CVT Issues

[CopyChief]

I just returned from a trip through the Rocky Mountains, and was incredibly impressed with the CVT's performance. It was an absolute joy to drive. I was blown away by how well it can hold its speed both up and down hills. The gas mileage was great as well. The Versa & its CVT seemed to thrive in the thinner air around 9,500 feet, as I was able to top 35 mpg even with the hills!

[frankoV]

Sorry to bring the thread back, but no answer via "search".

I've noticed that when slowing down to a stop, I get a bit of a surge (minor, but still . . . ) at about 20k (12 mph).

Anyone? Bueller?

[Mlody]

It also occurs in my car. Sorry for a lack of explanation, but it feels almost as if it went into the lowest gear ratio and the engine is slowing down rather then the transmission "gearing down". I figure its normal as there is a lowest gear ratio.

[Rockhound]

^^ Yeah, although I don't drive it much, I've noticed a similar slight surge when slowing down - figured it had something to do with the transmission changing ratios. It's actually somewhat similar to the 4-speed auto in my G20 - it had delayed, slow downshifts when coming to a stop, which tended to create a surging sensation.

Also, when coming to a quick stop, I'll notice a brief drop in RPMs as the CVT adjusts to it's lowest ratio. This is more pronounced on quick stops as well as when several accessories are on (A/C, radio, headlights, etc.).

Other than those slight 'quirks', we love the CVT after 7000 miles.

[longo]

"I hope the CVT has a long life as I intend to keep the car for a minimum of 200k miles"

I am with you on this one...but here's an interesting CVT tail from a Guy who wonders why Nissan wants him to pay $5,000 for a new CVT.

tat2zbyq, "Nissan Versa Parts & Service Issues" #8, 21 Jan 2008 8:06 am

(sorry it's not a live link...you'll have to cut and paste)

bottom line IMHO...this might be the first guy to burn up his CVT and his warranty in one year.

[longo]

Had my Vesa in to the dealership today for a couple of little things and talked to the Service Manager about this case...to him it was an easy call.

"At 80,000 miles his power train waranty is over, even tho the car is only a year old"

And then he said, "How could anyone put so many miles on a new vehicle in such a short time?"

"He must have been driving very very fast"

The only CVT problem any one has come back to their dealrship with, was also not covered by warranty...they had been "off roading" with their Versa, slammed into a big rock, and instantly busted the transmission case wide open.

There is an 'old saying' "The best lessons you learn in life are the ones that cause you pain, or cost you money

[alnvilma]

Nice post! You are absolutely dead on with your observations!SL CVT w/ 12,000k and quiet as a Caddy

[trrek]

I recently changed the CVT transmission in my Nissan Tiida/ Versa following an accident I had. Now the vehicle is moving sluggish. It hardly seems so accelerate as if it is in one gear ( even when you floor the gas pedal) . Does anyone have any idea what maybe causing this and how to fix it?

[kc5f]

Sounds like when the "Overdrive Off" button is pushed. Is it possible they didn't get that section wired right when they did their work?

[trrek]

Thanks for your reply I will double check the wiring though they were quite thorough. However, the problem does not only persists in that "Overdrive Off" mode. An additional symptom is that it does accelarate but very slowly more times than not.

[boingo82]

I also had a panic braking incident and noticed the car acted very strange immediately afterward. However it quickly got back to normal.

I LOVE the CVT. I think it's pretty much the pinnacle of human achievement. I love the fast smooth "shifts" and the gas mileage. The only problem with it is that speed can creep up on you without the RPM noise changing. So I use the cruise.

[trrek]

on Second thought i dont quite understand. Could you elabirate more about the " overdrive off " mode?

[kerrton]

There is a button on the shifter knob that disengages the overdrive function, so you run at high rpms. It is pretty much useless most of the time.

My question is: What is the most kilometers someone has up on their vehicle so far? I am trying to find examples of high mileage put on a CVT, to indicate that the CVT is not prone to early failures. Thanks.

