NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 544 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Rogue.
Recalled components: electrical system, seats, air bags, and body structure. Most-described problem: transmission failure or replacement (63 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: powertrain (176 complaints, 32%; median mileage when it happened: 74,900).
One of the best Rogue years by owner complaints
The 2016 drew 101 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 148 for a typical Rogue year since 2016. No open NHTSA investigation names it, and it has no recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside.
Years to avoid: 2018 and 2023; best years: 2016, 2021, and 2022. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
The jackknife key may collapse into a folded position while driving.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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 electrical connector for the under dash harness may corrode due to water and salt intrusion from the driver's side foot well.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2014-2016 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."
Risk: In the event of a crash, the improperly welded seat back frames may increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016 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."
Risk: The insufficient welds can increase the risk of injury to the occupants in the event of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Nissan Rogue vehicles.
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.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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.
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.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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 the affected vehicles, the rear lift gate support stays may corrode due to insufficient anti-corrosion treatment.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured July 31, 2013, to January 16, 2016.
NHTSA listing: ROGUE.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Nissan Rogue.
What owners report
Owners have filed 544 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Rogue. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Transmission failure or replacement63 · 12%
Median 85,000 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
Shaking, shuddering or vibration57 · 10%
Median 64,600 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
Check engine light43 · 8%
Median 95,900 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Hesitation or slow acceleration42 · 8%
Median 85,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off41 · 8%
Median 74,900 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
Loss of power or limp mode35 · 6%
Median 70,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Median 74,900 miles at failure, from 86 reports with mileage
Electrical system125 · 23%
Median 54,000 miles at failure, from 53 reports with mileage
Engine65 · 12%
Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 33 reports with mileage
Air bags62 · 11%
Median 33,000 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
Body structure32 · 6%
Most named: body (22) · Median 21,700 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Speed control25 · 5%
Steering23 · 4%
Unknown or other86 · 16%
Median 37,500 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Nissan Rogue recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 Rogue drew the most (480) and the 2016 drew 101.
Owner complaints
2016: 544 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Rogue
Model year
Complaints
2010
282
2011
363
2012
319
2013
610
2014
440
2015
554
2016
544
2017
602
2018
672
2019
341
2020
154
2021
298
2022
271
2023
774
2024
236
2025
206
2026
59
Safety recalls
2016: 7 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Rogue
Model year
Recalls
2010
2
2011
2
2012
2
2013
1
2014
10
2015
9
2016
7
2017
6
2018
4
2019
4
2020
1
2021
10
2022
6
2023
6
2024
4
2025
3
2026
2
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 544 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Nissan Rogue, the problems described most are transmission failure or replacement (63), shaking, shuddering or vibration (57), and the check engine light coming on (43). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Nissan Rogue safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Nissan Rogue earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Nissan Rogue?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Nissan Rogue.
How do I check if my Rogue has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: ROGUE.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.