Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Nissan Rogue owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was making abnormal whining sounds while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and the vehicle would occasionally restart after 20 minutes. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 165,651.
On February 6, 2025, while driving at highway speed, the lower radiator hose ruptured, causing complete coolant loss. The CVT transmission overheated, seized, and the engine was destroyed. Vehicle lost motive power at speed without warning. Repair estimate: $20,356.16. Vehicle declared total loss and sold for salvage at $400. Nissan Technical Service Bulletin NTB14-002b acknowledges this identical failure chain in 2008-2012 Rogues and prescribes a supplemental cooler kit (cost under $85) as the fix. Nissan has not included this VIN in any recall despite the identical mechanism. Loss of power at highway speed constitutes a safety-related defect under 49 U.S.C. 30118.
3rd attempt to Nissan . I have a 2008 Nissan rogue with recalls that have not been repaired. Plate is [redacted]. This has caused the recall issue of the transmission to fail. The car runs but is not safe. They stated this should be repaired at no charge along with the other recalls. contact me at [phone]
Sudden loss of power after driving on highway for a few hours. Car does not go above 2500 RPM or 50MPH. Shutting car off for a few minutes fixes the problem until it happens again a few hours pater.
I discovered recall r1421 a few weeks after this vehicles engine caught on fire. The entire car was destroyed by the engine fire. My daughter was driving home on a highway and luckily was able to pull over and get out safely. The car was purchased through a reseller of preowned Nissan's and this never should have happened.
Important: if you have a complaint about your transmission, acceleration problems or loss of power you need to also a complaint with the federal trade commission (ftc [phone]) regarding your dealings with Nissan. I just spoke with the ftc and they told me that while they don't respond to individual complaints if they see patterns they do. The only way we will get Nissan to respond to us is by complaining about their business practices as well as their safety issues. These dealerships and corporate consumer affairs know that until enough of us complain to the right people and stop just paying for Nissan's known problems with the CVT and other issues, they will keep giving us the run around. I have to put my 2nd transmission in my 2008 Rogue in 12 months. Nissan tells me my last new transmission (April 2014) was out of the 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. …
I started to experience problem accelerating or switching gears with my car. I purchased it used in 2010 and had no problems with it until two months ago. I travel long distances (averaging 300-350 miles) every other weekend and one afternoon, while on interstate 80, I noticed that it wasn't shifting and the speed remained at 60mph. The rpms went up past 4 and I had to pull over in fear that it would make things worse. I turned off the engine and prayed before I went back on the highway. It worked fine that day. It happened again about 3 more times and every time I would pull over and turned the engine off, it seemed like it "re-booted" itself. But 2 days ago, it didn't. I was on interstate 70 east on an uphill and the vehicle's speed remained at 40mph. I had it towed to the nearest Nissan dealership and was told that it would not be assessed until Monday (tomorrow). …
Takata recall, the Nissan I purchased from fuccillo Nissan in latham, new york, was defective with every issue, however Nissan refuse to honor any recalls. Their most recent extended warranty, indicates a replacement of the EVAP canister and tubing, however upon arriving at the Nissan dealer he told e my car was old and it only covers the tube. The Nissan manufacturer is a joke, I dealt with a woman who literally failed to inform me that Nissan never reported that I was the new owner of the car. Hence last year my car literally rolled backwards while I attempted to drive up hill, right into traffic , potential to be a deadly accident , noting the variety of complaints I believe that their waiting for someone to die. Fucillo Nissan refused to replace the transmission, instead the sealed it . …
I was driving on I-5 from los angeles traveling about 65mph. I had been driving for about 55min when my vehicle RPM's started to increase and my MPH's started to decrease. I tried to push the gas pedal down to accelerate but just the RPM's would rev up and car kept losing speed. I had to pull over various times and let the car sit while off for about 20-25 min before I could drive safely again. This only lasted for about an hour at the most before I would have the same problem again and have to pull over to let the car sit for a while. Also I checked all fluids when I pulled over and everything was at optimal level as required. The car was not over heating either.
For the past few weeks, my gas gauge has been reading incorrectly and when I would go to fill out the vehicle, it would never show completely full. In some cases, I would turn on the vehicle and it would read sufficiently less than what was in the tank and then climb back up to what I assume was the correct level. My last fill up, the gauge read 3 bars left of fuel and I pumped 14.5 gallons of gas at the station which is exactly my gas tank size. I then looked online and discovered several other people with the same make, model, and year and other models were having the same issue but no good fixes appear to have been found.
Engine complaints in other Rogue years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2008 Nissan Rogue?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2008 Nissan Rogue, 10% of the model year's 429 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Nissan Rogue engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2008 Nissan Rogue, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Nissan Rogue engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.