CVT Rattle/Noise - Discussion Thread

[kerrton]

This really sucks for those affected, but I just want to bring everyone back to reality and assure you that the "it's normal" response is not going to continue on forever. Nissan is not going to make you drive around with a transmission that rattles and screams, and eventually becomes inoperable. I'm sure they are scrambling right now to figure it out, and the dealership service guys are just handling this interim period very badly. In reality I'm sure a solution is being developed and will be released relatively soon. If the noise is this bad at relatively low mileage, I'm sure it'll be screaming loud once you get up in the 50k plus range, so Nissan won't be able to ignore the problem. And you've got 5 years of warranty on the powertrain so there is no possiblity that Nissan will "just ignore the problem and say that it is normal", as some of you are worrying will happen. I'm not making light of the situation, I'm just trying to bring everybody back down to earth and make you realize that you wont' be abandoned with this problem indefinately. That being said there is no excuse for the Nissan staff blowing off. This problem will get solved soon.

[paulvanharte]

I decided to again drive around in my neighbourhood( nice and quiet) to test the car. The rattle is very much louder than it used to be. In fact it sounds like someting is scraping on the street. It does it both AWD locked and unlocked. Also does it when you shift manually. I got on the phone again with Nissan Canada and they assure me they are looking into the problem. I will try to record an audio clip but not sure how succesful I am going to be

Paul

[kerrton]

Looking on the positive side, I'd rather have the noise be really loud and terribly obvious, so no one can deny the problem and to avoid extensive test driving with service techs who never can seem to hear the problem. This way, they can't say "this is normal".

[paulvanharte]

Just posted a sound clip in a new post.

Paul

[Goblin]

You know I've always been a big fan of Nissan and this being my fourth vehicle I'm very disappointed with how I've been treated. I think a lot of this is coming from Corp. Nissan as the dealerships just don't know how to handle this problem and have been getting mixed instructions. The Nissan boards are lit up with similar stories to mine which shows the problem is throughout Canada and the US, and apparently most dealerships are acting in the same obnoxious manner, which is suggestive of tech line protocol as set forth by Nissan. Apparently when the problem first rared its ugly head the dealerships where changing out the CVT and transfer cases but Nissan has since learned their has been no real world failures, so they are saving $$ by not changing them out and having us deal with the noise. Which honestly is unacceptable to the consumer whom purchased a brand new vehicle and doesn't expect it sound like rocks in a tumbler. Until someone dies I don't see Nissan fixing these CVT's or whatever the cause might be. I just hope I'm not a statistic.

And honestly, I think its easy to make a leap from noise to safety. We are driving to find noises in anything we do or use as we believe that it should NOT be there and something is inherently wrong. I can't believe that you hearing a noise is not cause for alarm, no matter what the product is. Manufactures take pride in making sure vehicles are quiet, or so I thought. Maybe you prefer to buy a new vehicle that has a quote NORMAL NOISE, but I don't. Not to mention the fact that none of us bought the vehicle with said noise to began with. HELLO noise = ??? = danger = Its only human.

As I look back I had horrible problems with the brakes and rotors on my 05 Titan and took Nissan a year to correct it. Prior to that I had no problems with Nissan vehicles. I guess they have become to Americanized and have learned to cut corners to save money, thereby not producing the quality they once where known for.

[ResQ1]

Just got back from vacation so it has taken me time to catch up. No..I did not take my car. I really did not trust it on a long trip, so I tagged along with a friend. Ugh! I see not much has changed. We're still being fed BS by Nissan, and I also see we still have some nay-sayers out there. Well to all of you who don't have the noise...maybe you should take it to the dealer and complain since some of us are being told it is normal sound. If it's normal...why doesn't everyone hear it? I really think my car's rattle is getting louder. I will try to capture a sound bit at some point. I listened to the other that has been posted and although it's heard to hear, I don't know if it's the same sound, close but not exact. I'll see if I can capture it tomorrow on my camera, if so I will post along with the other.

[kerrton]

Nissan's totally clueless response is bull****, they've experienced transmission failures with the '03 and possibly later model Murano's. By now, all the problems should have been worked out of the AWD transmission, or at the very least they should be very aware of the problem and how to deal with it when customers report problems, rather than playing dumb and saying "Nissan is unaware of a problem", or "Nissan is working on a solution". How many years does it take for them to figure this out?

If you have an AWD transmission problem, take a look at the Murano forum. If you have a FWD Rogue, there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about - take a look at the Altima forum, which shares the same powertrain and doesn't report any problems. Murano owners, on the other hand, have been complaining about this for several years, it seems.

[Bigtamw65]

So much for the regional specialist getting involved. He talked to the dealership and because they report it as normal, all he will do is "let someone at Nissan know". Whatever....

I have talked to another dealership and the service tech there was more helpful over the phone than anyone else I have come across. I took down my name, VIN number and told me that while he hasn' personally come across any Rogue with this sound what I describe sounds like a problem and NOT NORMAL. He acutally told me that he would love for me to bring the car to him so he can try and help figure out what the problem is and what he could do about it. I plan to make an appointment tomorrow. I don't know what the outcome will be, but at least this sound more promising than anything else I have encountered. This dealership is litteraly a stones throw from the new Nissan HQ, don't know if that will make it better or worse, but at least the guy is making an effort.

