Nissan has issued a recall for a potential 712,458 vehicles in the US due to a fault in the jackknife-style ignition key that can cause the engine to shut down while the car is being driven. The recall affects two just models: the 2014-2020 Nissan Rogue and the 2017-2022 Nissan Rogue Sport and is unique to the "S" trim versions. The specificity is due to the key being manufactured at the Kyushu, Smyrna, and Renault plants in Japan, Tennessee, and France, respectively.

The problem only affects the Rogue up until the 2020 model year as that was the year Nissan switched the model to what the brand calls its Intelligent Key. This recall is almost as large as the nearly 800,000 Rogues that were recalled for a fire risk last year.

The issue is that, over time, the internal pivot in the key can wear to the point it can unlock and rotate downwards. From there, it still needs contact from the driver, who can inadvertently bump and twist the key, turning the ignition off. That could, of course, cause a crash.

There has been a Stop Sale notice placed on both affected models, and a notice will be sent out to registered owners. Nissan is preparing a fix and will notify owners when it's ready to be installed. The fix is to fit a spacer into the key slot of the jackknife key so it can't collapse unless intended.

The letter will let owners know to be aware of the issue and to be careful not to jog the key or hang anything from it when driving. The fix will be free, and Nissan will also reimburse people who got or get a pre-notification fix for the issue, as some can be out of warranty.

The specific production dates for affected vehicles are November 28, 2016, to June 20, 2022, for the Rogue Sport and August 7, 2013, to August 14, 2020, for the Rogue. Nissan says no other Nissan and no Infiniti models are affected by the issue.