"Rattling noise in CVT"

[Couz]

Where is the rattle coming from? Front end or rear? I hear something when i have window open and step on the gas coming from the rear. Is it the same thing?

Yeah I have that too, when I step on the gas at low speeds I hear a small little rattle, not all the time but when I decide to really take off and step on it.

And I can only hear it when the windows are rolled down.

It sounds a bit like when a guy has a weak muffler or lose exhaust pipe more than a rattle....or when a manual transmission accelerates while being in too high a gear.

And its coming from mostly passenger rear.

What is that?

[Couz]

Yeah I have that too, when I step on the gas at low speeds I hear a small little rattle, not all the time but when I decide to really take off and step on it.

And I can only hear it when the windows are rolled down.

It sounds a bit like when a guy has a weak muffler or lose exhaust pipe more than a rattle....or when a manual transmission accelerates while being in too high a gear.

And its coming from mostly passenger rear.

What is that?

I noticed this light rattle comes in combination with the infamous low speed vibration.

[AznJohn22]

Yeah I have that too, when I step on the gas at low speeds I hear a small little rattle, not all the time but when I decide to really take off and step on it.

And I can only hear it when the windows are rolled down.

It sounds a bit like when a guy has a weak muffler or lose exhaust pipe more than a rattle....or when a manual transmission accelerates while being in too high a gear.

And its coming from mostly passenger rear.

What is that?

I guess nobody else has it but us two or three.

[Couz]

Its definitely when I give gas, it doesn't take much gas but its subtle.

The other thing, this seems only to happen when the car is really warmed up, meaning been driving for 45 minutes + straight.

Its definitely not the infamous CVT rattle everyone is posting about because I've tested it for that, I hear nothing in parking lot type speeds tapping the gas on and off on and off lightly.

And I would never be able to hear my rattle with windows rolled up.

Sounds like something gets looser as the car warms up and creates a light rattle.

I wonder if its just normal CVT noise because its very similar to the same noise you get in a manual transmission when giving gas when your in too high a gear....It almost appears that the gears are trying to catch up- that type of noise.
Modified by Couz at 12:17 PM 4/16/2009

[philipa_240sx]

I wonder if its just normal CVT noise because its very similar to the same noise you get in a manual transmission when giving gas when your in too high a gear....Modified by Couz at 12:17 PM 4/16/2009

Yes, that noise is normal.

Couz, read this thread from the Official Rogue FAQ regarding the noise/vibration you are talking about:

CVT: Vibration while accelerating

[asng]

I describe it as the boiling water sound when the car stop, I think there is something to do with the oil pressure in the CVT box, but no dealer can open to check it.

[Couz]

I describe it as the boiling water sound when the car stop, I think there is something to do with the oil pressure in the CVT box, but no dealer can open to check it.

In my case its when I give some gas when the car is at that point when its at that vibration stage.

Like Philipa said, it sounds like marbles in a cup.

I think its exactly the sound a manual transmission makes when your in too high a gear and dont have enough speed going to catch up to that gear but you try too by stepping on the gas.

[Boboli]

I have a 2008 SL FWD with 12K miles. About 2K ago it started making the grumbling sound from the CVT when I slowly came to a stop. Car seemed to drive fine otherwise, so I didn't mention it until I took it in to the dealer for an oil change last week. They said they could find nothing wrong - as I was leaving the service advisor came out to my car and told me they had just received a service bulletin from Nissan about this and that the problem was the CVT's belt was too loose - they would need to replace the CVT. They ordered another one and I took it in this week to have it done - got it back and the car had no power - figured I got another bum transmission. Turns out that the fuel line got crimped (I guess when they installed the new CVT). They fixed this and now the car drives like new again. Based on what I've read and experienced:

1) This can happen with a FWD as well as AWD2) There is nothing they can do / adjust with the CVT - it's either swap it out or nothing. 3) Nissan apparently has acknowledged the problem as my dealership volunteered to replace the CVT after initially saying they could find nothing wrong. It sounds to me like the '08 CVT had some issues that were resolved with the '09. 4) If the CVT seems like it's slipping, the engine's revving, but there's no power, have them check the fuel line. Taking off from a complete stop the car still accelerated like normal. Punching it at 30 - 35 it just revved and nothing happened. Same thing going uphill.

I have to say the service advisor was very helpful and the dealer didn't give me the runaround.

If this new CVT ever gives me trouble, I hope it's within the warranty period, because I will be trading the car in ASAP on something else.

[kerrton]

Boboli, good clear summary of your issue. My issue was pretty much identical, and my service manager gave me the same information. Some 08 CVT's had problems, the replacement 09 transmission's were designed to solve the problem, and after almost 6000 km on the new CVT everything is working pefectly - completely silent and smooth. The other conclusion that I draw from this experience is that there is NO normal CVT noises, the CVT should be silent. The Rogue engine on the other hand is quite noisy, and some may be incorectly attributing engine noise to the CVT, but the CVT should be dead silent.

[kcfm]

Some 08 CVT's had problems, the replacement 09 transmission's were designed to solve the problem, and after almost 6000 km on the new CVT everything is working pefectly - completely silent and smooth. .

The 09 transmission's haven't completely solved the problem. I posted a link to another site where an individual has a 2009 and already has had 2 bad transmission's. Also, if they had solved the problem, people like me wouldn't be in need of a third transmission.