[kc5f]

None problems here, yet! (About 69k miles, 110k kilometers)

[LinkinParkette88]

I recently changed the CVT transmission in my Nissan Tiida/ Versa following an accident I had. Now the vehicle is moving sluggish. It hardly seems so accelerate as if it is in one gear ( even when you floor the gas pedal) . Does anyone have any idea what maybe causing this and how to fix it?

about a month ago my fluids were changed due to milage put on the car and mine is having a similar problem but it has nothing to do with the overdrive button. its acting as though the transmission is going out. It does not want to accelerate even with the gas pedal to the floor. anyone else have this problem or know how to fix it??

also it wasn't something that happened over time. it just suddenly did this to me today. i drove home from work and it was fine. i started it up to go somewhere about an hour and a half later and it started the sluggish/gutless problem. HELP!!

[alonsorules8]

If I were you I would take it back to the servicing dealer to run a full diagnosis on the CVT and have them reset the system.

The Nissan dealers have a scan tool that they use to check the life of the CVT fluid and maybe they didn't follow all the procedures to reset your system.

[iluvmyVersa08]

Car will be one year old April 2, 2009.16,000 Kms so far, and no problems with CVT.Actually, no problems on the V as of yet I'm very happy with it.

[frankoV]

Car will be one year old April 2, 2009.16,000 Kms so far, and no problems with CVT.

16K? Does it sit in the garage all year long? A year in and I'm about to pass my second year warranty time . . . and my mileage is nothing comparred to some here!

[VersaMG08]

my car is a year old on 4-11-09. i'm a bit under 8,000 miles

[iluvmyVersa08]

Lol. No I actually drive it. And that km reading is including a 3,000 km trip to Myrtle Beach, SC! Lol.Since getting it I haven't had to commute far. However, my next teaching block is about 40 minutes away from home, so the kms will be adding up. I know in the future I will be getting a job about an hour away from home as there are no teaching jobs where I live. So the kms will add up. I love my V, and drive it everyday, but luckily my current placement and job are close to home. That is why I waited to buy a new car when I finished university, because my university was an hour drive from where I live. I waited until I graduated to buy the new car. I didn't want to rack up the kms on a brand new car. Anyways, I actually did buy the extended 7 year 120,000 km warranty. So I should be good until then! HAHA! Lol

Plus I purchased my car, I didn't lease it. So I don't really have to worry about kms and stuff. As long as it runs smoothly I don't care what my mileage is.

[iluvmyVersa08]

my car is a year old on 4-11-09. i'm a bit under 8,000 miles

Your car is almost the same as mine! (km/mileage wise)

[kc5f]

I actually did buy the extended 7 year 120,000 km warranty. So I should be good until then!

I'm glad I didn't get one - it would have run out last year after only about 25 months... Still loving my CVT at 85,000 mi/136,000+ km, though!

[iluvmyVersa08]

I'm glad I didn't get one - it would have run out last year after only about 25 months... Still loving my CVT at 85,000 mi/136,000+ km, though!

Lol, ya well I knew that I wouldn't be commuting as much now as I used to, so I wanted to make sure I had a warranty at least while I was still making payments on the car.

[darkwind25]

I almost had my V for a year.I'm pretty sure with in the 1st week of Apr will be a year for the car and I have over 60,000 kms on it already.Thank god for extened warranty or I would be hosed if and when any thing major does happen

[kerrton]

I almost had my V for a year.I'm pretty sure with in the 1st week of Apr will be a year for the car and I have over 60,000 kms on it already.Thank god for extened warranty or I would be hosed if and when any thing major does happen

You sound like you expect something major to go wrong, but nothing has, right? I would bet money that nothing will go wrong until well after 200,000 km at the earliest, maybe even 300k, particularly because you must drive almost all highway miles to rack up 60k in one year.

[Deke40]

My only complaint about the CVT is that I have got so used to it I will probably never buy a car without it, which means if the other makes don't get on the band wagon I will buy nothing but Nissans or possibly a Prius which has the same basic transmission but are way overpriced.