Nissan Check Engine Light: What Nissan's Manuals Say

Nissan’s manuals call it the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and say it may indicate a potential emission control malfunction; 31 of the 229 manuals name the CVT in that sentence too. Steady: check the fuel-filler cap if your Nissan has one, give it a few driving trips, then have it inspected if it stays on. Blinking: an engine misfire, so stay at or under 45 mph and have it inspected. Either way, 220 of 229 manuals say no tow is needed.

How this page was built. We read the MIL entry, fuel and transmission sections of every U.S. owner’s manual Nissan posts for model years 2013–2027 (246 manuals; 229 have a MIL entry), Nissan’s U.S. warranty booklets for the same years, and Nissan campaign bulletins filed with NHTSA. Nissan’s lookup lists no owner’s manuals before 2013, and some years are missing from it (for example Armada 2016, Maxima 2015, GT-R 2022, Pathfinder 2021). Manual counts below are out of those 229.

What the lamp is called, and the sentence that defines it

All 229 manuals title it Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL). The 2016–2017 Titan books add “(yellow) (For Gas engines only)”. The words “service engine soon light” turn up only in the diesel engine protection section of the 2016–2019 Titan books; the service engine soon page covers that older name.

The entry’s first sentence ends differently by model:

The light may indicate a potential…	Manuals	Models and years
emission control malfunction	192	The rest of the lineup
emission control and/or CVT malfunction	31	Cube 2013–2014, Juke 2013–2017, Maxima 2013–2014, Murano 2013–2014, Quest 2014–2017, Rogue 2013 and 2021–2027, Rogue Select 2014–2015, Rogue Sport 2017–2022
emission control or the muffler with electronic control valve (if so equipped) malfunction	6	GT-R 2017–2021 and 2023

The 2024 Rogue version: the light “may indicate a potential emission control and/or Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) malfunction.” The 17 LEAF (2013–2026) and Ariya (2023–2025) electric manuals have no MIL entry.

The lamp itself doesn’t say which system is at fault. The stored code does, and our Nissan code list decodes it.

Steady or blinking, in brief

“The MIL will come on in one of two ways,” says the 2023 Altima manual, and 220 of the 229 give that same pair.

Steady. A detected emission control system malfunction (“and/or CVT” in 31 manuals). Tighten or install a loose or missing cap, keep driving, and the lamp should go out after a few driving trips. Still on? Have the vehicle inspected. The 20 manuals written for tanks without a cap (Rogue 2021–2027, Pathfinder 2022–2026, Armada and Murano 2025–2027, Sentra 2026–2027) skip the cap step.

Blinking. An engine misfire “which may damage the emission control system.” Stay at or under 45 mph (72 km/h), avoid hard acceleration or deceleration and steep uphill grades, and reduce cargo if possible. The blink may settle into a steady light; either way, have it inspected. All 220 manuals with these instructions give the 45 mph figure.

The service engine soon page above has the longer walk-through; misfires get their own blinking check engine light page.

Nine manuals that skip it

The 2021–2027 Kicks, the 2025 Kicks Play and the 2021 NV200 give the opening sentence, the cap-and-fuel line and the emissions-test line, then move on to the next lamp. No steady/blinking split, no 45 mph, no tow line, no CAUTION. If you drive one, read your own entry. The driving limits here come from the other 220 manuals.

Driving on it: what Nissan does and doesn’t say

None of the 229 entries tells you to stop the car. 220 of them say: “You do not need to have your vehicle towed to the dealer.”

No tow doesn’t mean no hurry. A CAUTION in 220 manuals warns that driving on without having the system checked and repaired “could lead to poor driveability, reduced fuel economy, and possible damage to the emission control system.” In 29 of the 31 manuals with the CVT wording (all but the 2013–2014 Maxima), that CAUTION reads “emission control system and/or CVT system”.

