2016 Nissan Rogue
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 540 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 19 Rogue model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 35 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 36 people were injured and 3 people died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical system, ignition, anti-theft, immobilizer/proximity, key/senderFeb 16, 2023
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Rogue and 2017-2022 Rogue Sport vehicles equipped with a jackknife style ignition key. The jackknife key may collapse into a folded position while driving.
Driver contact with a key in the collapsed position could inadvertently shut off the vehicle while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, if the vehicle shuts off while driving, the air bags may not deploy in a crash as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will insert a spacer into the key slot of the jackknife key, free of charge. Interim notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed March 29, 2023. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.
Campaign 23V093000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiring, interior/under dashJan 21, 2022
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Rogue vehicles. The electrical connector for the under dash harness may corrode due to water and salt intrusion from the driver's side foot well.
Corrosion in the electrical connector can result in power window/seat failure, all-wheel-drive warning light illumination, battery drainage, and electrical connector damage that increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will remove the harness tape and harness covering and replace both connectors and apply white lithium grease to the connectors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R21B9.
Campaign 22V024000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsNov 14, 2017
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016 Nissan Rogue vehicles. The vehicles have front passenger seat frames that may be improperly welded. As such, these vehicles fail to meet performance requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 202a, "Head Restraints" and FMVSS 207, "Seating Systems."
In the event of a crash, the improperly welded seat back frames may increase the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat back assembly, free of charge. The recall began January 08, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 17V716000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsOct 18, 2017
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Nissan Rogue vehicles. The recliner joints on the lower seat frame for the rear seats may have improper welds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," and 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
The insufficient welds can increase the risk of injury to the occupants in the event of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat frames and replace any defective lower seat frames, free of charge. The recall began December 6, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 17V663000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 19, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V911000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, body, hatchback/liftgate, support device/strutApr 15, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured July 31, 2013, to January 16, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the rear lift gate support stays may corrode due to insufficient anti-corrosion treatment.
Corrosion of one or both of the rear lift gate support stays could cause a sudden release of pressure. If this occurs, the support stays may break off, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear tailgate stays, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V219000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
540 reports, newest first.
Seat belts, Other or unspecified, Lane departure, Jan 2, 2022
Unlike other car this car don’t warn for seat belts. Blind spot lights frequently appers for the vehicle even though the vehicle is opposite direction divided highway .while driving the tires makes unpleasant sound like its not aligned properly .
Power train, Dec 29, 2021
I have been having issues with the transmission in my 2016 Nissan Rogue. At the date of the filing of a class action lawsuit regarding this issue there were 38 complaints lodged with the NHTSA regarding this same issue, for just that year of the model. That total does not include any complaints regarding the Pathfinder, Altima, Infinity, Versa, or Sentry, or prior or consecutive years of the Rogue, even though there are multiple complaints regarding the issue. The NHTSA does not seem to be concerned with the safety of those that have filed complaints regarding this issue, as they have not ordered a recall. I was even informed earlier that there were no complaints on record, so either the representative did not look closely enough, or at all. To explain the issue all you have to do is look at all other complaints regarding the CVT issue in the Nissan models, lack of acceleration, increased rpms due to revving, lagging when driving, increased shaking when stopped. Please take the complaints serious and have Nissan fix the defect that they are more than aware of. Nissan only acknowledges a problem after warranty expires, and now they are minimally extending warranties to address problem, but most have already gone over mileage extension. This needs to be addressed as an imminent safety issue.
Air bags, Vehicle speed control, Nov 7, 2021, crash
While pulling into a parking slot the vehicle accelerated and crashed thru the front of a medical clinic and into an inner wall. Air bags did NOT deploy.
Power train, Nov 3, 2021
The transmission began to fail and caused the vehicle to stall for approximately 5 to 6 seconds before moving. There were several instances where I was unable to move my vehicle while in the parking lot and came close to being hit by another vehicle or came close to hitting another vehicle. It is known to Nissan that their CVTs fail and my vehicle had began to fail at 35k miles. They replaced the transfer case 4 times but never replaced the transmission despite my request.
