Unpacking the FAILURE of Nissan's X-Tronic CVT
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- #nissan #cvt Initially celebrated for its smooth transitions and efficiency, the transmission soon faced severe problems, including shuddering and failures, leading to widespread dissatisfaction among drivers. Nissan's response to these issues was widely criticized for being slow and inadequate, sparking a series of lawsuits from unhappy consumers demanding accountability and compensation.
Join us as we delve into the technical breakdowns, Nissan's contentious handling of the situation, and the resulting legal battles. Learn what went wrong, the impact on consumers, and the broader lessons from this automotive fiasco.
Like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback drives our content!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:36 CVT Explanation
4:00 Nissan's Early CVT History
5:20 Nissan CVT Debut
7:18 Nissan's Response
9:48 Lawsuits
Nissan singlehandedly ruined my perception of CVTs and I suspect a lot of the public's too
Yep. Definitely.
We should consider thanking Nissan for this object lesson in What Not To Ever Do.
If you realize that you also realize that they are reliable and efficient when done correctly
Yeah it ruined mine but then I drove my grandma's Honda CR-V and it's literally the second best transmission to my 6 speed manual Mazda3
Definitely, even though the ones from Toyota are bulletproof. Especially the Hybrid eCVTs, which are a whole different principle. I'll always prefer a manual, but an eCVT is my second favourite.
You would think after 32 years Nissan would have had the CVT perfected but nope
I don’t think it’s possible to perfect a CVT.
Maybe not perfect but close @@ashc3765
Or that Nissan seems to care that much. I suspect that they work on the basis that it won’t fail on the first owner or under warranty so it’s not their problem.
And usually stuff from Japan are good
You'd think with this much trouble they would have gone back to a conventional gear/clutch pack auto trans. These CVT's are nothing but a glorifed snowmobile clutch pack which used a rubber belt instead of a chain. These trans are utter garbage. If you dare pull a trailer you will kill your CVT even faster.
I’m confused, my wife owns a medical transportation business, pretty much like a Uber/taxi service to get you to and from hospital/ doctors appointments that medical insurance pays for. She has a fleet of 2-2019 Altimas, 1-2020 Nissan Sentra, 2-2020 Nissan Rouges, and 3-2018 Nissan pathfinder’s. All have CVT’s. The Altimas, Sentra, and Rouges all have over 160,000 miles since they are driven all day every day none stop and have never gave us any single issue with the CVT. The 3, 2018 Nissan Pathfinders all have over 220,000 miles and all of those have never gave us a single issue with the CVT. We change the oil in all our Nissans transmissions every 60,000 miles, and keep up with all other maintenance and not a single one of our Nissans has ever broken down excluding dead batteries of course but that’s pretty normal and nothing major. Reason why we have all Nissan in our fleet is because our friend owns a Nissan dealership and gave us huge discounts on every single one of them. Idk maybe I just got very lucky with our Nissans lol
Although you hammer the cars you also take car of them through service which you'd be surprised how many people don't do. Also the driving your Nissan's do is probably not so heavy and extreme so the load on your car is not much compared to a teen that's itching to go fast. All those things are factors but ultimately nissan has improved the CVT but have not perfected it.
@@str8xrippin my 2017 maxima has 130 k miles (previous owner towed bikes and quad bikes in the Saudi heat) and I myself second owner will sometimes do hard pulls and 0-60 . I mostly change oil early and take care of it.
@@ssaeed6647 thats great to hear
I have a 2015 Nissan with a CVT. I have never had a problem. I suspect drivers are abusing their transmission. You can't drag race them or tow heavy loads. You can't drift or race them. Normal driving and proper maintenance , they will last a long long time. Also,Nissan has redesigned the new CVT. So this is all old news.
The Reason your car Didn’t fail is because you change the fluids regularly and most people don’t. That’s why the mayor failure.
I worked selling cars in the mid 2010s. Had so many people trade in their Nissans because of faulty transmissions. The dealer I worked for didn't bother with selling used Nissan vehicles with CVTs. Those went straight to auction.
And this continues, which means it is so profitable that Nissan does not care about the loss of reputation and some customers.
Yes. The Prius eCVT does not use a belt but is a torque split device and very reliable. An actual early belt CVT in a car would be the DAF Daffodil.
Yeah toyotas eCVT shouldn't be classified with the belt CVTs. Totally different designs toyotas is actually reliable.
This system has proven to be the better design type .
Wow someone actually remembers the DAF. I had the misfortune to drive one, it was horrible and freaked me out for 50 yrs!
I have a nissan altima and because of that transmission I will never buy a nother nissan product
Nissans are good, you just have to make sure you're not buying one with a renault engine or jatco cvt transmission
I have put on my 2017 maxima around 200k km (around 130k miles) and it was great no issues whatsoever ( I will usually change transmission oil before it due by 5k km or 10k km) the previous owner towed quad bikes and bikes ( in the Saudi Arabia heat). And still going strong.
@@ssaeed6647the Maxima is the only car model specifically excluded from this video, did you not watch it?
Good for you, but there’s a reason your MAXIMA has not been affected like the other models lol..
This is why I'm getting a 2024 5 speed manual versa and it may be the last year they make them or make them with a 5 speed MT.
The main problem it’s your “owners may not be maintaining their CVTs” point is that the official service schedule for all of these cars at no point has a fluid change for the CVTs, just “inspect the fluid”… on a transmission without a dipstick… you know these owners are having someone else do this stuff, so they hope the service provider actually does it AND recommends a fluid change when needed. Which is a $300+ job. Nissan brought it on themselves for normalizing the neglect of those transmissions.
