2019 Nissan Rogue: What to check before buying

Automatic emergency braking slams on the brakes with nothing in the way. It happens at everything from parking-lot speeds to highway driving, and sometimes the car comes to a full stop. Many reports begin in the first few thousand miles, some within 1,400 miles. The AEB malfunction light often flashes first. False stops also happen while reversing, under bridges, or over metal grates. A smaller group reports the opposite: the pedal sinks, or AEB fails to engage before a collision. Six of 97 complaints involve a crash. Some owners say the dealer software update did not stop the false braking.

Door lock actuators fail, so a door will not lock or unlock from the fob or switch. In one report this started near 45,000 miles, and others describe repeat failures of the same part. The center screen and backup camera can go black, the radio resets itself, and the volume jumps on its own. Many filings here also describe false automatic emergency braking and malfunction warnings early in ownership. Other reports cover a no-start with a no-key-detected message and a fuel gauge that stops reading. Three complaints involve crashes, one with an under-hood fire after a collision.

The car brakes hard on its own with no vehicle, person, or object ahead. Reports cover 65 mph freeway driving, city streets under 30 mph, parking structures, and backing up in rain. Some events come with no warning. Others bring AEB malfunction messages. Dealers often cannot reproduce the problem. Owners describe recalibrations, sensor or front camera replacements, and a service-bulletin software update, and the braking still comes back afterward. One report links a false stop to loss of control and a rollover. Another says the engine died and the steering briefly locked mid-turn.

The CVT transmission fails. Symptoms include jerking, hesitation from a stop, a delay before the car moves in Drive, and loss of power on hills or at highway speed. Failures cluster between about 45,000 and 88,000 miles, often with little warning. Dealers quote around $6,000 to $6,500 to replace the transmission. Diagnoses include overheating and metal filings in the fluid. Some owners report the rear differential breaking apart with a bang and smoke. Two crash reports describe the car rolling away unattended after it was left running in Park.

Cooling fans quit, and the motor overheats at idle or in traffic, sometimes with smoke and leaking coolant. Owners report fan failures from 43,819 to 78,000 miles, some more than once. Repair bills run from $554.95 to over $1,200. Other reports describe stalling or losing power in traffic. Sometimes the car restarts on its own, and sometimes it will not restart. In one crash, a stalled car was hit while stopped in a travel lane. A single report describes carbon monoxide found in the cabin.

The car slows sharply or stops with no traffic ahead. Some cases come from false automatic braking, and others from ProPilot Assist cutting highway speed on its own. One crash report says ProPilot did not stop for a braking car ahead. Other owners report a sudden loss of acceleration, where the car crawls even with the pedal floored. Others report stalling at highway speed in nearly new cars. Camera obstruction warnings appear within hours or days of purchase. A separate crash report says the engine revved and the car surged forward while the brake was pressed.

Whining, grinding, squeaking, or popping comes from the front end when the wheel turns, and the wheel can feel stiff. Noise reports start around 25,000 miles, and the stiffness gets worse in cold weather. Dealer fixes such as greasing the boot or ball joint often do not last. More serious reports describe the wheel locking up while the car is moving, or the car veering right without warning. In one case, the car hit parked vehicles. ProPilot lane centering can weave from side to side within the lane.

Front bags stay folded in frontal and head-on crashes, including crashes severe enough to total the car. Five of the 7 complaints involve a crash. One report describes the opposite problem: passenger-side airbags fired on the highway after a tire went flat, injuring a passenger. In another, the front airbag did not deploy but the seat airbag did, and it injured the driver. A separate complaint describes an SRS warning light that will not go off.