2023 Nissan Rogue Problems and Top Complaints

Fuel system, engine, powertrain, and brake issues are the main cause of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

Updated on Author: Brian Jones | Reviewer: Sergei Lemberg

The Nissan Rogue has been a best-seller for the automaker since the introduction of its launch 2008 model in 2007. Now in its third generation, the 2023 model is described by Nissan as simplifying everyday life with an “innovative engine and helpful driver assistance features.” But owners who constantly smell gas inside the SUV’s cabin, or experience engine malfunctions or brake failures, aren’t impressed. They are also complaining about acceleration issues and airbags that don’t deploy.

Click on other model year to view more problems:  2019   2020   2021   2022

Most Common Problems with the 2023 Nissan Rogue

The most common problem facing owners of the 2023 Nissan Rogue is the gasoline smell that comes from the engine. More than 80% of the 41 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) refer to this issue. Their primary concerns are that it is a health hazard and fire risk. While dealers commonly acknowledge the problem, they say there is no fix. Lemberg Law discusses this issue in detail in another post, 2022-2023 Nissan Rogue Gas Smell Problem. So, we won’t focus on this particular issue in this post.

There are many other problems we need to highlight, including complaints that relate to the powertrain and engine. The primary problems are engine malfunctions, sometimes combined with acceleration failures. There are also complaints about SUVs rolling back and crashing and problems with the shift lever.

Brake problems, including brake failure, go hand-in-hand with airbag complaints.

2023 Nissan Rogue Complaint Summary

Complaint CategoryNumber of Complaints
Fuel/propulsion System
58
58
Engine
56
56
Unknown Or Other
28
28
Power Train
11
11
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
7
7
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking
6
6
Service Brakes
6
6
Vehicle Speed Control
6
6
Fuel System, Gasoline
5
5
Electrical System
4
4

Powertrain and Engine Problems

While there are about 4 times as many NHTSA engine complaints as those filed as powertrain problems, most of the engine issues relate to the gas smell that so many owners are experiencing. However, a number of complaints filed in both categories deal with engine failure or power malfunctions.

A complaint from an owner in Virginia, regarded as a powertrain problem, describes a crash. When starting the Rogue, “the vehicle rolled back and struck the side of an unoccupied vehicle, causing the vehicle to strike another unoccupied vehicle.” Luckily there were no injuries.

Another owner states that for several months after buying a 2023 Rogue, a warning alert displayed on the dashboard. It said, “Check position of shift lever.” The dealership kept the SUV for a week but was unable to fix the issue because they didn’t have the necessary part. The complaint states that the dealer “now continues to inform me that they are waiting on a part to come in but that I can continue to drive my car without it being repaired.”

Problems with Engines That Malfunction

Most, but not all, of the complaints about malfunctioning engines are also regarded as both engine and powertrain issues.

An owner from Arizona states that an error message stating “engine malfunction power reduced” popped up. At the same time, the accelerator pedal stopped working even when pushed right to the floor.

A Virginia owner had a similar experience. It started with the check engine light coming on a few weeks after buying the Rogue. A few days later, “the car almost shut down while I was making a left turn at a light.” The dealership said to take the car in for an inspection. While driving on the interstate highway to the dealership, the check engine light changed to “engine malfunction.” The car stopped functioning and the gas pedal was flat.

“I could not get the car to accelerate no matter how hard I tried. The vehicle essentially stopped in the middle of the highway with me and my two children in it. This incident posed a significant risk to me and my children, as well as to other motorists in that we could have been involved in a major car accident. I called the police and had the car towed to the dealership.”

According to the dealership, the signal between the pedal and engine was faulty. They repaired the defect, but the owner states, “I will never drive that car again. After this incident, I conducted a little bit of research and I found out that consumers have been experiencing similar problems, dating back to the 2016 model.” Nevertheless, Nissan refuses to reimburse the $35,000 spent to rectify the fault. “I am now paying the price for something that is not my fault. Buyers be aware!”

Engine Failure Problems

Yet another owner of a 2023 Rogue tells how the engine failure light came on and the car lost all power. The complaint is filed as an “unknown or other” problem.

“If this had happened 6 miles later we would have been in (a) construction (area) with cement barriers on both sides and unable to pull over.” Because there were trucks on the road going about 70 mph and unable to stop, the complaint says: “We, along with many other people, would have been killed.”

According to the dealership, this Rogue had a faulty throttle body. “The head mechanic said they (had) just fixed an identical car with (the) same (1,400) mileage 2 hrs earlier with the same problem. Also, he said they have done this several times before. It’s been a week now and my car still sits there because they are unable to find the part.