Edit: Apparently I've been called out for "lying" or spreading misinformation. I'm not. The passage above hasn't been touched. I've had to lookup the service schedules and maintenance sections of manuals of multiple CVT equipped Nissan passenger vehicles, INCLUDING THE ONE I OWN and it looks like I'm correct.
In most situations, all that would be done is an inspection of the fluid, unless you are under certain driving conditions or the service dept. of the dealer you take the vehicle to recommends it (after the customer determines if the dealer isn't just trying to drum up business by recommending unnecessary maintenance, look it up, its a common practice). There is no simple, "Just change the fluid every x miles and do it more often if you beat the snot out of it." As a result, the service often doesn't get done and the transmission often fails.
No wonder. Mitsubishi recommends changing fluid (drain and fill?) every 30K miles. There is also a filter in the oil cooler housing that needs to be changed.
That's a lie. It says 60k miles is when the fluid needs to be changed in the owners manual for all Nissan models with the CVT.
@@trenton737Maybe that servicing period should be shorter.
Toyota Corolla CVT can go 200,000 miles without fluid change.
@@GF-mf7ml The video is referring to Jatco CVTs. The ones found in Nissans and some Chrysler products. Toyota's transmissions are usually built by Aison or in-house. They typically have a physical first gear as they found that the most wear on the belt comes when taking off from a stand still where the most torque can be placed on it, or are eCVTs, which is part of their Hybrid Synergy drivetrain and a whole different beast.
If people wanted to get a Corolla, they would have gotten a Corolla, but most likely couldn't afford it so they are in a Sentra/Altima and Nissan is known for having deeper discounts off MSRP and giving credit to far less qualifying buyers. If those people could afford a Toyota, they would already have one.
Is weird how many nissans are on the road, how many people keep buying Nissans, a Nissan could have been the perfect affordable car if it wasn't for this 30 year transmission problem.
Because they are cheap and decently built cars are expensive.
I mean people still buy them because engine are good there trucks and suv with 9speed are solid
If the CVT was complete junk there would be Nissans littering the ditches.
@MrFezco hit and miss ive had 3 nissan 2 were lemon lawed due to the cvts failure
Nissan Gtr
One big unanswered question is why was Nissan allowed to continue selling cars with CVT in the USA after the proven defects and high rate of failure. Any other company with a product so defective would have been forced to withdraw that product from the market.
It is criminal that Nissan is still selling cars today with CVT transmissions.
Not really Chrysler with the 9spd and even hinds had terrible transmissions in the accord and acura tl. They just fix them under warranty or the extend warranty up to 120k miles.
@@occckid123 It is a bloody shame when you consider that the engine and the transmission are solely made by the manufacturer. Just about every other part on the car can be had from the aftermarket parts bin..
It only exists thanks to the EPA and govt corruption aka fines/fees
Or Fords Dual-Clutch. The NHTSA investigation found internal documents that told the maintenance technicians in the dealerships to tell customer's that they had never heard of a Dual Clutch transmission failure. But they continued to sell them.
We have a 2014 Nissan rouge with a cvt and 170k miles if you actually change the every 30k they will outlast a normal transmission. There is way too much misinformation around the Nissan cvts.
The biggest mystery is why does Nissan continue using this transmission. They have the new 9-speed AT which is lightyears better than their CVT yet they keep using it which is a risk.
Evidently many new car buyers failed to do their homework before buying a Nissan CVT. The JATCO CVT problems have been known for many years. I did my research when shopping for a new car in 2018 and bought a new Nissan with a manual transmission.
I haven’t had any issues with Nissan CVT , 5 vehicles and no issues and over 100,000 miles when sold
Still have a Nissan Rogue with 125,000 miles and a 2024 Sentra , would I recommend a Nissan?
Absolutely, have recommended to 3 friends who bought Sentra .
I do the drain and fill CVT fluid change every 35000 miles and change external filter at 100,000 miles, 0 issues so far .
@@reyperez3424 My 2016 Nissan Rogue CVT went out at 67,000 miles and I changed the fluid. Some years must have been better than others?
We have a 14 rouge with 170k miles zero issues. I'm a mechanic by trade and a cvt with outlast a normal transmission if you change the fluid
Sad thing is . Nissan along with Toyota were the 2 most reliable cars ever
Loved my 87 Cressida and my 17 Sentra, especially now that they replaced the transmission for free....
Nissan was the Toyota alternative, a cheaper alternative.
@@elmaster6207 that’s odd you know . After Datsun “came out the closet”🤣 as Nissan they kind of caught up with Toyotas line up with the Maxima , 300 ZX ,and Pathfinder.
Crying azz shame what has happened to them .
My dad was Certified mechanic for VW as well as Datsun back in the 70s . He loved those cars , but was out of the profession by the time they changed the label to Nissan .
Lord have mercy , you didn’t want to get in a discussion with him over the Z cars ! In his mind the 240 z was the best sports car ever !
I can still hear him say the 260, and 280 were inferior products .
No one believes that the 240s would out run the corvettes back then with the (smog pump) emissions bypassed , there was even a performance package that was offered with a crane cam offenhauser intake and a 400 Holley
@@ramie-uz9xi It was hard to decide between the Cressida (I had an 87) and them Maxima. Both were considered the "Lexus" of their day. Remember that automatic seat belt? People were so surprised when you gave the a ride and you knew it was going to...lol
@@floridaredneck wife had the 240SX . You don’t know how many times I went to get out and that shoulder belt wrapped around my head 🤣
Why the reference to the planetary transmission in the Toyota Prius? There is no comparison in design function or even purpose. As I understand it (I'm sure someone can explain it better), the Prius planetary gearset accepts varying inputs from multiple sources (motor and engine, in proportions determined by the computer at any given moment) and transmits the sum of those inputs to the final drive. It's not there to vary the gearing between engine and final drive like a Nissan CVT or any conventional transmission.
I think THS is completely different from other all transmission.
Totally agreed. I've always been annoyed when people confuse the eCVT (Toyota, Ford, Honda) with the dual-cone type CVT.
The biggest issue with dual-cone type CVT is that it depends on surface to surface friction to work. None of the eCVT transmissions do.
1989 Subaru Justy was first CVT I can think of in the US. The CVT for Nissan has been a nightmare but I have to give them credit as they are usually the company to implement new technologies prior to everyone else.
I drove a Justy as a courtess car and it was horrible.
belt drive CVT is a very bad idea, doomed to fail.
I have heard more than one service tech say that Nissan is (in)famous for rushing concepts into production without thorough testing.
Riding lawnmowers use CVTs. People who claim to hate them don't actually hate them, it's just about application. CVTs are perfect for slow, low power vehicles that are driven by grannies. You can't give them hell. The Nissan CVT was a disaster, but they're not all bad. I wouldn't recommend pairing a CVT with anything above 4 cylinders or forced induction, it just doesn't work. Btw I got 30 mpg on the highway with a 5 speed manual with the same 3.5VQ- in a 2005 Nissan Altima SE. That thing had great power, I can't imagine putting a CVT behind it- it would burn that transmission alive. CVTs can't handle power, they're not meant to, they're meant to be efficient. Not everything is a race car nor can it be and that's ok. Everyone needs a grocery getter.
Everyone complaining about CVT, get a Manual
No, we will get standard geared automatics.
I came from a 6-speed Elantra and got a Corolla with the CVT. Almost as reliable as a regular automatic. I’ll admit, I get a lil bit sad remembering my Elantra and all the fun I had, but the CVT Corolla will probably outlive it.
Manual transmissions are not all that available here in the States.
@@travishoel3755They're starting to go extinct in Europe as well, as far as new cars go.
@@travishoel3755Doesn't really matter. There's still some decent stuff that is available.
I work at a Nissan dealership and I can say from what I've seen, do not buy a new Sentra or Rogue. Some cars even with the CVT go higher than 200k miles (ofc I don't know how many transmissions they've had replaced to get there.) However, the 2021-2024 Sentras in particular are so unreliable that they're basically money cows to the service department. We've also had a 2024 Rogue with less than 200 miles that had to have the engine replaced because it had seized.
What usually fails on the 2021+ Sentras?
Nissan says for 2024 sentra they updated the transmission.
Im actually considering a 24 sentra sr. What kind of problems are you seeing?
Nissans new CVT-X is all new and should be fairly bulletproof. It’s now a dual pump design with 30% less friction. I’d prefer a traditional automatic myself but Nissan has completely redone their CVTs.
For the sake of the customers, I hope they are more reliable. I have nostalgia for the old Nissan, but hopefully this a step in the right direction for the company.
It will take years and people putting on a lot of miles to really see if they are that much better. Now they have a 3 cylinder variable compression motor with a turbo to go with the CVT, sounds like more problems to me.
Lol I'm sure they'll be the same garbage just like VW
@@TheCaptjamestkirkYeah, and Rube Goldberg is shaking his head, saying " Those silly, ovecomplicated and ridiculous machines in my newspaper comics were meant to be jokes, not instruction manuals!"
And they still fail
Why would a company continue with a component that they themselves see as defective and is costing them tonnes of money and damaging their brand reputation? The sunk R&D expenditure on this component can't be enough by itself to warrent them being so resistant to change. Why do they want this component SO badly?
I have a 2011 Sentra with 129K miles. No problems at all. Original CVT still working.
there's always one....
I just bought a cheap Nissan Versa from 2010 with 155k miles. It drives really nice. You know what it has for a transmission? A good old 4 speed automatic! I made sure to steer away from the CVT models. Now, my coworker bought a brand new Nissan Sentra a couple of years ago and he changed the CVT fluid after 30k miles. And his CVT is still working great. So the question is, if you change the CVT fluid on these things every 30k miles, will it last long term? He has 55k miles on his Sentra and he takes good care of it indeed. That helps a lot. The jury is still out though on the fluid changes every 30k on these CVTS 🤔. Nissan recently went back to standard automatics and got rid of the CVT on their newer Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 indeed. At least they are starting to get it.
My 2008 versa with the cvt had 210k miles on in with no cvt issue and I only changed the fluid once. I test drive the 4spd and its a terrible transmission. You can get to the power much quicker with the cvt and it gets better mpg. 4spd had wayyy 2 much dead spots.
@@occckid123 I drove a Versa (rented one) that only had like 5k miles? And that CVT felt HORRIBLE. So I don't know if that car was already abused? Not sure. I'm glad to know that you didn't have any CVT issues. Maybe it's the way people drive their cars today. Full pedal to the metal and no maintenance 😅
@@joseCalderon1976 what year was the versa?
@joseCalderon1976 I mean I doubt it. You bang drive the cvt the way you drive a 4spd auto. You should always know what your transmission is going to do and how your throttle inputs reacts to affecting torque converter lockup or release and you learn how to ride the torque or just let it sit at redkine for max power and that's where the cvt was better than the 4spd. The 4spd wastes fuel my only locking the converter around 40mph. The cvt can lock the torque converter at around 12 mph or so. Letting the torque drive the car and not feeling loose. It's all in how you drive it. People drive with an on and off foot and the cvt doesn't like that.
My 2015 Sentra SV has 190,000 miles on the original CVT, it works perfectly, regular transmission fluid and filter changes, and not driving it hard nor hot are probably why. Not hard to service the CVT, you can do it yourself in about 1 hour if you're handy with a ratchet
I bought a 2007 Altima with a manual for $3000. Almost has 180k miles and according to the guy I bought it from, it is all original. Runs great too.
The only real issue it has is that oil is disappearing slowly (still trying to find out why, but there is no sign of burning or leaking). It just isn't the prettiest.
Currently the majority of Japanese automakers are using cvts and all these transmissions last nearly 100,000km. This is not only an issue with nissan.
The main problem is, alot of people dont keep up with maintenance on their vehicle. Since cvt's are different than traditional automatic transmission, you still got to drive them differently. I got a 2009 Nissan Murano SL & haven't had no problem, because i stay ontop of maintenance of my vehicle. I bought the car used & the first thing i did, was change all the main fluid in the car, within a week & that helped me, cause its on my schedule. I know people that sold cars & told people they just changed plugs & fluids, but in reality, they havent done maintenance in years.
In reality, it’s luck of the draw fam. I’m on my 2nd CVT in 3 years. Baby em, maintain em, don’t matter. New CVT is just gettin to 60k miles and I’m already gettin P1778, same code I was gettin on the last one. Changed the fluid twice so far and I don’t drive her hard at all.
It’s a shyt tranny fam. Only good thing that’s come out of it is it makes me take a lot more initiative as far as maintaining and repairing my own shyt lol
Also the V6 nissans have a beefier cvt so they are a bit more durable and forgiving.
I’ve worked at a rental car company for ten years and never not once did I ever see a cvt from any manufacturer fail. During covid some had over 150,000kms on them cause we can’t get new cars and they still were fine. Nissan included
I have a 2017 Nissan Sentra with a CVT and it is at 126,000 miles on the original CVT. Bought it new with 25 miles on it. No issues with it in the 7 years I've owned it.
I have a 16 Altima with 93,000 miles on it. Love the car. Maybe I’m special
My Mitsubishi Lancer ES uses the same transmission. Funny thing is, Mitsubishi transmissions last longer. However, Nissan uses different fluid compaired to Mitsubishi. Coincidence?
Yup I had a 2013 GT I bought brand new only changed the Fluid one time at 99k I sold it at 225k never had a issue with the CVT tranmission
I have a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander with CVT. I changed the transmission oil around 140k with Amsoil cvt oil , replace tranny filter and cooler line filter. It’s running strong with 146K
@@rafaelbetancourt3551 I wish nissan would use whoever was making the tranmissions for Mitsubishi
@@matthewreed1078 Funny thing mitsubishis cvt are the same Jatco units as nissans... The thing is mitsubishi payed more atention to the engineering of them and added transmittion coolers and diferent cvt oil, I dont even understand how Nissan has outsold mitsubishi with inferior investments on their cars "important" parts
Yep.. i think mitsubishi's cvt coolers are slightly larger,,,,
I was a Nissan tech for over 15 years, replaced well over 200 cvt transmissions, all under warranty time, complete crap
As someone who has a 2014 Nissan Sentra with the CVT, and knowing about many of them failing, its a bit scary driving it, knowing it could fail. I try not to hard accelerate in it and got the fluid changed at 50k miles to make sure it stays healthy. I heard that sometimes metal flakes could get in the oil pump and decrease transmission fluid pressure in the system, causing premature wear. Idk how true that is. Pretty sad state Nissan is in, hope they can improve and make good cars again!
2014 is getting up there, at this point I wouldn't stress about it. Drive it, keep the fluids changed, and put away a little each month for a replacement car. If it does die, just dump it for something else.
I work at honda. They really don't complain. You could come in first time doing a cvt service at 130k. It will be okay.
Newer Honda regular auto trans have issues quickly with lack of maintenance. We replace these all the time but I never really see a cvt trans being replaced.
I have a 2020 Civic LX I bought new. It now has 31k miles. I am going to get the CVT fluid changes this summer. Should I just get the fluid changed or get the fluid and two transmission filters replaced? Also how much should I pay for the fluid change and how much is a filter change? What should the schedule be for fluid and filter change? Fluid every 30k miles and filters every 60k miles?
bulllllllsht. cough honda v6 autos.
My Honda has 170k miles and the cvt still runs like new
Thanks for this video. And it was pure hell working at the Smyrna Tn. plant as well.
I would think at 32 years people would start a class action lawsuit against them. That would force them to make it better
I owned a 2013 Nissan Altima with one of those garage Jatco CVT and had to get the transmission replaced in the first 5k miles of owning the vehicle so maintenances was definitely not the issue. Brought the car brand new off the lot and drove it for 2 months in normal mixed driving with mostly highway and some city driving and by 5k miles I had issues with the transmission stuttering and a weird metallic grinding noise developed. Took it to the dealership and they said there was an issue and had to replace the transmission, thankfully under warranty but clearly not a good sign. I will admit that the replacement transmission did held out for 150k miles when I sold the car but god forbid if anyone had issues just right after the warranty period
I just bought a 3.5 2010 altima with 71k miles last friday, praying it lasts me until I at least pay it off (2 years max).... It drives very smooth though and no noises. I heard the 3.5 cvt's are stronger
Absolutely amazing and quality content! Keep it up!
Any chance there’s enough info for a video about Hyundai’s (and Kia’s?) many engine issues?
Just past 200,000 miles on my 16 versa cvt.. Still going
“Hundreds” of failures out of how many millions sold?
Two issues with the CVT:
1: it’s a soulless transmission.
2: automatic and manual transmissions are still significantly better than
A case study on how to make such and bad transmission and yet keep in the market for 25+ years. An applaud to Nissan, that takes some skill to pull off...
I thinks its a case of the transmission that is weak and not designed for abuse. The reason that many continue to be sold is because partly many people refuse to belive the transmission is problematic and partly because some people baby their car and get some high mileage without issue. Finally there are some people who do zero maintenance and still expect car to work fine. For example you need to change fluids like transmission fluid every so often.
I got a very low milage 2017 Nissan Sentra in 2020 for a bargain. However since I was a student and there was the pandemic I barely put any mileage on the car. After 2.5 years I took my car to Nissan service and (Had maybe 18k miles) they told me that apparently my Sentra's transmission software had a bug that made it so it did not report any codes. They told me they had to update the software and they would check it at my next service appointment. Next appointment (22k miles) comes around and I noticed the service appointment was taking an extra long time. The agent comes out to me and says my transmission has a serious code reported on it and the car can't be driven until it's fixed. Thanks to the lawsuits, they were required to extend my warranty on the transmission when they did my software update so I got a free rebuilt transmission and got to drive a nice new Nissan Rogue for a week.
However, it's scary to think now if I had a driving heavy job (like I do now) or had to drive a lot to school there was the possibility my transmission could have just failed on me... I hope Nissan does better in the future.
I’ve got a 2022 Altima that’s doing all the signs of cvt failure… massive delay in accelerating from a stop, crazy vibrations at low speed acceleration ever since about 40k miles. The good thing about it is that the local dealership can’t/won’t do anything about it until a check engine light comes on! Hopefully I’ll get rear ended at a light and it’ll total this piece of junk so I can get the Honda I wanted in the first place
As someone who has loved Nissan's since they were Datsun's, the CVT fiasco damn near broke me. I bought a Frontier specifically to avoid a CVT. I love my truck, I think Nissan makes a great looking Coupe, Sedan...I guess SUV, but those damned CVT's.
I worked for Nissan in the 2010s and once had a CVT fail on me on the way to put gas in a PDI car. For those that don't know that's when you put gas in a brand new car for the first time. This car had 13 miles on it and the CVT failed. Nissan sent reps out and they suggested it was the computer but after replacing everything but the transmission we ended up replacing the transmission. I still wonder to this day how that car fared after being sold brand new with an already replaced transmission.
I have owned nissan altima 2011 and I put over 200k on it. Change oil, and don't overdrive, basically, baby it. Over drive stress kills CVT.
I must be lucky. My 2015 Rogue has 140,000 miles with no issues with the transmission. Head gasket went first.
I have a friend who bought a Nissan Altima brand new back in 2011 and as far as I know he didn’t have any problem with the CVT. He still uses it as a secondary car now. I also had a conversation with a Nissan salesman regarding the cvt issue and he told me that most failures happened from a fault in the temperature sensor of the transmission back in 2008 to 2013 and that issue was resolved after that. What I deducted was.
1- Changing the transmission fluid alongside both the filter and the pan prematurely goes a long way.
2- installing an additional transmission cooler in hot climates is preferred.
The maintenance recommended in any car's service manual is only enough to get the vehicle to the end of its warranty. However, belt-driven CVT transmissions require a lot more maintenance if the owner intends to keep the car after it's out of warranty.
You probably need to change the fluid and filter every 20,000 miles. I think that's what the CarWizard on TH-cam recommends, and he owns a Nissan Cube.
Amsoil fluid and a external cooler
Also an external paper filter for the transmission. It has to be changed every 20k to 30k miles
I really dont know why ppl are crying about cvt's especially nissans. ( think because of the bad reputation from the start of 00s that yes nissan didnt and still is refusing to properly acknowledge the problem in their harsh CVT era start.)
I have 2 nissan Xtronic CVTs (2017 qashqai done 260k km & 2019 x-trail done 190k km) No catastrophic problems at all! Well... I follow up and basic maintenance my vehicles myself regularly and regarding the CVT, i change 'NS-3' spec oil every 50k, and every other mark i change oil+the small CVT filter(that costs 10€)...
Note: Two nissan dealers sayed that this filter is 'lifelong' and do not need a maintenance change for both models- only oil change is necessary, that was a shock for me, then i took matter in my own hands and changing the filter @ 100k it was visually pretty black and clogged up, so next time im changing it 10k faster.
Oh and i dont bash it at every traffic light, because this transmission no matter the ads say IS NOT ment for race mode/burnout daily driving conditions!
My 2l diesel Xtrail gets ~5.6L/100km(42MPG for US), 1.7l diesel Qashqai ~4.8L/100km(49MPG for US) real life consumption without 'heavy foot' on combined cycle, what is phenomenal fuel economy for this size and power vehicles! Please comment which other brand AWD SUV class can beat it with its 'more reliable' auto trans. box? 😉 Even EVs are struggling to get these mileage numbers!
I loved my 2016 Altima. Loved the look,feel and drive. Cvt started going out at 19k miles. Nissan acted like nothing was wrong . Traded it back and got something different. But I did love the seats and ride
i am 18 seconds in and am already cringing at “continuously variable transmission transmission”. We shall see how long i make it before screaming
I had a CVT go out on a 2013 Sentra in 2023 at 160,000 miles. I was a loyal customer, so they gave me a new Nissan transmission for $3,500.
My friend's 2005 Murano spun a bearing at about 80,000 miles--but the CVT was still working.
It’s cheaper to produce a CVT transmission yet they are not as reliable and they cost much more to replace. People need to contest this when they need to have CVT replaced.
I have a 2015 Nissan Rogue with 274.000 km my CVT is still running strong. Maintenance is the key
Yes sure and i had a 16 rogue but it lacked the rrefinements ny 08 corolla had. Like surface rust inside the car. Random squeeks, aches, etc. And then issues popping up every so often. Like i only drove mine 50k km and it starting having issues that felt like i would need to easily keep pouring money into it to keep running. And not to mention the aggressive rust. My corolla was kept in same northern snow/salt environment and didn't have a spec of surface rust during the 220k km i kept it. Yeah i traded in the money pit rogue for a lexus rx350. And feel the extra refinement i prefer. Lol
I had a 2014 Nissan Sentra until two days ago when I sold it for 6k. I put a 148000 miles on it without any cvt problems or any other problems for that matter. I did change the cvt fluid every 20,000 miles which I’m sure helped
Saw a bunch of pics across the internet where nissan service bays are stacked of crates of cvt
I had a 2013 Sentra with a CVT failure at 160K miles in 2023. I got a new CVT for $3,500 at the dealer. The car is in showroom condition. I hope to get another 160K out of it.
Nissan is replacing the CVT in my 17 Pathfinder with a remanufactured CVT direct from the factory. Question is has Nissan made improvements to the original design to alleviate future issues or is it the same faulty CVT transmission they used when the vehicle was made?
A factory reman is from an already failed cvt... it might get a new belt and was cleaned up... possible a pully or something was replaced but that's what they are. If you plan in keeping it drain and replace fluid every year... and replace filters and fluid every 30k or so... it's not as bad as it sounds but do strict maintenance from now on.. don't rag (high rpm) on it
my mom had a murano back in 2004.... its was the greatest POS ever built, my father hated it so much he sold it without telling mom
Why are many old Nissans with cvt working perfectly ? Some of them taxis , no complains .
Scooters have CVT transmissions and the belt needs to be changed like every thousand miles or so, and it is very easy to change. I wonder if a lead foot has anything to do with this! When i was a new car owner i blew out my transmission in 6 months of a 1999 firebird!!! It was totally my fault and how i drove, the next car lasted me well over 100k without any issues. I learned a lesson and hardly ever have any issues with drivetrains on any of the cars i owned after. In 2017 i got a new mustang and it was a amazing car and never had any issues with that car not one, but i did not beat on it like i beat on the 1999 firebird..
I am picking up my family's 5th Nissan this week. We have been driving Nissans exclusively since 2019 and have never had any issues, large or small, with them. However, I only lease them and would not consider owning a Nissan long-term due to their track record. If I did ever purchase one for the long-term, I would definitely change the transmission oil at 40 to 50,000 km and avoid aggressive acceleration!
Lol why though
Driving Nissans since 2019, like that's a long time 😂😂😂😂
After they merged with Renault. The company has not been as exciting
I bought my Nissan Altima brand new in 2015 and kept up with the maintenance change the transmission fluid at 60,000 miles and now I’m gonna change it every 25,000 miles. Another thing that could be killing. It is how people drive their cars. The CVT isn’t meant to be a get up and go like a normal transmission(in my opinion) so if you’re riding rough, it can and will probably slip on you.
OK, bought a 2013 Nissan Sentra new and still own it.
Drain and fill CVT fluid every year, and change filters and drop pan every 30,000 miles. Added an aftermarket trans cooler too.
Drive easy, no racing or hauling...use original Nissan fluid.
So. Far no issues..will keep the carr
They're fine, providing they are serviced - most workshops don't even replace all the filters, or even know that there are filters that don't come with most "service kits".
Building in fake shift points always seemed a bit weird to me.
We have 2 Tiida/Versa hatchbacks with straight CVTs in them. The old one is well over 200K in the mileage department - I have to have it serviced again, because the last workshop didn't replace the "external" filter, (which, is unfortunately located INSIDE the transmission under a bolt-on housing), but most workshops don't know it's there. So for the cost of that filter, (NZ$62), I have to have a $500+ service redone.
It's ignorance and lack of maintenance that kills Jatco CVTs.
My wife’s 2013 jeep patriot had the jatco transmission. It failed at 125,000 miles. It used to overheat on long trips and make loud whining sounds. Every Jeep dealership would never touch changing the “lifetime” fluid and even transmission shops claimed CVTs were too futuristic and fragile for them to touch when it came to a fluid service. I feel like I got shafted when it started to fail.
Have a neighbor whose cvt was failing. First it started with the whining like a dead cat in the morning, then progressed to whining and not accelerating. Changed the fluid and filter. Found a broken piece of piping and metal material in the pan along with a clogged filter/strainer. Buttoned it up with fresh Valvoline cvt fluid and a nissan oem filter and what would you the acceleration was back and that loud whine gone.
