10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,779 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Nissan Cube engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Nissan Cube:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Nissan Cube Owner Comments

problem #14

Jul 202019

Cube

  • 197,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle stopped while in motion on highway. Transmission went completely out.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #13

Mar 012019

Cube

  • 90,000 miles
The Cube will frequently stop while driving at any speed. It is possible to pump the accelerator at the moment this happens and sometimes the engine will catch and carry on. If this does not work, the car must be shut down for a few minutes before attempting a restart. Unfortunately once this situation happens, it will very likely recur soon after. It is my observation that this happens most often when the ambient temperature is quite high (75 F and above). On cool days the situation is not likely to happen unless the car is driven over an hour in duration. As another observation it is more likely to happen if the gas gauge is less than full. I tried to reproduce the problem twice for maus Nissan but it did not occur. There was a engine service light on during both those attempts indicating a catalytic converter error. Since that time (early 2018) the problem has happened many times without any service engine warning being on. The first time the problem occurred, I took the car into Nissan in chattanooga. They said there was a little too much transmission fluid. They removed some and I continued on the Florida. Within 10 minutes the problem occurred again. While in Florida, we limit driving to early mornings and evenings for less than 30 minutes and we maintain the gas tank on full.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #12

Feb 102016

Cube

  • 86,000 miles
Vehicle was parked in a downtown parking garage while my wife was at work. She came out of work after dark, with no access back into a banking building, and the car would not start. After calling me and trying a couple things, we called our roadside assistance and I got in my car to drive 45 minutes there. My wife had to wait in the locked car, alone, until myself and the tow truck arrived. This was an unsafe situation. We had it towed to a dealer and found out the next day that the escl (electronic steering control lock) had failed, which prevents the car from starting. After spending $650 to have it repaired, I did some investigation and found that this is a very common problem not just on the Nissan Cube, but with Altima, maximas, 370Z and infiniti vehicles. After our repair, Nissan had extended the warranty on the part, but we were past the mileage and they would not reimburse us. They still have an open service campaign for the Altima and maximas, but not the Cube or other affected vehicles. This is a sever safety concern. My wife was alone in a dark parking ramp for almost an hour in the inner city. Imagine if this happened to others after Nissan has acknowledged it as a problem, and someone gets mugged or killed while in an unsafe area and cant get their car started. Nissan should issue a 100% recall on all affected vehicles and provide reimbursement for owners who have already paid for the repair.

- Locust, NC, USA

problem #11

Dec 212018

Cube

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. The contact stated that the vehicle had difficulty starting. The contact had to lock the steering wheel in order for the engine to start. In addition, the key fob had to be visible to start the vehicle properly. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle remained parked at the contact's home. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and refused to assist the contact. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #10

Oct 162018

Cube

  • 132,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. While making a left turn, the vehicle started to jerk and failed to accelerate. Also, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle was able to drive normally. The vehicle was taken to metro Nissan of montclair (located at 9440 autoplex St, montclair, ca 91763), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.

- Upland, CA, USA

problem #9

Aug 172017

Cube

  • miles
Inner fender fell off in parking lot and was run over. This could have been devasting at highway speeds and could have been a hazard for other drivers. Also the bottom cover came loose and was dragging on the ground.

- Deltona, FL, USA

problem #8

Apr 012014

Cube

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Similar to NHTSA id number:10717816 and other complaints seen online. Exhaust system coming apart at the flange heat from the broken exhaust had melted the back bumper also, the heat shield separating the exhaust from the fuel tank appears to not cover the area of the common separation. Nissan dealer saw this occur on my car, did not take any responsibility of their faulty flange or carburetor. It was in warranty at that time and they should have fixed it. Very dishonorable practice to have a faulty flange create issues signaling carburetor replacement and car bumper melted as a result from it. I believe an extended warranty should take place to fix this potential road of Cube catching fire hazard, although it is only plastic.

- Zoar, OH, USA

problem #7

Oct 122015

Cube

  • 70,000 miles
This car since purchase has had the transmission replaced four times. When the transmission fails the car coasts to a stop which on the highway is a danger as the car is susceptible to be hit by other cars. In addition when the transmission fails the engine stops and the braking system is rendered inoperable the only way to stop the car is via the emergency break. The transmission failure in these cars is a known problem as nisan has extended the warranty T ten years. When the transmission failed on my son he was on the highway and barely made it to the breakdown lane without getting hit. This is a serious safety issue due to the fact if the disabled car is hit it could cause fatalities due to the failure of the systems.

