2021 Nissan Rogue Reliability Report

Inner tie rods bend or snap during ordinary driving, even on smooth roads. The car suddenly pulls hard to one side, wobbles, or stops with the front wheels pointing inward. Dealers have quoted a full steering rack, as much as $3,500, and owners report parts that are hard to find and long waits. Some link the failure to a federal steering investigation. Other reports describe the wheel locking mid-turn and loss of steering and brakes when the engine shuts off. Four of the 18 reports involve crashes, three with injuries.

Coolant loss leads to overheating, white exhaust smoke, and coolant mixing into the oil. Several owners say a head gasket failed or the dealer called for a new engine, mostly between 120,000 and 140,000 miles, and one replacement cost $6,231. Radiator fan failures cause overheating at low speed and weak air conditioning. Other reports describe stalls on the highway, hard starts, and engines that rev without accelerating until the car is restarted. At least one dealer cited sludge and refused warranty coverage on a failed engine.

Automatic emergency braking misbehaves in both directions. The car brakes hard with nothing ahead, sometimes at highway speed or over railroad tracks, and in reverse it reacts to shadows. All three crash reports say the system failed to brake for a real obstacle. Separately, owners describe soft pedals that sink to the floor and grinding from failed calipers. Some owners say a caliper recall did not cover their VIN. Dealers often find no fault.

Phantom braking is the main complaint. The car brakes hard at 35 to 70 mph with no vehicle or object ahead, leaving drivers exposed to rear-end collisions. Reports cluster between about 39,000 and 58,500 miles, and some owners say it has happened repeatedly since new. The system also shuts itself off with a malfunction warning in clear, dry weather, which can disable cruise control and related features. Dealers usually cannot duplicate the fault. One crash report says no warning came before impact.

Water leaks in at the top corners of the windshield and the A pillars. Owners trace it to roof rail mounts covered by a service bulletin. The water stains and soaks the headliner, and owners report mold and possible rust. Some leaks come back after repair, and one out-of-warranty estimate topped $3,000. Other reports describe sunroofs shattering at highway speed, failed door lock actuators, a door that would not open, and exterior pieces such as wheel well moldings and the fuel door cover flying off on the highway.

Deployment failures in serious crashes lead this category. Owners describe no bags firing in a rollover and a guardrail impact, or the driver's bag deploying late. Five of the 12 reports involve crashes. A second pattern is the roof rail leak soaking the curtain air bags and headliner, with one repair quoted near $4,000. Owners also report warning lights, a side air bag sensor repair around $1,460, and side air bags deploying with no impact. Some say recall or software updates never appeared for their VIN.

Gasoline smells build up in the cabin, especially after idling or parking, and some owners report headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Several owners find actual leaks under the tank or a burst fuel line. Fuel gauges get stuck or fluctuate after refueling. Fuel pump failures cause hard starts, sputtering, and stalls at highway speed, sometimes in cars with fewer than 3,000 miles. Owners cite fuel pump recalls but say their VIN did not show them, and dealers have refused out-of-warranty leak repairs.