Nissan Rogue VC-Turbo Recall: NHTSA 26V080 And 26V081 Cover Engine And Throttle Risks

Status, July 1 source check: source-cleared for a BadPD public-safety recall ledger. The official records are NHTSA 26V080 and NHTSA 26V081, both filed by Nissan North America for Nissan Rogue vehicles equipped with the 3-cylinder 1.5L variable compression turbo engine. The campaigns are separate. They also overlap enough that owners, buyers, fleet desks, lenders, insurers, and repair shops should read them together instead of treating one Rogue VC-Turbo search result as the whole file.

This is recall-record accountability reporting, not vehicle repair, driving, resale, warranty, reimbursement, legal, insurance, engine, throttle, software, oil, fire, crash, or purchase advice. The official NHTSA, Nissan, VIN, dealer, repair-order, warranty, and recall-completion records control whether a specific vehicle is included, repaired, reimbursable, closed, or still open.

Two Rogue VC-Turbo Campaigns, One Owner Problem

The first campaign is NHTSA 26V080 / Nissan R25E2 and R25E3. Nissan’s February 11, 2026 Part 573 report says the campaign covers 323,917 potentially involved 2023-2025 Nissan Rogue vehicles built from October 4, 2022 through November 18, 2024. The affected vehicles have the 1.5L KR15DDT variable compression turbo engine. Nissan estimates the defect percentage at 0.6%.

The second campaign is NHTSA 26V081. Nissan’s Part 573 lists R25E3 and R25E4 as manufacturer recall numbers for that filing. The NHTSA acknowledgment letter for 26V081 describes the manufacturer numbers as R25E2 and R25E3, which is a source conflict BadPD is preserving rather than silently smoothing over. The 26V081 campaign covers 318,781 potentially involved 2024-2025 Nissan Rogue vehicles built from November 13, 2023 through April 28, 2025. Nissan estimates the defect percentage at 100% for that record.

The overlap matters. A 2024 or 2025 Rogue with the 1.5L VC-Turbo engine can appear in owner searches alongside both engine-bearing and electronic throttle chamber language. A consumer who only sees one recall number may miss the other risk category. A dealer or fleet desk that closes only one line without checking the other can leave the record incomplete. BadPD is therefore publishing this as a source-labeled two-campaign ledger, not as a blended allegation that invents a single defect.

NHTSA 26V080: Engine Bearing And Oil-Temperature Record

Nissan says the 26V080 defect is specific to certain 2023-2025 Rogue vehicles with the 1.5L VC-Turbo engine. The Part 573 says increased engine oil temperature can degrade lubrication, potentially causing bearing seizure. That can lead to engine damage and potentially engine failure. The NHTSA API summary uses similar public language: increased temperatures can break down engine oil, which may cause the engine bearings to seize and become damaged, leading to engine failure.

The safety risk is direct. If the engine fails while driving, Nissan says it can result in a loss of motive power and an inability to restart, increasing crash risk. The Part 573 also says that in certain rare cases a bearing failure may breach the engine block, allowing hot oil to be discharged and increasing fire risk. That is why this belongs in a public-safety lane even though the estimated defect percentage is less than one percent.

The warning language should not be overstated. Nissan says bearing failures are not typically instantaneous and tend to progress over time. The Part 573 lists possible advance warnings including abnormal engine noise, rough running, malfunction indicator lights, and warning messages in the instrument cluster. That does not prove every driver will get a useful warning before a failure. It does show that Nissan and NHTSA are treating symptoms, diagnostic lights, and cluster messages as part of the evidence chain.

The recall expands a prior federal file. Nissan’s 26V080 Part 573 references NHTSA 25V437 and says certain affected 2021-2024 Rogue vehicles are included in that earlier recall. The 26V080 report says those vehicles will be remedied for the defect described in the new report if they receive the remedy outlined in the previous recall. That makes VIN-level lookup essential. Model year alone is not enough to determine which campaign, remedy path, or completion record controls a specific Rogue.

Nissan’s chronology says the chronology related to 25V437 is incorporated by reference. From August 2025 through December 2025, after a production countermeasure adopted in late October 2025, Nissan identified additional post-countermeasure bearing-seizure incidents on certain Rogue vehicles equipped with the 1.5L engine. Nissan also received three NHTSA Product Information Requests alleging bearing seizure, abnormal engine noise, difficulty starting, or engine stalling conditions on 2023-2024 Rogue vehicles.

On February 4, 2026, Nissan says continued investigation and engine teardown analysis identified an additional contributing factor that may cause engine bearing seizures: high engine oil temperatures under certain operating conditions that can degrade lubrication. Nissan then decided to conduct a voluntary U.S. recall. The incident-status record is dated and should stay exact: Nissan confirmed 690 warranty claims related to the condition and said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the condition.

