CVT Transmission Issues. (Fail safe, Whining, Temps, & FIX!)

[Black B15]

At the dealership I work at the intervals for cvt fluid change is every 30,000 miles. We do a drain and fill only. We usually use 5 quarts of fluid. Keeps the cost down for the customer. If the fluid hasnt been done in 90K or so we usually suggest a flush at that time. We get these intervals out of the nissan maintenance manual. Also Nissan changed there brake fluid flushes to every 15k lol. Damn Nissan.

Appreciate the inside perspective of this thread. I am probably going to change the CVT myself. It seems that many CVT owners are reluctant to do that due to the threat of a cancelled warranty. It is my understanding that the law is that it must be proved that your actions caused the failure, have these steps been taken in your experience or are people being too cautious? I would only be using Nissan fluid. It seems that going the DIY route would still be over $100. Just called a dealer and their price is $170. Looks like they put all their markup in the fluid rather than their labor. That dealer also doing the 30k interval citing our heat as the reason.
(Car has 87k)

You are right, and it is called the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act if I recall correctly.

[ImStricken06]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdbtHVsUdJI[/youtube]

[Black B15]

Well that certainly doesn't sound normal. Any heat shields loose underneath? Your ride is about 5 years old....any heat shields present could have shaken themselves loose by now.

[ImStricken06]

Well that certainly doesn't sound normal. Any heat shields loose underneath? Your ride is about 5 years old....any heat shields present could have shaken themselves loose by now.

thats not my car - thats a video i found. thats CVT whine

[darylzero]

thats not my car - thats a video i found. thats CVT whine

In the comments the video poster says it was the heat shield.

[ImStricken06]

darn, i posted the wrong video

[Black B15]

thats not my car - thats a video i found. thats CVT whine

In the comments the video poster says it was the heat shield.

Then I did one heck of an e-diagnosis! That is what it sounded like to me too, and I honestly didn't see that the person had stated it was a heat shield.

[ras_oscar]

To the OP; Just to clarify, I presume your discussion on temp protection refers to the engine radiator fluid mix and not mixing something directly into the trans fluid. Correct?

[samobus]

Ddflosrt - I'm having the whining issue (have been for quite some time). Recently experienced what I believe is fail safe at altitude (coming back on 70). It was not overly maybe 60 out? Car hit 40 going up the pass before Vail, and experienced same issues in Vail, and on 2nd pass after going up hill only. Live in CO - taking car to dealer today but am very nervous about posts I've read as I'm sure this is not going to be repeatable until car has been on a long tirp and at altitude. Any recommendations on which dealership I should go to? Taking it to Tynan's as a first try.

[ImStricken06]

samobus, welcome to the forum.

i think its the fluid that sloshed and caused the limp mode. its a common thing for the fluid levels to cause a fail safe mode

[Aparkhillp]

So after reading this guys post I had my wife call both Nissan dealerships here in Colorado Springs. First place on Woodmen ave sounded like a salesman with no clue so she called the next one. This gentleman said exactly the same thing as I read on this post. So she took it in, was treated with respect even though she's clueless about cars. They diagnosed the problem, as stated by this ddflosrt. Gave her a ride home, did the work and picked her up when it was ready. $437 later for drain and fill and coolant fix. (Ours was set at -75 degrees). My wife says the car is running as it should. Thank you ddflosrt for sharing ur knowledge and easing my mind. Now we can drive more than an hour from home without worry. Others, listen to this guy he is evidently the right guy to listen to.

[ImStricken06]

So after reading this guys post I had my wife call both Nissan dealerships here in Colorado Springs. First place on Woodmen ave sounded like a salesman with no clue so she called the next one. This gentleman said exactly the same thing as I read on this post. So she took it in, was treated with respect even though she's clueless about cars. They diagnosed the problem, as stated by this ddflosrt. Gave her a ride home, did the work and picked her up when it was ready. $437 later for drain and fill and coolant fix. (Ours was set at -75 degrees). My wife says the car is running as it should. Thank you ddflosrt for sharing ur knowledge and easing my mind. Now we can drive more than an hour from home without worry. Others, listen to this guy he is evidently the right guy to listen to.

