# CVT Replacement?



## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

The CVT in our 08 Sentra with 35K has always had a bit of a whine which I thought was normal. Recently after 10 - 15 minutes at highway speeds it has started making an extremely loud whine.
The dealer performed a diagnosis and determined that it should be replaced.

Has anyone had one replaced and how is it working out?

Are the replacements new or rebuilds? Somehow it seems that a noisy new is usually better than a rebuilt.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The Nissan units are remanufactured and typically are as good as a new unit. Nissan CVT's are warranted for 10 years and 120,000 miles (whichever comes first) on 2003-2010 models and covers towing, FYI.


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## peterhdk (Jun 29, 2011)

The CVT in our 2007 Sentra went out at about the same mileage a couple years ago. It started with a whining noise on the highway. I was told by the dealer tech that the wrong fluid was in the transmission from the factory -- have no idea if this is accurate or not. 

Replaced with remanufactured one, that as stated above, has a 10 year 120,000 mile warranty. Seems to be holding up.


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

I had not heard the wrong fluid story yet. Ours was perfectly clean green. As problematic as these things are, I was surprised to hear they are using rebuilds.

How many miles do you have on your rebuild?

Much like a Hybrid, I certainly would not want to drive a CVT that was not covered by warranty.

Thanks


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## peterhdk (Jun 29, 2011)

I believe we've got 20K on this one. I attempted to get a new one, but was told they absolutely woudn't do it, and would only install a rebuild. 

Hopefully it holds up, or if it doesn't, they will honor the warranty without trouble. Unfortunately, I have my doubts.


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

I picked it up today and drove 120 miles to Phoenix. It shifted nice and there was no whine. I had just assumed that some whine was normal for these things. I just wonder if they have isolated and corrected the design flaw or if they just plan to keep throwing transmissions at it. I did not know that the replacement interval for transmission fluid included the transmission.


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## mikec (Oct 16, 2003)

Wow!!! This is not good. Is there a recall or TSB for the CVT?


Mike


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

mikec said:


> Wow!!! This is not good. Is there a recall or TSB for the CVT?
> 
> 
> Mike


There probably should have been a recall. There are CVT problems posted in every vehicle forum where they are used. Not sure if a recall or TSB would be of any value if Nissan has not solved the problem. Their only answer appears to be doubling the warranty and throwing transmissions at it. The dealer here said that a LOT of them fail in the mountains between AZ and CA in the summer.
The question is why do they keep selling them if they are so unreliable?


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## cartersworld3 (Jan 26, 2013)

Bought my Nissan Versa new in 2007, now has 165,000. Replaced my transmission at 63,000, 109,000 and now needs another one. Yes that is 3 transmissions. Nissan refuses to replace or cover any of the cost, ZERO help. They extended their warranty on All CVT transmission from 60k to 120k because they had so many issues. WTF!!!!!!!! Now what?? $2400 used or $3500 new??? The car is very unsafe to drive and unreliable. NEVER BUY NISSAN especially if it has a CVT transmission. NISSAN has NO integrity and their transmission is horrible!


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

Our 2008 Sentra SL now has 95000 miles on it and is on its third CVT. We are in Arizona and they always fail in the summer. 30 to 35,000 appears to be the life expectancy in hot climates. This weekend we took it from Tucson to Phoenix (about 120 miles). Just like the last two that failed it was screeching very loudly. It did not go into fail safe but neither did the previous two. Around town it is not too loud yet.
We took it to Jim Click Nissan and they wanted $95 to "diagnose" the problem. I have not seen this BS game before. All you have to do is drive it on the freeway for a while. 
Suggestions?
Thanks


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Nissan CVT Warranty Extension

As the above link states, your CVT warranty period is 10-yrs/120,000 miles, which means your CVT should be covered. It's not uncommon for dealers to charge a 1-hour diagnostic charge, however, you should not be charged if the diagnosis deems that the CVT is covered under warranty. If it were me, I'd get them to repair or replace the CVT under warranty and then trade it in or sell it and get another vehicle without a CVT transmission, or, at least a Nissan CVT transmission.


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

Thanks for the response.

I am going to try another dealer. My daughter really cannot afford $100 to be told there is nothing wrong with it.

It screeched and whined all the way to Phoenix but no fail safe or dash lights.

Yes, it has to go before 120,000 miles. We had an 01 Altima that was rock solid but after this fiasco it will be our last Nissan.

