Nissan CVT Problems: Common Failure Symptoms

Understanding the Issues with Nissan CVT Transmissions

Nissan introduced its first constantly variable transmission (CVT) in 2002, and it immediately began showing problems with difficulty accelerating, shaking/stuttering, running hot, and suddenly shutting down. Nissan addressed the root cause of those problems and upgraded the transmission. But that didn’t end the problems with Nissan’s CVT transmissions. Even the most recent Nissan CVT transmissions are failing early and often.

Common Nissan CVT Problems

Overheating transmission fluid—  Running the transmission for a long time with overheated transmission fluid will ultimately damage the components inside the transmission and affect the performance of the gearbox. If you detect overheated transmission fluid, check the gearbox fluid and add and change the oil if necessary. The transmission fluid is normally red. However, if the oil turns black, green, or dark brown, it should be replaced.

Shaking and shuddering is also a common Nissan CVT problem—  The CVT causes shaking and shutter due to :
• Damaged or worn CVT belts: The function of the belt is to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. When this part has any problem, it can cause shaking and shuddering.
• Clogged transmission filter: The filter is responsible for removing the contamination from the transmission fluid. When the filter is clogged or dirty, it will make your car shake.
Other causes could be due to a faulty torque converter or low transmission fluid. It’s necessary to solve this problem as soon as possible otherwise, it will gradually damage CVT transmission

Transmission slip— The Nissan CVT is designed to provide smoother acceleration and better fuel efficiency compared to traditional automatic transmissions. However, many develop issues related to excessive slipping. The cause is usually a faulty solenoid or internal transmission damage.

Acceleration problems— This is caused by a slipping CVT belt, causing delayed shifting, loud noise, and fuel consumption.

Humming or whining noise— The Nissan CVT problem can also show up as noise (humming or whining) due to faulty bearings or gears, a problem with CVT belts, or transmission fluid.

Nissan sales fall due to CVT problems

Due to their frustratingly poor reputation, buyers are shying away from both new and used Nissan products and that’s reflected in recent sales slowdowns. The problem is so serious that Nissan was forced to slash its profit outlook on April 29, 2019 to reflect falling sales and rising CVT transmission warrant costs. Nissan has had to dedicate an extra $590.5 million to cover the cost for these extended warranties.

Nissan has also been forced to extend CVT transmission warranties again, this time to seven years from the previous five years. The warranty extension covers over 3,000,000 vehicles sold from 2012 to 2017 and covers models Sentra, Versa and Altima sedans.

Nissan CVT symptoms

Nissan CVT transmissions are known to run hot and cause premature failure. Some speculate that the cause of the overheating is undersized cooling systems. When the Nissan CVT overheats, driver’s complain of shaking, shuddering and vibration while accelerating and an overall lack of acceleration. As the Nissan CVT self destructs, the computer puts it into a fail-safe mode which limits engine RPMs to prevent even worse damage.

When Nissan CVT transmissions fail

Reports from owners show that Nissan CVT transmission fail, on average, at about 64,000 miles. Worse yet, a replacement Nissan CVT doesn’t last any longer than that. So drivers can expect to replace their CVT transmissions several times during the car’s lifetime.

Is there any way to prevent Nissan CVT transmission failure?

Not really. Since Nissan’s CVT transmissions are very susceptible to overheating, changing the transmission fluid often is critical to reducing early failure. But that won’t prevent it entirely. The root cause of the early transmission failures are in its design and cooling and there’s nothing owners can do to eliminate that early transmission failure.

©, 2019 Rick Muscoplat