CVT Surge

[kerrton]

I'm surprised that no one has started a thread on the "CVT surge". I don't remember it being that intense early on when I was test driving, but it sure is noticeable now (BTW I have a Rogue, but it's the same CVT with only minor programming differences). It's particularly bad if you drive conservatively with a light foot and once the car is warmed up, if you push very gently on the accelerator from a stop all of a sudden around 10km/hr the vehicle will surge forward as the torque converter locks up. If you coast into a stop light at around 20km/hr the torque converter unlocks and surges you forward, and there have been times when I found this to be almost dangerous, because the forward surge is significant.If you drive harder on the accelerator and hard on braking this isn't barely noticeable at all, it only happens when driving with a light foot. I don't like it and honestly it makes me drive a little more aggressively to prevent this from happening, and like I said it seems a little dangerous at times. The CVT is supposedly so smooth, but that isn't entirely accurate and I can't say I'm impressed with the surging.

Anyone else have thoughts on this, do you notice it, does it bother you?

[beeristasty]

I noticed mine can be a little jumpy when a light turns green. And I would consider myself usually a more conservative driver as well. It doesn't really bother me except for the fact that I feel like a red-light racer on the rare occasion it does happen.

[Ricko]

Never really notice it now that i have been driving it for a while, but i can remember coming around a turn and hitting a stop sign, if i step on the peddle lightly it would surge forward and i would take my foot off the gas and i would look like a noob in a manual transmission. But i have not have that problem in a while. Also never been in a "Dangerous" situation but i can see how it can possible put you in one.

[Hussain]

I noticed mine can be a little jumpy when a light turns green.

if a light is red and i'm slowing down and then it turns green and i take my foot off the brake and step on the gas, the car jumps really bad.... i wouldnt consider any of this dangerous though.

[marlin29311]

I've noticed nothing like this - my car never surges...it acts pretty much like a normal A/T in this regard...

[maxentropy]

[Nlghtmare]

This is odd considering my next post was going to be about this.I have been experiencing this for quite some time.I think my CVT is on the fritz.

This morning is what caused me to want to start my own thread, but since this seems to fit and is appropriate to this thread, I will share my story.

Well, I feel the surges a little less then frequently and started to guess my transmission was already going. Two days ago the landlord for the house literally built a speedbump on the inclined driveway my parents and I share. It is so hard getting in and out of considering the drive way only "snuggly" fits two vehicles. I parked nose out last night, and when I drove out to work, my father stepped outside to see if the speedbump would scratch the bottom of my car. My car is not lowered, but it does touch. That can give everyone who reads this post an idea on how ridiculous the piled cement is.Well, I was in D. And I'm not a fool, I know I was in D. I pushed my foot slowly on the gas and the car didn't move. I lifted the E-Brake of course, and applied more pressure to my accelerator. The car would literally not budge. When it moved, it moved slightly forward, and at this point, my father claims to have heard a "crunch." My car, in D, somehow reversed in FULL speed and hit my parents vehicle. The damage wasn't too significant, but damage is damage. At this point, I know there is something wrong with my CVT and I know this guy is right about the surges. But for my car to fall like an anvil in drive was the scariest car experience I've had, thus far.I love Nissan but boy, do 2.5s have too many problems. There is less than 9999 miles on this one year old Nissan.

[mavila98]

My 2009 Altima 2.5S does the same thing. I also drive "lite" as I want to see how far I can get the mileage up (27.2 mpg so far at 4k miles). I took it to the dealer and they test drove the car, and said they felt it as well. The service manager contacted Nissan and they (Nissan) said it is a known problem. The official answer is that there is a programming issue between the engine and transmission for this car type configuration, and they are working on a programming fix. I am on a contact list and as soon as they have a fix they will call me in for reprogramming (the car, not me!). My wife has the same car, but a 2008 model, and her car does not have the problem. Twice I needed to jump on the gas and the car hesitated before it took off, kinda scary. I registered a concern (not a complaint) with Nissan Consumer Affairs as this was not on the option list when I purchased the vehicle. I was told that I should be contacted by a regional Nissan rep. within 24 hours. I will post more when I learn more.

[dangeris]

I've never noticed anything like that on my CVT but then again I use manual mode all the time Wonder if its a hit and miss on the cvt..

[mavila98]

So, I got the call from the Nissan Regional rep yesterday. She said that she spoke to the service manager at the dealer I went to for service, and he says that the surging is "normal" for a cvt transmission. It appears that either the service manager has forgotten what he told me, or the rep never actually called the dealership. I asked her about the "list" that the service manager said I was on, and she said it will take further investigation to determine if such a "list" exists. The rep also said that they spoke to Nissan Technical and they said the same, that the surging is normal. I asked the rep to do more digging and they plan on calling me Tuesday. The two-step continues........