[Beltfed21]

Hello all!

Sorry it's taken me so long to follow up. I got my Rogue back last Friday. It took them the better part of three days, but some of that time was waiting for them to finish up the other Rogue they were doing as well. They set me up with a 2008 Altima sedan (rental) while the Rogue was in... no charge.

What a difference the new transmission makes!! NO NOISE!! One other thing I've noticed, before the Rogue had a surge.... at speed if you just lightly stepped on the gas the rpm's would shoot up to 4500 or 5000! I got in the habit of using the paddle shift to keep it from doing that! That issue is now gone as well.

I hope others can get the issue taken care of as well and as hassle free as I did. It appears to be at the dealer level. Best of luck to all!

Beltfed21

[joehughes]

Beltfed, where did you get your work done at?

Joe

[daytrippr]

I know that this has been mentioned before, but I think that everyone with the rattle should scroll thru the 2003 Murano CVT complaints...very scary and many of them have 2007 and 2008 dates

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/c...h.cfm

[philipa_240sx]

The 2003 Murano was the first year of production. It's a known fact that this is a 'lemon' year and many have had transmission failures. Browse any Murano forum and you will find this is the case. If you look at subsequent years (2004-2009), there are only a handful of complaints and few if any major failures require transmission replacement.

Nissan went through several CVT transmission upgrades/revisions on the Murano. There is almost a different CVT part no for every year of production.

Comparing to the Rogue is kind of pointless as it's uses a completely different transmission model.

[AznJohn22]

There is a sound coming from under the car near the rear. I dont know how to describe it. Metal like sound. i have an AWD. hope it isn't the "rattle."

[Beltfed21]

Joehughes,

Extreme Nissan in Bloomington. About 100 miles south of you.

beltfed21

[bshess]

Hey all---just a little update, got the Rogue back on Friday, and have since put on about 200 miles, with no noise since. The transmission was, in fact, replaced. Still crossing my fingers though, but the Rogue is back to being the pleasure to drive that it once was...

[philipa_240sx]

Bshess, glad to hear the new transmission is noise free.

Another note on the Murano transmission problem mentioned above. My co-worker has over 120,000km or 72,000mi on his 2004 Murano AWD with ZERO transmission or drivetrain issues.

[kerrton]

Philip, that is good to hear. I've been trying to seek out those CVT high mileage examples to put my mind at ease, and so I polled the Altima forum becasue of the similar powertrain to the FWD Rogue. All of them have reported absolutely no transmission problems, and there is no existing forum topic regarding any transmission issues. A Nissan service tech also reported never encountering a single transmission issue with the Altima or Rogue in his career. And common sense would dicatate that based on Nissan complete confidence in the transmission (i.e. they are using it in pretty much all of their vehicles now), it must be a quality engineered and tested component. This is good because I sure wouldn't want it to die on a long road trip in some remote location, where local service shops would not know how to work on a CVT!!

[Rocket J Dawg]

Philipa - I was reading another forum and a member in there brought up a good thought. I wonder if it is just a bad batch of transmissions as opposed to good transmissions gone bad. That might account for all the AWD owners with higher mileage who don't have any problems. For owners who have troubles, I wonder when their respective Rogue's were made. Is there a manufactered date on the vehicle??...or something to identify when the transmission was made??

[ffcyclist]

Hello, i'm brand new to this forum, 1st post, but having the same problem. I noticed a vibration/rattle in the rear of the vehicle. Also a noise, hard to describe, as you decelerate to a stop. Took it to nissan, and after 6 hours they said it was the transmission and it had to be replaced. Sound familiar. Well the reason I am doing this post is to tell you that it is a FWD transmission. Thanks for the other posts they proved to be helpful

2008 nissan rogue FWD

[daytrippr]

...Took it to nissan, and after 6 hours they said it was the transmission and it had to be replaced. Sound familiar. Well the reason I am doing this post is to tell you that it is a FWD transmission...

2008 nissan rogue FWD

Well, let's hope that it has not spread to the FWD!

Anyway, good luck with a new transmission...I wish they had changed ours. I almost hope it will just outright fail some morning backing out of our driveway so we don't have to endure that F*CKING RATTLE anymore! :-(

[AznJohn22]

What should I do? Bring it to the service department?? It is almost three months since i bought my Rogue. When are they going to fix this issue? Since they don't have a "real" solution yet, should i bring it in to the service department for regular maintenance? I dont want them to say my warranty is voided.

Should I had known about this problem i would've gotten my Rogue!

[daytrippr]

What should I do? Bring it to the service department?? ...

Definitely, take it in and have them check it out. The infamous cvt rattle is up front, so you may have a different issue

[AznJohn22]

What should I do? Bring it to the service department?? ...

Definitely, take it in and have them check it out. The infamous cvt rattle is up front, so you may have a different issue

I hear the sound noise from other cars on the street. only happens when I step on the gas pedal and slowly gain speed.

[Bigtamw65]

Update for my transmission noise.

