If you’re due for service, consider getting that done sooner than later. From several reports, shortage and price increases are affecting 0W-8/16/20 and 5W-20
Summary and Timeline:
https://www.gas-price-check.com/research/the-2026-motor-oil-squeeze
From the McPaper and various MSM sources
https://fox4kc.com/news/motor-oil-prices-rising-service-centers-asked-to-cut-supply/
Nissan’s take / from The Drive
Nissan will be implementing the following adjustments, effective May 1, 2026.”
–Allocation of Nissan Genuine Oil (including Mobil and Mobil 1 variants) will be constrained and managed at a 55% YoY levelbased on gallons purchased.
-Bulk and Packaged Genuine Nissan oil supply will be limited to 55% of prior year volumes on a year-over-year basis.” (All emphasis original.)The bulletin also mentions a “supplier-driven price adjustment” of an unknown amount, but points out that dealers are not required to pay Nissan’s supplier-side rate for bulk oil; they can source it from wherever they like. However, any authorized service must be performed with a Nissan-approved (though not necessarily Nissan-sourced) lubricant.
(Personally I don’t know how anyone gets through the day without Nissan-approved lubricant)
Toyota’s take / from MSN
An April 30, 2026 bulletin from Toyota’s Parts and Accessories News Today system advised North American service managers that supplies of 0W-8 and 0W-16 Toyota Genuine Motor Oil may soon be difficult to maintain. The shortages stem from production and logistics issues hitting the global petrochemical supply chain, with Toyota and ExxonMobil struggling to meet demand. To mitigate the impact, dealers were told to temporarily substitute 20% of 0W-8 vehicles with 0W-16 oil and 10% of 0W-16 vehicles with 0W-20 for one service interval
I’m expecting more OEMs to follow with notices this week.
Autozone’s take / via MSN
Other than a footnote in supply chain reports, this is most of what I’ve seen related to impact in the past week. If you see other relevant updates feel free to share them here.
If you are impacted and in a position to need to make a substitution, read your owners manual or check with the manufacturer. You don’t want to be caught in a sludge situation and end up with finger-pointing down the road.
