Need advice on a defective 2013 Rogue

[Glenn2587]

My 2013 Nissan Rogue continuously fogs (not normal fog like other vehicles). The vehicle is garage-kept and is cleaned regularly. There is no excessive moisture in the rugs or upholstery, and no history of flood damage or even spilled beverages – it’s six months old. The windows fog so fast that within a few miles all windows are completely fogged. The only way to make the car drivable in temps under about 40 degrees is to continually drive with full defrost on and maximum fan speed. You cannot even turn the car to the mixed floor-heat/defrost setting because it will still fog back up fast. On days colder than about 15 degrees the car will get an heavy frost build up on all the inside windows every time it is outside more than thirty minutes. You have to scrape it off or sit for about 30 minutes for the car to “defrost” – and even that only converts it back to fogged windows once it gets switched to heat. My girlfriend (5’5”, ~130lbs) will fog the car while driving alone.

This is safety issue and I wanted to know if anything like this has happened to anyone else. If so, what was outcome has been?

We have taken the car into the dealer three times for this issue. They have taken the radio out to make sure there was no moisture in the back as well as reset the settings on the heater. Nothing else. They say they cannot duplicate the issue. We have driven them and showed them how it happens and they tell us to drive with full defrost on and the air on. Not only does this make the car very cold, it doesn’t do much at all except make extra fan noise to talk over. We have contacted a factory representative; our salesman even says this is not right. We have test-driven two other Rogues, an Altima, a Maxima, a Sentra and, even a Versa and never had this issue happen to any of those cars. We do not want to have to declare the car a lemon, but we may forced to pursue that course of action there is no other options. It is only six months old!

At this point I will consider anything. Does anyone have suggestions?

[Rogue One]

The answer they gave was partially correct. Modern cars have better seals and gaskets, so you have to use the AC system to defrost/defog the windows. However, you should adjust the temperature to a warmer setting, or as you've noticed, the window will ice up.

[jmckeogh]

I have a 2013 Rogue and never had problems like this. I live in New York and we have had frigid temperatures without a hint of ice on the inside. My only problem like this is occasional moisture on the inside of the windshield. My 1998 Toyota Camry was exactly the same. When I see moisture I turn on the A/C, with the heat and the A/C dries up the moisture. This takes about 20 seconds. I occasionally have to repeat the A/C when moisture comes back. If using your air conditioner does not dry up the moisture, heat will not do it alone, you should keep badgering the dealer until they fix it. Also try not to recirculate the air in the car. I used to do it in my Camry and that gave terrible fog until I stopped recirculating.

[Glenn2587]

I'm not sure if you understand how bad the issue is. The problem is that we can't drive with the heat on at all without it fogging. That's not normal in my opinion. We do use the AC to defrost it, but once it is we switch it back to just heat (or even defrost/floor heat.) Within minutes the fog comes back. We've had some really cold days this winter where we live and it makes for a very uncomfortable drive to only be able to have the defrost on. I never had this issue with my 2011 Rogue. Thank you for replying.

[Glenn2587]

I have a 2013 Rogue and never had problems like this. I live in New York and we have had frigid temperatures without a hint of ice on the inside. My only problem like this is occasional moisture on the inside of the windshield. My 1998 Toyota Camry was exactly the same. When I see moisture I turn on the A/C, with the heat and the A/C dries up the moisture. This takes about 20 seconds. I occasionally have to repeat the A/C when moisture comes back. If using your air conditioner does not dry up the moisture, heat will not do it alone, you should keep badgering the dealer until they fix it. Also try not to recirculate the air in the car. I used to do it in my Camry and that gave terrible fog until I stopped recirculating.

It's pretty scary sometimes how quickly this happens. We always make sure that it's set to circulate fresh air instead of the air in the car. Even doing that doesn't help. I'm definitely going to keep badgering them. I'll even take it to another dealership to get a second opinion. Makes you kind of wonder how different the scenario would be if it didn't have a warranty.

