CVT Rattle/Noise - Discussion Thread

[marie08]

I called the owner of the dealership and spoke to him about not standing behind his product. I told him that his service department basically dismissed me without even looking under the hood (which is absolutely ridiculous!). Needless to say, this lit a fire under his bottom to get things done. 10 minutes later the service manager called me back and told me he was personally handling the problem and would get back to me as soon as he talked to Nissan.

They asked me to bring it in this morning. They're giving me another car while they run some tests (it better be AWD! It's snowing like mad here!) so I will hopefully know something soon. They said they hadn't seen it on cars with so few miles (under 200 for me) and that this somehow made it different than all the others? I don't know and I really don't care as long as it gets fixed!

Wish me luck!

[marie08]

So, this is what the dealer told me. He told me that for the '08's Nissan knew what the problem was and how to fix it... replacing the transmission. But he said that my Rogue should already have the "new, redesigned" transmission on it so they weren't expecting any problems like this with the '09. One of the product engineers from Nissan was actually there to look at the problem. I guess he is concerned that all the replaced transmissions are still going to have the problem? I'm not sure, but I'm glad someone is taking the problem seriously. They are going to get back to me once they know what's going on.

[kerrton]

Wow, not really what I wanted to hear since I've got one of those new transmissions on order, but thanks so much Marie for sharing with us, I really appreciate the information.

Good luck with your issues, just let Nissan worry about it and be secure in the knowledge that your warranty will take care of you and that you've still got yourself a great car.

[Rocket J Dawg]

Since the weather started getting colder, I notice a rattle (much like the tapping sound of out of adjustment rocker arms) when the Rogue is cold. It's not the engine as the sound stops when the vehicle stops. Any speed, it's there until the Rogue warms up to 3 bars on the temp gauge, then it's gone.

Any ideas?????

[Pescakl1]

Do you have it only above about 1500 rpm when cold?

I have the same noise, it disappears when engine is warm so I believe it is normal.

It comes on when the engine is cold when accelerating with rpms above 1500 (and you need at least 2000 rpm when cold otherwise you don't move ).When I release the gas pedal, it goes away and come back when I accelerate again. Only when engine is cold.Seems to come from the upper part of the engine.

Don't have it in the morning as the car sleeps in the garage, but I have it when I leave work and the car sat in the cold all day.

[kcfm]

Call Nissan directly yourself. I've been told they are a 'customer first' company and will bend over backwards to help those that contact them directly if they can. I would recommend a call, not an email, from what I heard it's more effective. Can't promise anything but couldn't hurt anything either. Best of luck.

A customer first company is the last thing they are. I still have not gotten any satisfaction from Nissan in regards to my transmission. I placed a call to consumer affairs who in turn told me a regional rep would contact me within 24 hours. Well I did have a message that was left early Monday morning from the regional rep. Well I have since placed 4 calls, 2 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday, in to her only to get her voice mail each time and still not a return call yet! That's great customer service!

I have also made another appointment at a different dealer for next Monday. I know I will get the same response, "Nissan is aware of the problem, but there is no fix at this time." But I know I have to give them 3 chances to fix this thing. Then after that I will file a complaint under the Florida Lemon Law. Maybe Nissan will do something about it then.

[Goblin]

I completely agree. Nissan is anything except a "A CUSTOMER FIRST" company. They could give a damn about those of us with rattle transmission. Otherwise, they would have contacted us about the problem and let us a know a fix was in the works. Even if that wasn't the case. They have complete skirted this problem and left it up to the individual dealerships. UGH!

[kerrton]

So my dealer replaced my CVT yesterday, it was a completely pain free process. We waited for Nissan to come up with a fix for the rattling problem, once they did my Service manager contacted me and recommended replacing my transmission with an upgraded re-designed model (the same one that comes with all 2009 Rogues). The ordered it up, it came in a couple of weeks, and yesterday they installed it in about 5 hours - really quick job.

The car runs flawlessly now, I would encourage anyone with even a subtle rattle in the CVT at low decerlation speeds to bring up the issue with your service manager and hopefully get a new transmission, as the one on the '08's has problems.

[daytrippr]

So my dealer replaced my CVT yesterday,...

Great for you! Sounds like Nissan Canada is being much more cooperative than in the US. I am having our oil changed this friday...I will try to get the dealer's help one last time...after this, it's call Nissan and tell them we are declaring it a lemon.

