Hello everyone. This is only my second time posting in the Rogue forum.

My girlfriend has a Rogue SL 2 wheel drive and her and I have noticed a "clunk" noise that seems to be coming from the CVT transmission. It only happens when the car is cold.

Usually, she starts the car in the garage and pulls out forward (the car is backed into the garage at night). Once she's about 40 or 50 feet from the garage, going only about 10 mph, there is a noise that could be compared to driving over some sort of metal plate or object in the street. At first, I always thought it was because she was driving over a drainage cover in the road, but I checked it closer and it's not coming from that, because it happens well after passing the drainage cover.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the CVT actually has two gears, a lower one and a higher one. The noise seems to be happening when it's shifting into the higher gear.

I was just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar to this. I haven't had any issues with the CVT in my Versa which has about 14,000 miles on it now. The Rogue will be at the dealer for it's first oil change soon and I'll have them take a look at it.

I know several cars anti-lock brakes make a clunk noise (a test?) at about this same point as you begin your drive. My Accord does. I'll have to tune into the Rogue and see if I hear something.

I hear it on mine too. it's not that profound... and kinda sounds like someone drops something on the floor of the car. but lower. and I hear it within the first 10-15 feet of driving forward. I've always chalked it up to a normal occurrence, as it only happens while starting forward..... and never happens again.... but I'm no car expert....

When you hear it on yours, does it only happen on a cold start (when the car is started after sitting for a long period of time), or does it happen all the time? In our case, it ONLY happens when she starts her car up first thing in the morning, or after sitting at her work all day and just barely driving off... but it's basically the same deal. Sounds like someone running over a drainage cover or other flat metal object in the road.

I hear the same noise everytime I start the car. According to the manual, you might hear two noise, the first one is the ABS self-test, and the second one is the VDC self-test. I checked with dealer and they confirmed this and they are normal.

coach258 wrote:I hear the same noise everytime I start the car. According to the manual, you might hear two noise, the first one is the ABS self-test, and the second one is the VDC self-test. I checked with dealer and they confirmed this and they are normal.

Good catch coach258. We should all check the manual for valuable information when a question comes up.

I'm a guy... I throw the instructions away before I read them, manuals included.

Just kidding. Thanks for the help!

jfanaselle wrote:I'm a guy... I throw the instructions away before I read them, manuals included.

Just kidding. Thanks for the help!

Oh I understand , its kinda like stopping to ask directions. There are some things guys have a problem doing.

Yup I hear it in the morning when its cold! As soon as I put it drive and actually move it starts!

i have the same issue with my 2009 rogue. basically within 10 ft of moving the car forward. is this really normal ? it's really irritating and I hope it doesn't cause any problem. but this sure reflects poor design. I didn't expect this from Nissan.

Rambuto wrote:but this sure reflects poor design. I didn't expect this from Nissan.

Not really. The ABS/VDC self test is very important to identify issues/problems with the system before it's too late. Pretty much every vehicle equipped with ABS does a similar test. It requires the ABS solenoids to be cycled and other various checks which may result in small 'noises'. Clunks, buzzing, etc. It's completely normal.

If this is your first modern ABS equipped vehicle, it can be very distracting at first. But eventually you will forget about the noises.

nissan and your dealer are fully aware of the clunking noise and your vibration issues you are haveing, here is a link to a new york times article you should read http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03...?_r=1, your dealer will claim no problem found or cant duplicate until it becomes a customer pay issues. take it back to the dealer and document the complaint and call nissan consumer affairs

Well said kerrton.... I've got 42000 miles on my 08 Rogue and have never had a moments problem. I can tell you some horror stories about a brand new 2007 Rav4. Six months and three transmission's later the Rogue was my replacement for that Lemon Law buyback.

Rougesucks,

Please refrain from making duplicate or nearly duplicate posts in several threads. It's just bad etiquette.

