Carcomplaintscom reports "A Nissan VC-Turbo engine recall has convinced federal safety regulators to close an investigation which was opened in December 2023.

1. Nissan Vehicle Problem and NHTSA Investigation 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the probe after complaints of VC-Turbo engine failures in 2021-2023 Nissan Rogue, 2019-2021 Nissan Altima and 2019-2021 Infiniti QX50 vehicles.  Nissan drivers complained the engines knocked and then lost power while driving.

Investigators found the bearings failed in Nissan vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo engines. In addition, NHTSA found reports of "thermal incidents" immediately after the Nissan VC-Turbo engines failed.  Nissan says the engine bearings (main, A-, C-, and L-link) were defective due to manufacturing errors, and fires occurred when internal components detached, damaged the engine blocks and allowed engine oil to leak onto hot surfaces.

The government learned about 998 complaints, field reports and legal claims and 1,107 VC-Turbo engine warranty claims related to Nissan Rogue, Nissan Altima and Infiniti QX50 vehicles.

NHTSA also found 12 engine fire reports and multiple reports of damaged engine blocks after the VC-Turbo failures. In late June, Nissan issued a VC-Turbo engine recall for nearly 444,000 model year 2021-2023 Nissan Rogue, 2019-2021 Nissan Altima, 2019-2021 Infiniti QX50 and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles.  Nissan also issued a VC-Turbo warranty extension to 10 years or 120,000 miles after a dealer has inspected the recalled vehicle. Safety regulators closed their investigation based on the Nissan VC-Turbo engine recall and warranty extension.  

2. Claims 

Various legal claims are possible if the consumer has had significant problems.  Breach of express warranty can be asserted if the manufacturer failed to timely repair the vehicle, and breach of implied warranty, if the vehicle is not reasonably fit.  The federal Magnuson-Moss Act provides additional remedies.