Hi! I just joined the forum. I recently bought a 2009 Versa SL with 27K miles on it. It was a "need it now" kind of situation so I didn't have the opportunity to do much research. Generally speaking, I like the car. It's roomy and fun to drive. However, there is an issue with the automatic transmission that is bugging me. When I go to accelerate either uphill or merging on to the highway, the transmission revs really high, doesn't seem to shift and I have to tap the gas pedal to get the RPMs down. It just doesn't seem right. I have a service appointment for tomorrow, but wonder if any of you Nissan Gurus might have an opinion.

Thanks for your help!

This might be a stupid reply (in which case I apologize in advance) but doesn't that sound like the normal behavior of a CVT, with the exception of tapping the gas pedal? I belive the SL came standard with CVT.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! I brought my Versa to the dealership last night and took the service manager for a ride. He agreed that it's a little late in shifting gears. I'll let you know the final result.

Hopefully your issue is covered by the extended tranny warranty. I have a new Note, but from reading a ton of old posts about the CVT, I can say many people have not changed their fluid frequently enough. It's my belief the transmission does not tolerate old worn fluid well. I intend to flush mine way sooner than Nissan recommends. Possibly around 30-40k miles.

barbdi wrote:Thanks for taking the time to reply! I brought my Versa to the dealership last night and took the service manager for a ride. He agreed that it's a little late in shifting gears. I'll let you know the final result.

What do you mean by "late in shifting gears"? The CVT doesn't have gears. With a CVT and a small engine, when you hit the gas, the revs jump and sit there until the car starts picking up speed. Only then will the engine revs slowly drop. This sounds like normal CVT operation. Remember, CVTs don't have distinguishable gears like a normal automatic transmission.