CVT issues avoidable with proper maintenance?

[riden3]

I'm looking into getting a Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Nissan Rogue S with 50,000 miles on it. It's my first car, don't have anyone I can ask for help, and will be driving this thing on a few 800+ miles trips in the next few months so hoping you guys can help relieve my worries because I don't want to be stranded anywhere...

I read nothing but good reviews about this car but then I found one about the CVT issue and that seemed to open a can of worms. Considering I couldn't find to many negative reviews I'm hoping these CVT issues, although somewhat common, are isolated. It seems people recommend changing the CVT fluid every 30,000 miles or so and to also keep an eye on the temperatures of the fluid to make sure it's not over-heating.

If the car has been taken care of and I make sure to change the fluid every XXXX miles as required, only use factory fluid, only have it done by Nissan retailers, will I run into these CVT problems? Do they not happen if you take care of the car or is it just a crapshot.

I live in the Midwest/Colorado if the type of climate will matter. Thanks!

[ImStricken06]

welcome to the boards.

its hard to predict, or even guess what on what car, will/can happen. since its used - no one knows. no one knows on any car, let alone the CVT transmission. its honestly 50/50 with every used car. the good thing is that its a 2010, so if anything would have shown its ugly face, the previous owner would have had to repaired under the warranty.

yes, the rogue CVT has had its issues that raised eye-brows. are all of them failures? NO. did more fail than expected? YES. but those were with earlier years. 2010 and up, shouldnt be an issue.

DID YOU KNOW IF YOU FIND A 2008 - 2010, their standard transmission warranty upgraded for FREE (included with every vehicle) from 5 years/60,000 miles to 10 YEARS/120,000 miles!! SO YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT - THATS WHY I TOO BOUGHT A 2008 ROGUE AND AM WORRY FREE my dealer had no idea, and many morons working there wont. see for yourself at NissanAssist.com

Nissan has extended the Nissan New Vehicle Limited Warranty for the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) to 10 years/120,000 miles (whichever occurs first) for CVT transmission repairs, replacement, and related towing on all 2003-2010 model year Nissan vehicles equipped with the CVT. The remainder of the powertrain warranty coverage for components other than the CVT transmission remains unchanged. All other warranty terms, limitations and conditions otherwise apply.
http://www.nissanassist.com/web/CVT/index.php?menu=8

http://www.nissanassist.com/web/CVT/veh ... hp?menu=11


good luck.

[Rogue One]

I'm looking into getting a Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Nissan Rogue S with 50,000 miles on it. It's my first car, don't have anyone I can ask for help, and will be driving this thing on a few 800+ miles trips in the next few months so hoping you guys can help relieve my worries because I don't want to be stranded anywhere...

I read nothing but good reviews about this car but then I found one about the CVT issue and that seemed to open a can of worms. Considering I couldn't find to many negative reviews I'm hoping these CVT issues, although somewhat common, are isolated. It seems people recommend changing the CVT fluid every 30,000 miles or so and to also keep an eye on the temperatures of the fluid to make sure it's not over-heating.

If the car has been taken care of and I make sure to change the fluid every XXXX miles as required, only use factory fluid, only have it done by Nissan retailers, will I run into these CVT problems? Do they not happen if you take care of the car or is it just a crapshot.

I live in the Midwest/Colorado if the type of climate will matter. Thanks!

You're buying a "Certified Pre-Owned", so I'd say you should be fine. Here's what Nissan says abut their CPO http://www.nissanusa.com/cpo.html
What's your take on the dealership your buying from? Have you or anyone you know had prior experience with them? Sometimes the sales dept. is fine, but the service dept. sucks.

[ImStricken06]

i wouldnt even worry about the CPO - as its a total load of crap. you pay to have it CPO'd and then are forced to maintain it there on their schedule. if they are willing to CPO it, its peace of mind already to not need it.

thats just my take

[riden3]

Thanks for the replies ImStricken and RogueOne! They really helped a lot. Sounds like I shouldn't have to worry with a 2010 and if anything does happened I'm double-covered from their extended warranty and the CPO.

