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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2016 Nissan Rogue · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,200/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

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.

The 2016 Rogue's engine — the 2.5-liter four-cylinder — is genuinely durable; mechanics call it 'very old technology, very reliable.' The problem is what it's bolted to. Every gen-2 Rogue uses a Jatco Xtronic CVT (a continuously variable transmission), and the federal complaint file for 2016 is dominated by CVT judder, hesitation, limp mode, and outright failure clustered around 60,000–110,000 miles.

Nissan extended the CVT warranty to 84 months / 84,000 miles for 2014–2018 Rogues as part of a class-action settlement — but on a 2016 car both the years and the miles are gone in 2026. A used buyer today is on their own for a transmission that transcripts put at $7,000–$8,000 to replace. A 2016 with a documented recent CVT replacement (or clean fluid history and no symptoms) is a fine cheap SUV; one that judders on the test drive is a walk-away.

Evidence: 535 NHTSA complaints · 7 recall campaigns · 7 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 535 federal complaints, and the loudest cluster by far is the CVT — a continuously variable transmission — juddering, slipping, and failing between 60,000 and 110,000 miles. Nissan's class-action warranty extension once covered it, but by 2026 that coverage has run out, so a failure now is an owner-pays repair of several thousand dollars.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

535

Federal complaints

7

Recalls

$7,000–$8,000

CVT replacement, mechanic-quoted

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2016 Nissan Rogue SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 10198)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

CVT: judder, limp mode, and failure — coverage now expired

major

The defining 2016 Rogue problem. The Jatco Xtronic CVT (a continuously variable transmission — it swaps a fixed set of gears for a belt-and-pulley system) develops a judder or shudder, then hesitation on acceleration ('press the pedal, the car does nothing, then lurches'), then whining, limp mode, and eventual failure — most often between 60,000 and 110,000 miles. Nissan issued a judder-diagnostic TSB (a Technical Service Bulletin, the fix instructions sent to dealers) for stored codes P17F0/P17F1 and, after a class-action lawsuit, extended the CVT warranty from 60 months/60,000 miles to 84 months/84,000 miles for 2014–2018 Rogues. On a 2016 that window has closed by both time and mileage. Mechanics quote $7,000–$8,000 for a replacement; owners in the complaint file report $4,850 at 106k and one quote of $6,000. The single most important test on any 2016 Rogue: drive it 15+ minutes and feel for shudder, slip, or delayed engagement.

This problem spans 2016–2022 — the full Jatco Xtronic CVT story →

CVT fluid + filter service (preventive)

a few hundred

CVT replacement, owner-quoted

$4,850

CVT replacement, mechanic-quoted

$7,000–$8,000

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2016 Nissan Rogue · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (CVT warranty extension, recall documents) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (2nd-gen Rogue / Nissan CVT)

Under-dash harness corrosion — fire risk (recall 22V024)major

Recall 22V024 (Nissan code R21B9) covers 2014–2016 Rogues whose under-dash electrical connector corrodes from water and road salt entering through the driver's-side footwell. The consequence Nissan lists is real: power window/seat failure, an all-wheel-drive warning light, battery drain, and connector damage that increases the risk of a fire. The fix — dealers clean and re-grease both connectors — is free and permanent. Verify it was done by VIN, especially on any salt-belt car; wet driver's carpet is a warning sign.

Sources: NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (CVT warranty extension, recall documents)

$0

Recall remedy

Jackknife ignition key can fold and shut the car off (recall 23V093)moderate

Recall 23V093 (Nissan code R22C5) covers 2014–2020 Rogues with a folding 'jackknife' key that can collapse into the folded position while driving; if your knee bumps it, the engine can shut off and the airbags may not deploy in a crash. The remedy is a free spacer inserted into the key slot. It's a cheap, quick fix — just confirm it shows completed.

