I was speaking with a friend about the Rogue, and he gave me a strange warning. He said that many Japanese cars have a cooling system built for cooler climates. When they come to Louisiana and try to operate in our heat, the cooling system is not adequate for the heat and humidity that we have. Is there anyone here who has had a Rogue through the summer months in a hot location? I've heard that the Rogue was built on the Sentra frame and engine. Does the Sentra have problems in very hot weather?

Thanks,

Bill

I'm sorry, I have to do this...



I don't think this is an issue for one simple reason: The Rogue was designed in the US and have taken our climate into consideration. Nowadays automakers spend a lot of time testing their product using climate controlled chambers and real world testing. Don't forget Nissan also has plants in the southern US: Canton, Mississippi, Smyrna and Dechard, Tennessee. I'm sure these provide plenty of opportunity for hot weather testing.

Now I do not have 'proof' that the Rogue would not overheat in hot weather, but I woild be suprised if it did. I drove my Altima (it has the same QR25DE motor as the Rogue) in plenty of hot weather, stop and go traffic, and full A/C running without any issues. It does get hot and humid during the summer in southern Ontario, Canada. We get much of our humidity coming up from the Gulf with near 100% humidity and temps well into the 90's.

My 03 Altima with the same motor never had a problem in the 3-1/2 years I drove it and I am down here in Florida. I dont expect any problems with the Rogue's AC.

Umm, I would say "Rumor Control" is at it again. Perhaps this is anti-foreign propaganda? That's what you get for burying a 'furrin' car and not domestic? At any rate, I have a buddy that lives in Japan. It's an island country, it's subject to some hot and humid weather, just like the gulf states. So IF it was designed there, and not for the US market, it should perform just as good, or better. Now to hark back to my college geography days: Japan is about the size of California, but with only 30% of the land being flat and livable, while stuffing half the population the United States on the tiny flat areas. Thus Japan is roughly 70% mountainous or very hilly terrain. She gets plenty of salty ocean weather, has 100 degree and 100% humidy much of the year, and if the Rogue is designed for that geography, I think it can make it in the US too. I dare say though, that they don't "design" cars for specific locales. They have to pass certain conditions that would obviously represent the bulk of weather you would find on Mother Earth. I'm always curious how these types of rumor spread. If it's anti foreign hate, or just simply more of a owner maintainence issue though. Change your brake fluid every 3-5 years, ditto the coolant, change the engine oil at least every 5000 miles, and put in fresh tranny fluid every 100,000 or so, and keep the engine compartment clean. Don't over rev the engine when it's cold, let 'er warm up first before racing down the street, and with basic common sense driving behavior, any vehicle of sound engineering should last a quarter million miles. Our Suzuki X-90 just hit 120,000 miles and 12 years old, has only had said fluid flushes at 75,000 and we've put nothing but new tires (just got her third set) and brake pads on it. That's it! Ditto my 1974 914. Had that baby for 14 years. Nothing but a few fuel lines and new tires. Don't abuse your cars, take some good preventative maitainence measures and they should last. I am rather amused at the attitude of some people right now regarding the airlines cancelling their flights of the MD80's. Some wires can shaff in the landing gear compartment. Ok, bad design? Faulty wire holders? Never inspected and the wire holders have reached the end of their life span? Umm those people that are chastising the airline mechanics, I wonder how often they even check their oil level and brake fluid and tire pressure while filling up at the gas station? Some people just drive their cars right into the ground and then complain when they break down. I'm sure our Rogues will be fine in the south. Just fine!

All good points. Generally Nissan's are designed and tested well enough for our climate... but there are exceptions:

My '87 Pathfinder SE-V6 with the VG30i was notorious for running hot, sometimes to the point of overheating. It turns out that the coolant passages in the heads were too small and were restricting flow. Nissan fixed the problem in later model year's ('88 and up?) by increasing the passage size. It is now a common trick to port the cooling passages on these motors during rebuilds to eliminate the issue. I have fond memories of that SUV/truck... it was my first Nissan and was also #649 of the first model Pathfinder. It never left me stranded, despite a few hiccups along the way.

Thanks, I suspect that the issue with the coolant passages in the heads may have been one example of what gave rise to this rumor. The guy who mentioned the issue didn't specify any particular Japanese company, but I can see where something like that could live in legend for quite a while. I'm glad to hear of a Rogue doing well in Florida. That's the kind of real world experience that helps alleviate my concern.

I heard of a similar issue yesterday with an American truck, so I'll be looking at this one when I look at all kinds of vehicles. In his case, he was told that the truck could haul up to 3000 pounds without the special towing package. When he read the fine print, he learned that this allowance only applied when the truck was being driven north of about 35° lattitude. In Louisiana, the towing package with transmission cooler is recommended for towing of any weight. I don't plan to tow, but I want to understand the situation before I make a decision.

For what it's worth, most of Japan is north of 35° lattitude. That makes Japan more like central California than like Louisiana. The altitude would tend to decrease temperatures in hilly areas, and while an ocean breeze may keep things humid and warm, and ocean breeze can also keep temperatures from remaining extremely high for long periods of time. In any case, knowing that the Rogue was designed for American use gives me a better feeling.

Thanks,

Bill

LOL, total BS. I've owned 10+ Japanese cars of all sorts in Texas. No problems at all even during heat waves. All cars in today's world are built to operate in -30-+50C at least.