One last question - is there anything I should look for when looking at the Rogue to see if it had any CTV problems, or any problems in general?

[ImStricken06]

One last question - is there anything I should look for when looking at the Rogue to see if it had any CTV problems, or any problems in general?

the car fax SHOULD (not always does) state if the car had a repair to that degree. regardless...

see how it shifts. do you feel unexplained juddering, shuddering, jolting, as you accelerate - even though the road surface is smooth? if so, to what degree? mine does it - because nothing will always be perfectly smooth, but its certainly got my attention on it.

again, regardless - its covered so i am not worried about mine, or yours. if it goes = oh well, we get new trannies! YAY! lol

[TrevorK]

Thanks for the replies ImStricken and RogueOne! They really helped a lot. Sounds like I shouldn't have to worry with a 2010 and if anything does happened I'm double-covered from their extended warranty and the CPO.

One last question - is there anything I should look for when looking at the Rogue to see if it had any CTV problems, or any problems in general?

Why not ask the dealer for a printout of all warranty claims associated with your VIN? That should lead you down the path of knowing what the previous owner had problems with. Because a 2010 with 50K miles was under warranty during the entire (or almost depending when exactly he bought it) time the previous owner(s) had it, it would seem reasonable any problem was fixed under warranty.

(obviously the exception of abuse and whatnot)

[kilogram]

I just had a rather disconcerting experience relevant to this.

Going up I70 out of Denver, got about 5 miles past Georgetown when the CVT started whining. A few minutes later it went into failsafe, wouldn't let the engine rev over 3000rpm and I couldn't go more than 40mph. Turned around and headed home and stopped at Beau Jo's for lunch to let it cool off (all the driving to that point was downhill anyway). Now it drives normally again, but I'm not looking forward to the dealer bending me over just to look at it. I'm only at 47k miles (still 13K away from the service interval for CVT fluid) and to me, it's pretty unacceptable for a car to have issues this early. I don't tow anything with it, nor do I drive it offroad anywhere. Not to mention I'm probably putting down about 20hp less than people at sea-level are due to the altitude.

My guess is that the dealer will tell me I need to flush the rubber band box and that it will not be covered under any sort of warranty. This honestly has me thinking about ditching this car.

[ImStricken06]

I just had a rather disconcerting experience relevant to this.

Going up I70 out of Denver, got about 5 miles past Georgetown when the CVT started whining. A few minutes later it went into failsafe, wouldn't let the engine rev over 3000rpm and I couldn't go more than 40mph. Turned around and headed home and stopped at Beau Jo's for lunch to let it cool off (all the driving to that point was downhill anyway). Now it drives normally again, but I'm not looking forward to the dealer bending me over just to look at it. I'm only at 47k miles (still 13K away from the service interval for CVT fluid) and to me, it's pretty unacceptable for a car to have issues this early. I don't tow anything with it, nor do I drive it offroad anywhere. Not to mention I'm probably putting down about 20hp less than people at sea-level are due to the altitude.

My guess is that the dealer will tell me I need to flush the rubber band box and that it will not be covered under any sort of warranty. This honestly has me thinking about ditching this car.

if you tell them the symptoms they will know what it is. when you first schedule the appointment DEMAND that you will not pay for this service, since its transmission related, and common.

this is due to to high of a fluid level, or too hot of a fluid level. you are honestly not due for a fluid drain until the computer says you are (which is often 100,000miles+). furthermore, you still have plenty warranty on your transmission (5yrs / 60,000 miles)

[kilogram]

Oh, I know the drill, but the reviews I've been reading of all the Nissan dealers around here are less than stellar when it comes to service. I may just try Empire, since I've dealt with them already and they didn't seem bad at the time, but I wasn't asking them to do anything for free either. Seems like that's when most of the reviews turn sour.

Honestly, this is precisely why I've never owned a slushbox before this. Maybe it's time to get a Rav4 and swap in a ST215 drivetrain (I'm kidding, but it's been done haha).