New dealership.......WHOLE new attitude! I rode with the service manager around parking lot and he looked at me in amazement and said, they actually told you this was a normal noise??? He said this is NOT NORMAL and we will find out what it wrong and fix it. The service manager thought like the rest of us, the CVT.

His mechanic put it on the lift and thinks it has something to do with the front axle. This is the first I have heard of that, but who knows. The service manager assured me that what ever it is, it is not normal and they would put in the axle as suggested by the mechanic and see if that solved the problem.

FINALLY someone who is not blowing this off. Not that I want my entire car ripped apart and replaced, but as least I know I am not crazy. I just hope they get it fixed and I get my car back soon. I have had it since March and it has been in the shop 4 times. They will have it until at least tomorrow and probably through Thursday.

Have any of you read about front axle problems??? I have not seen anything. Just hope the mechanic knows what he is talking about, since the service manager told me based on the sound and when it happened (during deceleration) that is was the CVT.

I did see one other person who the service department thought it was a axle, but after the replacement of that, the noise was still there and they replaced the transmission and the trasfer case. Oh boy, wonder if I will every get my car back? Supposed to be going out of town for vacation Friday, looks like we may be in the Murano rental.....which by the way, I like my rogue better.
Modified by Bigtamw65 at 11:43 AM 8/19/2008

[Goblin]

BigTam I wish you luck as the last dealer I went to started out the same way; very concerned and the noise was not considered normal. By the end of the second day, it was a normal noise and there was nothing they could do.

I am so frustrated with Nissan and the way I have been treated at the dealerships here in NOVA that I'm left with a stupid look on my face and my hands and mouth open. I've bashed Nissan on here and in person for the way I have been treated and the lack of customer care and service and frankly don't know what more I can do. I have signed on to the sites that I can to report problems but realize I am but one in 60+K vehicles out there. I found another site http://www.truedelta.com by the way.

Anyhow, having been to two dealerships and calling a third whom claims they won't do anything different but I'm welcome to bring the vehicle in... I give up. It appears that I am ignorant and can't discern a normal noise vs abnormal. I'm going to ride the car with a bitter taste in my mouth until I can at least break even and buy another or the car fails all together.

I was reading some other forums, especially the Dodge forums as someone mentioned they have the same CVT. Well, in a nut shell there are plenty of complaints to go around. Obviously, I'm not the only idiot in the world. LOL.

The long and short of this lesson. Never buy another vehicle with a CVT. Based on my limited knowledge and discussions on this forum, as well as, the seemingly undisputed results after having them replaced. Does that cover all you skeptics?

[kerrton]

I really sympathize with you and agree that Nissan is providing terrible service and should replace that transmission no questions asked.

However, I don't agree with your assessment that CVT transmission's should be avoided. Other cars with traditional geared transmission's experience failures and dealer headaches, and some are more widespread actually leading to recalls - check out the Toyota RAV4 forums, there are a lot of angry people there too, stating how terrible the Toyota transmission is and how they will never buy Toyota again. The problem here seems to be that not enough Rogue transmission's are failing, so it is not a widespread enough problem for Nissan to issue a recall. There are millions of CVT's on the road, including the Altima which reports no problems whatsoever - these are excellent and very durable for several hundred thousands of miles. The few problems with the Rogue transmission's appear to be related to the AWD system or perhaps factory defects. These defects should be dealt with promptly and without question by Nissan when they arise, but I would say that because a few transmission's are defective that the CVT is a design to be avoided.

[Goblin]

Kerrton that's lessons learned for myself. I could careless what other people do. This is my first and last experience with a CVT based on the above information. Now if Nissan gets off their a$$ and proves it to be something other than the CVT; I will have to rethink my opinion of them. Thanks for you input as I understand all manufactures have to work out bugs from time to time.

[Bigtamw65]

Well here we go.

Just got off the phone with the service advisor and after replacing the front axle and some other part (couldn't read what was written), the noise is still there.

They have not given up and are working to diagnose and fix the problem.

My only frustration is now, I am to leave on vacation Friday and they have no idea when or what they will find. They have given me a rental I am grateful for that, but it is a base model Murano (more expensive on gas), I don't have my SAT radio, my GPS is in my car, ect.

I don't mean to complain, but it is frustrating that it has taken four trips to try and get something accomplished and now it is interferring with my plans and my WALLET. Maybe they will give me some gas or somehting, haha.

I will keep posting with the results regarding what they find and maybe somebody and Nissan will get this solved, get a fix out there and quit jerking us around.

[paulvanharte]

Personally I am getting totally frustrated with all of this. The rattle is getting worse and the service manager did listen to it to make sure this is in fact the famous rattle. As Nissan Canada is not authorizing any repairs or replacements all we can do now is wait for them to figure out what the problem is. On a positive note they did check the transmission fluid which was fine. Paul

[daytrippr]

Perhaps we could have an update by those lucky Rogue owners who were granted new transmissions by Nissan. I believe that I counted 5 (bshess, Big Papi, Beltfed, ssimon and joehughes). Any that I missed, please respond also.

Could you tell us how many miles (or km) since the cvt swap and if everything is still working fine (in other words: no rattle!)

Thanks