Hey man, welcome to NICO.

[kerrton]

So after reading this guys post I had my wife call both Nissan dealerships here in Colorado Springs. First place on Woodmen ave sounded like a salesman with no clue so she called the next one. This gentleman said exactly the same thing as I read on this post. So she took it in, was treated with respect even though she's clueless about cars. They diagnosed the problem, as stated by this ddflosrt. Gave her a ride home, did the work and picked her up when it was ready. $437 later for drain and fill and coolant fix. (Ours was set at -75 degrees). My wife says the car is running as it should. Thank you ddflosrt for sharing ur knowledge and easing my mind. Now we can drive more than an hour from home without worry. Others, listen to this guy he is evidently the right guy to listen to.

That's great news, glad to hear you're all fixed up. Hey I was wondering if you notice any reduction in noise from the CVT, is it quieter than before? I'm assuming when it got hot before you could hear a whining noise, I'm wondering if there's been any change?

[Aparkhillp]

Huge difference. My wife just drove 8 hours to see me in wyoming and I drove it. It's perfect again. She drove home the other 8 hours and she said its still running super quiet and strong. This is advice should without a doubt should be heeded. Thank you again Ddlflosrt.

[ras_oscar]

By chance, did the dealership run the consult program before they changed the fluid? If so, Could you post the printout?

[jwick]

At the dealership I work at the intervals for cvt fluid change is every 30,000 miles. We do a drain and fill only. We usually use 5 quarts of fluid. Keeps the cost down for the customer. If the fluid hasnt been done in 90K or so we usually suggest a flush at that time. We get these intervals out of the nissan maintenance manual. Also Nissan changed there brake fluid flushes to every 15k lol. Damn Nissan.

Is the 30k transmission change just something your dealership does because of the issue with the CVT? The owners manual calls for change every 60k unless Consult deterioration data is more than 210000 (whatever that means).

Our Rogue (2011) had a very similar issue this morning. Major difference was that it happened first thing in the morning when the car hadn't been driven for over 12 hrs. Girlfriend got in it to go to work and no acceleration. When referring to 'hot' temperatures, what exactly are we discussing? I live in Houston and it's nothing for us to see 100 almost everyday from end of June to mid-Sept. Although the temps this morning when the issue occured was in the low-mid 80's.

Currently at the dealer for a looksee. Hopefully they'll be knowledgeable enough to give some worthy assistance.

[NISAN-NeverAgain]

Thank you for this thread.

I have the same Nissan transmission overheating problem with the Rogue CVT.
I have almost gotten killed with this defect.

After you have been on the highway and then exit to a side road and then try to pull out into the cross traffic the car just drags right there.
Since this is not a normal "feature" of any of the other cars that i have owned, I keep forgetting about it.

I guess that Nissan will only act when the deaths and injuries pile up.
I hope that it is not you and your loved one.

This IS a REAL LIFE THREATENING defect.

I do however try my best to warn others about Nissan's negligence while I sit in a roadside rest area with my hood up (bonnet for the UK) and explain to everyone about the NISSAN death dealing dangers that I am trying to avoid by waiting for the transmission to cool down.

Nissan has gone the way of Toyota because they will not own up to their own mistake.
This shows what kind of company they are.


Soon I will offer a free bumper sticker to other dissatisfied Nissan owners.

I could use some help with the bumper sticker though.
I am thinking along the lines of "Death trap: Courtesy of Nissan"

Any Suggestions?

Finally,
Can anyone please give me some pointers about setting up a website to save lives by publicizing this?

Thank you,

Dave

[Rev_D21]

Nissan has addressed this issue by extending the CVT warranty so before calling them 'death-traps' try calling a respectable dealer to have the car looked at. No sense in going silly if you haven't given Nissan a chance to address your concerns.

[NISAN-NeverAgain]

Hey Guy,
Have they issued a recall?

I did not think so.