NHTSA 26V081: Electronic Throttle Chamber Record

The 26V081 record concerns the Electronic Throttle Chamber, or ETC, assembly. Nissan says that during ignition startup, the ETC assembly performs a diagnostic test in which internal gears rotate to the fully closed position and contact a fixed stopper. In vehicles with affected Engine Control Module software, the diagnostic routine may cause an internal ETC gear to weaken and fracture.

The safety risk is not just a hard-start complaint. Nissan says a fractured gear could interfere with other internal ETC gears, potentially leading to loss of motive power and preventing forward or reverse gear engagement upon restart. NHTSA’s acknowledgment letter uses plainer language: broken throttle body gears can cause a loss of drive power, increasing crash risk.

The 26V081 chronology begins with a February 27, 2025 dealer technician report involving a no-start condition on a 2024 Rogue fleet vehicle. The inspection found the throttle plate stuck in the closed position. After the throttle chamber assembly was replaced, normal operation was restored. Nissan’s March-April 2025 investigation tied the malfunction to a fractured throttle chamber gear inside the electronic throttle chamber assembly.

From May through June 2025, Nissan discovered that a change had been implemented at the start of 2024 model-year production in ECM software for an internal diagnostic test. Nissan says the software change resulted in extended contact duration between the plastic chamber gear and the mechanical stopper of the throttle chamber assembly. Nissan concluded repetitive loading over time could stress the gear teeth and eventually lead to a fractured gear tooth. If a tooth fragment separates, it can lodge within the gear interface, obstruct normal throttle valve movement, and trigger diagnostic trouble codes.

The record also shows a regulatory judgment shift. On October 13, 2025, Nissan judged that the condition did not create an unreasonable safety risk because there was no risk of immediate loss of motive power and because customers would experience reduced engine power with a warning message before a loss of motive power could occur only while stationary. Nissan planned a service campaign. After further discussions with NHTSA in December 2025 and January 2026, Nissan decided on February 4, 2026 to conduct a voluntary safety recall.

The incident-status record is again dated. Nissan confirmed 3,111 warranty claims related to the 26V081 condition and said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to that condition. The warranty-claim count is much higher than the 26V080 count, but the two counts measure different conditions. They should not be added together as if they describe one defect.

Remedies, Dates, And Source Conflicts

For 26V080, Nissan dealers are instructed to reprogram the Engine Control Module, conduct a Diagnostic Trouble Code inspection, and test drive the vehicle. Nissan says the no-charge inspection and software work should take up to one hour. In some cases, the dealer may inspect the engine oil pan for specific metal debris. If the inspection shows that engine replacement is necessary, the dealer will replace the engine at no charge, and that repair may take up to fifteen hours.

For 26V081, Nissan dealers are instructed to reprogram the ECM and inspect the vehicle. If the inspection determines that ETC replacement is necessary, the ETC will be replaced at no charge. Nissan says the software and inspection service should take up to one hour, and ETC replacement may take an additional half hour.

The Part 573 recall schedules for both campaigns say dealers would be notified on February 19, 2026, owners would begin receiving notification on March 27, 2026, and VINs would be searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 19, 2026. The NHTSA acknowledgment letter for 26V081, dated February 18, 2026, says owner letters were expected to be mailed March 27, 2026 and VINs would be searchable beginning February 27, 2026.

The NHTSA API record, accessed July 1, 2026, has a different timing statement. The API remedy field says owner notification letters were mailed April 8, 2026 for both 26V080 and 26V081. BadPD is not resolving that conflict by guesswork. The current source set shows February and March schedule records in the Part 573 and acknowledgment documents, and an April mailed-letter statement in the later API record. A complete future update should add the final owner letters and dealer bulletins.

NHTSA’s 26V081 acknowledgment also carries an accountability note. It says supplier information was not supplied and tells Nissan to identify the supplier for the defective equipment in an amended Part 573 recall report. That is not a consumer repair instruction, but it is a government-record gap. A clean later file should show whether Nissan amended the report and whether the supplier field was completed.

What Owners And Buyers Should Not Assume

Do not assume every 2023-2025 Nissan Rogue is included. The official records narrow these campaigns to vehicles equipped with the 3-cylinder 1.5L VC-Turbo engine and traced production populations. Do not assume a 2023 Rogue is in both campaigns. The NHTSA API results in this source set show 26V080 for 2023 Rogue, while 26V081 is listed for 2024 and 2025 Rogue vehicles.

Do not assume an engine symptom proves 26V080 or a no-start symptom proves 26V081. Recalls are VIN and remedy records, not diagnosis by headline. A Rogue may have a separate mechanical, software, maintenance, warranty, or repair issue. The practical public record is the VIN lookup, dealer repair order, recall number, completed remedy, and any warranty claim or service bulletin that applies to that vehicle.

Do not assume the two campaigns have the same manufacturer recall number just because R25E3 appears in both source chains. The 26V080 Part 573 lists R25E2 and R25E3. The 26V081 Part 573 lists R25E3 and R25E4. The 26V081 NHTSA acknowledgment describes the manufacturer numbers as R25E2 and R25E3. That conflict is a reason to keep the NHTSA campaign numbers visible on repair records instead of relying only on an internal campaign code.