[ricbrk]

Nissan Dealer Service Dept's 2 favorite words, "that's normal". Favorite phrase, "we can't duplicate the problem". Often wonder if they'd say the same if you brought it in for the same issues not under warranty ?

[Glenn2587]

ricbrk I was wondering the same thing about an out of Warranty vehicle. Mine froze so thick on all of the windows last night i had to let it sit for about 30 min with the heat on and ice scrap the inside as well. This morning the car was fog/frozen in my garage! I have contacted Nissan Corporate but they are giving me a run around too. Get this, they wont even pay for my rental car while they try to fix my car! I'm done with Nissan (sorry all of you loyalist, I liked them up till now but this is getting extremely ridiculous.

[ricbrk]

Hi Glenn, sorry to hear of your continuing dilemma. We actually gave up on our Rogue. You get to a point where you have to say enough is enough. I'm coming back here basically to hopefully see how Lopki's issues turn out. Where we live in the mountains made the Rogue a bad choice for us I believe. The car is underpowered and the CVT not a good choice for our terrain. We decided to get a V6 engine with a standard "non CVT" transmission. We considered a Murano, but truth be told, just don't want to deal with the only Nissan dealer in the area. They are not customer oriented at all. Anyway, we got a 2014 KIA. The dealer we bought Suzuki's from for 20+ years switched to KIA when Suzuki quit selling in the US. They must want us to stick with them another 20, because we feel they took real good care of us with trading the Rogue in. With the rebates available on their 2014 Sorrento's, and the fact we were ahead on payments, we basically have to start over on our 60 payments. We went from a 2013 to 2014 though. The V-6 handles the mountains with ease, we're getting 26 mpg, and it doesn't sound like it's going to blow up climbing a hill. We miss the sun roof and seat warmers, but the KIA has everything else. Haven't had a chance to try the navigation yet, but we're happy so far. Good luck on solving your issues.

[Glenn2587]

Thank you, I'm going to look at a Kia today actually I just can't take it anymore if we park the car for 20 minutes at a store we have to sit and wait for the ice to clear every single time. It gets ridiculous! Did your Rogue also have this issue? Or was it just not the best choice for mountains and hills?

[ricbrk]

No Glenn, the heater and defroster worked fine. The issues we had were; poor paint, worthless GPS, very loud revving engine under any load, poor mpg, CVT issues, vibration at around 40 to 50 mph felt in steering wheel and floor. Dealer said normal. The car lost power on my wife on a on ramp going on a interstate highway. She called upset after drifting to the side of the road. I remembered someone on this forum mentioning this and saying if you shut the car off and restart it, it went. I told her to shut it off. We waited 5 minutes, she restarted it, and it went ? She took it straight to the dealer and they checked it for codes which there weren't any. They gave her the we can't duplicate it explanation and said bring it back if it does it again. Got to the point she was afraid to drive it. The loud revving engine scared her, she was afraid it was going to blow up. Quality we expected wasn't there. I think you'll like the KIA, so far, so good with us. She has been setting the GPS everywhere she goes, and says it doesn't get lost at all like the Rogues did.

[Glenn2587]

Wow your issues were bad too, I like the car it is fine in warmer temps but when it's cold forget it! It took me 30 minutes to defrost today, yet again all on the inside and thick ice every window!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont get why the dealership thinks this is normal, never had a car do this EVERY time its below about 25 degrees.

[daltonvol]

Hi Glenn, I HAD a 2013 Rogue and it would do something similar to what you are describing, but certainly not to the extent you described. I left mine on the defrost setting at all times and on 75 degrees and the problem went away for me. Granted, it's not nearly as cold here as where you are.

I traded the 2013 for a 2014 this past weekend and haven't had any trouble yet, but the coldest temps I've driven in have been upper 20's. Good luck.

