For a jiffy cracked radiators were the quantity one enemy of Nissan transmissions, however recently it seems the transmissions area unit their own worst enemy.

Nissan with pride introduced what they referred to as “the 1st CVT for traveler cars”1 back in 2002. It received mixed reviews, though that’s to be expected with a first-generation product. the foremost common complaints enclosed issue fast, shaking / inarticulate , running hot, and suddenly motion down. Luckily, Nissan would endure to handle most of these concerns…

I’m simply kidding. Here we have a tendency to area unit fifteen years later and people same complaints plague Nissan homeowners. instead of ironing out the kinks, Nissan executives have apparently been too busy ironing out their stacks of money.

What is a CVT?

A CVT uses a steel belt or block system to maneuver gears during a continuous (ahhh), sleek motion. It’s an inspiration that the Washington Post says makes a great deal of sense:

“The plan behind CVTs is straightforward to understand: a heavy-duty drive belt (or chain) runs among a grooved block system with hydraulic actuators permitting the affectional magnitude relation to be infinitely varied among a variety of ratios, seamlessly.”

For anyone wont to driving a automotive with fastened gear ratios, it’s vital to notice that a CVT not solely feels totally different, however it sounds totally different too. several complaints concerning “CVT whine” area unit a byproduct of its style.

The Most Common Complaints concerning Nissan’s CVT
I hope you’re taking any selling spiel with a grain of salt, however Nissan’s glowing review of their CVT deserves some tablespoons:

“[An] innovative transmission that gives sleek, seamless shifting, whereas trade the vehicle’s output to your driving vogue.”

But the reviews from actual homeowners area unit a great deal less rosy. First, let’s take a glance at vehicles with CVT complaints on CarComplaints.com.

And now, let’s verify the foremost common styles of complaints.

Slow, Shuttering Acceleration
Low speed acceleration could be a explicit trouble-spot for this CVT. per homeowners, their vehicles can shutter and shake whereas obtaining up to hurry.

“Run aloof from this car! My transmission was reprogrammed at 12k miles. Drove well, no problems and every one upkeep done frequently at the dealer. At 65k transmission started unsteady so vehicle would stall and die in traffic, terribly dangerous. Vehicle was sent into business organization 3 separate times, for engine block, reprogramming, fully new electronic warfare. every time the automotive ran worse. The vehicle is that the worst I even have ever in hand, and would ne’er get another Nissan thanks to this. — 2013 Altima Owner”

A Technical Service Bulletin (NTB05-084A) concerning hesitations whereas fast was discharged to Nissan service departments in Gregorian calendar month 2006. The TSB, that was written for the 2003-2007 Murano, tells mechanics to ascertain for these conditions if AN owner complains concerning hesitations:

The Service Engine shortly (SES) lightweight isn’t lit on your gauge cluster.
Code P0868 is hold on within the Transmission management Module (TCM).
It Runs Too Hot
One of the explanations for all that shaking may be AN warming. Nissan has been suspect of exploitation AN inadequate cooling system for his or her transmission.

As the CVT heats up it will vibrate overly. And once it overheats it sends the automotive into fail-safe mode that limits engine RPMs because it tries to forestall injury.

This can leave drivers during a dangerous position, and is {one of|one among|one during all|one amongst|one in every of} the complaints in a Sentra Xtronic case.

Horribly Slow latency
Speaking of dangerous positioning, it’s been rumored that the CVT will take an extended time to reply to input from the pedal.

CVTs are, by design, about to feel totally different once you cram the accelerator to the ground. whereas a back-geared transmission can generally burst the road, a CVT contains a a lot of electric sander (and slower) increase to most power.

But some say the CVT’s sluggishness goes too so much. Some go to date on decision it a security hazard once attempting to merge onto a busy road. uncalled-for to mention, it’s not about to win you any friends with the folks driving behind you.

“The automotive has had a similar downside for many years. when driving 30+ minutes, it won’t accelerate and makes a loud whining noise.”

Beyond the Whine, This issue is Loud
CVT whine could be a common downside and not distinctive to Nissan vehicles. what’s distinctive, however, is what quantity Nissan’s CVTs tend to whine.

Oh, so there’s all that noisy and rattling too.
“The automotive would whine at high speeds / long visits and high temps within the summer. It got worse each summer and even would suddenly stop fast. I took the automotive into the dealer for three summers during a row. the primary 2 summers they primarily told Maine i used to be crazy as a result of they might not reproduce the difficulty.” — 2009 Altima owner

In the case of Kobe genus Falco, et. al., v. Nissan North America, Inc., and Nissan Motor Company, LTD, Nissan’s accumulation admitted the CVT was loud however that didn’t indicate a defect. a lot of thereon case during a bit.

It Fails At Low Mileage
The most regarding issue is that the of these issues result in a brief time period for the CVT.

The 2011 Versa, as an example, has a median failure of sixty four,750 miles. The highly regarded 2013 Altima fails around sixty,167 miles.