Also, I see Boboli managed to get 10,000 miles out of his original transmission before it started to "rattle". So that has to make you wonder how many trannys may end up contracting the rattle down the road.....even the 09's?! ....and unfortunately how many will after the warranty is out!

[Boboli]

Thanks, Kerrton. I think you bring up an important point about engine noise vs. any noise that the CVT might make. This engine is kind of noisy, and for anyone (like me) who has never had a car with a CVT it's probably hard to tell which is which. This is my wife's car, so I don't drive it all that often - but when I heard the metallic grumbling sound it didn't seem like it was coming from the engine or wheels, so I figured it had to be the transmission. I plan to drive the car a little more often now. Fortunately, my wife also noticed the noise so she knows what to listen for. This may be overkill, but if I keep reading about people having to replace the CVT 2 + times I will probably get rid of our Rogue before it goes out of warranty.

[kerrton]

Me too, if the worse case scenario occurs and I have repeated CVT failures I'd lean towards selling before the 5 year warranty ends, but I doubt that will happen. Rarely in life does the worse case scenario actually happen, it's usually something that we generate in our minds and worry about, but rarely happens. There are thousands of these transmission's being made so it has to be a solid design, and my replacement has been great so I expect it'll be good for a few hundred thousands km's.

[Couz]

I'm in the same boat...my new Rogue is about 6 weeks old now

Never had a CVT before and on occasion I was hearing a noise the first three weeks I had the car but now that I think of it it could have been the engine making a ping noise.

But lately I havent heard anything at all like I did the first three weeks...maybe it was breaking in or something but I've had my windows down and on top of being quieter the car feels better and better as time goes on.

I have been using higher octane fuel also the last two fillups which coincidentently has covered the last three weeks.

Who knows, bottom line is the car is quieter and feels better.

Maybe this break in period isnt a myth.

[maverick_rogue]

I too was in 'paranoid" mode after reading so much about the transmission noise and discussing it on forums.

Recently1. Had a new dealership look at my Rogue.They agreed noise level was high in my car and changed idle speed .They have suggested that I drive it for a few weeks and if I still feel the noise come back

2. I Have started using 89 Octane gas.

3. I Stopped thinking / reading / browsing on the transmission noise issue.

Results are amazing. I cant feel any noise that could give me jitters.

One of my friend owns Acura and is a car buff. He test drove my Rogue the other day . He feels NVH and handling of Rogue is at par with high end cars. Not that I need his comments to feel good but it helps

[pammy]

Nissan has replaced my transmisson twice and the rattling noise is STILL there. It went away for a few months after the transmission was replaced the 1st time, and then it got louder and louder and they replaced it a second time. As soon as I drove my car home the second time, I could hear the noise was still there. How many people have had their transmission replaced multiple times and still have the rattle?

Pam

[kcfm]

Nissan has replaced my transmisson twice and the rattling noise is STILL there. It went away for a few months after the transmission was replaced the 1st time, and then it got louder and louder and they replaced it a second time. As soon as I drove my car home the second time, I could hear the noise was still there. How many people have had their transmission replaced multiple times and still have the rattle?

Pam

I think quite a few U.S. residents were/are in that boat (I was too). I think that only the Canadians receive the true updated transmissions. Nissan USA likes to see how far they can push their customers....because they can.

Here is my opinion on Nissan USA's gameplan: First off, I think they try to do everything they can to keep from having to replace your transmission. Usually it's not until you scream "lemon law" do they do anything about it. I think the whole "Nissan is aware of the problem, but there is no fix at this time" was just to string people along long enough to push them out of the time limit in which they had to file a lemon law suit (which is a year). If they could string people along past that point then they don't have to worry about having to buy back a lemon. Secondly, they could just keep putting in faulty transmissions which would typically buy them a couple of more months before the "rattle" typically surfaced...thus inching them closer to the one year deadline. But throughout this process Nissan also knows that if you string people along long enough and keep feeding them so much B.S. that eventually some people, like Goblin and myself, will finally say enough is enough and trade our lemons off.....again, Nissan wins.

[1125Altima3.5]

I think quite a few U.S. residents were/are in that boat (I was too). I think that only the Canadians receive the true updated transmissions. Nissan USA likes to see how far they can push their customers....because they can.

It depends on your state. But here's how it works in CA.

4 failed repair attempts = lemon law buyback. (2 attempts for life-threatening defects)

Also, the time/mileage limit only applies to the FIRST time you take your car in for repair. So you could take the car in under limit, then have three subsequent repair attempts after the limit, and then file a lemon lawsuit. However, if all 4 attempts are before the time limit it's pretty much an automatic win for you.

There are law firms out there that will take your case for free and only get paid if you win your case. I've taken my car in three times for this problem and just had the CVT replaced. If the rattle comes back I'm outta this thing (which I hope doesn't happen because I really like the car).

Funny thing in my case was that I notified Nissan about the problem, then got a dealer to agree to a transmission replacement. After the dealer starts installing the transmission I get a call from Nissan Consumer Affairs saying that they're not going to replace the transmission. I said "OK" and hung up... Left hand, meet right hand!

[Nimustan]

Had the rattlingnoise problem from the front end at low speeds (around 6 mph). Noticed it when driving in parking lots. Took it to the Nissan dealer here in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and after looking at it they said it was a transmission problem and that they would replace it. So the car is in the shop right now. They also said that this is the 5th one that they have had to do.

At 143,000 Km's, I'm having the same problem.
Did you get the rattling noise resolved?