[DTASFAB]

Wow... I'm glad I found this site. I'm new to this forum and I know this thread is a couple months old, but I have a pertinent question, and I appreciate any advice you can give me.

So yesterday I took a 2013 Rogue for a test drive and I liked it, and I put down a deposit. I even thought the shifting was smooth and commented to the salesman about it. He said the CVT is not a regular transmission, and it helps the engine for better acceleration, smoother shifts, and better fuel economy. He didn't say anything about overheating on long trips.

Then I went home and searched on google for "Rogue CVT transmission" thinking I was going to find a ton of awesome information about how great it is, but all I see are problems and complaints. Should I try to get my deposit back? I'm having second thoughts not only about the Rogue, but about buying any new car. I have two reliable ones already - a 96 Camry and 85 Camry. I've laughed at people in newer vehicles stuck on the side of the road as I passed them in my older cars with over 300,000 miles. I so totally do not want to become one of these suckers I've laughed at in the past.

From the original post on this thread, it seems like proper maintenance can potentially stave off CVT troubles. As long as the fluid is filled to the correct level and it's not foamy, and the coolant is mixed to the correct concentration for protection at -25 degrees, will the transmission be reliable even on long trips?

I'm wondering if the exterior color might have an impact as well, since this is a heat-related issue. I ordered a white Rogue, which will help reflect heat rays from the sun. Has anyone ever compiled a list of Rogues with CVT problems based on paint color? I'd be interested to know if the heat affecting the transmissions is all generated by the vehicle itself, which would make exterior color irrelevant, or if a hot sun beating down on a dark hood is really an integral factor. Most of the horror stories I've read in the past couple hours involve long trips in locations with high ambient temperatures, presumably with a hot sun beating down on the highway.

So my main question is, on a 2013 Rogue, will proper maintenance and a white exterior keep me safe from CVT problems, or am I doomed before I've even bought the vehicle? Please help!

[rdub2k4]

The CVT isn't a bad transmission, in fact a lot of cars have them nowadays. Both vehicles I own have CVT's, my Lancer and my 12 Rogue. Maintenance is key with any car.

After almost 30k miles and a year of owning my Rogue, I've had 0 problems engine/transmission wise. She runs like a champ. At 30k we're taking her to dealer to have the CVT fluid checked.

***I frequently drive from Texas to Arizona, about 800 miles 1 way in both cars. No issues. ***

[DTASFAB]

Thanks.

[ImStricken06]

From the original post on this thread, it seems like proper maintenance can potentially stave off CVT troubles. As long as the fluid is filled to the correct level and it's not foamy, and the coolant is mixed to the correct concentration for protection at -25 degrees, will the transmission be reliable even on long trips?

topic moved to the correct thread.

this car is reliable, and just like any car out there now a days = some will have problems. you cant ever have a line of cars that wont have issues with something or another.

if you are expecting quality that your two camry's have = you wont find it, even on the newer camry's! lol

[kerrton]

Well said, all cars have problems, and the Rogue CVT in reality is very reliable.

Nissan sells tens of thousands of Rogue's and hundreds of thousands of CVT-equipped vehicles every year. If the CVT was truly crap, do you think NIssan would still be in business with all the competition in the auto market right now? The fact is that the automotive market is more competitive than its ever been in history, with new manufacturers bringing serious high quality competition, ex. Hyundai, Kia, and to a certain extent Subaru and Mazda have stepped up there game. And each manufacturer now has many more models than before, in particular in the crossover market, including the micro-crossover that everyone has jumped in to. In total there is a staggering number of vehicles competing for your attention and cash, and it doesn't take a very big negative attribute to put a certain model out of the running. If the Nissan CVT was crap, people would never buy a Nissan, instead they'd go with any of the 100's of other competing models, but that isn't the case. People still buy Nissan's and they come back as return customers.

Bottom line, the CVT "issues" are WAY overstated and in many cases false.

