UsedScore

2010 Nissan Rogue: Use caution

Owners filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 98 for every 100,000 sold: 1.3× 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) (49% of complaints, median 53,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.3×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Rogue year
Rank
11th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
92
first five years; 98 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
2
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. Powertrain49% · 45 complaints · median 53,000 miles
  2. Speed control25% · 23 complaints · median 55,000 miles
  3. Air bags7% · 6 complaints
  4. Engine17% · 16 complaints · median 55,000 miles
  5. Electrical11% · 10 complaints · median 45,000 miles
  6. Fuel and propulsion12% · 11 complaints · median 39,000 miles
  7. Brakes3% · 3 complaints
  8. Steering2% · 2 complaints
  9. Wheels and tires2% · 2 complaints
  10. Suspension1% · 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

Many owners of this Rogue report the air bag warning light flashing or staying on, often traced to a passenger seat occupancy sensor, with dealers quoting expensive repairs. A few also describe air bags deploying unexpectedly or not deploying in a crash.

Warning signs:
Many describe the air bag warning light flashing or staying illuminated, sometimes accompanied by a passenger air bag "off" indicator, occurring without any collision.
What shops did:
Dealers often diagnosed a faulty passenger occupancy sensor or seat control unit and quoted costly repairs, sometimes replacing the entire seat, while some owners say the problem returned after service.
Mileage:
most between 40,000 and 100,000 miles, among 27 complaints that give it

“The censor's in the passenger seat were not working and would not deploy”

“The occupant classification system (ocs) control unit in passenger seat was the code it was throwing”

Powertrain

Owners describe their Rogue's transmission losing power or refusing to accelerate, especially after long highway drives, hills, or hot weather, sometimes going into what they call limp or safe mode. Many say dealers replaced transmissions or installed coolers, while others report being told no problem could be found or duplicated.

Warning signs:
Many report sluggishness, whining or grinding noises, RPMs revving without acceleration, dashboard warning lights, or sudden deceleration on hills or highways.
What shops did:
Dealers often replaced the transmission, valve body, or fluid, installed an auxiliary cooler, or in some cases could not duplicate or diagnose the issue.
Mileage:
most between 55,000 and 105,000 miles, among 112 complaints that give it

“The technician diagnosed that the continuous variable transmission (CVT) had overheated causing the transmission to burn up”

“The valve body was removed/replaced and an external cooler was installed to resolve the issue”

Speed control

Owners describe their Rogues suddenly losing power or refusing to accelerate, especially on highways or hills, sometimes dropping sharply in speed with no warning. Many say dealers replaced the transmission or pointed to an extended CVT warranty, while others report the problem could not be diagnosed or fixed.

Warning signs:
Many report high RPM without acceleration, sudden speed drops on hills or after highway driving, whining or grinding noises, and occasional stalling or check-engine lights.
What shops did:
Owners report dealers replacing the transmission, sometimes under an extended warranty, though several say dealers could not duplicate or diagnose the issue and made no repair.
Mileage:
most between 50,000 and 105,000 miles, among 62 complaints that give it

“While going down the highway at 75 MPH all of a sudden it starts to decrease speed”

“Nissan dealer service said it was brake switch failure. When replaced the problem stopped.”

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

Recalls (2)

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.

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 107 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2010 Rogue. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • NTB12-055J · March 2023CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB10-029I · November 2022ABNORMAL NOISE, VIBRATION AND/OR BINDING FEELING FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL This bulletin has been amended.
  • NTB12-055I · September 2022CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION 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.
  • NTB12-055H · June 2021CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION 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).

All 2010 Rogue bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2010 Nissan Rogue reliable?
Owners filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Nissan Rogue in its first five years on the road, about 98 for every 100,000 sold: 1.3× 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 2010 Rogue problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (49%), speed control (25%) and the air bags (7%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2010 Nissan Rogue been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2010 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 2010 Nissan Rogue on NHTSA.gov · How we rate