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Nissan · Midsize car

2018 Nissan Kicks

Gas
Midsize Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
97 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA84
Crash ratingNHTSA overall
Fuel economybest combined, EPA33 mpg
202620252024202320222021202020192018

The 2018 Nissan Kicks is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car. The most efficient version, the Kicks, is EPA-rated at 33 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 84 complaints, most often about the forward collision avoidance.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
KicksGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl313633$1,900

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 40219.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Nissan Kicks is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
minor

Back Over Prevention

1,228,830 vehicles
ProblemNissan 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. 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) numRiskThe lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.FixNissan 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.
NHTSA campaign 19V654000reported Sep 12, 2019Nissan North America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
84complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2018: 3 · 2019: 19 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2026: 9

Most-cited components

Unspecified26
Forward Collision Avoidance24
Electrical System23
Engine21
Service Brakes14
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)12

What owners describe

“Car started/idled rough but stopped after acceleration. Mile into drive, yellow ck engine light flashing. Drove home and took it to auto store for free diagnostic. Misfire cylinder 1. Took to nussan dealer where purchased (certified used) to have them check it out. Light is now off, but code is stored. They moved plugs…”Aug 17, 2023 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“El Panel de control tiene prendidas las luces de ABS, luz de Warning, luces de Resbalizo, luces de choque entre vehículos (4 luces encendidas). Mi vehículo tiene 19,000.00 y casi no se usa y tiene 4 años de comprado. Por favor, ayúdenme con esta Situacion”Mar 30, 2023 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“Light in panel appear said warning malfunction automatic emergency breaking light is on all the time and the car go to the dealers they fixed and when used the car this appear again in the panel”Mar 5, 2023 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Kicks model years

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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