The three-way catalyst section, in all 229, goes further: “Do not keep driving if the engine misfires.” 197 of them add “Have the vehicle inspected promptly.” So the lamp entry rules out the tow truck, and the catalyst section rules out carrying on with a misfire.

The fuel cap, and Nissans that don’t have one

In 192 of the 229 lamp entries, the lamp may also come on steady if the fuel-filler cap is loose or missing, or if the vehicle runs out of fuel. Count the refueling sections too, which warn that a cap not tightened properly may cause the MIL to illuminate, and 207 manuals tie the cap to the light. That’s a possibility Nissan lists, not a diagnosis. The 2023 Altima’s cap instruction: “Turn the fuel-filler cap clockwise until a single click is heard.” 196 manuals also mention a Loose Fuel Cap warning on the dash display; the 2023 Altima notes it “may take a few driving trips” to appear.

Now the newer twist. 23 manuals describe a fuel tank with no cap at all: Rogue 2021–2027, Pathfinder 2022–2026, Armada 2025–2027, Murano 2025–2027, Kicks 2025–2027 and Sentra 2026–2027. From the 2024 Rogue: “The fuel tank is not equipped with a fuel-filler cap.” Nothing to tighten there.

Fuel level is the other item. 212 of 229 manuals say running out may bring the lamp on steady and ask for at least 3 gallons in the tank. The 17 without that line: Frontier 2022–2027, Sentra 2026–2027 and Titan 2016–2024.

Then you wait. 227 of the 229 manuals say in a MIL entry that the light should turn off after a few driving trips, and 212 add the condition “if no other potential emission control system malfunction exists.” Only the 2025–2026 Pathfinder manuals leave it out; the 2022–2024 Pathfinder books carry it in a second MIL entry, in the vehicle information display section. Nissan gives no miles or days for it.

Transmission fail-safe: the 10-second restart

143 of the 229 manuals describe a transmission fail-safe that can turn the MIL on. The 2023 Altima: “If the vehicle is driven under extreme conditions, such as excessive wheel spinning and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe system may be activated.” And: “This will occur even if all electrical circuits are functioning properly.”

Nissan’s remedy is an ignition cycle. Switch OFF, wait 10 seconds, back to ON, and the vehicle “should return to its normal operating condition.” Some manuals add that if it doesn’t, have the transmission checked, with a NISSAN dealer recommended.

Model	Years with the fail-safe note
Altima	2013–2027
Cube	2013–2014
Frontier	2022–2027
Juke	2013–2017
Kicks	2018–2027 (plus Kicks Play 2025)
Maxima	2013–2014, 2016–2023
Murano	2013–2027
NV200	2013–2021
Pathfinder	2013–2020, 2022–2026
Rogue	2013–2027 (plus Rogue Select 2014–2015)
Rogue Sport	2017–2022
Sentra	2013–2027
Versa Note	2014–2019
Versa sedan	2013–2025

Most put the note in the CVT section; the 2022-and-later Frontier and Pathfinder and the 2025-and-later Murano file it under automatic transmission (A/T), hence transmission here. Wheel spin is traction territory too, so see the SLIP light page. Further reading: our CVT and check engine light study.

Engine off, emissions tests, and the battery

Steady for 20 seconds, then blinking for 10, with the engine not running: in 209 of the 229 manuals’ MIL entries, that means the vehicle is not ready for an emission control system inspection/maintenance (I/M) test. The NV Cargo and NV Passenger entries describe the same pattern as a check of the engine control system, “and it is not a malfunction”; the 2025–2026 Pathfinder entries leave it out. The I/M test section of all 229 manuals gives the same 20-then-10 check.

The 2023 Altima’s technical section explains. A car reaches the “ready condition” through certain driving patterns, usually just ordinary use. Then: “If a powertrain system component is repaired or the battery is disconnected, the vehicle may be reset” to “not ready”. That battery sentence is in all 229 manuals. To check, put the ignition ON without starting the engine; no blink after 20 seconds means ready. Nissan recommends a NISSAN dealer to set the ready condition or prepare the car for testing.

