2021 Nissan Rogue Engine Problems
24 owner-reported engine complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Engine Recalls (1)
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 2, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or Infiniti's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R25A8/A9 and R25B1/B2.
Owner Complaints (24)
Your engine's head gaskets failed at 120,000 miles, requiring a complete engine replacement. Now at 180,000 miles, your transmission has also failed. Given your car's heavy freeway use for airport taxi service, these major component failures suggest potential issues with how the engine and transmission handle sustained highway driving.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2021 Nissan Rogue had trouble starting and then experienced severe engine problems while driving at 45 MPH — the engine jerked, overheated, and the car slowed down to 15 MPH on its own. The dealer diagnosed a blown head gasket and engine damage at 121,000 miles. Fixing this will require engine repairs or replacement, which is a major undertaking.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2021 Rogue has repeatedly overheated and lost coolant, with white smoke coming from the dipstick area and exhaust. You're also experiencing engine rattling and shaking, and the cabin heat isn't working. Even after a recall repair and regular maintenance, these problems continue. The issue likely involves a coolant leak, failed thermostat, or internal engine problem that will need professional diagnosis and repair at a dealership.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
I don't have access to the attached document mentioned in this complaint. To provide you with an accurate translation, please share the specific details about what engine or cooling issue you're experiencing with your 2021 Nissan Rogue.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started bucking while changing gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the coolant level was low, and the safety system had engaged. There was no coolant leak found. After taking possession of the vehicle, the heat became inoperable. The contact noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was determined that the failure was possibly related to the EGR cooler. There was no indication of a leak. The part was on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Car was sputtering and didn’t idle right, engine light came on and took it to Nissan dealership-they replaced egr valve gasket, exhaust gas recirculating, air filter and did 2 recalls. Then 2 days later the car didn’t want to start and had clouds of white smoke coming out of exhaust. Took back to dealership today and was told I need a new motor-coolant was leaking into cylinder 4. My car only has 127,000 miles on it. Now I can’t drive it and have to come up with $6231.00 for a used motor with 30k miles on it.
I have 2021 Nissan to and my suv is drinking a lot of coolant. I have a cracked head gasket where the car has never over heated. It’s coolant mixed with my oil and sometimes it has trouble cranking. When it does crank a bunch of white smoke comes from the exhaust pipe. I haven’t even had the car 2 years and it’s a blown head gasket in the engine. Dealer says I need a new engine
This is a follow up on my email originally sent to Nissan North America, Inc. & forwarded to The US NHTSA. I had purchased a used 2021 Nissan Rogue SV Car bearing the VIN as [XXX] from a local used car dealer in Garland TX USA. The car ran well in the last 2 years except for 1 time repair issue on the Radiator & now the Engine. On [XXX], my car started giving me trouble on the excessive consumption of the Coolant & it got exceptionally overheated while driving. Regular Timely Service has been done on the car. More recently, the car's engine got locked a few times & did not start upon my attempting to start the car. I took the car to Christian Brothers Automotive in Bedford, TX where they diagnosed that the vehicle struggles to start & runs rough. Vehicle smells like it is burning coolant badly, pulled out oil dipstick & found coolant mixed with oil, Blown head gasket and recommended a new engine. Driving at that time was not recommended due to the overheating issues. I took the car to Nissan of Lewisville/Lewisville Nissan & requested them to check the car thoroughly. Initially, I requested a basic 60K Service package which included a Radiator Coolant Flush & other necessary services provided by Nissan North America/Nissan Motor Corporation. Nissan of Lewisville/Lewisville Nissan refused to repair the car claiming expired warranty and demanded $10000.00 from me besides their repeated threats for charging storage fees & towing charges. I invoked 15 years Manufacturer's Implied Warrant retrospectively based on 4 USDC Court Orders ordering the Automobile Manufacturers to provide 15 years Implied Warrant on the cars manufactured by them. The Nissan North America, Inc./Nissan of Lewisville are in contempt of the said Court Orders. Close All Operations of Nissan Company. Order repair the car, provide 15 years Warranty Coverage. I will take 84 cars + $8950,000000.00 in out of court settlement against Nissan North America, Inc., et al. Arrest all involved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive coolant usage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change and to be diagnosed. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on seven occasions, the “Engine Malfunction” and “Engine Power Reduced” messages were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was jumpstarted to started. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was provided with information about a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,344.