NHTSA Complaint #10631957 — 2010 NISSAN ROGUE

THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER. WHILE GOING UP A HILL AT 75MPH (SPEED LIMIT IN THAT STATE), THE CRUISE CONTROL CUT OFF, AND VEHICLE LOST POWER, AND RPM'S WOULD NOT EXCEED 2500 RPM AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 60MPH, WHICH EVERY TIME I HIT A HILL, WOULD DECREASE TO 40MPH. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE NEXT TWO HOURS, WHERE RPM'S WOULD NOT EXCEED 2500 RPM, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN SEMI-TRUCKS ARE BEHIND YOU. A SEARCH ONLINE STATED THIS WAS THE TRANSMISSION GOING INTO FAIL-SAFE MODE, ALTHOUGH THE DEALERSHIP STATED NO, BECAUSE A CODE WOULD COME BACK. FOR ALMOST A YEAR, I WOULD NOT TAKE MY CAR OUT OF TOWN FOR WORK, FOR FEAR THIS WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. DECIDED TO TAKE IT ON A LONG ROAD TRIP THIS AUGUST, AND AGAIN, THE SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED. THIS TIME, THE ONLY WAY TO GET RPM'S AND MPH'S BACK, WAS TO PULL OVER AND LET THE CAR SIT FOR 20 MINUTES OR SO. IT WOULD THEN DRIVE NORMAL FOR ANYWHERE FROM 30 MIN-1 HOUR, BEFORE LOOSING POWER AGAIN. TOOK IT INTO DEALERSHIP UPON ARRIVING HOME, AND THIS TIME, THERE IS A BULLETIN FOR THE TRANSMISSION FLUID OVERHEATING, AND IT NEEDS A COOLER, TO THE TUNE OF $1,400 AND IS 2 MONTHS BACKORDERED. I WAS TOLD THIS PROBLEM WOULD ONLY OCCUR ON LONG ROAD TRIPS, AND I WOULD BE FINE TAKING IT ON A 5 HR TRIP THAT WEEKEND. COME 3 DAYS LATER, 45 MINUTES INTO THE TRIP, THE CRUISE CONTROL CUT OFF, BEGAN BLINKING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND RPM'S DECREASED TO BTWN 2000-2500. PULLED OVER TO LET IT COOL, AND THEN IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 40MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. DECIDED TO TURN BACK AROUND, AND 3 TIMES ON THE WAY HOME (APPX. EVERY 15 MINUTES), I LOST ALL POWER. THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT THE RPM'S WOULD NOT GO OVER 0, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD TO LET IT SIT FOR 15-20 MINUTES EACH TIME, AND THEN WAS ABLE TO DRIVE 15 MIN, BEFORE LOOSING ALL POWER AGAIN. TOOK IT INTO AUTO SHOP, AND CODE READS, "P1778", WHICH IS "STEP-MOTOR MALFUNCTION". *TR