I know Honda started using CVT's but I am not sure if they are holding up any better. It could just be an overall flawed design that fails every 30,000. Rotary?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The CVT is a good design but some other better than others. Subaru uses them and they work very well. As technology gets better, the CVT's are gradually getting better. They seem to work better in smaller cars than in heavier vehicles. I guess well have to wait and see if the auto industry can make them into units as reliable as modern, conventional automatic transmissions. The same goes for automated manual transmissions, that use gears like a manual transmission but they shift automatically. I had one in a Ford Focus that took a little getting used to. The big issue was that it would tend to "clunk" at low speed shifts, but, at speed, you hardly could tell the difference between it and a conventional automatic tranny. As I drove it more, I realized this: if you think of it as a manual transmission operation, the "clunk" is actually pretty consistent with that you'll experience if you were to be shifting a manual transmission in the more convention style. It just seems odd to experience a manual transmission type "clunk" when shifting in a transmission that shifts automatically. Perhaps it's just nature of the beast, but, maybe they'll get them a little smoother in time.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Seems to me that there are a few specific situations that are known to affect the life of a nissan cvt-- Hot climate, multi hour drives, mountainous regions, towing. Consequently I suspect that some areas have much higher failure rates than others. As a good number of early models with cvts are now at the end of warranty extensions, I am curious what kind of replacement warranty is provided with a replacement, and is that sufficient to encourage someone to have it repaired vs scrapping it? I am sure the used market value of some mid 2000 models with cvt is now less than the cost of a newly installed cvt and quite possible less than even the cost of a rebuilt. How are the economics of repair justified?


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## armf (Oct 20, 2017)

Just had my 2013 Sentra CVT fail at 119k miles. No warning, no check engine light ever was triggered... just blew out going roughly 70mph, lots of high/low RPMs, lots of whining, belt slippage. I took pristine care of this vehicle and paid to have the CVT flushed at 50k and 100k as it is my work car. I was 4 hours from home, no nearby dealer would do anything, even offer a low cost loaner while they looked at it. Whoever you talk to by calling Nissan's 1800 said tough luck, replace it for 4k or get rid of the car. Best of all if you replace the CVT at the Nissan dealer, they will only warrant the new one for 1 year or 10k miles... they don't even trust them! 

But don't worry, after the 2010 extended warranty ended they are not supporting any of the newer models because they "fixed all the issues" and they are "very reliable". There is already a class action lawsuit started in NJ for these newer transmissions, hopefully it gains momentum and they extend that extra warranty to the rest of us. Anything over 60k is playing with fire with any Nissan CVT.


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## LoveProfusion (Feb 27, 2019)

Same thing happened to me! my 2013 Sentra CVT went out at 103k! NO WARNING. I was on the highway, took it out of cruise control, then it wouldn't accelerate above 15-25mph. What did you end up doing? I just paid $3700 to get the new transmission. I hope that that wasn't a mistake!


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## martin23 (Apr 13, 2019)

Is there a recall or TSB for the CVT?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Sadly not for a 2013. There was a warranty extension on some earlier ones to 10 years 120,000 miles but that ended in 2010. Still worth complaining to Nissan HQ about as they might be willing to kick in some money towards a replacement.


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## AxleCry19 (Oct 15, 2019)

elgato said:


> There probably should have been a recall. There are CVT problems posted in every vehicle forum where they are used. Not sure if a recall or TSB would be of any value if Nissan has not solved the problem. Their only answer appears to be doubling the warranty and throwing transmissions at it. The dealer here said that a LOT of them fail in the mountains between AZ and CA in the summer.
> The question is why do they keep selling them if they are so unreliable?


My Juke Nismo Transmission failed yesterday traveling the mountains of Virginia. It was diagnosed 10 mins ago. My mileage was right at 119k with 3 years to spare on the 10 yr warranty they claim they have. Unknown for sure yet, waiting on a replacement price/ recall claim.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

AxleCry19 said:


> My Juke Nismo Transmission failed yesterday traveling the mountains of Virginia. It was diagnosed 10 mins ago. My mileage was right at 119k with 3 years to spare on the 10 yr warranty they claim they have. Unknown for sure yet, waiting on a replacement price/ recall claim.


The 10-year, extended CVT warranty covers 2003-2010 models. The Juke came out in 2011, so the CVT would only have a 5-year/60,000 mile warranty unless you purchased an extended warranty that covers you currently.









Nissan Vehicle Warranty Information | Nissan USA


Search for and download your Nissan vehicle's warranty information including CVT, powertrain, LEAF battery and Extended Protection Plans.




owners.nissanusa.com


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