UsedScore

2009 Nissan Rogue: Solid

Owners filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 70 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Rogue year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (40% of complaints, median 70,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.8×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Rogue year
Rank
2nd of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
53
first five years; 70 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
3
campaigns
1st generation, 2008–2013 · 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. Powertrain40% · 21 complaints · median 70,000 miles
  2. Speed control11% · 6 complaints · median 60,000 miles
  3. Steering8% · 4 complaints
  4. Engine13% · 7 complaints · median 37,000 miles
  5. Air bags11% · 6 complaints · median 8,000 miles
  6. Fuel and propulsion11% · 6 complaints
  7. Brakes6% · 3 complaints
  8. Wheels and tires6% · 3 complaints
  9. Electrical2% · 1 complaints
  10. Body and structure2% · 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

Powertrain

Owners describe their 2009 Rogue losing acceleration or power, especially after highway driving, hills, or hot weather, sometimes with grinding or whining noises beforehand. Many say dealers struggled to duplicate the issue and ultimately replaced the transmission, sometimes repeatedly, often at high cost once out of warranty.

Warning signs:
Many report whining, howling, or grinding noises, jerking or shaking, RPMs not rising despite full acceleration, and sudden deceleration or 'limp mode' before or during the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the problem, sometimes flushed or changed transmission fluid, and in many cases eventually replaced the CVT transmission, sometimes more than once.
Mileage:
most between 70,000 and 120,000 miles, among 87 complaints that give it

“The CVT transmission oil overheats at long driving periods and the transmission / car goes into limp mode and the speed drops immediately and significantly”

“While driving uphill at approximately 70 MPH, the transmission failed to operate”

Speed control

Owners describe their Rogue suddenly refusing to accelerate or losing speed, especially during long highway drives, uphill stretches, or hot weather, sometimes needing to pull over or restart the engine to regain power. Many say dealers couldn't replicate the issue or that repairs like transmission replacement didn't fully fix it.

Warning signs:
Many report the RPMs spike or drop, the pedal has no effect even pressed to the floor, and the vehicle slows sharply with no warning light.
What shops did:
Dealers and mechanics often could not duplicate or diagnose the problem; some replaced parts like the CVT transmission, intake hose, air filter, or ECM without lasting resolution.
Mileage:
most between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, among 22 complaints that give it

“The RPM indicator goes haywire and my foot is completely down on the pedal but there is no acceleration”

“I pressed the gas pedal and it stalled in the middle of the intersection with oncoming traffic”

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

Recalls (3)

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.

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 98 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2009 Rogue. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • NTB08-097L · September 2023DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB08-097K · February 2023DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER 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.
  • NTB10-029f · 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…
  • NTB10-029d · September 2018NISSAN; VIBRATION AND/OR NOISE WHEN MAKING LOW SPEED TURNS This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with AWD (All-Wheel Drive) or 4WD (4-Wheel Drive).
  • NTB12-057C · September 2016"altima, sentra, and rogue; CVT fail-safe condition service information this bulletin has been amended.

All 2009 Rogue bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2009 Nissan Rogue reliable?
Owners filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 70 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Rogue year. That's close to a typical year. 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 2009 Rogue problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (40%), speed control (11%) and the steering (8%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2009 Nissan Rogue been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2009 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 2009 Nissan Rogue on NHTSA.gov · How we rate