[ImStricken06]

every engine, every transmission, every awd system will have its "characteristics". those new to any of the platforms are not used to those "characteristics". so they misunderstand those characteristics as issues/problems/complaints. the CVT has its whines, rubber-bandy feelings - etc = those are characteristics NOT problems.

[DTASFAB]

if you are expecting quality that your two camry's have = you wont find it, even on the newer camry's! lol

Yeah, that ship sailed a long time ago. Forget the acceleration problems that began in 2002 when they took out the cable connecting the gas pedal to the throttle body and went to drive-by-wire. The problems started with oil sludge in 1997.

Well thanks for all the informative responses.

[ImStricken06]

bottom line is nissan offers a solid ENGINE. THAT to me is very important.

[TrevorK]

So my main question is, on a 2013 Rogue, will proper maintenance and a white exterior keep me safe from CVT problems, or am I doomed before I've even bought the vehicle? Please help!

My initial thoughts are that the exterior colour of the vehicle will have little to no effect on the temperature the CVT runs at. The CVT receives air from underneath the vehicle to help cool it naturally and that should take care of any issues relating to external heat (unless you just run it in 100 degree heat for hours on end I guess).

Nothing can make you safe from unforeseen problems. All you can do is maintain according to the manual (which calls for hardly any CVT maintenance) and that will give you the best chance of receiving the longest life possible from your components.

As a side note, like with any other transmissions, towing will cause you to change the fluid sooner because of the increased load. Keep that in mind.

[DTASFAB]

Picked up a brand new 2013 Rogue SV with premium package over the weekend in frosted steel with black cloth interior. That's the paint color that changes color like a chameleon - blue in the bright sun and silver looking when cloudy. Depending on the amount of sunlight and any shadows in the area, one part of the vehicle will look one color while another area of the vehicle simultaneously appears to be another color. I've never seen anything like it, but it's awesome. My OTD price was almost $1400 less than MSRP as configured. No CVT whine after 255 miles driven! Seems like a nice friendly little truck so far. And the radio is nice.

I've noticed one of the things the CVT haters complain about, which is that sometimes when I'm in gear rolling down a hill at about 40 mph approaching a red light at the bottom of the hill and my foot gently applying the brake not really to stop but to prevent the vehicle from gaining speed as I go down the hill, the tach shows the engine is running at 2500-2800 rpm. There's absolutely no reason for it to be revving that high in that situation. The cabin is insulated enough that it doesn't create any excess road noise, and it's probably not contributing any excess wear and tear, but it can't be good for fuel economy. This is with OD on and sport mode off. This is probably why the MPG rating is about 4 lower than the CX-5.

On another trip down that same hill, I slid the shifter into neutral and did a true coast, and of course, the RPMs went down under 1000, since the transmission was behaving as if the car was stopped and idling.

[TrevorK]

Picked up a brand new 2013 Rogue SV with premium package over the weekend in frosted steel with black cloth interior. That's the paint color that changes color like a chameleon - blue in the bright sun and silver looking when cloudy. Depending on the amount of sunlight and any shadows in the area, one part of the vehicle will look one color while another area of the vehicle simultaneously appears to be another color. I've never seen anything like it, but it's awesome. My OTD price was almost $1400 less than MSRP as configured. No CVT whine after 255 miles driven! Seems like a nice friendly little truck so far. And the radio is nice.

I've noticed one of the things the CVT haters complain about, which is that sometimes when I'm in gear rolling down a hill at about 40 mph approaching a red light at the bottom of the hill and my foot gently applying the brake not really to stop but to prevent the vehicle from gaining speed as I go down the hill, the tach shows the engine is running at 2500-2800 rpm. There's absolutely no reason for it to be revving that high in that situation. The cabin is insulated enough that it doesn't create any excess road noise, and it's probably not contributing any excess wear and tear, but it can't be good for fuel economy. This is with OD on and sport mode off. This is probably why the MPG rating is about 4 lower than the CX-5.

On another trip down that same hill, I slid the shifter into neutral and did a true coast, and of course, the RPMs went down under 1000, since the transmission was behaving as if the car was stopped and idling.

