan Kicks are forward collision avoidance (7 reports), power train (6 reports), service brakes,forward collision avoidance (4 reports).
NHTSA does not currently list any recalls on record for the 2020 Nissan Kicks. To verify the status of your specific vehicle, check nhtsa.gov/recalls with your VIN.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.