The Nissan Rogue is at the center of a new NHTSA investigation into the crossover's tendency to suddenly brake for no apparent reason.
NHTSA documents confirm the investigation follows 843 complaints filed with the federal agency and Nissan. Fourteen crashes have been connected to the unintended braking instances with a total of five injuries. The injuries were not serious and related to whiplash and bruising.
Owners say the automatic emergency braking system relays a false positive and suddenly activates the brakes when there's nothing ahead to warrant the braking. NHTSA identified the investigation population as the 2017 and 2018 model years for the Rogue. In total, the investigation covers 553,860 vehicles.
NHTSA opened the initial investigation on Sept. 9 after receiving a petition from the Center for Auto Safety this past March. CAS argued Nissan is aware of the issue due to the issuance of a technical service bulletin for dealers and two "quality actions" with reference to the described issue.
In response to the investigation, a Nissan spokesperson told Roadshow: "Nissan is committed to the safety and security of our customers and their passengers. Nissan has investigated this issue extensively and, in consultation with NHTSA, launched field actions notifying affected customers of a software update that improves MY17-18 Rogue AEB/FEB system performance.
"Customers are invited to bring their vehicle to an authorized Nissan dealership where the update will be applied at no cost to the customer. As always, Nissan will continue to work collaboratively with NHTSA on all matters of product safety."