In fact the matter seems to be obtaining worse, as a result of if you verify older model years with complaints concerning CVT failure they generally have a extended time period – just like the 2008 Altima that contains a rather more affordable (albeit still frustrating) average failure over a hundred and twenty,000 miles.
Nissan Has Extended Their CVT warrant Before
Citing complaints from a “small share of homeowners of early models equipped with CVTs,” Nissan extended their CVT warrant sure enough vehicles. The extension basically doubled previous coverage, bumping the powertrain warrant from five years/60,000 miles to ten years/120,000 miles, whichever comes 1st.

This included:

2007-2010 Altima (Plus Altima car and Altima Hybrid)
2007-2010 Maxima
2003-2007; 2009-2010 Murano
2008-2010 scallywag
2007-2010 Sentra
2007-2010 Versa (1.8SL)
Nissan conjointly offered reimbursements on repairs, however that program complete on July thirty one, 2010.

For Everyone Else, There’s Lawsuits
The extended warrant helps some, however leaves others seeking facilitate. For those folks, there’s hope within the style of lawsuits.

2013-14 scout and Infiniti QX60 case
The first class-action case came in Jan 2015 and suspect Nissan of putt defective CVTs within the 2013-14 scout. That case, Batista vs. Nissan North America, Inc, had 3 main points:

Nissan put in CVT transmissions with famous defects, like however the CVT belt slips and therefore the CVT violently shakes once fast between 15–30mph.
Nissan knew concerning the matter and commenced developing “software counter-measures” however did not warn customers and continued to sell vehicles anyway.
Owners are left with no alternative however to obtain dear repairs when the carmaker refused reimbursements.
In Gregorian calendar month 2016, Nissan in agreement to settle this CVT case that had mature to incorporate the Infiniti QX60 and JX35 equipped with the FK-*k2 CVT. The carmaker aforesaid they settled as a result of they didn’t need to pay years in court, not as a result of they were admitting to any defect.

The settlement gave 2013-14 Nissan scout and Infiniti QX60/JX35 homeowners a transmission code update and it extended the transmission warrant to twenty four months or twenty four,000 miles (conditions apply, of course).

Additionally, Nissan purchased $3.75 million in professional person fees2. Visit nissancvtlitigation.com for a lot of info.

2014 Sentra case
In April 2017, a case was filed in New Jersey for 2014 Sentra homeowners World Health Organization were bored with the shaking, jerking, and sharp downshift issues. The case was filed by a trash pickup company that is therefore acceptable considering however trashy these transmissions became.

The case states the corporate had to switch their transmission four times:

The 2007-2010 Sentras were subject to a client service warrant program, but different Sentras even have a similar downside.
Despite knowing the defects, Nissan continued to sell and tout their CVTs as superior to the competition. Specifically, however they need “fewer moving half to scale back friction and heat” that create the transmission last longer.
This case is unfinished.

2012-2017 Sentra Xtronic warming case
In September, 2017 Nissan was suspect of planning Xtronic CVTs withcooling systems too little to handle the work.

The case, Waldo Leyva, et al. v. Nissan North America, Inc. , was filed within the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Golden State.

Illustration of Xtronic CVT
From NissanUSA.com
To CVT or to not CVT? that’s a matter.
While some makers, like Nissan and Subaru, have embraced CVT technology, others (Chrysler and Ford) have tried and born CVTs from their lineup. Let’s take a fast verify the benefits and drawbacks.

Advantages of a CVT
Super sleek to drive — a conventional automatic will rummage around for gears and typically jerk or hesitate. CVTs area unit purported to avoid this issue.
No a lot of shift-shock — the fleeting loss of power you get whereas fast with ancient gears.
Constant power — as a result of there’s no a lot of a lot of gear searching or shift-stock, the motive force is given consistent power whereas fast. Once again, that’s however it’s purported to work.
Simpler style, fewer moving elements — this reduces friction and warmth, that area unit a deadly dance band for mechanical elements. Reduced exposure ought to facilitate the transmission last longer.
Better miles per gallon — A CVT provides higher fuel potency in 2 ways that. First, it keeps the engine within the sweet spot whereas fast (more efficient) and second it’s lighter than a conventional transmission (less weight).
This day and age, the MPG advantage may be why your next automotive can most likely have a CVT. CVTs supply a similar fuel-efficiency gains as eight and 9-speed automatics, however value a lot of less.

I’ll offer Nissan the MPG boost, however you’ll notice that the foremost common complaints appear to point that Nissan’s CVT doesn’t supply the standard benefits. additionally, they are available with all of the standard disadvantages.

Disadvantages of a CVT
It’s boring — little doubt, if you grew up driving a manual transmission a CVT goes to place you to sleep. The steady acceleration and lack of revs may be seen as a negative counting on however you verify it.
It’s screaming — CVTs will sound weird to homeowners World Health Organization usually complain concerning the whirring or buzzing noise it makes. There’s conjointly complaints concerning however the engine not “feels connected” to the feeling of speed.
They can feel sluggish — all over again, counting on however you verify it, a CVT will feel as if its “slipping” compared against a conventional automatic.
It’s costlier to switch — CVTs supply AN up-front value advantage to automakers that ought to, in turn, scale back the sticker worth of recent vehicles. However, they’re typically costlier in maintenance and to switch. CVTs aren’t sealed and may need expensive fluid changes.