Do not treat “no known accidents or injuries” as proof that the risk is theoretical. Nissan reported no accident or injury awareness for both conditions as of the Part 573 filings. The same filings still identify loss-of-motive-power crash risk, and 26V080 adds a rare engine-block breach and hot-oil fire risk. The responsible way to report that is to hold both facts at once.

Plain-Language File Check

The 26V080 file is about possible engine bearing seizure. Nissan says higher oil temperature can reduce lubrication, bearings can seize, the engine can be damaged, and the engine can fail. If that happens while driving, the vehicle can lose drive power. In rare cases, hot oil may leave the engine if the block is breached.

The 26V081 file is about the electronic throttle chamber. Nissan says a startup diagnostic routine can stress an internal gear. If the gear fractures, the throttle system can malfunction. The record says that can lead to loss of motive power and can prevent forward or reverse gear engagement after restart.

The remedy for both records starts with ECM software work and inspection. The engine-bearing campaign can escalate to oil-pan inspection and engine replacement. The throttle campaign can escalate to ETC replacement. The useful proof is not a verbal assurance that the vehicle was checked. The useful proof is a recall-specific record naming the NHTSA campaign or Nissan recall number and showing the remedy was completed.

The missing-record list matters. This run found official Part 573 reports for both campaigns and an official NHTSA acknowledgment letter for 26V081. It did not locate an official NHTSA acknowledgment PDF for 26V080. It also did not include final owner letters, dealer bulletins, amended supplier records, quarterly completion data, or VIN-level repair-order records.

Confirmed, Pending, Not Established

Confirmed by NHTSA/Nissan records

• NHTSA 26V080 is an official Nissan Rogue 1.5L VC-Turbo recall covering 323,917 potentially involved 2023-2025 vehicles.
• NHTSA 26V081 is an official Nissan Rogue 1.5L VC-Turbo recall covering 318,781 potentially involved 2024-2025 vehicles.
• 26V080 concerns increased engine oil temperature, degraded lubrication, bearing seizure, engine damage, possible engine failure, loss of motive power, and rare hot-oil fire risk after engine-block breach.
• 26V081 concerns ETC internal gear fracture tied to affected ECM software and startup diagnostic behavior, with possible loss of motive power and no forward or reverse engagement upon restart.
• Nissan reported 690 warranty claims for 26V080 and 3,111 warranty claims for 26V081.
• Nissan said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to either subject condition as of the Part 573 reports.
• 26V080 is related to NHTSA recall 25V437.
• 26V081 acknowledgment letter says amended Part 573 supplier identification is required.

Pending or missing records

• Official NHTSA acknowledgment letter for 26V080 was not located during this run.
• Final owner notification letters for both campaigns.
• Dealer bulletins and technical repair instructions.
• Any amended 26V081 Part 573 supplier-identification filing.
• Quarterly completion reports.
• Any later warranty, field-report, claim, crash, fire, injury, court, repair-order, or amended defect records.

Not established by this source set

• That every Nissan Rogue from 2023, 2024, or 2025 is included.
• That any specific VIN has experienced either failure condition.
• That a crash, fire, injury, or fatality has been attributed to either condition.
• That the same remedy closes both campaigns for every vehicle.
• That all owner notifications were received by owners by March 27 or April 8, 2026.
• That all affected vehicles have completed recall repairs.

BadPD Bottom Line

NHTSA 26V080 and 26V081 are clean public-safety receipts, but the useful public record is not a vague “Nissan Rogue recall” label. The useful record is campaign-specific: 26V080 for engine-bearing/oil-temperature risk and 26V081 for electronic throttle chamber gear risk. Both involve loss-of-motive-power language, both rely on ECM software work and inspection, and both need later owner-letter, dealer-bulletin, amended-record, and completion-report follow-up.

BadPD will update this ledger if NHTSA or Nissan posts owner letters, dealer bulletins, amended Part 573 records, supplier identification updates, quarterly completion reports, warranty records, field reports, claim records, court records, repair-order evidence, or incident updates tied to NHTSA 26V080, NHTSA 26V081, Nissan R25E2, Nissan R25E3, or Nissan R25E4.

Source Ledger

• NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report, campaign 26V080, submitted February 11, 2026
• NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report, campaign 26V081, submitted February 11, 2026
• NHTSA acknowledgment letter, campaign 26V081, February 18, 2026
• NHTSA API recall record, 2023 Nissan Rogue, accessed July 1, 2026
• NHTSA API recall record, 2024 Nissan Rogue, accessed July 1, 2026
• NHTSA API recall record, 2025 Nissan Rogue, accessed July 1, 2026

Featured image is symbolic editorial artwork created for BadPD. It is not NHTSA, Nissan, dealer, owner, supplier, vehicle, crash, fire, injury, engine, bearing, throttle, ECM, warranty, or repair-order photography and is not a depiction of any specific recalled vehicle.