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, and the vehicle was able to restart initially; however, the failure persisted while driving, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to Firestone, where an unknown, incomplete diagnosis was made. The vehicle was in the process of being towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact called the manufacturer but was unable to speak to a live representative. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to move before shutting down. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with premature engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the engine had overheated, and there was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact performed an inspection of the vehicle. The contact became aware that the coolant level was low. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the next day, the vehicle was driven four miles. The contact stated that when the coolant level was checked, the coolant level was low again. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that the thermostat was replaced at 100,000. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Malfunction Error" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the rear brake pads and brake fluid were replaced, and an oil change was performed. The failure persisted, and the contact was informed that the coolant and EGR sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a second dealer, Hallmark Nissan (1300 3rd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203), where the front brake pads and air filters were replaced and tire rotations were performed, but the failure recurred. The contact was informed that the engine oil and coolant needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was later involved in a crash unrelated to the failure, and while the suspensions were being replaced by the body shop, a 2023 Nissan Rogue loaner was provided, and the vehicle experienced the same failure with the "Malfunction Error" message displayed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Car stall and shut off while driving on the highway. This is the second time this has happened in a year. They tried to blame it on the battery the fuel was reading wrong then. Fuel reading issue again in August supposed to have done a software update again to fix it. Now this time my child was driving and the car shuts down while driving on the highway with gas reading 42 miles left. The car gets to the dealership and they say it’s no gas and the fuel pump system failed. This car is a severe safety hazard.
The engine revs a s will not accelerate. I have to stop put car in park and turn it off and on. This has happened many times. Dealership says they can’t do anything unless an engine light or code is present. I even showed them videos.
The engine frequently will not change gears (has happened several times). I have to pull over; turn the engine off, then restart the car in order for the gears to properly change.
While traveling down the road in drive my vehicle failed to accelerate. I would press on the gas pedal and car wouldn’t go any faster. I had to come to a complete stop on the highway put the car in park then back in drive and then it was fine. This has happened many times and is very unsafe.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the fueling system was leaking. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lunged forward and stalled but restarted. The alternator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 5,500.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, an unknown object struck underneath the vehicle. The contact then noticed that oil was leaking underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve body was damaged. The contact was also informed that the oil pan and cover had been slashed by the object. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being back ordered. The manufacturer was contacted via email but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 2,289.
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving in local traffic, the RPM abruptly increased without warning. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited a few minutes. The contact restarted the vehicle and immediately the RPM increased independently. The failure was experienced three times. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer performed a diagnostic test that was unable to locate a failure code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was contacted. The failure mileage was 1,433.
UNABLE TO PUT CAR INTO PARK. NEED TO STOP/START ENGINE WITH FOOT ON BREAK IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PUT CAR INTO PARK. RESISTANCE TO SPEED WHILE DRIVING. NEED TO PULL OVER VEHICLE AND STOP/START ENGINE TO THEN PROCEED DRIVING.
AFTER PARKING IN A DRIVEWAY FOR A GIFT DELIVERY MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT INTO COON RAPIDS, MN NISSON SERVICE ON APRIL 2ND AND THEY STILL HAVE IT TODAY ( APRIL 15). NO IDEA AS TO WHAT IS WRONG. THEY PROVIDED ME WITH A ROUGE TO USE BUT WOULD LIKE MY NEW PLATINUM BACK. IT ONLY HAS 838 MILES ON IT. WHAT IS GOING ON? THEY SAID I CIULD GET IT BACK WITH NO REPAIRS BUT I DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE AN UNSAFE VEHICLE AS I AM IN MY 80'S AND DO NOT WISH TO BE STUCK SOMEPLACE WHEN MY CAR WON'T START AND ALSO WITH AN ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ON. I PAID $40,000.00 FOR THIS VEHICLE AND EXPECT IT TO BE RIGHT. PLEASE RESPOND. MSAYBE A NEW PLATINUM WILL BE NEEDED IF THEY CANNNOT FIX IT.
ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE VEHICLE JERK WHEN PARKED AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF.