2013 Nissan Rogue Recalls, Problems & Maintenance

The 2013 Nissan Rogue carries 1 open NHTSA recall — most recently covering electrical system. Owners report 4 recurring issue clusters, led by “Door latch and lock actuator failure.” Nissan owner's manuals split service into Schedule 1 (severe) and Schedule 2 (normal). Most US drivers fall under Schedule 1. The biggest preventable failure on Nissan vehicles is CVT transmission damage from extended fluid intervals — owners of Altima, Rogue, Sentra, Pathfinder, and Murano with CVT should not skip it.

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1 Open Recall

Source: NHTSA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Campaign #15V032000 · Jan 26, 2015

Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured March 7, 2007, to November 26, 2013, and 2014 Nissan Rogue Select vehicles manufactured September 23, 2013, to July 2, 2014. The affected vehicles may experience an electrical short in the harness connector due to a mixture of snow/water and salt seeping through the carpet on the driver side floor near the harness connector.

Risk: An electrical short can cause a vehicle fire.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the kick panel wiring harness connector and will if necessary install a new harness connector and waterproof seal, free of charge. The recall began on February 26, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Recall data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.

Known issues & problems for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2013 Nissan Rogue.

Reported to NHTSA

Door latch and lock actuator failure

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

7 NHTSA complaints · 2020-12 → 2026-04

“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the front driver’s and passenger’s side doors intermittently failed to open, causing the driver to climb over the rear seats to exit or enter the vehicle through the rear doors”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11733549
“BOTH front door actuators have failed. Can NOT open the front passenger side door at ALL and the front driver side door will ONLY OPEN from the INSIDE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11722342
“CAR LOCKING MECHANISM FREEZES IN COLD WEATHER, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN DOOR DESPITE 'UNLOCKING' CAR. HAD THE ISSUE FIXED 2 YEARS AGO AND HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED AGAIN”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11385576

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

CVT transmission failure and sudden power loss

POWER TRAIN

140 NHTSA complaints · 2020-07 → 2026-06

“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shuddered, and cause the vehicle to stall. The check engine warning light remained illuminated”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11653470
“At 96,000 miles, I was driving and the CVT transmission went out. I was able to pull over but had to have the car towed for service. Nissan has had numerous problems with failing CVT transmissions, some recalled”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11492411
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN ROGUE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY DECELERATED TO 35 MPH AND FAILED TO ACCELERATE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11365138

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Airbag warning light and non-deployment

AIR BAGS

37 NHTSA complaints · 2020-11 → 2026-08

“Air Bag warning light blinks 1 long and 5 short blinks. Scan shows code of B1018-00 which is passenger seat occupation seat sensor failure meaning even if seat is occupied, air bag will not deploy”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11612903
“Hi there, question. I own a 2013 Nissan Rogue and the passenger side airbag will not work because the sensor on the passenger seat is not working. So when a person seats on the passenger seat, the airbag is not active”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11477701
“During a rear end accident on the highway when someone slammed on their brakes, I hit them at around 40 mph and slamming on my brakes to prevent it and the airbags did not deploy”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11618627

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Electrical fire from wiring harness corrosion

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

6 NHTSA complaints · 2022-09 → 2026-08

“My car was parked in my driveway without being used for almost a day and caught on fire. The fire started in the driver side where the harness supposedly got changed and went up”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11698395
“Unknown what failed but my car was set on fire today. Whole dash was completely burnt”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11600234
“I am writing to formally notify NHTSA of a serious safety incident involving my 2013 Nissan Rogue. My vehicle experienced an electrical fire while parked in my driveway following heavy snowstorms and road salt exposure”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11727741

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Note: NHTSA also opened 1 defect investigation(s) on this vehicle that closed without action.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 20, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Raw data + downloads for this vehicle →

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter

Every 5,000 mi

Replace synthetic-blend or full-synthetic oil every 5,000 miles under Schedule 1. Schedule 2: 7,500 miles. VR30DDTT (3.0L twin-turbo): full synthetic only.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 5,000 mi

Rotate tires every 5,000 miles. Front-wheel-drive Nissans (Altima, Sentra, Versa) wear front tires fast — don't skip rotations.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

CVT Fluid (NS-3)

Every 60,000 mi

Nissan officially calls CVT fluid 'lifetime,' but independent technicians and Nissan TSBs recommend replacement every 60,000 miles to prevent CVT failure. Use Nissan NS-3 fluid only — substitutes destroy the belt-and-pulley system.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$360–$500

Shop

~$255–$355

DIY

~$80–$180

CVT fluid is manufacturer-specific and pricey — do NOT substitute conventional ATF.

Brake Inspection

Every 7,500 mi

Inspect brake pads, rotors, and parking brake every 7,500 miles. Rogue and Pathfinder front pads typically last 35,000-50,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Brake Fluid

Every 30,000 mi

Replace DOT 3 brake fluid every 30,000 miles or 2 years. Dark or amber fluid indicates moisture contamination.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace engine air filter every 30,000 miles, sooner if driving on dusty unpaved roads.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Spark Plugs

Every 105,000 mi

Iridium-tipped spark plugs are rated 105,000 miles on QR25, MR20, and VQ35 engines. VR30DDTT: 60,000 miles due to higher cylinder pressures.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$390

Shop

~$200–$275

DIY

~$25–$100

Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.

Long-Life Coolant

Every 75,000 mi

Nissan Long-Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue/green): first change at 105,000 miles, then every 75,000. Do not mix with other coolant chemistries.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Transfer Case / Rear Diff (AWD models)

Every 60,000 mi

On AWD and 4WD models, replace transfer case fluid and rear differential fluid every 60,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 15,000 mi

Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles. Located behind the glove box on Altima, Rogue, and Sentra.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

143 crashes 1990–2024

How the 143 occupant deaths break down

108

driver deaths

35

passenger deaths

143

occupant deaths

Crash years covered: 1990–2024 This model year first appears in 2012 crashes. Older models have had more years on the road to appear in these crashes, so a higher count here does not by itself mean a vehicle is less safe.

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

FARS 2024 data is an annual report file. NHTSA revises these records when the final file is published, so this count can change.

Why we show driver deaths too

Every vehicle has exactly one driver seat, so driver deaths line up fairly when you compare one model to another. Occupant deaths include passengers, so a three row SUV can show a higher number than a two seat car simply because it carries more people.

Both figures are plain counts, not rates. A rate would need to know how many of each vehicle are on the road, and that registration data is not public, so we do not publish rates or scores of any kind.

IIHS publishes driver death rates using this same driver only idea, paired with a registered vehicle years denominator we do not have. Their rates and these counts answer different questions, so do not read either number here as a safety rating.

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

14

complaints mentioning a crash

16

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2013 Nissan Rogue reflects Nissan's published service intervals and the Maintenance Reminder system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.