[Glenn2587]

Hi Glenn, I HAD a 2013 Rogue and it would do something similar to what you are describing, but certainly not to the extent you described. I left mine on the defrost setting at all times and on 75 degrees and the problem went away for me. Granted, it's not nearly as cold here as where you are.

I traded the 2013 for a 2014 this past weekend and haven't had any trouble yet, but the coldest temps I've driven in have been upper 20's. Good luck.

How do you like the 14? I have had my car in the shop now six times and they keep telling me to ride around with the defrost on, AC on high and its normal. I looked into trading the car off and getting a 14 but it was over $60 more a month! I cannot afford that! The dealer is no help at all!

[daltonvol]

I've got to tell you, I love the '14 compared to the '13. Again, it hasn't been as cold here as what you're dealing with, but the couple of times my windows have started to fog up I hit the defrost button and it clears up rapidly. I'm a pretty loyal Nissan customer (we're on our 8th Nissan vehicle now), but if you aren't and you can't afford the additional $60/month I'd abandon the brand and find something that will work with your budget right now. But if you have some loyalty to Nissan and you could figure out a way to swing the extra $60, I'd highly recommend the '14.

Have you tried a different dealer/different city? I got my '14 Rogue for about $2,000 cheaper by driving an extra hour or two beyond the dealers that are most conveniently located. That might be an option.

[Glenn2587]

I've got to tell you, I love the '14 compared to the '13. Again, it hasn't been as cold here as what you're dealing with, but the couple of times my windows have started to fog up I hit the defrost button and it clears up rapidly. I'm a pretty loyal Nissan customer (we're on our 8th Nissan vehicle now), but if you aren't and you can't afford the additional $60/month I'd abandon the brand and find something that will work with your budget right now. But if you have some loyalty to Nissan and you could figure out a way to swing the extra $60, I'd highly recommend the '14.

Have you tried a different dealer/different city? I got my '14 Rogue for about $2,000 cheaper by driving an extra hour or two beyond the dealers that are most conveniently located. That might be an option.

Yes I test drove the 2014 and did like it but I am very upset with this dealership (stealership). They don't seem to care or believe what I'm telling them always saying they cannot find a problem, cannot replicate the problem and don't think I'm using the car correctly. I took a technician for a drive and showed him the issue and he still said this is normal. I wish they would just buy the car back from me in-fact I asked and was told "absolutely not".

[daltonvol]

Yes I test drove the 2014 and did like it but I am very upset with this dealership (stealership). They don't seem to care or believe what I'm telling them always saying they cannot find a problem, cannot replicate the problem and don't think I'm using the car correctly. I took a technician for a drive and showed him the issue and he still said this is normal. I wish they would just buy the car back from me in-fact I asked and was told "absolutely not".

Believe it or not, I had a similar experience for a different kind of problem. In 2004, we were expecting our first child and wanted something bigger so we went to get a Murano at Town Center Nissan near Atlanta (DON'T EVER BUY A CAR FROM THEM OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND MAKE YOU SORRY YOU DID!!!!). The salesman did a great presentation of all the features, we did the test drive and were hooked so we bought it. When the car was ready they shuffled us out, got us in the car and sent us on our way. The next day, I thought I saw a water spot and went to rub it off and there was a clear gritty substance over the entire vehicle. So we took it back (the ended up determining that another business next door had been applying some kind of clear substance to their products and the wind carried it over to the dealer lot).

Without telling all the details, we went back to that dealership about every other day for two weeks (about an hour drive one way) while they tried to fix it. I asked them at one point to just give me a new one with the same payment...my point was that they could figure out how to massage the numbers so that it would work. I'll never forget the sales manager's quote to me, "We will NOT swap Muranos." After about three weeks, and getting the general manager involved, they finally gave in and we did a transaction where I traded mine in on another new one, such that I had the same term, payments, etc.