Please THINK before you reply.

[NISAN-NeverAgain]

Also, it wasn't you facing that car's grille out of your side window.....

The fact is that Nissan is NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY, I almost got killed and this will happen to others.

Lives are worth "going silly" over.

[Kompresshun]

First of all don't ever speak to one of my staff members like that again. Consider that your first and only warning.

If you want respect from anyone being a new member, that will definitely not get you off on the right foot.

Secondly, Nissan has taken responsibility. They extended the warranty on the transmission to 100k miles for one, so maybe you should have done some research before making your post and started insulting our staff.

I am truly sorry that you had a bad experience with the CVT in your Rogue, but this has been a known issue for quite some time and if you have an issue with your CVT then Nissan has agreed to repair it as long as it falls within the extended warranty period. Anything outside of that you are responsible for just like any other failure. Good luck.

[NISAN-NeverAgain]

I did take it to a Nissan dealer and he said that he never heard of this problem....
Then I did research to find out that Nissan DID know about the problem....

Insulting - What stating facts?
Don't go getting all offended... That's not the issue you are trying a distraction tactic.
That is so transparent.

I don't need a warning... You go defend Nissan. I care about the people........

[PapaSmurf2k3]

It helps if you go in informed about the issue. I agree, you shouldn't have to, but usually they find the TSB once they start researching the symptoms. If they haven't performed a fix yet, they wouldn't really know about it.
Either way, if it is still within the warranty period (which should be 120k), then it should be free.

I can assure you, we aren't pulling distraction tactics. This is not an official Nissan site.

What have you done with your vehicle since the incident? You said you took it to the dealer and they hadn't heard of it. What did you do then? I see you researched it and yes, someone somewhere at Nissan knows of the issue, but the original person you spoke to at the dealership didn't. Now what?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I guess at this point I'm trying to figure out if you're still trying to remedy the problem, or if you're more hellbent on starting up a bumper sticker business.
I've been there man, believe me:
dobbs-honda-in-memphis-tn-screwed-me-bu ... 87851.html

Your anger might be better directed at the dealership than Nissan in general though.

[AZhitman]

So, one guy at a dealership allegedly didn't know of any TSB's, and you come in here swinging at people who have been helping Nissan owners for over 12 years?

Give me a break. No more lipping off at the staff - You asked a question, we're trying to help. We don't have time for emotional temper tantrums, so let's just skip all that.

Now, here's your TSB.

Summary of NTB12057:
SERVICE INFORMATION A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is designed to go into fluid temperature protection logic mode ("fail-safe mode") if the CVT fluid temperature rises above a certain threshold. When the CVT goes into fail-safe mode, engine performance is reduced. Customers may report this condition as "low power" or "reduced engine performance". While the CVT is designed to go into fail-safe mode if the fluid temperature rises above the threshold, the following conditions may cause the CVT to go into fail-safe mode prematurely during normal vehicle operation: 1. Overfilled CVT fluid level. 2. Incorrect type of transmission fluid - Use Genuine Nissan NS-2 CVT fluid. 3. Incorrect coolant/water mix.

Here's another:

Summary of NTB11042:
SERVICE INFORMATION If the Output Speed Sensor has been removed and replaced for any reason: The correct number of spacer shims must be installed between the Sensor and the CVT body.

Now, are you the original owner? What maintenance has been performed, and by who?

There may be NO NEED for a recall. Not every issue with every vehicle warrants a recall. However, all issues are tracked, monitored, and entered into a database that is analyzed in real time for trends (in order to determine if a TSB or recall needs to be issued).

See, if someone overfilled the CVT, or screwed up the coolant mix, that's NOT the car's fault (or Nissan's). So let's focus more on solving your problem and less on freaking out.

You didn't get run over, so now is the time for solutions.

Welcome aboard.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Also, in case anyone is wondering- NS-3 CVT fluid is backwards compatible with NS-2, but not the other way around.

[DTASFAB]

See, if someone overfilled the CVT, or screwed up the coolant mix, that's NOT the car's fault (or Nissan's). So let's focus more on solving your problem and less on freaking out.

