2005 Murano - "Shifting" issues??

[kbcobra94]

Hello All,This is my first post here. I just purchased a 2005 Murano SL AWD and I was wondering if somebody could help with a potential issue? After the vehicle has been driven for @10-15 minutes, it seems to "shift" strangely when pulling away from stops. It almost seems like it is shifting into the next gear (I understand it's a CVT and doesn't technically have gears) too soon and it sort of lurches and slightly bucks. It doesn't do this when it is cold in the morning. It seems to do it more noticeably when I pull away slowly as opposed to harder accelerating. I know some people have had problems with the CVT and as this is my first Nissan and first CVT, I am not sure what to expect. It only has 42,600 miles on it and other than that it runs and drives fine. It's smooth on the highway and the fuel economy seems to be right on. Can anyone help?? I am a little nervous about the CVT.

[kerrton]

Rest easy, it's completely normal if you're driving conservatively. I have a Rogue and in the past have worried about this, I'm not a fan of the behavior and usually give it a little more gas so that I don't experience it, but after lots of research the conslusion is that this is normal. Most drivers will say "I've never experienced this" because it takes a very light throttle touch to make this happen. The cause is the torque converter locking up very early, which is a design feature to save fuel. You can read a lot about this on the Altima and Rogue forums, search for "CVT + surge".

[kbcobra94]

Thanks! That makes me feel a little better. It's going to the dealer tomorrow to get any recalls and codes checked. They said that they have had little to no complaints about the CVT Murano's. Do you know if the change from highway to city driving has any impact on the driveability? I have about a 50/50 mix on my commute to work, family, etc. Just trying to cover all the bases.

[kerrton]

I'm not sure if I totally know what you mean, but the CVT should be very consistent and extended highway driving or extended city driving shouldn't cause it to behave any differently. The reason why you get different performance with the original issue you described is because after 10 or 15 minutes the vehicle is warmed up and the CVT shifts into the highest "overdrive" ratio very early to save fuel and that combined with the torque converter locking up gives you the strange behavoir that you noticed. You'll notice that not only doesn't it do this before it warms up, but the rpms will stay quite a bit higher because the CVT needs to warm up before it begins kicking into high gear, and this is to prevent damage to the cold CVT. I have started giving my vehicle a little more gas when taking off from a stop to prevent this annoying surging sensation, and I love driving my car again as this problem has totally disappeared. I know this is a little less effecient but it feels much better and actually feels like there is less pressure on the CVT as it sticks with a lower gear for just a few extra seconds.

[kbcobra94]

We had a VW in the past that had what they called an "adaptive" transmission - it adjusted to the driving habits of the last 50 miles (or something like that). I just wanted to know if the CVT did anything like that. I realize now, after your post, that what I am experiencing is the true inner-workings of the CVT. Thank you for your knowledgeable response and for putting my mind at ease over the transmission. I just need a little time to get used to the CVT. This morning I tried the heavier acceleration from stops and it seems to be much smoother. Thanks again!!

[kerrton]

My Rogue has "adaptive logic control" with the CVT so I imagine your Murano is the same. The throttle has no mechanical linkage to the engine, so when you press on it the computer has to interpret this and decide on an apprpriate gearing and throttle. This response will be different on each vehicle dependant on your past driving habits. If you're light on the throttle then the car will always tend to keep rpms low with less throttle and higher CVT gearing, and if you're a lead foot the opposite will be true. So definately your driving habits have an impact on how the CVT will feel, making it difficult sometimes to compare notes with other owners.

With this issue, if it is non-existent with a slightly heavier throttle as it is with me, and only minor when you drive with a light foot this is definately within design spec for this powertrain. Hope you enjoy your ride!!