Nissan – QR25DE 2.5L Engine Issues (2002–2018)

The QR25DE 2.5L inline‑four engine was widely used across Nissan’s lineup from 2002–2018, including the Altima, Rogue, Sentra SE‑R/SE‑R Spec V, and X‑Trail. While durable in many applications, the QR25DE developed several well‑documented defect patterns involving oil consumption, catalytic converter breakdown, detonation, and head gasket failures. These issues were most common in early‑to‑mid production years.

Year(s)	Make	Model	Should Purchase?	Notes
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012	Nissan	Altima	Caution	Engine: 2.5L I4 – QR25DE Issues: excessive oil consumption, catalytic converter breakdown → debris ingestion, detonation, head gasket failures Notes: early QR25DE units especially prone to pre‑ignition and cat‑debris scoring; monitor oil level closely and inspect converter condition
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015	Nissan	Rogue	Caution	Engine: 2.5L I4 – QR25DE Issues: oil consumption, converter substrate deterioration, detonation under load, occasional head gasket failures Notes: converter breakdown can send ceramic dust into cylinders → accelerated wear and compression loss
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006	Nissan	Sentra SE‑R / SE‑R Spec V	Not Suggested	Engine: 2.5L I4 – QR25DE (high‑output variants) Issues: severe pre‑ignition, oil consumption, catalytic converter failure → debris ingestion, head gasket failures Notes: early QR25DE tuning + high compression increased detonation risk; many engines suffered catastrophic failure from converter debris
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012	Nissan	X‑Trail	Caution	Engine: 2.5L I4 – QR25DE Issues: oil consumption, converter deterioration, detonation, head gasket leaks Notes: similar failure pattern to Rogue/Altima; converter integrity is critical to long‑term survival

Summary of QR25DE Defect Patterns

Excessive oil consumption: often tied to ring wear, cylinder scoring, or converter debris ingestion.
Catalytic converter breakdown: ceramic substrate can be sucked back into the engine, causing catastrophic scoring and compression loss.
Pre‑ignition / detonation: especially common in early QR25DE and SE‑R Spec V applications.
Head gasket failures: often secondary to overheating, detonation, or cylinder wall damage.

Legal context

While QR25DE issues did not result in a single unified nationwide class action like Nissan’s CVT problems, multiple consumer complaints, regional lawsuits, and technical service bulletins documented converter breakdown, detonation, and oil‑consumption‑related failures. Many owners sought reimbursement for engine replacements tied to catalytic converter debris ingestion.

References

CarComplaints – QR25DE engine failure reports (Altima)
NHTSA – Engine complaints & investigations (QR25DE vehicles)
Nissan TSB NTB03‑070 – Catalytic converter deterioration and engine damage (QR25DE)
Nissan TSB NTB04‑079 – Excessive oil consumption diagnosis for QR engines
Nissan TSB NTB06‑042 – Engine knocking / detonation inspection procedure
NicoClub Technical Discussion – QR25DE catalytic converter debris ingestion
EngineBuilder – QR25DE common problems & failure modes