- Jamaica Plain, MA, USA

problem #6

Jul 012015

Cube

  • 100,000 miles
Muffler weld separated (no rust or external damage) at the mid pipe causing muffler to tilt and start to melt the rear bumper cover mounts and bumper cover. Muffler then separated completely causing loud noise and possible exhaust gas to enter cabin. Contacted Nissan and was told there was no issue and Nissan would not do anything to correct or help with cost

- Mineral, VA, USA

problem #5

Mar 012012

Cube

  • miles
My wife's 2009 Nissan Cube has had intermittent issues with the vehicle shutting off. It has happened a few times in rush hour traffic on the highway to and from work and most recently in a parking lot (luckily) it locked up completely. Most times she describes it like it is stalling, where she is able to move off to the side of the road and is able to restart the car after a minute or two. A few times however after coming to a complete stop, everything locked up. Car wouldn't start, steering wheel locked, brake pedal wouldn't even budge. After a minute, it started right back up. When we took it to the dealer, they could find nothing wrong and just ended up costing us "diagnostic fees". reading through other complaints on here about this same exact issue, I find it hard to believe that Nissan is not aware of something of this magnitude. Searching the web returns no type of help whatsoever. How are we supposed to just accept a vehicle that randomly shuts off, the results of which could be fatal? there has to be something that can be done.

- Dundalk, MD, USA

problem #4

Jan 232015

Cube 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Excessive and accelerated exhaust system corrosion. Muffler mounting to exhaust pipe rusted completely through and fell apart. Heat shield mounting brackets rusted through causing heat shield to separate from vehicle. Exhaust fumes entering driving compartment and dangerous to occupants.

- Fort Belvoir, VA, USA

problem #3

Aug 112014

Cube 4-cyl

  • 147,700 miles
I put my car into drive and than put my foot on the gas and nothing happened. I looked down and I was in "D" after a few seconds I shifted into low and nothing happened. After a few seconds the car took off. I was so scared. I slammed on the brakes. I tried again, I put the car into drive and sat there, than it inched along and than took off again like I was on a roller coaster. Luckily I was a block from the dealer. So I drove it there on a wing and a prayer. It took me at least 10 mins. I had to make a turn and other drivers were going around me. Because my car wasn't moving. All of a sudden it took off and I almost broadsided a car. You can imagine the suggestions I got. The dealer had it for 2 days and said they can't find anything wrong with. I'm going to bring it to another mechanic and see if he can find whats wrong.

- Whiting, NJ, USA

problem #2

Jul 092014

Cube 4-cyl

  • 71,206 miles
I have a 2009 Nissan Cube. The Cube was at the dealership for maintaince. I was informed that the Cube has a exhaust leak, was told it is not covered under the emission warranty. I asked more questions about the issue, an was told by the dealership that it is a rust issue and not covered. I was told that they do not have the part. I again asked about the emission warranty, was told it did not apply. According to the warranty which is cover up to 80K miles for emission issues, but because of "rust" it is not covered. I do not agree with this and I call the 1 800 number and reported it. Today the next day I was contacted and persson said, or agreed with the dealership. I looked up complaints and recalls, there are several complaints. There is one in which it referrs to a "corroded" part. What is the difference between a part that is "corroded" part that may fail and a part that has rust and broken causing a exhaust leek. They Nissan and the dealership are using a play on words to avoid making the repairs under the emission warranty. I was told it is okay to drive and polute the enviroment since they will not cover it and they did not have the parts. After speaking with the rep from Nissan he had a whole lot more info about the repair than was listed on my copy of the repair order. There are four major componets of a exhaust system on most cars. The manifold, the down pipe, the mid pipe and the muffler. The "corroded part" or rust caused one the conection to leek. Now I am being told that 2 parts need to be replaced and the cost is over 1K, which I have no infor on my invoice or repair order about. The only recomendation was 'ehaust leak 395.00" I know that dealships replace parts that have rust and or are corroded because I work for one, frames and rusted bolts. How can one replace parts and the other not.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #1

Dec 172012

Cube

  • 57,000 miles
Personal research was done on the internet to find how this happened on other Nissan, the versa, the Altima, and now the Cube. Unfortunately, this can cause a wreck because the parts can fall onto the road from a speeding car, and hit another car on the highway. The issue is with the weld, and the bead of the factory muffler being connected to the exhaust pipe by a flange it is welded to. The flange becomes unwelded to the pipe by either rust perforation through salt on the road in snow areas, by a cheap weld, or insufficient bracing of the exhaust system components. It has been read that Nissan Canada fixes these free based on a good will effort to keep customers. However, it is unseen and unknown if this problem will be addressed by any recall in the usa. A simple fix could be applied if it is due to rust perforation, put a seal over the flange to keep salt out. Or make it a one pipe system. Or brace it more sufficiently so that it doesn't fall apart so easily as the pressure and weight of the exhaust pipe system is supported. Therefore, this seems like it should be addressed and owners should be notified so that the driver doesn't cause an unnecessary wreck in the snow, or other normal operation as the pipe could fall off. In summary, the weld of the muffler to the exhaust pipe flange breaks apart too easily as previously known in versa and now the Cube.

- Zoar, OH, USA

Not what you are looking for?