“My assumption is they can’t get the part because so many cars have failed. Now they need to put the same flawed part back on my car to fix it. I am scared to death to drive it.” Ultimately, this owner was begging Nissan to “recall this vehicle asap before many people are killed or hurt.”

Don’t be stuck with a lemon. You have legal rights to cash, return or buyback.

The law makes Nissan pay legal fees.

We've fixed thousands of lemon problems. Message or call 877-795-3666 today.

Brake and Airbag Problems

The Florida owner of a 2023 Rogue describes being in a crash with her fiancé who was driving. The impact was on the front driver side. No airbags deployed, no emergency braking activated, and there wasn’t a collision warning. Cruise control was on, which the complaint points out, should also activate all sensors. Unfortunately, both driver and passenger were injured and the vehicle was probably totaled.

Another owner states how brake failure caused the Rogue to crash. “I was coming up on a stop light going about 30 mph and was trying to slowly come to a stop. But I noticed that my car wasn’t slowing down. So, I tried to brake harder by pushing on the brake pedal, but the pedal resisted my foot pressure. I pressed harder on the pedal, but the car took over the braking and started to beep the collision warning. I was not in control of the braking system (and) the car would not stop. The car wasn’t allowing me to brake. I heard all kinds of beeping from the car as everything happened so fast. I ended up rear ending someone.” To make matters worse, the airbags didn’t deploy.

What to do if your 2023 Nissan Rogue is a Lemon?

If you think that your 2023 Nissan Rogue might be a lemon, contact Lemberg Law and we will assess your problem free of charge. The law says that Nissan must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

We have many years of experience handling lemon law cases, and if we think your claim has merit, we can negotiate a settlement on your behalf. All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you.

Brian Jones

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

See more posts from Brian Jones
5 COMMENTS
  • Latreass

    Purchased a new 2023 Nissan Rouge January of 2023, first oil change, the oil pan and plug was damaged during oil change, 3rd oil change oil pan and oil plug damaged again while performing oil change, no oil pans in stock on back order, weeks later, while traveling out of town, vehicle started hesitating and skipping like it wanted to stall out, when accelerated, very scary, was on interstate with many fast driving 18 wheelers, seconds later check engine light comes on. Take to nearest dealership, was told vehicle needs a new low fuel pump, not in stock on back order. This vehicle has been nothing but a headache. I want Nissa to refund me in full.

  • Steve B

    At less than 500 miles a wire burned out and blew a fuse on our 2023 Nissan Rogue.

  • Laura

    My 2023 Rogue is back in the garage with (now to be extended wait on parts) with continuing gauge and instrument issues. The first time all the gauges went dark and you had no information on the dash screens, they fixed this (loose harness wire they said) and since I have been having nothing but issues with the touch screen and the steering column controls having no impact on the features. They are telling me a broken spring and module that will need to have the whole steering wheel replaced. My first Rogue and not feeling overly comfortable.

  • Adi S

    Another owner states how brake failure caused the Rogue to crash. “I was coming up on a stop light going about 30 mph and was trying to slowly come to a stop. But I noticed that my car wasn’t slowing down. So, I tried to brake harder by pushing on the brake pedal, but the pedal resisted my foot pressure. I pressed harder on the pedal, but the car took over the braking and started to beep the collision warning. I was not in control of the braking system (and) the car would not stop. The car wasn’t allowing me to brake. I heard all kinds of beeping from the car as everything happened so fast. I ended up rear ending someone.” To make matters worse, the airbags didn’t deploy.

    (This is exactly what happened to me. The vehicle did not break no matter how hard I pressed . The vehicle did not warn me. The vehicle’s airbags did not deploy)

  • Dawn

    My daughter purchased a 2023 Nissan Rogue in Dec 2022. The car battery light came on in the first month causing all sorts of problems ; steering wheel locked, can’t shut off or put in park, engine over heats & races. This happened once prior to having a remote start put in from Best Buy. It had happened several more times & the dealerships are saying its the starter that caused it & want us to pay for repairs.

Leave a Reply or Comment

Write a comment below to share online. Or, instead you can to our legal team.

Please select your star rating.

Briefly describe your experience Briefly describe your experience

What’s your name? What’s your name?

What’s your phone number? Please enter a valid phone number

Want to know if you could sue? Get a free legal evaluation from Lemberg Law?

Get Your No-Obligation
Case Evaluation

Send a secure message to our legal team.

What’s your name? What’s your name?
What’s your email address? What’s your email address?
What’s your phone number? What’s your phone number?
Briefly describe the problem Briefly describe the problem
Confidentiality Guarantee: We keep your information completely confidential and will not send you spam or sell your information.
By submitting above, I agree to the privacy policy and terms and consent to be contacted by an agent via phone call or text message at the phone number(s) listed above, including wireless number(s).