Nissan recalls 700K SUVs in U.S. over threat of cars turning off while driving

Nissan issued a recall for more than 700,000 SUVs in the U.S. due to an issue that could cause cars to turn off while driving, according to a federal safety report.

The recall involves some Rogue and Rogue Sport vehicles that use a jackknife key set, Nissan told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The issue stems from a defect in the key fob that “may not hold the key blade in the extended ‘open’ position,” Nissan said.

“If the vehicle is driven with the key in the collapsed position, contact with the key fob by the driver could inadvertently turn the vehicle off while driving, increasing the risk of a crash,” reads the safety agency report, which says no warning would occur before a key malfunctions.

Nissan says more than 517,000 of its 2014-20 model Rogues and more than 194,000 of its 2017-22 model Rogue Sports could be affected in the U.S. Nearly 100,000 vehicles were recalled in Canada as well.

The car company estimates only 0.1% of its vehicles are actually affected by the defect. Customers will be informed of the recall in March, the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration said. Dealers are expected to fix the issue by adding a spacer to the fob that prevents the key from collapsing.

“Nissan is preparing the remedy for this issue,” the safety agency said. “In the interim, registered owners will be notified. In that notification, owners will be instructed to avoid attaching accessories to the key fob and to use the key in the nonfolding orientation until the remedy is available.”

The Rogue was the eighthbest-selling used car in 2022 and top among Nissan vehicles, according to Autoweek.

Nissan previously recalled more than 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. in February due to an issue involving a steering wheel emblem that could detach in a crash.

“A detached emblem and/ or retainer component may become a projectile during an airbag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants,” read the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report.

That recall included some of the 2008-11 models of Nissan’s Titan, Frontier, Pathfinder, Xterra and Armada cars, as well as its 2008-09 model Quests.