Power train, Engine and engine cooling, Oct 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated with the RPM rising. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond with the accelerator pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard. The contact stated there was a discrepancy between the speed of the vehicle and the RPM. The contact also stated that the passenger’s side front seat belt failed to restraint the passenger when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V663000 (Seats, Seat Belts). The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated once. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the TCM and ECM software needed to be updated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
Air bags, Oct 18, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the airbag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The contact stated the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V911000 (Air Bags). The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
Power train, Air bags, Latches/locks/linkages, Oct 18, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. She also stated that the vehicle would stall upon the depression of the accelerator pedal to the floorboard with an unknown red warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. Additionally, she mentioned that the trunk would fail to open and that the passenger’s side airbag warning light would intermittently illuminate without an occupant in the seat. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Oct 18, 2021
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, an abnormal banging sound was coming from the engine without warning. Her daughter had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who repaired the transmission housing; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was brought back to the mechanic who then notified the local dealer of the failure. The mechanic was informed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty; however, the local dealer agreed to cover half the cost for a new transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was given the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Power train, Oct 17, 2021
The check engine light came in my car. Thinking it was something simple, because it only has 28k miles. I took it to a non Nissan mechanic for diagnostics. After finding out it wasn’t simple, I called Nissan warranty. They told me I had to take it to their mechanic for diagnostics. So I’m doubly diagnosed with a failing transmission that needs to be replaced. Nissan warranty has offered to pay 70% of repairs. Two weeks ago I asked for an estimate, and a trade in price for my car. They still haven’t returned my call. This is so frustrated because I paid cash for my car, and now all I want to do is dump it.
Exterior lighting, Other or unspecified, Oct 16, 2021
Both Headlights on low beam do not light up road infront of you although they used to no problem, the regular headlights are so dim it is almost impossible to see without having high beams on. However driving with high beams puts headlights directly in the eyes of oncoming traffic.. improper lighting is dangerous! When driving at night, I must use highbeams or you can not see far enough ahead to confirm nobody walking on side of road and road ahead is clear. This started occurring at approx.. 40,000 miles, my last rogue never had this issue. I have not taken to dealership yet but need to now that I see some of the complaints and our issue is not a bulb.there has been no warnings or messages for this issue to repair ourselves we are unable to do so because it's not a blub it's the direction of the low beam lights have changed we do not know what has caused this we just started noticing we were unable to drive at night securely and did not have $ to take to dealership. Yes my car can be inspected if you are able to do so. I will be taking to mechanic asap I will upload report. This is an ongoing safety issue
Power train, Oct 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, when the vehicle began to jerk forward and decelerated to 20 mph. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a near gas station and was stationed for 30 minutes before continue driving to her residence. The contact also stated she was unable to reverse the vehicle from her garage. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,098.
Power train, Oct 7, 2021
Delayed acceleration, engine revving higher rpms without increasing its speed, after being in very slow moving traffic car will only go about 30 mph but rev very high
Exterior lighting, Oct 7, 2021
My 2016 Rogue is now needing its 4th passenger side headlight replaced in 5 years. Each time it is due to a broken seal around the headlight, which allowed water to come in and short circuit the headlight & making the non-bright function null. Brights still work. After taking it to 2 separate local Nissan dealerships, they both concluded it was indeed a faulty headlight / design and both indicated it would be $1600 to replace with a new one. After relaying this info to Nissan Corporate, they said they wouldn't help with their "Goodwill Program" since they'd already done so the last time the headlight was replaced and because of the age of the vehicle. However, as I mentioned to the Nissan rep, the issue has never truly been FIXED (ie: the seal area around the headlight to prevent moisture shorting out the light) since the previous headlights have all given out in the exact way. My perception is this is just a poorly designed vehicle that Nissan was willing to flood into the market but was never intended to last more than 5-6 years, nor was Nissan willing to stand behind and admit their design mistakes. By the way, I have a 2015 Armada with more miles than my Rogue and those headlights are still as bright as ever.
Power train, Oct 5, 2021
I was driving on a four lane freeway when my transmission (with no warning) started acting strange. The engine started revving like I was stepping on the gas harder, but the car was actually slowing down. It felt like the engine was going to blow so I took my foot off of the gas. I tried to accelrate to get to the exit lane as cars were trying to pass on the left and right. The transmission would catch and start working sort of and then start racing the engine again. I was able to get off of the highway, but it was a very harrowing experience. Even though I was off of the highway I needed to continue to a safe place. The car continued to race the engine, but not really accelerate. Had car towed to dealer. Car needs new transmission. Apparently this is a known defect with these transmissions.