Well it kind of is Nissan's fault for designing such a delicate and sensitive system that goes screwy when the littlest thing is off by just a tiny amount. At a minimum, they should be educating all the dealer service advisers about the TSBs that are already out and issuing more. They educate their sales people on how many 12V power plugs are in each trim of each model vehicle. They can also educate their service people on how to properly lubricate and cool the second most important part of the vehicle's drivetrain.

This would not require a recall, but merely bringing it to everybody's attention makes Nissan look bad, so they don't. They'd rather deal with individual cases of irate customers and try to keep the masses as ignorant as possible.

Toyota survived the unintended acceleration scandal and is doing extremely well for itself. There's no reason Nissan can't admit their early CVTs are sensitive, aren't configured to a proper cooling system, FIX THE PROBLEM AT THE R&D LEVEL, and make better cars from this point forward while finding a way to ease the difficulty that people are facing when they bring a whining CVT to a dealer who tells them it's perfectly normal. I guess some bean counter helped them decide their bottom line would be better off doing the former.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

There's no reason Nissan can't admit their early CVTs are sensitive

They have, that's why they increased the warranty on them.

This would not require a recall

It actually would require a recall if enough of the product out there had the issue within a certain amount of time.

In engineer speak, on a PFMEA/DFMEA scale, this would rate a severity of 7, rendering the vehicle inop in extreme conditions. Like our buddy above was mentioning, if the vehicle decides to stop moving at the wrong time, you could have an 18 wheeler barreling toward you, which would be very bad.

8s, 9s, and 10s are reserved for things like ineffective brakes, control arms or other things that would either kill your steering or send you veering off violently when they break, and/or something that can cause a fire.

I totally agree with you though. I'd much rather have my dealer know more about a product than I do. Its never actually happened though haha. Most dealers (especially Nissan) know more about financing than they do about the actual vehicle though.

[Bubba1]

See, if someone overfilled the CVT, or screwed up the coolant mix, that's NOT the car's fault (or Nissan's). So let's focus more on solving your problem and less on freaking out.

Well it kind of is Nissan's fault for designing such a delicate and sensitive system that goes screwy when the littlest thing is off by just a tiny amount. At a minimum, they should be educating all the dealer service advisers about the TSBs that are already out and issuing more. They educate their sales people on how many 12V power plugs are in each trim of each model vehicle. They can also educate their service people on how to properly lubricate and cool the second most important part of the vehicle's drivetrain.

This would not require a recall, but merely bringing it to everybody's attention makes Nissan look bad, so they don't. They'd rather deal with individual cases of irate customers and try to keep the masses as ignorant as possible.

Toyota survived the unintended acceleration scandal and is doing extremely well for itself. There's no reason Nissan can't admit their early CVTs are sensitive, aren't configured to a proper cooling system, FIX THE PROBLEM AT THE R&D LEVEL, and make better cars from this point forward while finding a way to ease the difficulty that people are facing when they bring a whining CVT to a dealer who tells them it's perfectly normal. I guess some bean counter helped them decide their bottom line would be better off doing the former.

Yes and no. Here's the thing, Nissan actually DID address the reported CVT problems at the R&D level. In fact, they are so confident they fixed those problems, they dropped the extended warranty on the newer CVT Rogues. I personally think they should have kept the warranty extension in place as a show of confidence, but it's their choice. I'm sure there are many car buyers like me that want to see solid proof that those CVT's can go trouble-free (as long as non-CVT trannies) before buying one, but again, it's Nissan's choice. And to be fair, the jury is still out on whether Nissan was successful fixing it.

Good luck.

[WDRacing]

Just from an in general mechanics stand point, changing your trans fluid regardless of type at 30,000 miles will ensure a long life. But make sure the filters are changed at the same time the fluid is. A simple fluid exchange is only part of the work required.

I imagine CVT owners that ignore basic maintenance for the trans are going to have many more issues than those that have spent a little extra coin to take of things properly.