Nissan 2.0 KR20DDET Engine Problems And Reliability!
February 6, 2024Are you looking to purchase a Nissan or Infiniti with the KR20DDET engine and want to learn more about the Nissan KR20DDET engine problems? If that’s correct, you are in the right place because, in this article, there will be a lot to cover.
Doing good and thorough research is always a good idea when it comes to buying a car on the used market. Cars come with a variety of issues and these issues can cost an arm and a leg to fix. So, choosing the right model is the way to go. And that’s why we are here to help you out.
First, we will cover the specs of this engine and the applications in which you can find it. Then, we will cover the KR20DDET engine problems and learn more about what troubles this engine. Lastly, we will give it a reliability score. So, let’s dive into the article.
Nissan KR20DDET Engine Specs
The Nissan KR20DDET engine is an engine from Nissan’s KR family. This is the latest engine that Nissan developed for their Nissan and Infiniti models.
What is interesting about this engine is that it is an inline-4 with 2.0L of displacement.
This engine uses the latest technology in the automotive industry in order to squeeze every bit of performance from the fuel.
So, this means that you have a DOHC head with four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, direct injection, variable compression ratio, and turbocharging.
All these technologies make the KR engine great but are also the root of many problems that we will cover in a bit.
When it comes to the specs, let’s list them in depth:
- Configuration: inline-4
- Displacement: 2.0L
- Bore: 84 mm
- Stroke: 90.1 – 88.9 mm (stroke is adjusted by the VCR)
- Head & Block Material: Aluminum
- Head Design: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
- Compression Ratio: Variable
- Turbocharger: Yes
- Variable Valve Timing: Yes
- Horsepower: 248 – 268 hp
- Torque: 273 – 280 lb-ft (370 – 380 N-m)
Nissan KR20DDET Applications
Now let’s learn which are the applications of this KRD20TT engine.
- 2018 – Present Nissan Altima
- 2017 – Present Infiniti QX50
- 2021 – Present Infiniti QX55
- 2022 – Present Infiniti QX60 (China model)
Nissan KR20DDET Engine Problems
Let’s take a look at the most common KR20DDET engine problems.
- Engine Failure
We learned the common Nissan KR20DDET engine problems and learned that this engine has only one common problem, which is engine failure.
Other problems with these engines were not yet collected since the engine is still new and does not have a lot of problems reported.
In the future, we will update the article to share the data with you. Now let’s discuss this single issue of the KR20DDET engine.
1. Engine Failure
As we noted previously, the KR20DDET engine has only one issue. And this issue is engine failures. This engine along with the smaller 1.5L KR engine tends to fail.
This was revealed recently because the NHTSA got many reports on these failures and they decided to take an investigation into these engine failures.
And this problem is reportedly due to Nissan’s new technology. This is the variable compression ratio.
This is a special system that allows the engine to adjust the compression ratio depending on the circumstance in order to maximize performance and fuel economy.
These engines are not your typical inline-4 engines that many people know. These VCR engines use an L-link that adapts depending on the instructions of the ECU.
And here lies the reason for these failures. These engines tend to fail on the main bearing and the L-link.
This is why the cause is attributed to this system. It is not clear yet which engines are affected since there are more than half a million made.
Whether this is a manufacturing error or possibly a problem with the engine design itself, it is yet to be known.
Nissan KR20DDET Reliability
The reliability of this engine seems good based on our research. There were no problems reported until recently when we were informed about these failures.
And since these failures occur, the reliability of these engines is under question. Reportedly, Nissan is working to introduce some manufacturing changes to these engines.
But the future will tell what holds about these engines. Overall, these are isolated cases but can occur all of a sudden.
That’s why we recommend that you get a car with a powertrain warranty in order to be safe if something goes wrong and the engine fails.
Conclusion
In this article, we covered the Nissan KR20DDET engine. We learned the specs and the applications in which you can find this engine.
In the second part, we discussed the problems of this engine. This engine has one major problem which is random engine failure. Usually the main bearing and the L-link.
FAQ
What are the Common KR20DDET engine problems?
This engine suffers from random engine failures. These failures were reported on the Nissan Altima and Infiniti models like the QX50 and QX60.
Is the Nissan KR20DDET engine reliable?
In general, this is a reliable engine. But some engines, unfortunately, fail and seize. Which is a bad thing that ruins the reliability score of this engine. But we expect that Nissan will fix the problem and reportedly they are working on a solution for it.
Recently we covered also on the 3 cylinder version of the KR engine.