I belive what you are noticing is the effect of engine braking - it's where you use the drivetrain to slow your vehicle down versus using the brakes. Putting it in neutral disengages the drivetrain (coasting).

It's something the manual transmission drivers experience more of than the automatics because they actively choose to do it.

I personally would not worry about rev'ing at 2500RPM while going downhill. To me the larger concern is the safety of being in neutral if you had to make an emergency maneuver (one more step, one more place to go wrong). But that's my opinion - I know many who coast and many who engine brake.

[DTASFAB]

Absolutely, I'm not worried. I don't think it's indicative of any sort of problem. It's simply performing exactly as programmed by Nissan, and performing well. It's just not my preference, and it will take me a while to grow accustomed to it. I still like it very much.

In my experience with ordinary 4-speed automatics, the RPMs will hover at 1000 or below when moving down a hill in 4th gear at 40mph with a slight application of the brake to maintain speed. Sometimes, this engine speed can be even less than the idle speed when the drivetrain is disengaged in neutral or park, depending on the vehicle. Engine braking doesn't exist in the higher gears, or it exists to a very minimal degree. Applying the brakes harder to reduce speed does not result in an automatic downshift. It's not going to downshift unless and until I accelerate again or downshift myself to achieve engine braking.

With the CVT, engine braking can happen at any speed if the transmission decides it's going to help me come to a stop at the bottom of the hill. I guess it's a case of pick your poison. The CVT's proclivity to use engine braking may help extend the life of my brake pads, but it's going to cost on fuel economy. My point is I'd rather have more ability to control engine braking, similar to a traditional transmission.

[TrevorK]

In my experience with ordinary 4-speed automatics, the RPMs will hover at 1000 or below when moving down a hill in 4th gear at 40mph with a slight application of the brake to maintain speed. Sometimes, this engine speed can be even less than the idle speed when the drivetrain is disengaged in neutral or park, depending on the vehicle. Engine braking doesn't exist in the higher gears, or it exists to a very minimal degree. Applying the brakes harder to reduce speed does not result in an automatic downshift. It's not going to downshift unless and until I accelerate again or downshift myself to achieve engine braking.

With the CVT, engine braking can happen at any speed if the transmission decides it's going to help me come to a stop at the bottom of the hill. I guess it's a case of pick your poison. The CVT's proclivity to use engine braking may help extend the life of my brake pads, but it's going to cost on fuel economy. My point is I'd rather have more ability to control engine braking, similar to a traditional transmission.

Every automatic can be different as to whether they use engine braking. Nissan's CVT's do use engine braking when going downhill and in some models (I will not say all as I do not know about all their models) the engine braking feature can be turned off by the dealer.

For my year of Rogue the Service Manual has this statement:
DOWNHILL ENGINE BRAKE CONTROL (AUTO ENGINE BRAKE CONTROL)
When a downhill slope is detected with the accelerator pedal released, the engine brake will be strengthened
up by downshifting so as not to accelerate the vehicle more than necessary.

The fuel economy portion may surprise you - the difference will be very minimal. Keep in mind the engine braking also helps you from over accelerating down the hill (speeding tickets).

[DTASFAB]

in some models (I will not say all as I do not know about all their models) the engine braking feature can be turned off by the dealer.

That's interesting. Since the only choices in the Rogue are L and D, rather than L/2/D3/D4 in an old Honda automatic or L/2/D/OD OFF/OD ON in an old Toyota automatic (OD on or off is essentially the same as differentiating between D3 and D4 in the Honda), I think I'd rather have automatic engine braking in the Rogue (as it's currently programmed), since having the feature turned off would reduce the driver's ability to engage engine braking on the shifter when it's actually needed. If I'm going down a hill in the snow at 35 and I hit some black ice and go into a skid, I want as much engine braking as possible. Such a loss of control might only happen once every 40,000 miles driven, but preventing that one disaster is worth the annoyance.