[BigPapi'sRogue]

Hello - Been a while since I last posted, but wanted to give everyone an update. I've now got about 9000 miles on my new transmission, which was replaced in early July, and no issues. So far, so good.

And my dealership (Framingham Nissan in Framingham, MA) told me on Monday that they've now done 3 Rogue transmission replacements since mine. Mine was their first back in July. Seems to me like the word should now be out among the dealer community.

Keep pushing for your new transmission. Good luck.

[kcfm]

It's so amazing, and frustrating, all the different stories that are floating around out there at different dealerships. Here is my most recent update:I took my car into a different dealer yesterday to see if I would get any different results. I took the lead tech for a drive and he did admit to hearing the infamous rattle. Of course this was the first case he has heard of this as so many dealers are saying, my last one did as well. Well after sitting there for hours and wasting another one of my days off, here was his reply:

First off he stated that Nissan has a countermeasure transmission for the 2WD transmission's but have not come up with a countermeasure for the AWD transmission's as of yet. He also said that Nissan is not releasing ANY of the "updated" 2WD transmission's until they have come up with a replacement for the AWD transmission's.

Secondly, I asked him about the supposed updated transmission that is already being installed in some peoples car's with a completely different part number. I believe it was Kerrton who posted that his new transmission had a different part number. He said there is only one part number for these transmission's...there is no other transmission with a different part number...hmmm??? How can one company generate so many different stories...or should I call them B.S.?!!

So basically I was put on a list to receive a new transmission when they supposedly release the new countermeasure transmission. I did get that in writing though, for whatever that's worth because basically most of what I have gotten so far from Nissan is B.S.

Oh yes... one last thing in regards to Nissan Consumer affairs. I have called everyday for the last nine days only to receive my rep's voice mail each time. So I have still not even spoken with her once yet. She will return my call once every two or three days and of course it happens to be at a time I am not home. I also did leave her a work number to reach me at and she has yet to even try that number once. Great customer service!!!

[kerrton]

I share your frustration. But it seems your tech contradicted himself, first he says that "there currently is a countermeasure transmission (i.e. a new transmission, not the same as the original) for FWD" which means a new part, then he says there is no new part number, something doesn't sound right. Not to say he wasn't being truthfull, but his conflicting info. sounds like he doesn't really have all of his facts straight.

Like I said, my good friend is the parts guy at Nissan and he showed me the new part number in his system, vs. the old part number for the old transmission, they can't have the same number because they are different designs.

Regardless, you've got a letter stating that you will be getting a new countermeasure transmission, so don't sweat it. The more time that passes, the more miles you get our of your new transmission when you eventually get it!

[kcfm]

Like I said, my good friend is the parts guy at Nissan and he showed me the new part number in his system, vs. the old part number for the old transmission, they can't have the same number because they are different designs.

Regardless, you've got a letter stating that you will be getting a new countermeasure transmission, so don't sweat it. The more time that passes, the more miles you get our of your new transmission when you eventually get it!

Thanks Kerrton. .....wondering if you happen to know that new part #?

[kerrton]

The part number on my copy of the invoice for the new CVT is:

310201XT4D

Not sure what the part number for the old CVT is.

[kcfm]

The part number on my copy of the invoice for the new CVT is:

310201XT4D

Not sure what the part number for the old CVT is.

Thanks Kerrton.

[daytrippr]

...I am having our oil changed this friday...I will try to get the dealer's help one last time...after this, it's call Nissan and tell them we are declaring it a lemon.

Finally! When I arrived at the dealer for my oil change I asked again about the cvt fix and the writer said that they had heard of none, but they would call Nissan again while I was there. I told them that if they had no solution for us today then we would be forced to file a Lemon Law complaint.

So, after the oil change, the dealer tells me that Nissan still has not decided on a fix, BUT they would approve a new transmission for us!!!!!!! The disclaimer was that if more work was needed in the future on a permanent fix, then we would have to bring it in for that...

I said: GREAT, bring on the new transmission. He said that he would order it and it might take a few weeks.

[Nissannate25]

Wow, this is nuts! Most new cars have bugs the first year they are in production, I really would have thought that Nissan would have a solution for this issue by now though. Luckily I haven't had the pleasure of having to deal with the transmission rattle on my Rogue. I'm going to be crossing my fingers that I don't ever have to.Good luck to everyone that currently has this issue.

[kcfm]

I told them that if they had no solution for us today then we would be forced to file a Lemon Law complaint.

