Nissan Recall for Potential VC-Turbo Engine Failure

I think that the VC engines came along, “too little/too late. Supposedly the engines were in R&D for ~20 years before coming to market.

When most companies are hitting the market with more & more hybrid & full electric vehicles, maybe new ICE designs is not what the market needs. However NISSAN, whom I do have a soft spot for, did indeed need something to stay afloat in the car market place and to get the foul taste of their CVT’s out of the mouths of former or current customers.

I feel bad for the position that Nissan is in when they were once a “force to be reckoned with” especially with their INFINITY division. They were once doing some great stuff!
 
Seems the issue has nothing to do with the Variable Compression and everything to do with bad machining or parts. Can't anyone machine an engine anymore?

"The report specifically identifies the engines' main bearing and the A-, C-, and L-links, which may be defective and could cause engine damage or failure."
 
^^^Ohh, right (i), thanks for catching that. It took my a minute to realize what you meant. (y)
I once spelled Alfa incorrectly by spelling it Alpha without even realizing it and I got busted. 😅

:):D:p:rolleyes::unsure:o_O:ROFLMAO:😁🤓🥳
 
Seems like it’s a materials issue. GM, Chrysler or whatever it’s called this week, and many others are having the same issues.

But, I think it’s a bigger deal for Nissan as they’re dying anyway.

I don’t see them surviving long term. Sad because I think they made very reliable vehicles in the 90s/early 2000s.

But when they went to CVTs it was the beginning of the end.

Then they pulled a Chevy Volt. They had hybrids (from my understanding with Toyota tech) in the 2010s with the Altima hybrid… then they cancelled it. Meanwhile Ford traded hybrid tech from Toyota for GDI tech and well, from Escape Hybrids as Taxis years ago to Maverick Hybrids flying off the lots today, they made it work.

Imagine how many people would buy a Chevy Equinox PHEV or a Nissan Rogue Hybrid! But GM has the money to survive and Nissan doesn’t.
 
Looking at the market, thing that buried Nissan was previous Pathfinder generation. Absolutely horrible vehicle. They are so “good” that it is impossible to see one on the road now.
That happened in midst of mid size SUV craze. They now have nicely designed Pathfinder, but too small. Pilot, Grand Highlander, Atlas, Palisade/Telluride are absolutely obliterating it in size, sale etc.

These side show problems are just adding salt to the wound.
 
I'd rather have a new Pathfinder over the Korean twins...they are old news these days...to me anyway
 
Zee09 said:
I'd rather have a new Pathfinder over the Korean twins...they are old news these days...to me anyway
Click to expand...
Problem with new Pathfinder is size. People in that segment go for practicality even though they don’t want minivan.
Toyota found that hard way with Highlander. When they introduced HL in 2020 it was just not competative bcs. size. That is why they rushed with GHL. Nissan did same with Pathfinder as Toyota did, offering relatively smaller package than Atlas, Palisade etc. Mechanically, I would take it any day over KIA/Hyindai considring it has now traditional automatic transmission. But, when I was checking it after selling Atlas, is just dramatic downgrade in practicality. And market has its own rules.
New Armada on other hand is jack pot, but not sure that vehicle can save the day.
 
Buyers tend to get drawn to the ~2017+ Pathfinder due to the 7000lb tow rating Nissan has given them. Lots of people max them out and ironically, you never hear of a CVT failure when towing. Problem is, 2017 to current are still using the sludge prone VQ35DD. 2021+ Have a ZF 8spd as opposed to the CVT which I'd imagine is an upgrade.

I've seen a few tear down videos of those VC turbo Nissan engines. Interesting to say the least..
 
I can't understand what Nissan was thinking regarding the VC engines. Too complex with no real performance or economy benefits relative to others. I've seen the 3 cylinder version torn down on YT and it might be impressive but how they signed off to produce must have been because of some very, very influential engineer that had a "dream"
 
edyvw said:
Looking at the market, thing that buried Nissan was previous Pathfinder generation. Absolutely horrible vehicle. They are so “good” that it is impossible to see one on the road now.
That happened in midst of mid size SUV craze. They now have nicely designed Pathfinder, but too small. Pilot, Grand Highlander, Atlas, Palisade/Telluride are absolutely obliterating it in size, sale etc.

These side show problems are just adding salt to the wound.
Click to expand...
Thete was alot of rumbling when the all-new Frontier debuted without a manual transmission. Now that jeep dropped it on the gladiator the Tacoma is the only truck with a manual transmission and it's a 4 cylinder to boot.
 
JTK said:
Buyers tend to get drawn to the ~2017+ Pathfinder due to the 7000lb tow rating Nissan has given them. Lots of people max them out and ironically, you never hear of a CVT failure when towing. Problem is, 2017 to current are still using the sludge prone VQ35DD. 2021+ Have a ZF 8spd as opposed to the CVT which I'd imagine is an upgrade.

I've seen a few tear down videos of those VC turbo Nissan engines. Interesting to say the least..
Click to expand...
I didn’t know 2021+ is ZF8. I mean, talking about upgrade!
 
SC Maintenance said:
Seems the issue has nothing to do with the Variable Compression and everything to do with bad machining or parts. Can't anyone machine an engine anymore?

"The report specifically identifies the engines' main bearing and the A-, C-, and L-links, which may be defective and could cause engine damage or failure."
Click to expand...
I suspect it's easier to blame manufacturing process rather than admit a poorly engineered engine. Toyota, I'm looking at you with 2 separate plants not cleaning a Tundra engine correctly, one Japan and one in US.
Hardly.
 
Let's be real here.
For example: Mitsubishi is much smaller player than Nissan, yet they are still kicking and making at least enough profit to stay afloat. Nissan has a significantly larger market presence and sales volume in the US compared to Mitsubishi, so I personally don't see Nissan going away anytime soon.

They still hold the market very well in the "affordable" section. I see tons of AWD Altimas in Charlotte area, as well as tons of SR Versa and Sentras. 2nd gen Nissan Kicks has been a huge hit. If anything - I see Nissan turning their luck around. Nissan Armada NISMO will be one of their major players, mark my words. And as much as I hate EVs - the Ariya has been getting very popular here in the Southeast. The new LEAF is an absolute winner for the price.

Here is a quick look at what you get in a $75k Nissan VS $115k Lexus. Less money for more space & features, as well as more reliable powertrain and less complex drivetrain with more tow capacity. And the $40k price difference is enough to buy a Pathfinder, which starts at $36.5k. Let that sink in.
 
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Those VC engines are often (maybe always?) mated with a CVT. What could possibly go wrong?

That and I don't see the point of a VC engine with a turbo. I know it's not the same, but I would think it's more of an either or situation not both. They are only tripling down in unreliability. Not to mention that the Rogue is overpriced for what it is.
 
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