So disconnecting the battery has a downside Nissan does name: the car may arrive at an emissions test not ready. Whether it erases a stored code, the manuals don’t say, and none of the 229 entries gives an owner procedure for clearing the lamp. See the check engine light reset guide and the service engine soon reset page.

Nissan campaigns that name the light

Of the 2,585 Nissan manufacturer communications NHTSA lists for model years 2013–2027, 524 have a summary naming a campaign or warranty extension. We searched their documents for the MIL and kept the campaigns and emission warranty extensions in which the light is part of the condition Nissan describes. Technician bulletins that aren’t campaigns, and actions limited to unsold dealer stock, are left out, so this is not a full list of Nissan paperwork that mentions the MIL.

Program	Vehicles	What Nissan says
PC218, Voluntary Service Campaign (NTB13-020, Apr 2013)	2013 Altima sedan, VQ35DE V6	”an improper calibration that may in some situations illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)“
P4213, Voluntary Service Campaign (Apr 2014)	MY2011–13 Juke (about 93,559)	Timing chain: “If this occurs, the ‘Check Engine’ warning lamp will illuminate. If the warning lamp is ignored, over time the chain could break.”
PC346 / PM554, Voluntary Service Campaign (Apr 2015)	About 390 specific 2015 Altima and Rogue, 157 NV200	Incorrect torque converter: “lack of power with MIL On, or possible engine stop at idle”
PC471, Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign (Sep 2016, revised Oct 2016 to add retailed trucks)	Certain MY2016 Titan XD Diesel; 1,278	High pressure turbocharger oil consumption; “the MIL may illuminate for oil pressure deterioration due to excess engine oil consumption”
PM652, Voluntary Emission Service Campaign (NTB16-044, Apr 2016)	Certain 2015 Taxi (NV200 Taxi)	ECM calibration “may result in poor idle quality and/or a P0101 DTC and a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) illumination”
PC490, Voluntary Service Campaign (Dec 2016)	MY2013–16 Altima (L33), MY2014–16 Rogue (T32); about 1,657,666	CVT software: belt slip “may result in MIL illumination (P0776) and poor acceleration in some vehicles. There is no safety concern due to built-in fail-safe logic.”
PC514, Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign (Jan 2017)	2016–2017 Altima, 2.5L (QR25) 4-cylinder; about 311,675	ECM “may illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) for abnormal Air/Fuel (A/F) sensor output”; cause: grille shutter calibration
R1805, Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign (Jun 2018)	853 specific 2018 Sentra SR and NISMO, 1.6L MR16DDT	After a Multiway Control Valve (MCV) repair the MIL can be reset “but the DTC will remain stored in ECM memory”, causing an I/M (smog test) failure. The bulletin says Nissan is not mailing owners; dealers see affected VINs
PC661, Voluntary Service Campaign (Oct 2018)	Certain 2018 Pathfinder	eVTC software: “MIL is illuminated with no driveability concerns”
P9336, Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign (Dec 2019)	MY2018–19 Versa Note (E12)	ECM “may not illuminate the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) as required for a grille shutter malfunction”; a permanent DTC that doesn’t clear when it should can keep an I/M test from completing in California
PM970, Voluntary Service Campaign (Mar 2021)	846 specific 2021 Versa (N18), manual transmission	”a malfunction indicator light (MIL) for the coolant temperature sensor may illuminate unnecessarily while the engine is warming up”
P2A07, Voluntary Emission Service Campaign (Jul 2022)	573 specific 2021 Rogue	A “CVT malfunction” light and shifting complaints “as well as a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) ON”
PC864 / PC854, Emission Warranty Extension (Nov 2022)	MY2016 Titan XD Diesel; 14,269	Turbo actuator / high-pressure turbocharger coverage extended to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever first; “a MIL-On with DTC P00AF and/or DTC P0299”
PC919 / PC920, Emission Warranty Extension (Jan 2023)	MY2017 Titan XD Diesel; 12,816	Same parts, same 10 years / 150,000 miles, same MIL-On with P00AF and/or P0299
PC989, Emission Warranty Extension (Nov 2023)	MY2019–2020 Altima (L34); 260,484	Active Grille Shutter coverage extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles, whichever first; free replacement “if a MIL-On condition occurs with DTC P059F and/or P159F”

