— Nissan Versa cars lose power while driving and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to know why.
According to a new federal safety investigation, Nissan Versa vehicles lose power while driving after the 2022-2024 Versa engines have stalled.
At least 20 complaints allege the Nissan Versa loses power after a stall while driving on the highway or in city traffic, and the driver doesn't receive any warning before the problem occurs.
In addition to the complaints, multiple field reports describe Versa vehicles that enter limp mode following stalled engines in vehicles equipped with manual transmissions.
NHTSA says if a 2022-2024 Nissan Versa stalls (from a driver releasing the clutch too fast or other reasons), the Versa will suffer from a loss of power (limp mode) which results in limited torque.
Several of the complaints allege not being able to maintain vehicle speed above 30 mph or accelerate to avoid a potential hazard.
A few good examples are the complaints filed by two drivers of 2023 Nissan Versa cars.
"2023 Nissan Versa S has manual transmission. Car will intermittently lose acceleration. When this problem starts, car is unable to go over 30mph in any gear and even with the accelerator pedal pushed to the floor. This has occurred 5 times so far. Sudden loss of speed creates a life threatening situation when driving on a highway and speeds of 65 mph are expected. The car will suddenly drop to 30mph or lower without any warning and will not accelerate."
"If you stall the car, upon restart there is a great degree of power loss. It seems like it's the VDC system turned up to the max, where it's limiting engine power, and applying the brakes. It makes the car much slower and difficult to get up to speed. This can cause a safety risk as it causes the car to perform unpredictably."
The federal investigation will determine why Nissan Versa cars lose power while driving and if NHTSA believes the vehicles need repairs.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the investigation.