I spoke with Nissan Consumer Affairs and they said that the only way we are likely to see any sort of fix for the rough shifting on the manual tranny and the hanging RPM issue is if enough owners complain.So here's your chance!

Call 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261) - select option 7 to speak to a rep, - then select option 3 for warranty issues (or 4 for everything else.)

Once you get a human on the phone, you'll need to give them your VIN, so have that handy beforehand.Tell them you are experiencing rough shifting, both up and down, especially in gears 1-4, or whatever your actual issue is. Also mention the hanging RPM issue and explain what it does as best as you can. I told them that when the clutch is depressed, with no throttle being applied, the RPMs float down slowly instead of free falling like most other vehicles. This seemed to make sense to the Rep I spoke with.

I must say that they were very polite and understanding, and even called me back quickly when they didn't know an answer about Synthetic Transmission fluid. The answer is NO to the syn fluid by the way.

If all of us with the manual trannys, and everyone with the hanging RPMs call this in, maybe we can push Nissan to get it fixed.Please post your comments and experiences with Nissan USA here.

Elmojo

I'm with you. As soon as I pick up my car, I'm going to give them a call about the issue. Even though it's not a huge thing to me, it's definitely an annoyance.

It is still a huge thing for me. I have tried modifing my driving, but damn this car sucks because of that. I drive my MR2 tomorrow. I will need the VIN right?

Sorry for the long delay, I've been out of town and/or sick for the past several weeks.

Bill: Yep, pull the VIN off the driver's side lower portion of the windshield. It's a pain to find at first, don't ask how I know!

I was hoping more of us would respond to this. The only way we are likely to get any real answers is if we collectively make enough stink to be heard (smelled?) by Nissan Corp.

Post here...please?

i

BillStrong wrote:It is still a huge thing for me. I have tried modifing my driving, but damn this car sucks because of that. I drive my MR2 tomorrow. I will need the VIN right?

i feel you there. at first i thought it was my driving. but i started paying attention to how the car responds. the rpm hanging sucks. the notchy gearbox i can live with the hanging rpms make it hard to drive and shift smoothly forme unless i shift really really slow........

Same issue with me.I think the rough shifting and the hanging RPMs are related.I'm beginning to think of this as a safety issue.

Look at it this way: You're driving in normal traffic.You come to an intersection, and intend to turn left.The light is green, but you have no turn arrow, and must yield.There is a lot of oncoming traffic, but there's a decent gap there for you to execute your turn.You are still decelerating, so you attempt to quickly drop a few gears (say 5th to 3rd) to make the turn. The shifter hangs, you miss the gear and end up in a false neutral.You have to re-depress the clutch, let the RPMs (slowly) drop, then finally find your gear and finish the turn.All this time, there are 20 cars bearing down on you, all trying to beat the light, and apparently not inclined to stop for you.

Does this sound like fun to you?Trust me, it's not. It's happened to me twice already and I only drive in a city twice a week!I really think it's time for Nissan to do something, but I guess that's a bit of an understatement.

I've filed my complaint with NNA Consumer Affairs this morning.

my main problem is from 1st to 2nd. is that what everyone else is having problems with? 2nd to 3rd i sometime have problems but can mostly get around it.

Isn't the RPM supposed to drop quickly, almost to idle speed, when you step on the clutch pedal and release the gas pedal during shifting, then come back up as you change gears, press on the gas and release the clutch pedal? I'm certain that is how my other cars have worked (Toyotas/Hondas, this is my first Nissan).

In the Versa, RPMs only ever drop a very small amount, say from 3000 to 2500 when I shift. Also, RPM seems high -- ~3200 or so -- when in 6th gear.

I'm going to the dealer today for oil change, is there anything they can look at or adjust?

Thanks.

EDIT: My husband told me this could cause the clutch to wear out more quickly. He usually knows what he's talking about, but this sounds odd to me. Any comment?
Modified by GottaVersa at 12:13 PM 2/22/2007

Just an FYI, my dealer technician says the car is designed to act this way. Something about keeping the gears at the same speed so it's ready to take off when you switch gears, and that it's better for the engine life and also more efficient. I'm not convinced that it is. I also don't like having the car tell me how to drive, but I guess that's what I bought.