Power train, Oct 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the RPMs started to fluctuate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle after waiting for 30 minutes. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to experience failure. Additionally, the vehicle started to jerk forward. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The contact stated she had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle at her residence and she was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Power train, Oct 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the CVT transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 71,805.
Power train, Sep 30, 2021
I was driving on highway when my 2016 Nissan Rogue SV with 60,700 miles and just 5 years old transmission began slipping. The RPMs were jumping up and down when I tried to accelerate and travel with highway traffic at 65mph. I could not get vehicle to travel past 50 mph and once I was safely able to pull off exit, the car which was still in drive, began rolling backwards towards other vehicles on exit ramp. No warning lights ever came on, and there was no prior indication of a transmission failure. No stalling, slipping, lurching, etc. My safety along with my 7 & 2 year old was put at great risk as we could have easily been hit going so slow on an interstate, along with it rolling backwards on exit ramp. It was too unsafe to pull off on highway breakdown lane because it’s too narrow. The vehicle was then towed to Nissan dealership where it was confirmed to be a transmission failure at no fault of my own, but a “mechanical failure” as they described and they fixed.
Other or unspecified, Sep 16, 2021
THE VEHICLE HAS LOW MILES (CLOSE TO 30,000) AND TRANSMISSION IS FAILING - DOES NOT WANT TO SHIFT TO NEXT GEAR AND CREATES A DANGER TO PASSENGER AND OTHER DRIVERS.
Power train, Sep 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would idle, shudder, and a knocking noise was heard. The contact was able to drive to his residence. Upon researching, the contact related the failure to the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was over the mileage warranty and referred the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Power train, Sep 4, 2021
The transmission shakes shudders then won't accelerate. Then all of the sudden revs up and takes off
Power train, Aug 29, 2021
Transmission gone out at 70000 miles
Other or unspecified, Aug 27, 2021
My 2016 Nissan Rogue began jerking on our way home from vacation. It was shaking and and jerking we got so scared it kept bumping us and jerking us we actually had to pull over off the freeway luckily we were near an O' reily's they told us it was the cvt transmission we ended up calling a tow truck to get us as we were soo scared to keep driving.
Power train, Aug 25, 2021
I bought my Rouge used on 7/6/21, and it started acting up on 8/15/21. A whole 9 days after my 30 day limited warranty ran out. It feel like the transmission is slipping. It jerks, bogs down, doesn't accelerate when you step on the gas, is hesitant to back up or drive, will stall while driving, and completely loses power while driving. I was driving to work today and it lost power while i was on the highway, had i not been able to pull off I could've have been killed. It was driving fine at 65 mph and then just started to lose power and not want to go. I pulled off the highway and shut it off and then after a few minutes restarted the car, it still hesitated to go and was jerking and bogging down but didn't lose power again. I am afraid to drive this or have my kids in the car but I don't have a choice as I am still paying on this car. The check engine light did not come on until after these things occurred. It was driving fine prior to 8/15/21 and nothing occurred that should've caused this problem.
Steering, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 17, 2021
Engine unexpectedly stalls/stops under power. Along with power steering and brakes. Engine sensors were replaced by dealership. Condition persists and confirmed by dealership. Dealership maintains this is an engine wiring harness issue that shorts out under certain conditions. While engine was operating, dealership was able to cause engine to stop. Cautioned me to get wiring harness replaced, as it could present a safety issue or accident. Check engine lie went on as did the traction control light in each case after they were reset. I am taking vehicle to another service center to evaluate. Estimate was $3,402 to replace engine harness, plus it was $750 to replace sensors, Vehicle has 55,000 miles on it.
Visibility, Aug 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, an abnormal, gunshot noise emit from her vehicle without incident. The contact reached her destination and upon initial inspection, she could not find any failures with the vehicle. The next day upon entering her vehicle and shutting her door, she heard broken glass rattling in her sunroof. Upon inspection, she discovered a large chunk of glass had shattered in the middle of the sunroof which she linked to her failure today before. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was also referred to a local dealer for a diagnostic which had yet to be done. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.