Common Failures Of The Nissan Juke: Breakdowns, Reliability And Defects!

The Nissan Juke is a reliable subcompact SUV with striking exteriors and good performance. Unfortunately, this model has been discontinued after its 2017 model year, as it falls victim to some common Nissan Juke faults .

But if you’re looking to buy a used 2017 Juke, its 5-year depreciation rate is still pretty decent at 34%.

How good is the Nissan Juke?

The Nissan Juke is a reliable subcompact SUV. In fact, it is given an excellent rating of 4.0 out of 5.0. Despite this qualification, the Juke is the last in the line of seven subcompact SUVs.

The average annual cost to repair this vehicle contributes greatly to its ranking . On average, you may have to spend $548 to maintain a Juke each year, which is already more than the average annual repair cost of other subcompact SUVs ($466).

Also, you can expect to take a Juke to the shop 0.4 times a year for unscheduled repairs. This means you have to take this vehicle to the shop more often than other subcompact SUVs (0.2 times per year). When it comes to the probability of needing major repairs, the Nissan Juke is roughly on par with other subcompact SUVs, both at 12%.

As for longevity, the Nissan Juke can last up to 200,000 miles with proper care and regular maintenance.

Common failures of the Nissan Juke

Despite its great reliability ratings, the Nissan Juke has some serious issues worth noting. Below are some of the common Nissan Juke faults:

1- Transmission noise problems

This problem is somewhat related to the worst Nissan Juke problem, which is why it is on this list. The owner of a 2016 Nissan Juke had reported a gas odor inside the passenger cabin. The owner took the vehicle to the dealership to have it checked out and the mechanics did not notice the odor.

They did, however, notice an unusual screeching noise coming from the Juke’s transmission. In the report, the owner said that she would receive updates on the vehicle from her, but there were no updates added to her first report at the time of writing. According to the report, this problem started happening at about 22,000 miles .

Nissan has not issued any recalls regarding this issue, but they did issue several Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) for transmission issues in 2016 Nissan Jukes. There is a TSB that specifically addresses unusual clicking noises coming from the front or rear axle during acceleration.

TSB #NTB12-055G was posted on January 17, 2020, and contained repair instructions to fix the clicking noise on 2011 to 2017 Jukes. As of this writing, there have been no TSBs to address the clicking noise. transmission specific whine.

2- Turbocharger failure

Both the 2013 and 2011 Nissan Juke had serious problems with their turbocharger. In fact, among the problems listed here, turbocharger failure as the worst Nissan Juke problem . Some owners have reported hearing unusual and loud noises while driving. Afterwards, their vehicles lost power and were unable to accelerate.

One owner posted the details of a recall specifically for the 2011 Jukes and said they were not eligible for the recall. However, when checking the rest of the TSBs for both the 2013 and 2011 Juke, there are no TSBs that match the information provided by this owner.

At the time of writing, there are no recall documents available for the 2011 and 2013 Nissan Juke for this turbocharger issue.

Although there is no recall information for the Juke, there are TSBs available online that give more information about the faulty turbocharger on some units. TSB #NTB16-035a, which was published in March 2017, contained updated repair information on replacing the turbocharger on 2011-2017 Jukes.

3- Transmission failure

Another major problem with the 2013 Nissan Juke is transmission failure. Many affected owners have reported that they encountered severe transmission problems early on, starting at approximately 68,000 miles.

According to one owner, they had to replace the timing chain, turbocharger, and transmission within the first five months of owning the Juke. Another owner had reported that he was hearing a hissing sound. When they took it to the service center, the technician discovered metal shavings in unexpected places.

Technicians and mechanics informed affected owners that the transmission needed to be replaced to fix the problem. This repair cost the owners at least $4,000. Although some of the owners said they received assistance from Nissan regarding repair costs, this issue was even more difficult to manage for those whose warranty has already expired.

There are no recalls for this specific issue, but Nissan did post some TSBs and voluntary service campaigns about timing chain replacement and proper transmission care.

TSB #SB-10055923-4231 was published on September 22, 2014, and contained timing chain repair information for affected 2011-2013 Nissan Jukes. Meanwhile, TSB #NTB14057A was published in August 2015 to provide information on correct diagnosis and repair of fluid leaks.

4- Problem when turning on

The 2012 Nissan Juke has a serious problem involving its electrical system. This problem causes owners to have a hard time starting their vehicles. One Juke owner reported that after leaving his vehicle parked for two hours, it refused to start and the lights flickered.

After that, all electrical systems in his vehicle were shut down. Unfortunately this problem recurred over and over again and the owner replaced the battery following the dealer’s suggestions. Other affected owners had similar issues, with one even reporting that he changed the batteries in his Juke at least once a year due to this issue.

On average, affected owners notice this problem at approximately 36,000 kilometers . It also cost them about $530 to fix. While many owners reported that replacing the battery worked, others have said that replacing the brake pedal switch, alternator, and brake switch completely resolved the issue.

Nissan had issued TSB #NTB12115 on December 13, 2012, to give more information about the nature of this electrical issue and how to fix it. At the time of this writing, the PDF file of this document is not yet available online.

5- Engine failure

The worst problem with the 2014 and 2011 Nissan Juke is engine failure. While this issue isn’t the worst the Juke has ever had, it affected many owners from the start. According to 2011 model year owners, they had encountered this problem at 70,000 miles on average. Meanwhile, 2014 model year owners have reported similar issues at around 8,500 miles.

According to a Juke owner, their vehicle was brought into the shop after it made unusual noises. Another reported that the check engine light came on before the SUV was serviced. The dealer told them the problem was a broken timing chain that had damaged the engine.

For 2011 Nissan Jukes, this issue is covered by TSB #SB-10055923-4231. Nissan has also released TSBs for engine-related issues in the 2014 model year, though not specifically for engine failure.

In summary

Although the Nissan Juke is certainly a reliable vehicle, it still has its fair share of problems and major issues. If you plan to buy a used Nissan Juke, be sure to do your research first. Find out what are the common failures of the Nissan Juke for the model year you plan to buy and look for the related TSBs and recalls. Also, clarify everything with the seller before making the purchase.