Clutches go out because of excess friction. Matched rev's do not cause excess friction.

The rev's don't drop in our Versa's because of the computer controlled throttle.RPM's hang the way they do for economy. Shifting at 3K RPM'S drops the rev's ideally for the next gear at a smooth normal shifting rate. It's purely to improve gas mileage.

There's no way I'm complaining to the dealer or the manufacturer about this issue. I do not see a money saving feature as a problem.

If you want to CHANGE the values for your Versa's Computer Controlled Throttle you need to talk to Lucas at Bikirom to see if he will manufacture a daughter board for our ECU's. My husband has one in his 240sx and it allows for special types of tuning like what you are talking about. Lucas does not currently make one for the Versa. but, I'm sure if enough people are interested, he will.

I sure do hope that you are wrong! Sorry about bringing this back from the dead, but I am looking at purchasing a nice E36 BMW with the same RPM hanging and it annoys the crap outta me! Please tell me there is a simple fix. Have there been any updates about this?

I heard that the new honda civic SI's do the same thing and it is for fuel economy I could be wrong though.

Yeah, the general consensus is that the throttle hang is a 'feature' meant to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. I can't say anything about the emissions part, but I CAN say that someone dropped the ball bigtime on the fuel economy side.

A 1.8L 4-cyl getting ~28mpg is NOT outstanding.

Look what I found: http://forums.bimmerforums.com...10423and more info: http://forums.bimmerforums.com...haust

it's called a clutch delete valve. Maybe you all have them on your cars?

The RPM hanging is simply a fact of life. Your car does not magically do exactly what you want it to. They RPMs are hanging due to the small amount of fuel left in the intake when you let your foot off the gas. Your nice, efficient engine, with its nice new bearings, and its nice light bottom end, means it takes very little to sustain just the engine Adjust your throttle change timings and let off the gas .5 - 1 second before you disengage the clutch to upshift. You will no longer have a spin down problem. I have already proven this to my friend in his Versa.

OriginalWheelman wrote:The RPM hanging is simply a fact of life. Your car does not magically do exactly what you want it to. They RPMs are hanging due to the small amount of fuel left in the intake when you let your foot off the gas. Your nice, efficient engine, with its nice new bearings, and its nice light bottom end, means it takes very little to sustain just the engine Adjust your throttle change timings and let off the gas .5 - 1 second before you disengage the clutch to upshift. You will no longer have a spin down problem. I have already proven this to my friend in his Versa.

I beleive that your response refers to me, but did you read the links that I have posted?There is a reason that causes the BMW to do it. And in no way is it anything new in the BMW, All that I was stating is that it could be something that anyone could rid there selves of. In short: there is something causing this and I have found what causes this in BMWs. It is now up to someone that realizes this as an inconvenience that will solve this problem for nissans

1337sizz0rz wrote:There's no way I'm complaining to the dealer or the manufacturer about this issue. I do not see a money saving feature as a problem.

Same here, I'm not going to complain about something that is a designed feature of the vehicle. If it is such a problem for you, you should have noticed the issue when you test drove the car, and chosen not to purchase it.

Don't complain to Nissan because you bought their product and want them to change it after the fact!

Also, people complaining about this "problem" could learn a thing or two from OriginalWheelman's post.

mmm240 wrote:
I beleive that your response refers to me, but did you read the links that I have posted?

No my post doesn't not refer to you or BMW. It was in reference to the Versa. I'm sorry for not clarifying.

RPM hanging (I don't have a 6M car so don't know how bad it is) was something I experienced with my WRX as well. The reason was a bastard heavy flywheel, and I wonder if the Versa is doing it for the same reason.

OriginalWheelman wrote:No my post doesn't not refer to you or BMW. It was in reference to the Versa. I'm sorry for not clarifying.

All that I am saying is that it may be remedied. I'm just trying to help everyone who is annoyed by this inconvenience.

edit: if you would like to pursue possibly remedying this inconvenience just scroll up a few posts and click on the links that I have posted