Fuel pump failure on the 2009 Nissan Versa
When fuel pump failure gets reported
Owners of the 2009 Nissan Versa report fuel pump failure at a median of 40,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 30,000 miles and a quarter after 60,000 miles, from 18 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 4th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 25,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 100,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 75,307 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
33% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23,893 miles | 30,887 miles | 40,000 miles | 57,816 miles | 99,200 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $600–$2,600 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 6 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2010, at a median of 30,000 miles, and latest on the 2011 at 95,000 miles.
By volume the 2008 carries the most reports, with 21; the 2009 has 18. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
When I first purchased my new 09 nissan versa I had a start up issue and then it went away, now approx one year later after purchase I had start up issues...took it to dealership and they put in a fuel pump regulator, from what I'm hearing this is a very known problem. Thought I would advise you since I also heard some people are having to replace this often and some are losing power when driving there cars on highways...I hope this never happens for me since I have to kids!!!! *tr
At about 32,000 miles, the engine quit while in traffic, and the car (2009 nissan versa) was pushed into a parking lot. The car was towed to the dealership, and left overnight. The engine failure was caused by a fuel pump failure. The service advisor said it might have been the pressure sensor, but the entire fuel pump assy was replaced. *tr
Have had problems starting 2009 nissan versa, problem begins with long starts, car turns over 6 or more revolutions before starting, then leads later to the car turning over and not starting at all. Dealer replaced the fuel pressure regulator the first time, fuel pump the second time and now they state they are unable to diagnose the issue with no corrective action being done the vehicle. If car is able to be started it runs very choppy, dealer insisted it was a compression problem, but now claims there should not be a continuing problem. First issue was at 8440 miles, second and third at 14,959 miles. *tr
Also reported on the 2009 Nissan Versa
Strut, shock or spring failure
Airbag inflator rupture
Other suspension problem
Other wheel or tire problem
Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin
Other engine problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 18 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does fuel pump failure happen on the 2009 Nissan Versa?
Across 18 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 40,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 30,000 miles and a quarter after 60,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is fuel pump failure on the 2009 Nissan Versa?
18 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed