Nissan CVT Transmission Problems: What You Need to Know (2023)

Nissan has been in the news a lot lately, and unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. Over the past two years, Nissan's profits have grown has fallen(and soon another dive!), as sales of the company's vehicles began to move in the wrong direction. Nissan has also been forced to deal with a series of ongoing Nissan CVT transmission problems in a variety of the company's vehicles.Nissan owners were forced to pay an average of between $3,500 and $8,000 to fix their Nissan's CVT transmission problems.That, in turn, forced Nissan to do it. extend warrantiesOn many of their cars from five years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 120,000 miles.

Whether Nissan will be able to deal with this problem remains to be seen. Otherwise, its profits could fall further than they already have and threaten to leave the company in a precarious position regarding its future. But in the meantime, many Nissan owners have to deal with the Nissan CVTtransmission problemsfound in some of Nissan's most popular vehicles. Learn more about some of the specific issues below.

What is a CVT?

Before we talk about some of the problems specific to the Nissan CVT transmission, you should know exactly what a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, is. Sometimes called a gearless transmission or pulley transmission, a CVT is a type of automatic transmission that uses variable-width pulleys and a flexible belt, as opposed to fixed gears like a regular automatic transmission. CVTs are designed to provide smooth acceleration, helping cars avoid the need to shift from one gear to another, which can sometimes cause a car to hesitate or suddenly let go.

Over the last 20 years, several automakers have done this. Started with CVTin their vehicles. From Audi and Honda to Subaru and Toyota, many major automakers have bought into CVT technology to some extent. But nobody bought more than Nissan. At one point, Nissan literally bought CVT technology by acquiring a stake in JATCO, a company responsible for manufacturing many of the CVT transmissions found in cars around the world. That should illustrate just how committed Nissan is to the CVT, despite all the Nissan CVT transmission issues that have cropped up over time.

Introducing the Nissan CVT

There's nothing particularly new about CVT technology. Believe it or not, Leonardo da Vinci had one of the first concepts for the technology in the late 14th century, and it appeared in some of the first automobiles invented in the late 19th century. Nissan has also been using CVT technology in its cars for decades. They started installing CVTs in their vehicles in the early 1990s when they introduced the 1992 Nissan March which featured the N-CVT, based on Fuji Heavy Industries' ECVT. Over the next few years they designed their own CVT and incorporated it into several of their Japanese models.

Nissan was not serious about adding CVTs to its American vehicles. until the early 2000s, Despite. The 2003 Nissan Murano, released in 2002, was the first Nissan to feature a CVT transmission in the United States. It came in the form of Nissan's XTRONIC CVT and marked a complete shift in the way Nissan approached transmissions. Within a few years, Nissan was putting CVTs in almost every vehicle introduced in the United States. CVTs were soon found in Nissan Altimas, Nissan Pathfinders, Nissan Rogues, Nissan Sentras and Nissan Versas. It looked like a very exciting time for Nissan, but it wouldn't be long before Nissan's CVT transmission issues surfaced.

Start of Nissan CVT Transmission Problems

When Nissan started introducing CVT technology to its North American cars in the early 2000s, there was a lot of hype around it. People thought CVTs might be the transmission found in every car sometime in the near future. But it wasn't long before some 2003 Nissan Murano owners saw signs that Nissan's CVTs might not be what they once were. Have you noticed Nissan CVT transmission problems like:

• difficulty accelerating
• Shaking and/or stuttering when accelerating
• Gears get too hot
• Streams stop without notice

transmission errorwas, and still is, one of the most common complaints people had about the 2003 Nissan Murano. The CVTs on these Muranos would fail unexpectedly. average around the 118,000 mile markand forcing people to pay over $4,100 for transmission repairs. In many cases, Murano owners have had to completely replace their transmissions, prompting Nissan to extend the original warranty that came with the car. Sadly, it would be a sign of things to come as it was the first Nissan to have issues with the Nissan CVT transmission, but as you'll discover, it wasn't the last.

4th and 5th generation of Nissan Altima gearbox problems

The fourth generation Nissan Altima, launched in 2007 and succeeded by the fifth generation Nissan Altima in 2012, has received numerous complaints from drivers. People who owned Altima during this period reported experiencing everything from steering wheel lock failure to instances of melting crossbars. But one of the biggest problems with these Altimas was the CVT failure. For example, in 2007, many people reported a CVT transmission failure on the Altimas. around the 100,000 kilometer markand found it cost about $4400 to fix. The problem persisted for the next five years, and many people also reported a CVT transmission failure in their 2012 Nissan Altimas. around the 110,000 mile markand costs around $3,200.

Nissan promised to try to fix the problems so many people were having with the CVT transmissions in their Altimas, but they failed to do so during the lifespan of the fourth-generation Altima. The problems continued with the fifth-generation Altima, and some might argue that they even got worse. Many people who owned the 2013 Nissan Altima began to notice problems with the Nissan CVT transmission. around the 53,000 mile markand found it cost about $3,100 to fix. This has caused many Altima owners to question their decision to buy Nissan and is, at least in part, responsible for the current state of Nissan.

Transmission Problems on Nissan Pathfinder 3rd and 4th Generation

Nissan CVT transmission problems have now practically become synonymous with the Nissan Altima, which is why we decided to talk about the Altima first. But the Nissan Pathfinder was actually one of the first non-Murano Nissans to have a CVT transmission fitted in 2005 when the first third-generation Nissan Pathfinder was released. And it's no coincidence that this year's Pathfinder has gone down in Pathfinder history as one of the worst Pathfinder models in terms of transmission.

Those who have owned a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder have had a variety of common transmission problems including coolant leaks and the cause of their transmissions.transmission error. These problems occurred with around the 90,000 kilometer markon these Pathfinders and cost around $3,500 to fix. They also appeared on the 2006 and 2007 Nissan Pathfinders before Nissan seemed to take and reduce the CVT related issues found on Pathfinders.

But they reared their ugly head again when the fourth generation Nissan Pathfinder arrived in the form of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. involved in a class actionwhich stated that the Pathfinder shook very violently when driving between 15 and 30 mph in some cases. It was an issue that appeared in some 2014 Pathfinders. as soon as the 32,000 mile markand repairs average $4,000.

Problems with the gearbox Nissan Rogue 1st and 2nd generation

First released in 2007, the Nissan Rogue has surprisingly become one of the most popular Nissan models of all time. When it was first released, some people didn't know what to think about it, but thanks to the advent of crossover SUVs, it's become a staple of the Nissan lineup. But other than that, it is not without problems with the Nissan CVT transmission, which is tried from the very beginning. Both the first generation Rogue, manufactured by Nissan from 2008 to 2013, and the second generation, manufactured by Nissan from 2014 to 2019, were plagued by the same transmission issues as other Nissans.

The original 2008 Nissan Rogue, for example, would sometimes stop accelerating or stop driving altogether for some people due to issues with the Nissan CVT transmission. around the 86,000 mile mark. It cost nearly $3000 to fix the issues that caused it. Many early Rogue owners also reported that their transfers completely failed. around the 125,000 mile mark, forcing them to pay an average of nearly $3,200 to repair or replace their CVT transmissions.

This trend continued when the second generation Rogue was released, with the 2014 Rogue showing signs of issues in many cases. around the 80,000 kilometer markand forcing dishonest homeowners to shoulder average repair bills in the $3,500 range. There haven't been many Nissan CVT transmission problems reported with Rogues in recent years, but all of this has put some people off who would normally consider buying a Rogue.

Problems with the Nissan Sentra sixth generation gearbox

The Nissan Sentra is one of the oldest models in the Nissan lineup. It was first released in the early 1980s and remains a linchpin to the Nissan name. But that doesn't mean Nissan hasn't been without its fair share of CVT transmission problems. When the sixth generation Nissan Sentra was released in 2013, many buyers reported problems such as acceleration and vibration and a complete failure of the CVT transmission. hit frequently around the 80,000 kilometer markand it costs about $3,500 to fix. The 2013 and 2014 Nissan Sentras in particular seemed to give drivers the most seizures when it came to Nissan CVT transmission issues.

1st and 2nd generation Nissan Versa gearbox problems

There was a very noticeable issue with the first generation Nissan Versas released between 2007 and 2011 that brought a lot of negative press to Nissan. They were fitted with Takata airbags which were later found to be defective. nissan was forced to remove these vehiclesin May 2016 and July 2017 to replace the airbags it contained.

But that wasn't the only issue that cast Nissan in a negative light. While the company was dealing with its airbag issue on Versas, it was also dealing with transmission issues on many first-generation Versas. For example, owners of the original 2008 Versa began to report issues with the Nissan CVT transmission appearing in around the 120,000 kilometer markand repairs average $3,700.

And those problems only seemed to get worse when the second-generation Nissan Versa started hitting showrooms. Owners of the 2012 Nissan Versa have had to contend with major transmission issues including a transmission failure. These problems arose around the 72,000 mile markand repairs cost over $3500 on average. Problems with Nissan's CVT transmission got so bad that a group of Versa owners eventually filed a class action lawsuit against Nissan, claiming that the CVT transmissions fitted to second-generation Versas were defective. Nissan case closedand agreed to provide extended warranties to those who qualified for them under certain conditions.

What should you do with a car with Nissan CVT transmission problems?

To Nissan's credit, they have stepped up and tried to patch things up with many current and former Nissan owners by offering them extended warranties. These warranties have helped many people recoup the costs associated with their Nissan CVT transmission problems. But there are some people who drive Nissan vehicles who have issues with their Nissan CVT transmission that are not covered under warranty. There are also others who are uncomfortable driving a Nissan because of the Nissan CVT transmission problems they have heard so much about.

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