So, after the oil change, the dealer tells me that Nissan still has not decided on a fix, BUT they would approve a new transmission for us!!!!!!! .

Well if Kerrton's information is correct, and indeed the 2009's have a new redesigned transmission, then Nissan is just blowing smoke up all our you know whats. Because they already have a solution to the problem, the 09' transmission! I was told the same thing...that they had still not come up with a countermeasure transmission for the AWD's as of yet. And if that was true then what transmissions are they putting in the 09's?? Are they still building these Rogues with a transmission with a known defect?! I think Nissan is just telling most of us out here "Nissan is aware of the problem but there is not a fix at this time" in hopes that most people will just get tired of hearing it and just trade there car in or something. That way Nissan doesn't have to incur the cost of actually fixing it.

With the exception of Kerrton, and maybe a few others, I think that's the only way most of us are going to get a new transmission..and that's to take it to the extent of filing a lemon law complaint or at least the threat of filing one.

[kerrton]

I agree. I think the ultimate, best case fix is to have the new 2009 transmission installed, however this would be very costly for Nissan so they are truthfull when they say they are "working on a fix", they're trying to find a cheap way of fixing the defective '08 transmission's without having to replace them. I'm sure that's the source of the confusion, and I agree the consumer is suffering and that is not right. They've had plenty of time to come with an alternate fix for the existing CVT and obviously have failed, so the replacement CVT should be the fix. They're trying to cheap out at the expense of their customers.

KCFM, please update us after the next time you talk to your service and parts guys, I'm curious to know what the response will be when you give them my part number for the new transmission replacement.

[philipa_240sx]

In some ways this is speculation. The transmission is made by Jatco and is an independent company. Any warranty or repair issues could lie with them and not Nissan itself.

[ResQ1]

It's been a while since I lasted posted here, but since then I have had my transmission replaced! Like some others here, my Service Mgr(Armory Nissan, Albany NY) called me and said Nissan agreed "finally" to replace the transmission. They gave me an Altima as a rental. It was fixed in two days! That was about a month ago and so far, so good. I still feel a slight vibration but the "rattle" so far is gone! I am so parinoid though that I keep turning down my radio to listen for the rattle. Hopefully this has fixed the issue once and for all. Now I am wondering how it will handle in the snows of Upstate NY..guess I will find out soon enough.

To all others still waiting, keep calling your dealers and Nissan USA. Who knows, maybe those of you who are still waiting will be better off since it sounds like some new trannys may have been installed before the actual fix was found.

Will keep everyone posted on the new transmission.

Good Luck!

[kcfm]

In some ways this is speculation. The transmission is made by Jatco and is an independent company. Any warranty or repair issues could lie with them and not Nissan itself.

are you sure? I thought Nissan owned JATCO.

[philipa_240sx]

are you sure? I thought Nissan owned JATCO.

Well sort of. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi are shareholders in Jatco. But it's an independent company and is the merger of Nissan's former transmission subsidiary TransTechnology, Mitsubishi's Diamondmatic.

Jatco is not restricted to selling transmissions to Mitsubishi and Nissan even though they are the main shareholders. They also supply Chrysler, Mazda, Suzuki, Subaru, VW, GM Daewoo, Ford (Europe), Hyundai and others.

http://www.jatco.co.jp/ENGLISH....html

Back to my point....

Any delay in the process could lie with either Nissan or Jatco. Add the dealer into the mix and things get confusing quick.

[paulvanharte]

Well I had my CVT replaced today and so far so good. I swear this one seems to behave different than the old one. With the old one going slow or slight acceleration (parking lot speeds) sometimes it would feel the car would slightly surge in that you could feel a hesitation in the CVT.I have been told since this is not a safety issue no recall is forthcoming. They replace the trannies only if somebody has the rattling problem and complaints about it. Not sure if I agree with this approach. Anyways anybody with the problem just be persistent with the service manager.Paul

[kerrton]

Hey Paul that's great news, glad to hear things are running well. Mine was replaced 500 km ago and it runs great, I don't notice any difference in the way it operates compared to the old one, other than the lack of a rattle. Regarding a surge, I have that all the time both accelerating and decelerating, when the torque converter locks and unlocks, it is kind of intrusive if you are at just the right speed and just the right throttle, it really lurches the car, but I've noticed this with the vehicle every since I bought it and am sure it's normal - others on this forum have reported the same.

