Nissan's variable-compression engine once held so much promise. The so-called VC-Turbo uses a complicated mechanism to allow operation at a low compression ratio for performance, and a high compression ratio for better fuel economy. But, reliability has been a concern, prompting a NHTSA investigation, and now, a massive recall.
CarBuzz brought our attention to the recall, which covers 443,899 Nissan and Infiniti models listed below:
- 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50
- 2022 Infiniti QX55
- 2021-2024 Nissan Rouge
- 2019-2020 Nissan Altima
The two Infiniti models and certain trims of the Altima use Nissan's 2.0-liter four-cylinder VC-Turbo engine, while the Rouge uses the 1.5-liter three-cylinder variant. As we've reported before, the problem stems from bearing failures due to a manufacturing defect in the "multi-link mechanism" that varies the compression ratio. Nissan has introduced manufacturing updates over the life of the engine, which seems to have helped, if not solved the problem entirely, hence why newer Infiniti models and Altimas, plus the new Murano, aren't covered in the recall. But, it's still a huge amount of engines.
Per the NHTSA filing, the recall procedure is straightforward, but it could prove painful for a struggling Nissan. Dealers will inspect the oil pans of affected cars for metal shavings. If no metal debris is present, they'll replace the engine oil in the four-cylinder cars, and the oil and pan in three-cylinder cars. Three-cylinder models will also get a software update. But if there is metal present in either VC-Turbo engine, dealers will replace the engine entirely if deemed necessary.
Nissan said in a previous NHTSA filing that the incidence rate of bearing failures in VC-Turbo engines is extremely low, well under 1%. But if there is a problem, it could lead to catastrophic engine failure. Nissan could end up replacing thousands of engines. A potentially expensive endeavor for a company that's aiming for $3.4 billion in cost cuts over the next two years.
The irony is that the VC-Turbo engine never quite delivered on its promise of huge performance and fuel economy improvements. Nissan spent decades working on this engine, finally doing what many others never managed to pull off, but variable compression didn't become a must-have piece of tech. Now, it's behind the curve on hybrids and EVs, playing catch-up in a changing world with a variable-compression albatross hanging off its neck.
Nissan will send the recall notice to customers on August 25, 2025.
Source: NHTSA via Carbuzz