I cautioned her that she was on borrowed time and a new cvt goes fo $4,200 usd rebuilt. Her car had 64,000 miles when this happened. The fluid should be changed every 30,000miles with the filter. Its been 3 weeks and her maxima is still rolling.
CVT longevity seems to depend on at least 4 factors, your CVT make and year, how quickly you accelerate or whether you tow anything, how much you drive in extreme heat or cold, and how often you change the CVT trans fluid and the 2 filters (maintenance interval). MY 2015 Sentra has 190,000 miles on the CVT and has never had any problems. I recently dropped the pan, inspected thr fluid, and changed both filters, the belt and spool showed minimal wear.
I've had 5 Altimas from 2010 to 2024. A 2013 I had blew the transmission at 2900 miles (yes less than 3000 miles). When I've taken the cars in to have their "transmission flush", they not only don't change the filters but one dealership said they had never seen the filters changed. Looks like on the 2024, I'm going to be doing my own fluid changes so the filters actually get changed. When I wrote Nissan about how often the filters should be changed, they said I'd need to contact the dealer. Talk about a Catch-22!!! I find the Altima a great car and have had virtually NO problems with them other than the 2013 transmission. I DO trade them in before the warranty is up though. After owning 5 Toyotas and 1 Honda, I still like the general quality of the Altima the best. The 2007 Camry and 2009 Accord I had were two of the biggest pieces of junk I've ever owned. Disappointing after owning a Corolla, a Celica, a Supra, and an ES300.
As a former 13 year nissan tech I had replaced so many CVT while I was there. The lowest mile CVT that I realced was about 10k miles out of a versa. Nissan nit giving up on CVT
I don't understand why one manufacture can get it right and another so wrong we had cvt hybrid Toyota and lexus for the kadtv20 plus years with no issues 100000 mile plus and they are still working sweet as day one.
My brother has been leasing and driving NISSANs with the CVTs for 25 years-never had a problem. He always had the transmission fluid changed using NISSAN fluid and drove conservatively
Subaru is cvt since 1989 and Audi since 1999 with no significant issues
I recall several older Nissans (pre 2003) having transmission failures pretty frequently. I also remember this for the first gen Ford Taurus! What’s the deal with those?
My uncle had a 2013 Sentra and the CVT was starting to go out. He and his wife went and traded it for a Rogue Sport although I said many times NOT to buy another Nissan. When they bought it, I told them how bad they screwed up and their excuse was, "We like the features it has and it was very affordable" like yeah cause it's a piece of junk. It doesn't even get that great of fuel economy despite being underpowered and having a CVT.
My sister’s first Sentra’s cvt went out a week after getting it. luckily it was still under warranty
I bought a new 2007 Nissan Sentra with the cvt transmission. Nissan offered cvt or 6 speed manual only. I went thru 3 transmissions before the car hit 50,000 miles. After the third transmission Nissan said they wouldn’t replace another one. I will never buy another Nissan, they are still crap, the transmission is still crap. I would think they would have fixed the darn thing.
Long time back my mom got a used 2007 Murano AWD, pretty sure it was 37k miles at the time? On the contrary to this entire video and everyone else who owned one, hers was awesome! Used it as her marketplace hauler for over a decade, that rear space was huge. Everything else on the thing fell apart before the tranny did and it was sold around 160k. I always told her to be mindful of it too with the stories but it was a tank and responsive and snappy! Putting it in S mode was a hoot for a giant suv 🤣
I bought a new Nissan in 2021 I new about the cvt transmission so keep up with maintenance had transmission flushed and filters replaced and everything works great y have to do maintenance it a very good car took it on a road trip from Michigan to Florida get around 38 to 40 miles to the gallon
Had a 2019 Rogue baught new, at 28635 it started shaking upon pulling away from a dead stop,,, dealer said leave it,, it may be a month before they could get to it,, sold it to Carvana,,
You would wonder why Suzuki and Mitsubishi do not have issues with Jatco CVT's. I think the answer is: less powerful engines, better oil cooling for the CVT. In my weak, cheap Mitsubishi Mirage, with standard oil cooler for the CVT, I had no problems (85000 miles and 9 years old).
Transmission maintenance?!? I bought a 2013 Altima, new off of the showroom floor and one of the points the salesman stressed was that the transmission would never need servicing, that the transmission fluid was a lifetime fluid never to be changed. Not knowing any better in those days I believed him and thought this feature was pretty nice. Then in less than 2000 miles the entire engine had to be replaced along with a new fuel pump because they were assembled with defects. Then after 4 broken engine mounts in less than 8 months (I drive very conservatively... ask my wife) I got soured on Nissan and how the service manager continually lied to me about why the car was shaking (from the bad motor mounts). I got rid of the Altima and I will never spend my money on another Nissan product again.
The mounts weren't under warranty???
@@occckid123 the dealership replaced the motor mounts the first two times under warranty, when the engine started to shake again. Took it in again, their mechanic inspected the car (so they said), and the service manager said nothing was found wrong with the car, he assured me the vibration was normal. I got pissed because I knew he was lying to me, I then asked him (paraphrasing), "so when I bought the car it was NOT normal for it to run without any vibration?" He refused to answer the question and walked away. That was the last time I set foot onto their dealership. I went to an independent mechanic (who verified that it was indeed bad motor mounts) and he fixed the problem. I wrote a letter to Nissan corporate about my experience, never heard back from them.
@@BusterKitten I would've taken it to a different dealership and let them warranty the work.