Anyway, I'm sure the new design CVT will prevent the rattle from returning, but I agree with you it is really unfortunate that only those who notice a problem and complain get the new, upgrade transmission that comes standard on '09 models.

[kcfm]

Who knows, maybe those of you who are still waiting will be better off since it sounds like some new trannys may have been installed before the actual fix was found.

Good Luck!

According to my information now that's what is still being installed, the same original transmission.

I finally got approval for a new transmission but was told that Nissan has still not released a countermeasure transmission as of yet. So I would be getting the same transmission as I have now, but with the hopes that this was does not have the rattle. I was also told that the 2009's are getting the same transmission as the rest of us have in our 2008's.

Kerrton, I gave them that part number you gave me and I was told that is a valid part number for the Rogue transmission but is also the original part number for the transmission. I was told there are only two part numbers for the Rogue transmission. One for the AWD and one for the FWD. I was also told then that everyone that has had their transmission replaced has received and identical transmission as the one that was replaced, since there is no other transmission to have been put in.

Hmm... the saga continues...

[Goblin]

Hi all -

I stumbled upon this forum trying to find others who are experiencing that same problem I'm having with my rattling transmission. I just purchased an '09 Rogue 4 days ago and have already noticed this noise.

The dealership told me the same "Nissan is aware, nothing we can do" line and corporate basically washed their hands of it and told me to get a second opinion. I'm not really sure where to turn next. I'm also not confident that the "new" transmissions can be that much better, since I am driving an '09 and having the same problems.

That would explain why this guy with an 09 Rogue is experiencing the rattle. I seriously doubt anything has been changed to the CVT as then Nissan would have to admit to there being a problem with the 08 transmission's. In calling around to the local dealerships, I continue to get the same bullsh$t answers. That's why I am so reluctant to go back in. I'm debating just going so I can file the lemon law here in VA. But damn it takes so much of my valuable time. Anyhow, keep the post coming.

[dmw98path]

The part number on my copy of the invoice for the new CVT is:31020-1XT4DNot sure what the part number for the old CVT is.

I had a leak in my transmission (input seal) with 3600 miles. The dealership decided to replace the transmission under warranty--caught me by surprise, great service. I don't know that I ever heard "the rattle" but then again nothing seemed abnormal beyond perhaps a clunk type sound that I heard sometimes when first getting moving after leaving reverse. I got my car in August, I think it was made in May 2008.

CVT part number on my invoice: 310C0-1XT5E, which is different from above. Not sure if that is 2008 or 2009 CVT, or if it might have any fix to the original rattle issue people have been complaining about.

Hope those of you having the problem can get resolution.

[kcfm]

I had a leak in my transmission (input seal) with 3600 miles. The dealership decided to replace the transmission under warranty--caught me by surprise, great service. I don't know that I ever heard "the rattle" but then again nothing seemed abnormal beyond perhaps a clunk type sound that I heard sometimes when first getting moving after leaving reverse. I got my car in August, I think it was made in May 2008.

CVT part number on my invoice: 310C0-1XT5E, which is different from above. Not sure if that is 2008 or 2009 CVT, or if it might have any fix to the original rattle issue people have been complaining about.

Hope those of you having the problem can get resolution.

In this case, the reason your part number is different is because your transmission is an AWD. The part number Kerrton posted is for a FWD.

[kerrton]

kcfm, I agree this is so stupid, I can't believe the inconsistency from one dealer to the next. I'll see if my buddy can find the part number for the original 08 transmission, which definately is different for the 09's, I've checked with 3 dealers in my area and they all said they same thing, no hesitation or BS, it was all very straight forward and they all called the new 09 transmission a "countermeasure" transmission which will solve the problem.

Regarding the 09 owner who is having problems: come on guys, lets put this in perspective, every vehicle experiences defects including the transmission, even if it is the best designed component they will always have some that fail. Even with the 08's, there was very few of us that experienced problems, and a forum such as this definately mis-represents the problem - we made it sound like this is a problem that all 08 owners will have with their transmission, but that definately is not the case. If numerous 09 owners have a rattle then I'd begin to wonder a bit more, but one person out of tens of thousands does not count as an inherant defect. I have a friend who bought a Toyota Matrix - the car has excellent reliablity reviews, nonetheless his transmission leaked, failed, etc. and he has been totally screwed by the dealer repeatedly, and the transmission still grinds and is a total nightmare - just an example to keep things in perspective here.