Nissan Rogue years to avoid: 2013, 2017-2018 and 2023 in NHTSA data

At a glance

• Most complaints

  733

  Model year: 2023

  complaints to NHTSA [21]

• Fewest complaints

  152

  Model year: 2020

  complaints to NHTSA [21]

• Most recall campaigns

  10

  Model year: 20212014

  recall campaigns [21]

The highest value in each column is marked in amber. Raw counts, not adjusted for sales.

Rogue complaints and recent filings, 2008 to 2024

The table below gives each model year's complaints and recall campaigns from NHTSA's public API on Oct. 12, 2026. It also counts complaints reporting a crash or a fire, and complaints filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

Of the 1,569 complaints filed since Oct. 12, 2024, on any 2008-2024 Rogue, 1,105 concern the 2021-2024 models. The 2023 has 573 of its 733 complaints in that window, the most of any year. The 2024 has 204 of its 212, or 96.2 percent; Nissan put it on sale in early 2024, so most of its time with owners falls inside the window. The six 2008-2013 model years drew 55 recent complaints between them.

The 2023 Rogue and the VC-Turbo recalls

Of the 2023's 733 complaints, 289 list the engine and 123 list engine and engine cooling; 407 list one or both. Across all 733, 86 descriptions mention knocking, a bearing or seizing. The 2022 shows the same pattern on a smaller scale: 183 of its 265 complaints list the engine or engine and engine cooling, second only to the 2023. Of those 265, 178 were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

Recall 25V-437 covers certain 2021-2024 Rogues, 2019-2020 Altimas, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50s and 2022 QX55s equipped with VC-Turbo (variable compression turbo) engines. Their engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure. NHTSA's record adds that a bearing failure may breach the engine block and let hot oil escape, increasing the risk of an engine fire.

The 25V-437 recall record lists a free engine control module (ECM) software reprogram at the dealer. The record counts 443,899 potentially affected vehicles across every model in the campaign, not only Rogues. NHTSA opened a defect investigation, preliminary evaluation PE23-023, on Dec. 13, 2023, and closed it July 18, 2025, with recall 25V-437. NHTSA's summary closing PE23-023 describes the 25V-437 remedy as an inspection of the engine oil pan for specific metal debris. On the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo, if no debris is found, dealers replace the oil-pan gasket and engine oil and reprogram the ECM, the summary says. If Nissan confirms the debris, dealers replace the engine. The summary adds that Nissan will extend the warranty to 10 years and 120,000 miles for the recall's vehicles once the dealer has done the inspection.

Recall 26V-080 covers certain 2023-2025 Rogues equipped with the 3-cylinder 1.5-liter VC-Turbo engine. Increased temperatures can break down the engine oil, which may cause the engine bearings to seize, NHTSA's record says. Engine failure can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash, the record adds.

Recall 26V-080 expands 25V-437. The 26V-080 record lists an ECM reprogram, a check for diagnostic trouble codes and a test drive. The dealer may also inspect the oil pan for metal debris and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. NHTSA lists 323,917 potentially affected vehicles for it. Recall 26V-080 lists 2023-2025 Rogues only, so on a 2022 the engine-bearing remedy is the 25V-437 work described above.

A third campaign, 26V-081, covers certain 2024-2025 Rogues with the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo, whose electronic throttle body gears may break. Broken gears can cause a loss of drive power, NHTSA says. Dealers reprogram the ECM and inspect the throttle body, replacing it as necessary, free of charge.

Nissan's press kits list the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo as the standard engine on the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Rogue, and their price lists show it on every trim: S, SV, SL and Platinum. Recall 25V-437 covers only certain 2021-2024 Rogues with that engine, so within 2022-2024 neither the trim nor the year alone tells you whether a car is in it; only the VIN does. Neither the 25V-437 record nor the 26V-080 record tells owners to park outside.

The 2008-2016 Rogues: CVT complaints and wiring recalls

NHTSA lists one Rogue recall from 2008 to 2024 whose component names the transmission: 15V-775, filed under gear position indication. It covers certain 2015 Rogues whose shift selector knob could let the car leave Park without the brake pedal pressed. The CVT story is in the complaints: descriptions that mention the CVT or the transmission peak on the 2013, at 276. A mention is not a diagnosis: it means the owner's own description used one of those words.