Hi, I'm new to this Forum. First off I’d like to say that I’m not saying all Rogue’s are defective, this is just one person’s experience with a defective CVT, it may be a complete fluke. I also experienced some vibration and some light sounding noises coming from my CVT transmission in my 2008 Rogue AWD SL. I chalked it up to the car being a new model and maybe Nissan didn't have all the bugs worked out. I had mentioned it to the dealership when I went in to have my regular maintenance done at the service center and the service tech’s just told me it was a problem that Nissan was aware of but there was nothing they could do about it and that the vehicle did not have any problems or safety issues.I did not pursue it any further but now I must say I regret not doing so as now I know that within the first year you have to claim lemon law and do so by taking the car in and having 4 or 5 unresolved problems with the vehicle and even then it is hard to prove. I’ve had my Rogue 18 months now and do not even have 20,000 miles on the car yet. About 2 weeks ago my gears began to grind (drive, reverse and in manual drive). It was on and off for two days but got to the point I could not drive the vehicle for very long before it started acting up. I knew it was the transmission right away and took it into the dealership first thing the next week. I told them it was my CVT transmission and I believed it was going out, the service manager told me that couldn’t be true and they haven’t had any problems with their Rogues. I dropped the vehicle off and had them check it out for a couple days. In the meantime I did some research online and found many forums that people had accounts of the rattling noise in their Rogue’s. Each service desk story sounded the same, this is a problem that Nissan knows about but until your transmission actually goes out they can’t do anything. Come to find out I read of several people that did have their CVT go out and replaced- some of them two and three times and the problem never resolved- and of course all of this is covered under the 60,000 drive train warranty so Nissan will replace it for free. But what about after that? Your responsible to replace the transmission on a defective vehicle that in these instances cannot be fixed? Anyway, after finding all this out I got a call from the dealership saying that my transmission was going out and needed to be replaced and that Nissan corporate would authorize a new transmission. I told the service manager and the sales manager what I had read online and although they seemed completely oblivious to some of the Rogues having bad transmissions I am quite certain this is a problem that exists and is known about. The things they told me were almost like they were scripted right from Nissan corporate to keep the customer satisfied- infact some of these exact things I had read on Nissan forums. Anyway, I did what I could to let them know how dissatisfied with the problem and told them I would be back if I experienced any problem at all. Luckily I’m on a lease that is up at my 60K warranty mark, so if the car is defective and needs multiple transmission replacements like some of the other accounts I read, Nissan will have to deal with it, not me. Like I said before, this could be a complete fluke, maybe a problem that occurred on my car during production- I just came here to share my story in case others experience the same problems. I still think Nissan is a great company, and they are doing what they can to help me with the problem, I'm glad I didn't have to pay 5K out of pocket for a new CVT in a almost new car.

It makes no sense for the service manager to say "it is not possible for your tranny to be going out, we've had no problems with the Rogue". That statement is illogical, since ALL vehicles by ALL manufacturers are subject to defects and occaisionally a transmission will need to be replaced - it has nothing to do with the fact that it's a CVT or conventional tranny, it's just a fact that some parts are defective and some fail early, that is why we have warranties. If parts and manufacturing were 100% then warranties would not be needed.

Anyway regardless of what they tell you there is a documented "weakness" in the 2008 Rogue CVT, but this was addressed with a slight re-design at the 2009 year and so any replacement CVT's will be the new 2009 "countermeasure" tranny as my dealer described it, and shouldn't cause any more problems. There have been a couple of people with more than one CVT replacement which is puzzling, but for the most part the tranny replacement has solved the problem completely, myself included on this list. Good luck.

have not posted for a while, but thought I would share some thoughts.My 3rd CVT seems fine so far. Yes I do hear some noises when slowing down, sort of like solenoids/relays clicking. The service manager has heard these noises and is aware of my concerns. He has taken several 2009's for drives and he can also make them "click". I have 33000km on it now and the sound has not gotten any worse. I dont hear the rattling as in the previous CVT's. He also states several early 2009 had to have the CVT replaced as well. Right now they are on backorder. There have not been any outright failures reported on this issue. he told me to just enjoy the car and not to worry since its covered under the power train warranty.Paul

Hmmm, hopefully the replacement CVT I received in Dec. 2008 had the corrected/countermeasure tranny as my service manager promised, and the parts guy also promised was a completely new redesign part number. It's been running beuatifully with absolutely no noise for almost 9000 km so far so I guess I should take the advice to relax and enjoy the warranty security.