Recalls are a separate category and aren’t in the table. The same search turned up two Nissan recall bulletins that mention the lamp: R1813, a voluntary recall campaign on certain 2019 Altima to resolve “a potential false Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) issue,” and R24A8, a safety recall on certain 2023 ARIYA in which “a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and a warning message ‘EV System OFF’ will illuminate.” Check recalls by VIN separately.

The labels are Nissan’s. Two documents settle the obvious question themselves: the P4213 Q&A says “No, this is a service campaign,” and the PC989 Q&A says “No. This is not a recall.”

Nissan’s technician bulletins, such as NTB13-020 and NTB16-044, carry a standard note: “If you believe that a described condition may apply to a particular vehicle, DO NOT assume that it does. See your Nissan dealer to determine if this applies to your vehicle.” So give a Nissan dealer your VIN and ask. This page doesn’t track the status of any program. The codes above are explained on the code list.

The emissions warranty, in the booklet’s terms

For most models, Nissan’s U.S. warranty booklets for 2013–2027 give the Emission Defects Warranty the same term: “This warranty is for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.” The engine control module/onboard diagnostic device and catalytic converter(s) get 8 years or 80,000 miles, whichever occurs first. The 2025–2027 booklets add the transmission control module (TCM) to that list.

The booklets list exceptions. For TITAN XD models (gas and diesel), the Titan booklets set the defects warranty at 5 years or 50,000 miles and the engine control module/onboard diagnostic device and catalytic converter coverage at 5 years or 50,000 miles; the 2016 booklet gives the Cummins diesel Titan 5 years or 50,000 miles too. The NV Cargo and NV Passenger booklet gives the defects warranty 5 years or 50,000 miles and has no 8-year line, and the 2013–2015 NV200 booklets have no 8-year line in the federal section.

There’s also an Emissions Performance Warranty: Nissan “will remedy any non-conformity in your vehicle which causes it to fail an approved emissions test during the first 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever occurs first,” where an EPA-approved test with a penalty exists. TITAN XD and the diesel Titan, and NV Cargo and NV Passenger, get 60 months or 50,000 miles instead. These are the federal terms; your model year’s booklet lists the covered parts.

Getting the code read

The stored diagnostic trouble code (DTC) says which system logged the fault. The code list decodes P-codes, and the OBD2 scanner guide for Nissan covers the tools.

By model

• Altima: fail-safe note 2013–2027; PC218, PC346 / PM554, PC490, PC514, PC989.
• Rogue: CVT wording 2013 and 2021–2027; no cap from 2021; PC346 / PM554, PC490, P2A07.
• Sentra: no cap and no fuel-level line in 2026–2027; R1805.
• Pathfinder: 2022–2026 have no cap, no cap step, and an A/T fail-safe; PC661.
• Murano: CVT wording 2013–2014, fail-safe 2013–2027 (under A/T from 2025), no cap from 2025.
• Frontier: 2022–2027 put the fail-safe under A/T and skip the fuel-level line.
• Titan: the 2016–2017 lamp entry is marked for gas engines only; PC471 and the Titan XD Diesel extensions for MY2016 and MY2017.
• Versa: fail-safe in Versa Note 2014–2019 and Versa sedan 2013–2025; P9336, PM970.
• Kicks: no steady/blinking split 2021–2027; no cap from 2025.
• Maxima: CVT wording 2013–2014; fail-safe 2013–2014 and 2016–2023.
• Juke: CVT wording 2013–2017; P4213 for MY2011–13.

Other models: the full model list.