Nissan Engine Failure Lawsuit: What You Need to Know

Yes, and there are now two of them. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into Nissan engine failures led to a Nissan VC-Turbo engine recall in 2025, and Nissan expanded the campaign in 2026. Our Nissan defect page tracks the wider set of Nissan problems we handle. Here are the details of the original campaign:

• NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000
• Owner Notification: Nissan mailed owner letters for this campaign on February 2, 2026
• Number of Vehicles: 443,899
• Recalled Vehicles: 2021–2024 Nissan Rogue, 2019–2020 Nissan Altima, 2019–2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L (KR15DDT) or 4-cylinder 2.0L (KR20DDET) variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines.
• Vehicle Defect: The VC-Turbo engines may have a manufacturing defect in the engine bearings, specifically the main, A-link, C-link, and L-link, or other supporting components. These engine bearing issues may cause engine damage or engine failure.
• Signs Of Defect: Bearing failures may progress over time, causing abnormal noises from engine compartment, rough running, Malfunction Indicator Lights and warning messages from the instrument cluster.

Under this campaign, Infiniti and Nissan dealers inspect the oil pan for debris and, if needed, repair or replace the engine. If no debris is found in the 3-cylinder 1.5-L VC Turbo engine, dealers will replace the engine oil, replace the oil pan gasket and reprogram the engine control module. If no debris is found in the 4-cylinder 2-L VC Turbo engine, dealers will replace the engine oil only.

As of August 2026, that first campaign is no longer the whole story. In February 2026 Nissan filed a second VC-Turbo engine recall, NHTSA campaign 26V080000, carried under Nissan recall numbers R25E2 and R25E3. It covers 323,917 more Nissan Rogue vehicles from the 2023 through 2025 model years built with the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo engine. In this campaign Nissan says raised engine oil temperatures can break the oil down, which can let the engine bearings seize and the engine fail.

The expansion remedy is different from the first one. Dealers reprogram the engine control module, check the vehicle for stored trouble codes and road test it, and where metal debris turns up in the oil pan the engine is replaced at no charge. Nissan mailed owner letters for the expansion on April 8, 2026. The federal investigation that prompted the original recall was closed once Nissan filed it.

Nissan has also issued the following engine-related recalls:

• Fuel Pump May Overheat: Certain 2021 Nissan Rogue vehicles may have a fuel pump that experiences abnormal wear and tear. As a result, the fuel pump will overheat and fail, causing an engine stall.
• Fuel Hose May Disconnect From Fuel Tank: Certain 2021 Nissan Rogue vehicles may have a fuel hose that is not properly secured, allowing for leaks or engine stalling.
• Fuel Tube may Leak or Disconnect: Some 2019 Nissan Altima vehicles may have a fuel tube that disconnects, causing an engine stall.

To schedule a repair service, contact the relevant customer service department:

• Nissan customer service: 1-800-647-7261
• Infiniti customer service: 1-800-662-6200

Nissan Rogue Gas Smell and the VC-Turbo Oil Dilution Defect

Owners of 2021 to 2023 Nissan Rogue SUVs report a strong smell of gas fumes inside the cabin, around the outside of the vehicle, and in the garage where the SUV has been parked. Some drivers and passengers say the fumes left them nauseated, lightheaded, dizzy or with severe headaches. The Rogue runs the same 1.5-liter KR15DDT VC-Turbo engine covered by the recalls above, and the gas smell is a symptom of the same family of engine problems rather than a separate fault.

What causes the Nissan Rogue gas smell?

Oil dilution causes it. Raw fuel and unburned combustion gasses, called engine blowby, get past the piston rings and contaminate the engine oil, and the fuel sitting in that oil evaporates as fumes. Because the diluted oil keeps circulating, it also stops protecting the bearings and links that the variable compression system depends on. That is why the same Rogue vehicles report engine knocking, metal shavings moving through the engine, metal chunks in the oil pan, premature engine wear and loss of motive power alongside the smell.

Two class action complaints against Nissan give different explanations for how the fuel reaches the oil. Young v. Nissan North America alleges that in 2021 to 2023 Rogues the direct injection engine produces so much blowby that the positive crankcase ventilation system cannot burn it all off, so it contaminates the oil in the pan. Elias v. Nissan North America alleges that in 2022 to 2023 Rogues the crankcase ventilation system itself is defective, and that fuel seeps through porous rubber components. As of August 2026 both remain contested allegations, not proven findings, and neither has produced a settlement paying Rogue owners.

Is there a Nissan Rogue turbo hose recall for the gas smell?

No. As of August 2026 Nissan has not issued a safety recall aimed specifically at the Rogue gas smell. What Nissan issued instead is a technical service bulletin covering 2021 to 2023 Rogue vehicles with the KR15DDT engine. It tells dealers to answer a fume complaint by checking for fuel leaks and for faults in the fuel and evaporative emissions systems, and, if nothing else is found, to replace a hose in the crankcase ventilation system. That hose replacement is the repair most owners are looking for when they search for a Rogue turbo hose recall. A service bulletin is not a recall: it is a repair instruction the dealer performs under warranty or as goodwill, with no federal obligation to notify you. Separate hose and fuel delivery safety recalls do exist on the 2021 Rogue and they are listed above.

These SUVs carry a powertrain warranty lasting five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. Rogue owners allege that repeated dealer visits inside that window did not clear the fumes, and that Nissan either put the problem back on the driver or acknowledged that it could not be fixed.

Does a gas smell in a Nissan Juke or another model mean the same defect?

Usually not. The recalls and lawsuits on this page apply to vehicles built with the KR15DDT or KR20DDET VC-Turbo engine. A Nissan that never used a VC-Turbo engine, the Nissan Juke being the model owners ask about most, tends to smell of fuel for more ordinary reasons: a loose or failed fuel cap, a cracked or saturated evaporative emissions canister, a leaking fuel line, or a failed injector or fuel rail seal. Those are still warranty repairs. If the dealer cannot cure a fuel odor after a reasonable number of attempts while the vehicle is under warranty, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act gives you the same rights it gives a VC-Turbo owner facing engine failure.