In other words, the Rogue's shifter should have more available options!!! With no paddle shifters available on the 2013 Rogue, the only controls I have are OD on/off and sport mode. For the little I've tested them out so far, sport mode seems to do very little or nothing, but keep in mind I'm trying to be as gentle as possible during the break-in period, so maybe I'll notice something different later on. Turning off OD makes my RPMs go way up regardless of wheel speed. It also unleashes a lot more power, and presumably burns more fuel.

[TrevorK]

In other words, the Rogue's shifter should have more available options!!! With no paddle shifters available on the 2013 Rogue, the only controls I have are OD on/off and sport mode. For the little I've tested them out so far, sport mode seems to do very little or nothing, but keep in mind I'm trying to be as gentle as possible during the break-in period, so maybe I'll notice something different later on. Turning off OD makes my RPMs go way up regardless of wheel speed. It also unleashes a lot more power, and presumably burns more fuel.

I have to ask though - why would you want more shifting options? The OD button takes care of issues related to towing, so that's covered. Otherwise what realistic situation would you encounter where you need other options? Paddle shifters seem silly in an automatic as a computer shifting will always beat a human shifting.

[DTASFAB]

I have to ask though - why would you want more shifting options? The OD button takes care of issues related to towing, so that's covered. Otherwise what realistic situation would you encounter where you need other options? Paddle shifters seem silly in an automatic as a computer shifting will always beat a human shifting.

I suppose a component of this is that old habits die hard. In an older Toyota, I can get the transmission to upshift whenever I want it to by letting up on the accelerator just enough at exactly the right moment and for a precise amount of time. I can get it to downshift whenever I want by moving the shifter to a lower gear. It's not the same as a stick because there's always going to be a measurable loss of power in the automatic compared to the same car with a stick, but otherwise, I can control and manipulate my automatic transmission as if it were a manual.

In the Rogue, I do nothing and the computer controls everything.

[kilogram]

I honestly would not recommend a Rogue for anyone who lives in Colorado. The CVT just can't handle mountain roads for any significant length of time.

I have 50k on mine and I had to have the transmission flushed at 47k (recommended interval is 60k) due to the fluid overheating and breaking down. We drove down to 4 corners/Arizona/Cali last week and it ran just fine for the first portion of the trip (mostly downhill), but it did start to overheat again on the way home going up the Rockies on I70. These transmissions just can't handle a lot of hard work (sustained 5-6% grades at 65-70mph for several miles at a time). I firmly believe that every one of these transmissions should have come with a rather large cooler from the factory, and I'm considering installing one on my car if I decide to keep it. It seems that all Rogues have a cooler in the radiator, but I do not believe this is sufficient to prevent overheating.

If you live on flat land or near smaller mountains, it's probably not that much of an issue, but even the dealer said when I went in to get the fluid flushed that they see a LOT of Rogues that just can't handle the mountains and that have transmission problems on roads like I70. It's even more indicative of how fragile these transmissions are when you consider the engine is putting out 15-20% LESS power up here at altitude than at sea level.

[meangreen]

Here is my problem. I live in Texas. I have a 2010 Altima. It just turned 60000 miles. While out driving I started to hear a loud whining when I accelerate. I knew it was not the engine. So I started downshifting and upshifting. The noise got louder when I downshifted. It also gets loud when I press the accelerateor to go into a passing gear. I took it home and started looking for a solution. I found this website and started to read about some of the same problems I'm having.

I do beleive it is due the the high tempture here in Texas. So I took my car home and let it cool down. I took it back out 3hrs later and no whine, I could not reproduce the noise. So as a precaution I'm taking it to the dealership. I'm glad I found out about the 10yr/120000 mile warranty on the CVT transmission.

I hope the dealership has a solution.

[zengshengliu]

Got back from dealer for noise on accelerate, here is what it said on paper

What do you think is being replace?

[Rogue One]

Nissan Trans-axle Assembly factory part number 310CM-3UX7ARE http://www.everythingnissan.com/Nissan- ... x7are-.htm
Our Price: $1,875.00 Core Charge: $800.00