Sources: NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (CVT warranty extension, recall documents)

$0

Recall remedy

Occupant-classification airbag recalls (16V244, 16V911, 17V663, 17V716)moderate

The 2016 Rogue sits in a cluster of seat and airbag-sensor recalls: 16V244 and 16V911 both address the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS — the sensor that decides whether the passenger airbag arms), which could misclassify an adult and disable the airbag; 17V663 and 17V716 cover improperly welded rear and front-passenger seat frames. All are free dealer fixes. These are old campaigns, so on a used car the question is simply whether they were completed — run the VIN.

Sources: NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (CVT warranty extension, recall documents)

$0

Recall remedies

Rear differential / transfer case on AWD, and weak cabin heatmoderate

AWD 2016 Rogues show a smaller but real pattern of rear-differential and transfer-case failures — grinding noise, metal shavings in the transfer-case oil, in a few cases the differential 'exploding through the housing.' Separately, mechanics flag weak cabin heat traced to low coolant, a coolant leak, or air in the system (a bleed usually cures it). On an AWD test drive, listen for driveline whine or grinding; check that the heater blows genuinely hot.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2016 Nissan Rogue · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (2nd-gen Rogue / Nissan CVT)

The Nissan Rogue 2016 transmission failed at 106,853 miles. The entire transmission had to be replaced at a cost of $4,850.
7 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Nissan dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 22V024Under-dash harness connector corrodes from footwell water/salt — power/AWD faults, battery drain, fire risk. Free connector repair and grease (2014–2016; Nissan R21B9).open
  2. 23V093Folding 'jackknife' ignition key can collapse while driving and shut off the vehicle. Free key-slot spacer (2014–2020 Rogue; Nissan R22C5).open
  3. 16V244Front passenger Occupant Classification System may disable the passenger airbag. Free ACU/OCS reprogram (2014–2017 Rogue among many models).open
  4. 16V911Incorrect OCS control unit installed in some 2015–2016 Rogues could misclassify the passenger. Free ECU replacement and software update.open
  5. 17V663Rear lower seat frame recliner joints may have improper welds (2016–2017). Free inspection and frame replacement.open
  6. 17V716Front passenger seatback frame may be improperly welded (2016). Free seatback assembly replacement.open
  7. 16V219Rear liftgate support stays may corrode and release suddenly (2014–2016). Free tailgate-stay replacement.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2016 Rogue

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

28 MPG combined (26 city / 32 highway) for the FWD, 2.5L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 36940 (Rogue FWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 2.5L 27 MPG.

$2,200/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Collision losses run about average here. Neither a red flag nor a discount at the insurer.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2014–16 models, published December 2016 (report R-16). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Nissan Rogue 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Nissan Rogue 4dr 93, where 100 = average.

96 vs 100

4% below average

Theft

Stolen about 25% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Nissan Rogue 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Nissan Rogue 4dr 93, where 100 = average.

75 vs 100

25% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

CVT fluid + filter service (preventive)a few hundred
CVT replacement, owner-quoted$4,850
CVT replacement, mechanic-quoted$7,000–$8,000
Recall remedy$0
Recall remedy$0
Recall remedies$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Drive at least 15 minutes including low-speed stop-and-go: any shudder, hesitation, whine, or delayed engagement from the CVT is the single most disqualifying sign this car can show.
  2. 02Ask for CVT service history — fluid changed every 30,000–40,000 miles is the good sign; no history plus 80k+ miles is a risk you now pay for yourself.
  3. 03Assume the 84,000-mile CVT warranty extension has expired and price the car as if a transmission is not covered.
  4. 04Run the VIN for recalls 22V024 (harness/fire), 23V093 (jackknife key), and the OCS/seat recalls (16V244, 16V911, 17V663, 17V716) — all should show completed.
  5. 05Check the driver's-side carpet for dampness (the harness-corrosion tell) and confirm the heater blows hot.
  6. 06On AWD cars, listen for rear-differential or transfer-case whine/grinding on the drive.

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