'This Car Has a Mind Of Its Own': Woman Buys Brand-New Nissan Kicks With Driver Assist. Then It Starts Barking Directions At Her

"I don't want to go that way."

Photo by: christypresherlim1 & RedlineReviews

Madeleine Wagner

By: Madeleine Wagner

Dec 17, 2025 at 10:00am ET

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The newest cars rolling off the assembly line are increasingly engineered to save us from ourselves. Driver assists help with just about everything: from backing up and braking to literally staying in your lane.

However, not every new car buyer is fully aware of how much tech is baked in. And much like the AI lurking in your email, some people love the help—while others find it bossy, invasive, and too ready to overcorrect. For South Carolina grandmother Christy (@carlinaclassy), her first few weeks off the new car lot were noisy and shaky.

Nissan Kicks: Everything’s Got An Opinion

Christy says that when she bought her brand-new 2025 Nissan Kicks SR, she had no idea how it happened because it "wasn’t a car I was looking for." The car is so new to her that she isn’t even aware that the SR designation stands for Sport Rally (sport-oriented trim).

Nonetheless, she’s driving it. But now she’s not entirely sure what’s happening in the driver’s seat. So she’s talking to the internet. And with 22,500 views, her TikTok has the internet talking back.

"Imma tell you something: this car has a mind of its own," she says as she’s in a parking lot.

"I am not lying," the content creator says while making sustained eye contact with the camera.

She explains that she "talks to Siri" while she’s driving home and briefly glances around the car's cabin, trying to get Siri, who she’s programmed with a British voice, to say something. Because "the way he talks to me on the way home is a trip."

Thus far, her experience has involved getting chastised on her way home. She notes that even if she veers off the road "a tad, a hair" the Nissan is shaking and making noise. She flaps her right hand in front of the camera, underscoring the disruptive nature of the driver assist.

All Car News reports that the 2025 Kicks is fun to drive and loaded up on assistive safety technology. Lane assist, steering assist, ProPILOT assist, and full radar adaptive cruise control are features that All Car News describes. Additionally, the outlet praised the sleek interior styling and the digital driver displays.

Nissan explains that ProPILOT Assist is a "hands-on driver assist system that combines Nissan's Intelligent Cruise Control and Steering Assist technologies." It also has a stop-and-hold function that can bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Then get the vehicle back up to speed when traffic starts moving again.

Additionally, Nissan states that this technology can be used with Navi-link synchronization to predict upcoming road conditions. The shaking mentioned by Christy is a haptic response triggered when the driver drifts lanes, or the vehicle otherwise detects a steering issue. It’s designed to help keep drivers eyes on the road, not on a screen.

Can You Turn Driver Assist Off?

Often, the comments section is a semi-supportive and sympathetic space. But for this new car owner, there’s more brand-shaming than community support. The comments range from Nissan’s long-term viability as a company to suggestions of other vehicles she should have considered.

"Nissan is going under," grumbled NoOneYouKNow.

Though this exact sentiment isn’t articulated elsewhere, there seems to be resistance to Nissan as a brand, and real annoyance with the CVT (continuously variable transmission).

"Until the cvt transmission goes out, idk why ppl buy these," complained Mance Ison.

"Like anything, even a regular transmission, it will break if not properly maintained," responded Matt Alexander. "Who hurt your feelings in life to hate on something that is not better or worse."

"That auto breaking is real," 004Bree agreed with Christy. "When I was driving down the road and this cat came out of nowhere across the street. My car stopped so fast on its own mind cause I didn’t see the cat. It was crazy, scared me."

Because there are multiple assistance features, Nissan gives specific instructions for disabling them:

Start the vehicle and access the settings menu.
Choose the feature to adjust (lane assist, blind spot warning, intelligent cruise control).
Confirm changes–but note: some features might reset the next time the vehicle is started.

In a car that is clearly designed to protect against distracted driving, something is fitting about a driver who feels compelled to narrate the experience out loud, and a vehicle that answers back.

Via direct message, Christy told Motor1, "I made the Tiktok because I wanted other people to know how nice it is and the cool features that it has. 2) I bought it because of all of the features, gas mileage, size, the color of exterior and interior and price. 3) No, I have not turned any of the features off."

What do you think?

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"Just the other day, I looked down for just a second to change my heat and a car in from off me, stopped abruptly," she continued. "My car immediately started loudly beeping and then it slammed on the brakes. It saved me from having a crash. I really LOVE my new Nissan and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a smaller SUV with GREAT gas mileage and modern new features @ an affordable price."

Motor1 reached out to Nissan via their publicly listed media representative. We’ll update this if the company responds.

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