Paul, glad to hear your troubles seem to be over with this vehicle, enjoy it and have fun (I'm glad you didn't trade it in and take the personal financial hit, rather than holding Nissan to their obligation to fix the vehicle, way to go).

I was wondering if the other people who posted the clunk noise when starting out in their Rogue had any further trouble. After checking on the internet I have read about differentials, transmission etc., but did read in my manual that it is supposed to be normal as the ABS system does the self check. I don't hear a squeal or grinding noise.
I purchased a 2012 Nissan Rogue and only have 400 miles on it. I didn't notice the clunk when we first purchased the vehicle but now it does it every time I start out. I called the dealer and he said it is not normal and is going to check it out. Trouble is they won't be able to hear or feel it as it doesn't clunk after the first few miles.

Hi All...
I have a 2010 Rogue with about 41k mi... bought it in September 2011. Had the clunk happen this evening for the first time ever as I was on my way to the store. I was about 1/2 mi. from the house... the Rogue was in my garage for about 3 hours prior, after my 40 minute commute from work (all highway). At first I thought the large Mag light in my backseat might have rolled onto the floorboard, that's exactly was it sounded like (and as the thud felt like), as it seemed to come from behind me. But the Mag light was still in the seat. Then I thought I might have hit something, which freaked me out because I was driving by a house where kids are always playing on skateboards in the street. So I turned around and drove back by to make sure I didn't hit something or someone. All good. Drove on to the store and back, everything running normal... no leaks, funny smells, etc. Anyway, could this be the harmless thud noise some are describing or should I be concerned?

That doesn't sound like the ABS self test clunk that occurs within the first few seconds of driving, and it sounds like you were going straight on level ground when the noise occurred? If you hear the clunk while turning or when hitting bumps it could be the front suspension. I've not heard of many reports of the a defective CVT making a loud clunk or bang, if it happens again I'd recommend having a talk with your Nissan service manager to discuss diagnosing the issue.

We just purchased a 2012 Rogue and also have approx 400 miles on it. We've had the vehicle for a month now, but the noise just started last week. Did you ever get a resolution from the dealer? I am concerned because our salesman said it is normal, but can't explain what it is.

Thanks!

allekat wrote:I was wondering if the other people who posted the clunk noise when starting out in their Rogue had any further trouble. After checking on the internet I have read about differentials, transmission etc., but did read in my manual that it is supposed to be normal as the ABS system does the self check. I don't hear a squeal or grinding noise.
I purchased a 2012 Nissan Rogue and only have 400 miles on it. I didn't notice the clunk when we first purchased the vehicle but now it does it every time I start out. I called the dealer and he said it is not normal and is going to check it out. Trouble is they won't be able to hear or feel it as it doesn't clunk after the first few miles.

The issue that allekat is describing is the ABS self-test which occurs when first taking off after the vehicle has been sitting for a long period of time. This test ensures your ABS and VDC (anti-skid, anti-rollover) solenoids and sensors are funcitoning normally. It is part of the advanced safety system that this vehicle has, chances are previous vehicles you owned didn't make these noises because they weren't equipped with these newer safety features. This noise and clunk feeling will be heard and felt through the gas peddle and can also include a whirring or "spring" type sound, and it won't happen every time you start up and drive off, only about once per day to ensure the system is functionig properly and your safety is being addressed. It is described in the owners as indicated above.

If you are hearing and feeling a clunk under other conditions, then you may have an issue that your dealer should diagnose, but the ABS self-check clunk when inititally driving away after startup is not something to be concerned about. Noises other than what I've described above should not be ignored in my opinion. If anyone tells you that the CVT is supposed to make clunk or rattle noises they are dead wrong, it really isn't that mysterious of a component. It's designed to run smoothly and with minimal noise, if you are getting abnormal noises it is not operating within spec and Nissan should replace the unit. My CVT was replaced in 2008 due to a defect from new where I experienced rattling at very low speeds due to a slack drive steel belt. My service advisor drove it literally for 60 seconds in front of the dealership, came back in and said "yep the tranny is making noise, we'll order a replacement" They replaced the CVT and the new unit has been flawless for the past 3+ years.