UsedScore

2008 Nissan Rogue: Use caution

Owners filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 149 for every 100,000 sold: 1.8× the rate of a typical Rogue year. That's above average, so use caution.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (51% of complaints, median 30,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.8×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Rogue year
Rank
14th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
88
first five years; 149 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
5
campaigns
1st generation, 2008–2013 (first year of the generation; redesign years often run worse) · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2008 Nissan Rogue

Photo: 2008 Nissan Rogue · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Powertrain51% · 45 complaints · median 30,000 miles
  2. Air bags15% · 13 complaints · median 20,000 miles
  3. Body and structure7% · 6 complaints · median 6,000 miles
  4. Electrical7% · 6 complaints · median 32,000 miles
  5. Fuel and propulsion8% · 7 complaints · median 55,000 miles
  6. Speed control6% · 5 complaints · median 55,000 miles
  7. Seats and belts3% · 3 complaints
  8. Engine5% · 4 complaints
  9. Wheels and tires7% · 6 complaints · median 33,000 miles
  10. Lights1% · 1 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners commonly describe the air bag warning light coming on for a failed passenger seat sensor, often quoted at over a thousand dollars to fix, with many finding their VIN excluded from a related recall. A few also report air bags deploying without a crash or failing to deploy during one.

Warning signs:
Many owners first notice the air bag warning light flashing, staying illuminated, or showing a 'passenger air bag off' message, sometimes while driving.
What shops did:
Dealers often diagnosed a failed occupant classification sensor or seat cushion requiring costly replacement, sometimes replaced spiral cables or control units, and frequently could not duplicate or repair the problem, citing the vehicle's VIN as excluded from a related recall.
Mileage:
most between 55,000 and 105,000 miles, among 103 complaints that give it

“Air bag light started blinking out of nowhere”

“The front passenger seat airbag sensor had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced”

Body and structure

Many owners of this Rogue report front door handles or actuators failing, particularly in cold weather, leaving them unable to open doors from outside or even inside. Some also describe rear windows shattering while driving and water leaking into the cabin, with repairs sometimes unsuccessful or unfunded by warranty.

Warning signs:
Owners describe doors that click or lock but won't open, especially after freezing or icy weather, sometimes affecting both front doors.
What shops did:
Dealers replaced door handles, actuators or locking mechanisms, though several owners report the failure recurred or was not corrected, and warranty coverage was often denied.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 75,000 miles, among 14 complaints that give it

“The actuator cables become disengaged from the door handle, disabling access to the car from that door”

“Both front door handles have completely failed and neither door can be opened from the outside”

Powertrain

Owners describe sudden loss of acceleration or power, often on highways, sometimes preceded by whining or grinding noises from the CVT transmission. Many say dealers replaced the transmission, extended the warranty, or could not permanently resolve the issue, with some experiencing repeat failures.

Warning signs:
Many owners report grinding, whining, or rattling noises, delayed acceleration, sudden deceleration, or stalling before the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers often replaced the transmission or transmission control module, though many report the problem recurred or could not be duplicated or fixed.
Mileage:
most between 55,000 and 120,000 miles, among 140 complaints that give it

“The car started jolting when starting from a stop and then eventually went into gear and drove.”

“It caused car to lose speed, no longer pull, idle erratically, and not be able to get up to speeds over 55 miles an hour.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (5)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 15V032000January 2015468,815 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured March 7, 2007, to November 26, 2013, and 2014 Nissan Rogue Select vehicles manufactured September 23, 2013, to July 2, 2014. The affected vehicles may experience an electrical short in the harness connector due to a mixture of snow/water and salt seeping through the carpet on the driver side floor near the harness connector.

    Risk: An electrical short can cause a vehicle fire.

    Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the kick panel wiring harness connector and will if necessary install a new harness connector and waterproof seal, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 10V401000September 20107,948 vehicles

    Equipment: electrical: navigational system(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

    Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected GPS units can overheat.

    Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.

    Fix: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge.

  • NHTSA 09V411000October 2009163,659 vehicles

    Steering: gear box: shaft pitman

    Nissan is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 rogue vehicles. A screw in the steering gear housing cover may loosen over time and could fall out. As it loosens, the steering response of the vehicle may be compromised but the driver will retain steering control.

    Risk: The screw may eventually come out of the steering gear cover. If large steering inputs are made with the cover screw missing the pinion shaft may come out of the steering gear resulting in a complete loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect whether the steering gear cover screw is loose and will be retightened to the proper specification.

  • NHTSA 09V393000October 2009143,223 vehicles

    Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems

    Nissan is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. The material in the nut used to secure the sensor-transmitter of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may corrode and potentially crack in areas with heavy concentrations of road salt. If this occurs, the nut may come out of the sensor-transmitter and the TPMS lamp will illuminate.

    Risk: If the TPMS lamp is disregarded and the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition, the tire will quickly lose air pressure at a consistent rate resulting in a flat tire increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: The dealer will replace the TPMS nut with a new, more robust nut.

  • NHTSA 08V521000October 2008204,361 vehicles

    Electrical system: software · Air bags

    Nissan is recalling 204,361 my 2007-2008 altima, altima hybrid, 350z, 350z roadster, my 2008 altima coupe, rogue, my 2009 murano, and infiniti my 2007-2008 g35 sedan, my 2008 g37 coupe and ex35 passenger vehicles equipped with continental automotive systems' occupant classification system (ocs) control units. A varistor in the ocs control unit located in the passenger seat cushion may have been manufactured out of specification. Under certain conditions, this could cause an interruption of signal between the ocs and the air bag control unit (acu).

    Risk: This could result in the passenger air bag being suppressed which could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will test the signal between the ocs and acu systems using a special tool to check that it is functioning as designed.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Nissan sent NHTSA 99 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2008 Rogue. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • NTB09-131C · April 2026CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed.
  • NTB09-081J · February 2023WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB13-028H · February 2023REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB10-029I · November 2022ABNORMAL NOISE, VIBRATION AND/OR BINDING FEELING FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB10-029H · May 2022NISSAN AWD MODELS; ABNORMAL NOISE, VIBRATION AND/OR JUDDER FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB10-029G · March 2022NISSAN AWD MODELS; ABNORMAL NOISE, VIBRATION AND/OR JUDDER FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB10-117A · July 2021VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2008 - 2009 ROGUE; FRONT DOOR EXTERIOR HANDLE Service Campaign ID # P0376 is no longer active.
  • NTB10-029f · September 2020NISSAN; VIBRATION AND/OR NOISE WHEN MAKING LOW SPEED TURNS IF YOU CONFIRM There is a vibration or judder feeling from the rear of the vehicle during the following conditions:  When making turns…

All 2008 Rogue bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2008 Nissan Rogue reliable?
Owners filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 149 for every 100,000 sold: 1.8× the rate of a typical Rogue year. That's above average, so use caution. Ratings compare Rogue years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2008 Rogue problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (51%), the air bags (15%) and the body and structure (7%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2008 Nissan Rogue been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2008 Nissan Rogue, the most recent in January 2015 (electrical system). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Nissan. The 2008 Nissan Rogue on NHTSA.gov · How we rate