Nissan's 2014 Rogue Select press kit, for the previous-generation Rogue kept on sale, lists a standard Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission). In every model year from 2008 to 2016, the power train is the component listed most often, tied with air bags on the 2009.

Among the 2008-2013 years, the 2010 and 2012 have the fewest complaints, 282 and 318. Few of the 2013's reports are recent: 25 of its 610 complaints were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

Recall 15V-032 covers certain 2008-2013 Rogues built March 7, 2007, to Nov. 26, 2013, and certain 2014 Rogue Selects built Sept. 23, 2013, to July 2, 2014. In the 15V-032 vehicles, snow, water and salt seeping through the driver-side carpet can short a wiring harness connector. NHTSA says an electrical short can cause a vehicle fire. The 2010 has the most fire-flagged complaints of any year, 17. The flag means only that the owner answered yes to NHTSA's fire question; it does not say what burned. A later campaign, 22V-024, covers certain 2014-2016 Rogues whose under-dash connector may corrode from water and salt in the driver's foot well.

2017 and 2018: crashes and automatic emergency braking complaints

The 2017 has the most crash-flagged complaints of any year, 57, and the most complaints reporting an injury, 42. Crash-flagged means the owner answered yes to NHTSA's crash question; the table's crash-or-fire column, 65 for the 2017, also counts yes answers to the fire question. Its complaints most often list NHTSA's "unknown or other" category, in 139, then the power train in 123 and service brakes in 114.

The 2018 has the most complaints listing service brakes, 264, and forward collision avoidance, 174. Only 45 of its complaints mention the transmission or CVT.

Complaints mentioning sudden stops or unexpected braking, by our phrase count, number 67 for the 2017, 157 for the 2018, 69 for the 2019 and 23 for the 2020. The 2019 has 336 complaints and three recall campaigns, but 122 list service brakes and 99 forward collision avoidance. NHTSA lists no recall with a service brake or forward collision component for any 2017-2020 Rogue.

NHTSA did open a preliminary evaluation, PE19-010, on Sept. 9, 2019, into false automatic emergency braking on 2017-2019 Rogues. It followed a petition alleging that the system on 2017-2018 Rogue and Rogue Sport models engaged with nothing in the vehicle's path. NHTSA's investigations file, downloaded Oct. 12, 2026, gives PE19-010 no closing date and no recall number.

2021: ten recalls in a launch year

NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for the 2021, tied with the 2014 for the most of any model year. The ten include 25V-437, the VC-Turbo bearing recall. That record lists certain 2021-2024 Rogues equipped with VC-Turbo engines. Nissan's 2021 press kit says every 2021 Rogue has a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Even so, NHTSA lists 25V-437 for the 2021, so run the VIN rather than assume a 2021 is outside it.

Recall 21V-068 covers certain 2021 Rogues whose fuel hose may not be secured in the proper position. NHTSA says such a hose may leak, increasing the risk of a fire. Recall 21V-957 covers certain 2021 Rogues with abnormal wear inside the fuel pump, which may overheat and fail. Dealers replace the fuel pump assembly free of charge.

Recall 21V-286 covers certain 2021 Rogues whose rear brake calipers may be missing an internal bushing, letting brake fluid leak. A follow-up, 23V-791, covers two vehicles that were inspected under 21V-286 but did not get new calipers.

NHTSA opened preliminary evaluation PE24-020 into 2021 Rogue inner tie rod failures on Aug. 5, 2024, and closed it Aug. 24, 2026, without a recall. Its closing summary says ODI found a low number of tie rod bending or deformation allegations relative to the vehicles and their exposure, and that closing is not a finding that no defect exists.

Of the 2021's 290 complaints, 62 list the engine or engine and engine cooling, and 150 were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

Three Rogue generations compared, and the Rogue Select overlap

Nissan redesigned the Rogue for 2014 and kept selling the previous generation as the Rogue Select. The 2021 Rogue was all-new again.

