The short list
Where the money goes wrong — and where it doesn’t.
✕ Years to avoid
The biggest gen-2 complaint file. 609 complaints, led by the Jatco CVT — judder, limp mode, failure at 60k–90k. It was the last year in the class-action CVT warranty extension, but that 84-month/84,000-mile coverage is spent by 2026.
Peak CVT-complaint year. 588 complaints, the heaviest CVT volume of the generation — owners report failures as early as 36k–49k miles and bills up to $9,000. Coverage now expired; the Hybrid was never in the settlement at all.
Same CVT, plus a fire-risk recall. 535 complaints on the CVT, plus recall 22V024 for an under-dash harness that corrodes from footwell water and can start a fire. Verify that and the jackknife-key recall by VIN.
The loudest year — a new engine problem. 647 complaints, the most of any Rogue year, driven by the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo engine-bearing failure (recalls 25V437 and the 2023–2025 expansion 26V080). Owners report the reprogram remedy didn't stop an already-started knock.
✓ Years to hunt for
The gen-3 settles down. 239 complaints and six recalls, most of them free software or inspection fixes. Confirm recall 25V437 (VC-Turbo engine bearings) is closed and there's no knock, and it's a much-improved package.
A value play — if the paperwork's clean. 268 complaints but ten recalls, the launch-year stack: fuel pump, brakes, wheels, seats, cameras, plus the VC-Turbo engine recall. Nearly all free fixes — buy one with every campaign confirmed complete.
Same year. Different engine.
One badge, several engines — the year’s verdict assumes the riskiest one. Yours might be the calm one.
Which engine is in the one you found?
Where the years split by engine — the 2021 line divides two different RoguesReliable engine, lottery-ticket transmission. The second-gen powertrain (2016–2020). Mechanics call the 2.5-liter four 'very old technology, very reliable' — but it's bolted to a Jatco Xtronic CVT (a continuously variable transmission) that judders, slips, and fails at 60,000–110,000 miles. A class-action settlement extended CVT coverage to 84 months/84,000 miles for 2014–2018 Rogues; on any of these years that window has closed by 2026, so a failure (mechanic-quoted $7,000–$8,000) is owner-pays.
The new engine — and a bearing recall. The third-gen engine (2021–2023, code KR15DDT). A 201-hp variable-compression turbo three-cylinder that mechanics note runs rougher than the old four. Recall 25V437 covers 2021–2024 Rogues for an engine-bearing manufacturing defect that can cause engine failure or fire; the 2023–2025 expansion 26V080 adds an oil-pan debris inspection and engine replacement where needed. It drives the 2023 to the loudest complaint total in the whole Rogue set.
Partial split: the 2017–2019 Rogue Hybrid uses a 2.0-liter engine and a small motor and folds into the same Rogue record — but it shares the CVT and was specifically excluded from the settlement extension, so its transmission was never covered beyond the base warranty. The VIN encodes which powertrain you're looking at — paste it and we'll tell you which row applies, plus its open recalls.
Decode my VIN — freeEvery year, rated
Each verdict links to the full report: known issues with real repair costs, open recalls, and the print-and-go inspection checklist.
A comfortable, cheap-to-buy family SUV riding on a CVT whose warranty safety net has now expired — buy only with the transmission proven healthy.
535 complaints · 7 recalls
Full report →The peak year for CVT complaints in this generation — a good buy only if the transmission is proven healthy or already replaced.
588 complaints · 5 recalls
Full report →The last Rogue year covered by the CVT settlement — but that coverage is spent, so the transmission still has to prove itself.
609 complaints · 3 recalls
Full report →Fewer complaints than the 2016–2018 cars, but with worse CVT coverage — the settlement stopped at 2018, so verify the transmission carefully.
329 complaints · 3 recalls
Full report →The quietest gen-2 year on paper, but it carries the same uncovered CVT risk — a clean test drive is what makes or breaks it.
147 complaints · 1 recalls
Full report →A far better-built Rogue that launched with a heavy recall stack — including an engine-bearing recall — so buy one with every campaign confirmed complete.
268 complaints · 10 recalls
Full report →The gen-3 settles down, but the same VC-Turbo engine recall applies — buy one with that campaign confirmed complete.
239 complaints · 6 recalls
Full report →The loudest year in our entire Rogue set — driven by the VC-Turbo engine-bearing failure — so only buy one with the engine recall completed and no knock.
647 complaints · 6 recalls
Full report →Two generations, one question: is it the CVT that's going to fail, or the VC-Turbo? Know which Rogue you're standing in front of before you sign.
Shopping Rogue years? We’ll watch them for you.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty-extension programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — free