Rogue Reliability - Update

[kerrton]

If you're like me, you hope you made the right decision purchasing this vehcile, plan on keeping it for many years, and are always looking for reassurance that this was a good choice. So I thought I'd summarize the real-world reliability report for the Rogue compared to come competitors, as compiled on the True Delta site which many of you are a member of. If you aren't a member, find the "Michael Karesh - True Delta" thread and sign up, then you get free access to all the results. All of these are 2008 models:

1. Honda CRV - 15 (Trips to Shop/Year/100 Vehicles)2. Hyundai Santa Fe - 273. Rogue - 334. Toyota RAV4 - 355. Mazda CX7 - 396. Subaru Forester - 427. Mazda CX9 - 488. Ford Escape - 508. Mazda Tribute - 509. Mitsubishi Outlander - 5710. Saturn Vue - 73

So in retrospect these numbers make me feel pretty good, one year after my Rogue purchase. I hope this vehicle is durable over the long term so I can drive the crap out of it and not have to shell out big bucks for repairs all the time. I'm glad I didn't buy an Outlander which looked pretty good last year, the same goes for the Escape.

And I'm happy we beat the almighty Toyota RAV4!! The over-hyped Toyota superiority perception gets on my nerves sometimes so it's cool to win a small battle!!!
Modified by kerrton at 1:23 PM 2/13/2009

[Roguemeister]

What exactly do those numbers mean? so the Rogue is 33 trips to the shop per year on a 100 vehicle average? Does that mean 33 trips to the shop in one year? I doubt it. Or does it mean on average, per year, 33 out of 100 Rogues will go to the shop in any given year? Please explain, just based on average use, I would be going to the shop for standard service probably 3 times per year.

[kerrton]

The "trips to the shop" does not include regular maintenance, just trips for repairs. I would suggest signing up for TrueDelta reliability tracking, then you get access to all the results and more detailed explanations of these stats.

[takeshi]

And I'm happy we beat the almighty Toyota RAV4!! The over-hyped Toyota superiority perception gets on my nerves sometimes so it's cool to win a small battle!!!

I'd interpret that as a pretty minor difference, really. It's not like clearly beating the Outlander.

[kcab]

Don't make me feel very good. I just bought mine 3 months ago and only have 1180 miles on it and already had two incidences. 1st was tire pressue monitor didn't light, took to Mr. Tire to get repaired $20, nothing in the tire leaked at seal. 2nd just today "Service Engine Soon" came on; after I wanted to check to see if the cruise control canceled itself when I changed the gear using the shift paddle up or down. The cruise doesn't cancel for either action, and then the "Service Engine Soon" lamp appeared.I wished I had kept my 98 Nissan Kingcab I traded. It had 50K miles on it and got as good as gas mileage as this Rogue. It was only in the shop once in 10 yrs.; and that was for a windshield washer pump (covered under warr.). This Rogue I'm alread disappointed in, a 2008 with everything except leather, power seats and navigation pkg. on it; but think I'm readty to trade it. Got shafted at the dealer on a finance charge, and Nissanusa doesn't really give a hoot. This was my sixth Nissan, first one I've ever been disappointed in.

[kerrton]

I'm a little confused, why are you so dissappointed and wanting to trade your Rogue in already? You've only had it for 3 months, and there is a couple bugs that need to be worked out on warranty, TPMS and an unknown problem causing the service engine light to come on, but so far no serious problems have been discovered, the car has not left you stranded, and you're basically only on your first trip to the shop. I'm predicting they'll fix these things up easily and qucikly and you'll be on your way.

I don't want to make light of your situation, but this doesn't sound like a lemon to me, if after a year or more and you've had to take it in repeatedly for numerous issues, then I'd start to understand feeling dissappointed, but for all you know there is just a couple little items that need to be addressed and you could be good for 10 years! It's always a little dissappointing to have warranty work done, but the fact is that EVERY manufacturer has to do warranty work, even the high end Lexus, BMW, Infinity etc. perform warranty work. Anyway, my advice is to let the warranty give you peace of mind, and give the vehicle a chance, because trading it in now will be a big loss and somebody else will get a new vehicle for a cheap price off of you.

[kcab]

The dealership has somewhat influenced my ill feelings with this vehicle. I have a dispute with the dealership where I bought the vehicle regarding the contract finance charges. I'm not returning to that dealership for anything. I'm sure my local dealer is not going to be putting me at the top of his list for this repair, which means most likely I'll be without transport-ation while this is being repaired. Out of my other five Nissan's none were in the shop this soon; and only two had required repairs other than the usual (plugs, tires and oil changes). My 91 Kcab with 39,000 mi. one of the fuel pumps went up but was covered under the warranty (had something to do with the emissions coverage). It also needed to have the A/C recharged once, the dealer was quoting me prices from $200 to $1000+ if I needed a compressor. Cost me $50.00 at a local shop. My 98 Kcab was in for a windshield washer pump after two years or so also covered under warranty, this was the only one ever needed a battery in 2006, after 8 years of service not bad. People forget and don't keep the tops of their batteries clean, when I wash the car/truck I also wash off the when necessary engine with detergent and wash the top of the battery with baking soda at least twice a year, and keep it filled. My others Kcabs were never in the shop for any warranty repairs. I recall only replacing one set of fan belts, but I can't remember on which one it was. So I guess I've been spoiled. I should of kept the 98, it got the same gas mileage as the Rogue. Bought the Rogue for the sound system, the CVT, and the additional hp, and what I'm reading about the CVT isn't too encouraging.

[kerrton]

My advice is that you really need to look at the reports here through the proper "lens".

Transmission problems with the Rogue are rare, probably more rare than that of the RAV4 6-speed for example. The few people that have had problems are really over-exposed here, as you don't hear from the people who have no problems. Also, I don't feel that any reported transmission problems have anything to do with the fact that it's a CVT, conventional transmission's have their share of problems too - it's probably too early to tell but I just don't want people to jump to conclusions without facts. Sign up for the TrueDelta reliability site and you can compare reliability of the Rogue and all of it's competitors. Currently the Rogue has above average reliablility and has beat the RAV, Subaru, Escape and many others in its first year, as reported by real world users.

Regarding your anecdotes of your Nissan trucks, they sound like well made machines, but that doesn't mean that others who purchased these didn't have warranty work done. Any given sample of vehicles will require some warranty work on a small number of units, you just hope that you aren't one of them that requires the work. Perhaps you were lucky the past few times, and with the Rogue you just had a bit of bad luck. What I'm saying is that the fact that you are having some warranty work does not indicate anything about the Rogue's overall quality, you can only determine this by looking at a large sample size, and that is what you get by signing up for the TrueDelta site. I highly recommend doing this so you can research for yourself, and track reliability over time without bias.

[ahhbeebee]

The RAV-4 has transmission problems? (breathing a sigh of relief) - I was this close...