Nissan Recalls Altima, Rogue, and Infiniti QX50/QX55 Over Engine Bearing Faults; Worst Cases to Get New 1.5L and 2.0L Engines
Engine replacements are the holy grail of recalls—just shy of getting a brand-new car. And for nearly half a million Nissan and Infiniti owners in the U.S., that windfall could be around the corner. Nissan has announced that several models may be at risk of engine failure and, in severe cases, will receive entirely new 1.5- or 2.0-liter engines at no cost.
Which Models Are Affected?
The issue stems from faulty bearings in the variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines used in:
- 2021–2024 Nissan Rogue
- 2019–2020 Nissan Altima
- 2019–2022 Infiniti QX50
- 2022 Infiniti QX55
Nissan suspects that some engines were built with poorly manufactured bearings, which could lead to catastrophic failure.
Not Every Car Gets a New Engine
Rather than swapping engines across the board, Nissan plans to inspect all 443,899 potentially affected vehicles. Dealers will remove the oil pan to check for metal debris. If they find signs of internal damage, the engine will likely be replaced. If not, your car gets a clean bill of health—and a fresh oil change.
There’s a slight difference in treatment:
- 2.0-liter engines get fresh oil.
- 1.5-liter engines get new oil, a sump gasket, and an ECM (engine control module) update.
A Close Call on Another Front
While this engine recall is sizable, it’s far from Nissan’s worst-case scenario. Earlier this month, the automaker narrowly avoided a 2-million vehicle recall after the NHTSA closed a years-long investigation into cracked suspension arms on 2013–18 Altimas and 2016–18 Maximas. Although the safety agency confirmed the defect, it credited Nissan’s proactive response and noted that owners would likely notice symptoms—like odd noises or vibrations—before failure occurred.