So, don't give up...be persistent and it might work out for you (of course, I took mine back almost immediately whereas you've had yours for a while now).

[Glenn2587]

Well got my car back for the sixth time Friday still cannot fix it or find the issue. Can I declare this car a lemon for this issue? Does it have to be something mechanical?

[zengshengliu]

Did you try having the heat on and defrost on at the same time? Also, since it is using the AC to defrost the air coming in, is it possible that the AC system is under/over charged? I know in my car if I over/under charge the system, the AC compressor will stop and will blowing moist air in (during summer which you can see it clearly). Don't know if it applies to defrost mode

[darylzero]

My 2013 Nissan Rogue continuously fogs (not normal fog like other vehicles). The vehicle is garage-kept and is cleaned regularly. There is no excessive moisture in the rugs or upholstery, and no history of flood damage or even spilled beverages – it’s six months old. The windows fog so fast that within a few miles all windows are completely fogged. The only way to make the car drivable in temps under about 40 degrees is to continually drive with full defrost on and maximum fan speed. You cannot even turn the car to the mixed floor-heat/defrost setting because it will still fog back up fast. On days colder than about 15 degrees the car will get an heavy frost build up on all the inside windows every time it is outside more than thirty minutes. You have to scrape it off or sit for about 30 minutes for the car to “defrost” – and even that only converts it back to fogged windows once it gets switched to heat. My girlfriend (5’5”, ~130lbs) will fog the car while driving alone.

This is safety issue and I wanted to know if anything like this has happened to anyone else. If so, what was outcome has been?

We have taken the car into the dealer three times for this issue. They have taken the radio out to make sure there was no moisture in the back as well as reset the settings on the heater. Nothing else. They say they cannot duplicate the issue. We have driven them and showed them how it happens and they tell us to drive with full defrost on and the air on. Not only does this make the car very cold, it doesn’t do much at all except make extra fan noise to talk over. We have contacted a factory representative; our salesman even says this is not right. We have test-driven two other Rogues, an Altima, a Maxima, a Sentra and, even a Versa and never had this issue happen to any of those cars. We do not want to have to declare the car a lemon, but we may forced to pursue that course of action there is no other options. It is only six months old!

At this point I will consider anything. Does anyone have suggestions?

If wIndows fog or ice up on the inside it means there is moisture in the air inside the car. Someone else had the same question with a Mazda 6, http://community.cartalk.com/discussion ... of-the-car

Couple of the replies,

In my experience, most cases of interior window icing are the result of one or more of the following car owner mistakes:

Using the recirculate function on the HVAC system
Failure to remove as much snow as possible from shoes before entering the car
Failure to remove wet floormats from the car in order to dry them
Keeping windows open, rather than using the HVAC system (on the A/C setting if necessary)

If none of these situations is applicable to you, then you may want to explore the possibility that the heater core is leaking. While this is not a strong probability on a car that is just a few years old, it is possible.

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interior window frosting means there is moisture in the cabin of the vehicle. Unless the outside air is very dry, leaving the windows open or cracked will probably make matters worse. Look for wet carpets caused by a clogged evaporator drain or another source of water intrusion, such as drain channels for doors, trunk lid, or sunroof, if so equipped. If the cowl or evaporator box is loaded with leaves or other debris, this can also cause an overwhelming amount of water to flow through the evaporator box during rain, causing the carpet to get wet. Dragging too much snow or water into the car from outside can also leave the carpets wet and cause interior window frosting. Try running your air conditioning to keep your cabin dry, even if it's cold out. Leave the a/c on, but use the heat control to stay comfortable. You will still be warm, but the air will be dry, which will probably help a lot. You could also try supplementing that by cleaning the inside of the windows (dirty glass is more prone to collecting moisture, and they're probably dirtier than you think, especially if you smoke) and using a fog preventing product on the interior glass. Rain-X makes a product for this purpose, but I don't know how well it works since I've never used it. It may be worth a try, though.