One of the really weird messages that your Nissan Rogue may show on its dash is “AWD High Temp, Stop Vehicle”. This usually happens after you drive some time on the highway or just at a speed above average. But there is one trick to it.
This message usually means that something is wrong with one of the tires: this may be a smaller-size spare tire or a poorly inflated tire. The AWD electronics takes this as slippage and activates automatically whatever speed you are driving at. Of course, this causes differentials to rev up like crazy and sensors may eventually register overheating.
Sometimes, this message may mean problems with the AWD system, but in over 90% of cases, this is exactly the problem with tires. This is actually the design flaw in the Nissan Rogue.
More about the reasons for the issue
So, there are three common situations when this message may show up on the dash of your vehicle:
1) The vehicle is on the spare tire
In the Rogue, the spare tire is smaller than the normal one. If you have a flat tire and install the spare wheel, this wheel has to rotate faster to maintain the same speed of your SUV.
This means that the AWD should be set to know about such cases. But apparently, Nissan engineers forgot to add this feature and you may eventually see the “AWD High Temp, Stop Vehicle” message.
The AWD in your Nissan Rogue automatically disengages at 18 MPH to save some fuel. But if it detects slippage, the AWD will activate at any speed to maintain traction control.
So, with the small spare tire, the AWD will activate and stay on thinking you have a hard time on the road. This may lead to differentials overheating.
2) Poorly inflated tire
Another option to fool the AWD in your Nissan Rogue into thinking you have traction problems is to have low air pressure in your tire.
This means that the vehicle will need to spend more effort to rotate the wheel with the poorly inflated tire. Of course, this leads to AWD activation.
And if you drive faster than 20-30 MPH when this happens, the differentials will have a hard time. It’s not guaranteed they will overheat, but damaging them is more than possible.
3) Actual AWD problems
Even though the Rogue tells you “AWD High Temp, Stop Vehicle”, it doesn’t have temperature sensors in differentials or transaxles. It registers the slippage and makes conclusions that the gears may be hot.
But when something is wrong with the AWD system, it’s not uncommon for it to overheat, so the message may actually make sense.
So, if you checked all the tires in your SUV and found out that they are OK, you should slowly drive to the dealership and have the vehicle checked. Although the Rogue has pretty reliable AWD systems, they can fail and cause really expensive repairs if not diagnosed on time.
How can you solve this problem?
I suppose you now understand why this may happen and what you can try doing. But to make this article even more helpful for drivers, I will still list the ways to solve the problem on your own or with the help of a mechanic.
Here’s what you may try doing:
1) Check the tire pressure
It’s impossible to check it without proper equipment. For this, you may go to any local repair shop, tire service center, etc. They may give you a pressure gauge and you may check the pressure on your own.
Make sure that the pressure is within the manufacturer’s recommended level.
2) Check the wheels for damage
Sometimes, damaged wheels may create excessive vibrations and other effects that influence their behavior. Serious damages may affect the way your Nissan behaves on the road and this can also lead to the AWD overheating message.
3) Drive slowly
If you are on the spare tire, you shouldn’t drive faster than 15-18 MPH. At this speed, your vehicle always has the AWD engaged and it most likely won’t throw the overheating message.
4) Don’t keep driving with the message on the dash
If you just keep driving and try ignoring the message, you will eventually get the limp mode. The ECU will greatly limit the power of your SUV to make you stop and deal with the problem.
Can you put a normal-size spare tire in the Rogue?
Yes, the Rogue can house the normal-size spare tire. Of course, you will lose some space under the floor in your trunk. But this will save you from observing the scary AWD overheating message each time you have the spare wheel installed in one of the wheel hubs.
Make sure you check the spare tire pressure from time to time. Alternatively, you may buy an air compressor to always be able to inflate your tire if needed.
Also, people struggle to find the place for subwoofers and other equipment they have installed in their trunks when they have a smaller spare wheel. But if you want to avoid limp modes and disturbing messages, you will need to find a way to deal with that.
Is it safe to drive with the “AWD High Temp, Stop Vehicle” message?
When your Rogue says that the AWD system is overheated, it’s not safe to drive. This doesn’t directly affect the safety of your vehicle but it may kill the AWD eventually.
So, I strongly recommend slowing down to 15 MPH. At this speed, you will never damage AWD unless there is a serious mechanical issue in the differentials, transaxle, or other parts of the system.
Once you slow down, the message may disappear or it may keep hanging there for some time. Anyway, at this speed, you may limp to a good repair shop and have the vehicle checked properly.
Can you actually destroy the differential with a spare tire?
Yes, this is a real issue with the Rogue that activates the AWD and keeps it active whenever you have a small spare tire in one of the wheels. Unfortunately, there is no software update or something to help you get rid of this.
I’m sure some independent mechanics can set the AWD to not turn on at speeds higher than 18 MPH in any conditions, but this may affect your traction control and cause some other related issues.
If you put a small spare tire on your AWD Rogue, please drive slowly. A maximum speed of 15 MPH is recommended.
I strongly recommend getting the full-size spare tire or avoiding using it at all. It’s cheaper to opt for a tow truck when you need this than to replace a diff which costs approximately $5,000 for this car (labor plus parts).
If you have experience with the “AWD High Temp, Stop Vehicle” in the Nissan Rogue, please share it in the comments below.