Another One
It might already be safe to assume that the rest of the industry will also issue service bulletins regarding the motor oil shortage. To recap, Toyota issued its own service bulletin to its dealers, which was sent out earlier in May. The reason for the shortage is the same here. The conflict in Iran has damaged some key facilities related to motor oil supply.
The Drivemanaged to catch a Nissan service bulletin before it reached dealers, and it’s pretty much the same story: Nissan is monitoring its oil supply for an impending oil shortage. If Toyota and Nissan are feeling the pinch, it’s likely that more and more brands will follow or have already sent out their own announcements.
Subject: Important
Sent under the subject: “Important Engine Oil Supply and Product Availability Changes.” The document is dated May 1, 2026, but the source indicated that it hasn’t been sent out just yet. Nissan announced to dealers that there will be a “reduced production capacity for most lubricant products.” Following that, the brand gave several recommendations and largely cited the same reasons that Toyota did in its service bulletin.
Nissan’s supply allocation will be constrained to 55% Year over Year (YoY) based on its gallons purchased. This is alarming because dealers will only be able to purchase just a little over half their purchaseable volume compared to last year. This applies to all oils, including Mobil and Mobil 1 Nissan Genuine Oil.
In a nutshell, the conflict in Iran is to blame for the impending shortage, with the brand citing raw materials, refining capacity, availability of key lubricant components, and an industry-wide shortage. The document also states that there will be a price adjustment due to reduced motor oil supply, so dealers should expect a price increase, and consumers can expect a price bump on their next service. Nissan is also cutting its oil allocations to just a little over half, effectively rationing what dealers consume year-on-year.
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Solutions and FAQs
While rationing is one of the solutions to the problem, Nissan U.S. stated in its announcement that it will seek supplemental sourcing options and will also explore sourcing Nissan Value Advantage lubricants. Apart from that, dealers will receive support if their stock runs low, and Nissan will prioritize critical cases. The brand even went so far as to mention that “these geopolitical supply issues are out of our control.”
Finally, there is no substitution clause in the bulletin, which states that dealers are required to use Genuine Oil or oil approved by Nissan and paid for by Nissan. In case things were a little unclear, there is a helpful FAQs section to smooth things over.
I can see that the brand seems so done with this crisis already, but just like the rest of the industry, it has to power through. Dealers and their service clients can expect a price bump on oil changes soon, but Nissan says it’s due to supplier price adjustments amid the current landscape. Now the question won’t be whether oil changes are getting too expensive, but whether or not you will be able to get one at all from your service center.
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