@@occckid123 probably right but I was so soured on the Nissan brand by that time I just wanted to get rid of the car. Been driving Subarus since and 100% satisfied with them and the dealership. We've now got seven of them between us, kids and grandkids. Waiting for the 2025-26(?) Forester Wilderness for my next Subaru.
@@BusterKitten subaru is pretty ok just watch out for oil consumption issues. Don't let the oil get low and you have to watch oit for the cvt. The cvt is serviceable and needs the fluid changed contrary to what they've said. My coworker just replaced his cvt in his crosstrek..
I keep waiting on the CVT in the family 2011 Sentra to start slipping, but it hasn't yet. It jerks around like a bull riding machine if you try to take off slowly, but otherwise it just works! Serviced the fluid a few times and the filter once so far.
When I hear people say "CVT Transmission", I always wonder what that think the "T" in CVT stands for.
T simply stands for trouble
The issue is you couldn’t get the CVT’s serviced, Jeep in particular told you it was lifetime fluid. Transmission shops also didn’t like touching cvts unless they needed to be replaced
I hate CVT transmissions like automatic transmissions aren’t boring enough but I do have to say one thing my wife and I bought a brand new 2010 Mitsubishi outlander. We always take good care of our vehicles. For some reason this car we could give two rats about we change the motor oil that was it never even thought about checking tranny fluid never change the timing belt, the car has 225,000 miles on it and still runs beautiful. Maybe it was one in 1 million
I've never had any issues with any of my Nissan vehicles whatsoever. I've owned 2003, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021. I did get rain water in my 2021 Rogue and had a tranny issue but it was cleared by an auto body company after an accident 2 months later. The transmission would only shift after holding for 2-3 seconds. When they cleared the error, I was shifting bang bang. No wait. That was on me though. I should have tried to clear this error before someone else had to do it. Knowing Nissan, it may have cost...a lot!!!
I’m just grateful my 3rd gen Altima doesn’t have a CVT. 501k miles later she’s still hanging on to dear life 😀
Original owner with original motor and 4 speed auto
Have 460k on my cvt altima
@@occckid123it is so strange how some of these last a long time and others fail very early.
@@christopherhamilton5557it's the owners mostly kids that doesn't maintain and driving their cvt like race cars,my 14 sentra has 200k and still runs like new.i have a friend who owned the same car broke his cvt at 14k miles.when we pick it up and saw how he drives i already know why,he effin floors it everytime as if it's a conv. AT 😂
@@christopherhamilton5557 could just be the manufacturing process or materials used. I find it very odd also. They tell the suppliers to cut cost. Well then...
In my opinion CVT transmissions benefit the automakers more than they do the consumers. They are cheaper to make, smaller, lighter, and give slightly better fuel economy than an ordinary transmission but those benefits aren't enough to offset their reliability or lack thereof. Hopefully the ones being used now have the bugs worked out. My most recent vehicle purchase is a 2024 Camry XSE V6 and one reason I purchased it was that it used a 8 Speed automatic and not a CVT.
The only CVT I would trust is an eCVT because there are no belts, just planetary gears.
The oil in a CVT should be changed every 10,000 miles. The factory says it's "lifetime" fluid or has a very long drain interval. They create a lot of heat which burns the lubricating oil up pretty fast. So... they should have a bigger trans oil cooler and a short trans oil drain interval. Learn to do the drain and fill by yourself at home to save money.
Even with regular maintenance I learned the that nissians CVTs eventually wear out. MINE was serviced every 12 to 30k miles. The continuous running metal belt rubbing and rubbing. Some people get lucky and go forever but alot don't. Their will be alot more lawsuits comming.
How many miles and which engine do you have?
@@needtau4138exactly. I call BS on his servicing. it would be fine if it was actually serviced
Mine started falling at 104k miles. Replaced the stepper motor and fluid with filter but it seemed to work then again and again the same p17778 codes. I think possibly the tourque converter went out on it but a nissian technition told me to replace the transmission. I was so stressed out and was able to just get rid of it after I hit 112k miles. It was a big costly mistake having it. Nissian maxima 2014, v6 engine
In my country, there are several Nissans with that transmission and they work all day and do not fail. Just for a correct maintenance. So many of us personally go to buy the spare parts. In the US, people don't care about this, they just want to press the pedal and go to Starbucks. (I bet transmission shops loves Nissan, Also that they know how to make them reliable) but shhhhh silence.
The most consistent way to avoid transmission problems is to use a third pedal and shift your own gears.
The Prius doesn't have CVT. If it did, Prius transmission failure would be a thing. But it isnt. It has a motor / generator, and a gear reduction unit. No belt. No drive / driven pulleys.
Never had a CVT fail, not in any of my cars or my 650cc scooter, snowmobile, or even my John Deere riding lawn mower. I would guess most failed CVT is lack of service or drove aggressively throughout its life.
I had a 23 Sentra for a service loaner I like the car and was close to getting one but I read more on the CVT I backed out same with grabbing a Rogue.
For their atrocious transmissions, the new altima looks incredibly good, it's almost worth it to pick one up for a manual swap
Because of the horror stories about Nissan and JATCO CVTs I’m nervous about their reliability and longevity. I like the feel and operation of the one in my Subaru Impreza and hope it gives me over 150k miles without issues, fingers crossed.
The thing is, Nissan already had a promising CVT called Toroidal CVT back in 90s. But they decided to cheap out for the traditional belt CVT.
If it's not the transmission first, the head gasket is normally the one.