Grouped that way, the raw counts average 387 complaints per model year for 2008-2013, 470 for 2014-2020 and 375 for 2021-2024. The newest group has had the least time on the road. Complaints reporting an injury number 163 for the seven 2014-2020 model years, against 28 for the six 2008-2013 years and 27 for the four 2021-2024 years. The newest group's total is still climbing: 1,105 of its complaints were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

Of the redesigned Rogue's first three years, the 2015 ranks fifth of 17 by complaints (553), the 2016 sixth (541) and the 2014 seventh (440). The power train is the most-listed component on all three. Descriptions mentioning the CVT or transmission number 93 for the 2014, 111 for the 2015 and 150 for the 2016.

Complaints reporting an injury rise across the three: 14, 23 and 25. The 2016 has two complaints reporting three deaths in all; the 2013 has one reported death, and no other year has any.

In 2014 and 2015, every record NHTSA's API returns for the Rogue Select is also a Rogue record. All 422 and 519 Select records are in the Rogue counts of 440 and 553. Only eight of each year's Rogue complaint descriptions mention the Rogue Select. On the recall side, 15V-032, which covers certain 2014 Rogue Selects, is one of the 2014's 10 campaigns. NHTSA opened preliminary evaluation PE24-017 on May 31, 2024, after field reports that side curtain air bags on 2015 Rogue Select vehicles deploy after a door is shut or slammed. NHTSA's investigations file gives PE24-017 no closing date and no recall number.

The Rogue Sport is filed under its own model name: 374 complaints for 2017-2022, none of them in the Rogue counts.

NHTSA's overall crash rating is 4 stars for the 2011-2021 models and 5 stars for the 2023 and 2024. The 2022 rates 4 or 5 stars by version, and the 2008-2010 models have no overall rating.

Steps before you buy a used Rogue

1. Get the VIN and run our free check at automotor.news/vin-check/, which shows which safety recalls cover the car's make, model and year. For open status on that exact car, enter the VIN at NHTSA's lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) or Nissan's, which federal rules require large automakers to offer and to show each recall not yet completed.
2. If NHTSA's or Nissan's VIN lookup lists VC-Turbo recall 25V-437, 26V-080 or 26V-081, that recall is open on that car: have the remedy done before the sale. If it lists none on a 2021-2024 Rogue, none is open on that VIN: the car was never included or has had the remedy, and the dealer repair order shows which. On a 2023 or 2024, the VIN lookup shows whether 26V-080, which expands 25V-437, is still open.
3. Nissan's recall numbers on a repair order: R25A8/A9 and R25B1/B2 for 25V-437; R25E2 and R25E3 for 26V-080; R25E2, R25E3 and R25A9 for 26V-081. Some codes belong to two campaigns, so read the work description, not just the code. For questions about these recalls, NHTSA's records give Nissan's customer service number: 800-647-7261.
4. On a VC-Turbo car, have a mechanic scan for stored engine trouble codes before you pay, the same check the 26V-080 remedy includes. If it shows stored engine codes or knocks on the test drive, have the listed recall remedy done before the sale, or walk away. Both VC-Turbo engine campaigns' remedies, as NHTSA describes them, can include an oil-pan inspection for metal debris and, if necessary, a new engine.
5. On a 2022, which 26V-080 does not cover, have the engine codes scanned and listen for knocking on the test drive. Ask for a repair order showing the 25V-437 work, including the oil-pan inspection NHTSA's PE23-023 summary describes. Ask Nissan (800-647-7261) whether the 10-year, 120,000-mile warranty extension that summary describes applies to that VIN.
6. On a 2008-2016 Rogue, the power train is the most-listed complaint component every year, tied with air bags on the 2009. Test drive from a stop, up a hill and at highway speed, and ask for records of transmission service or CVT repairs. On a 2015 Rogue Select, also ask whether the side curtain air bags have had any dealer work.
7. On a 2017-2020 Rogue, drive in traffic and on an open road with the driver-assist systems on. Note any braking you did not ask for, and ask whether the forward collision system has had dealer work.
8. Recall 23V-093 covers certain 2014-2020 Rogues with a jackknife (folding) key that may collapse while driving. Check that the key has the spacer dealers insert under that recall.
9. If any recall is open, have it done before you buy or make it a condition of the sale. Our guide to checking a car for recalls walks through the lookup.