Nissan was one of the first car manufacturers that started employing CVT transmissions in their vehicles. And, unlike other companies, Nissan decided to use this transmission in almost every model in their lineup from the get-go, from smaller economy cars to larger sedans and crossovers. Unfortunately, during the years, Nissan CVTs collected a lot of bad rep, especially when it comes to reliability. High maintenance and repair costs became so much of a problem that a class action lawsuit was created regarding the Nissan CVT transmission warranty program.
If you landed on this page, we can safely assume that you are either currently looking at the market, shopping for a Nissan vehicle equipped with a CVT transmission. Or maybe you already own one on which the transmission started to behave erratically and you are now wondering what you can do about it? To help you with that, we've created this article covering everything you need to know about the Nissan CVT transmission warranty, the different lawsuit settlements, what they mean for you, and what you need to do to get as much money back as possible.
How Does a Nissan Car with a CVT Drive?
First and foremost, it's important to mention that many Nissan owners are perfectly happy with their CVTs. For standard, day to day driving, the CVT transmission allows for much smoother operation and also significantly increase the vehicle's fuel efficiency. For the driver, it feels like there are no gear changes at all – just smooth acceleration.
CVTs drive differently to regular automatic transmissions. In standard automatics, the gearbox does the job of changing the gears for you, and you can certainly feel that. The revolutions of the engine rise in each gear and fall once the transmission changes into another gear.
With CVTs, it is completely different. Here, the transmission continuously changes the gear ratio and keeps the engine at constant RPMs. Therefore, when you accelerate with a Nissan CVT car, the engine will stay at a certain RPM, while the CVT will continuously change the ratio. In some ways, it feels like driving an electric car with no gearing at all.
Driving a car with a CVT transmission doesn't feel the same as driving a conventional vehicle. This may very well be partly responsible for Nissan CVT transmissions' bad reputation. Most drivers simply don’t like the way a CVT operates. During hard acceleration, the transmission keeps the engine at very high rpm, which causes noise to be heard in the cabin. To counter these issues, Nissan introduced predetermined “gears” into their CVTs. That way, modern Nissan CVTs drive and feel almost like regular automatic transmissions.
Why Does Nissan Even Use CVTs?
Nissan first opted for a CVT transmission in the Nissan Murano in 2002. The company did that to improve the fuel economy of the crossover and lower the emissions. The CVT transmission always keeps the engine at its most efficient revolutions – there is an infinite number of ratios.
To make a regular automatic as efficient as a CVT, you’ll need from eight to ten gear ratios. This not only adds to the cost but also adds weight and complexity. With a CVT, you get infinite ratios and cheap and simple construction.
Are Nissan CVTs Reliable?
At first glance, this sure seemed like a good idea. After all, everyone should agree that better fuel efficiency is a good thing. However, saving money on fuel is only worth it if you don't have to reinvest the money saved in even more expensive transmission repairs
Unfortunately, not all customers' complaints were unsubstantiated. Many CVT transmission used on Nissan vehicles, especially the first models, frequently ran into problems. At first, it wasn't so much of a problem since the vehicle was under warranty. Yes, it was a bummer for the owners to find themselves stranded on the side of the road with a slipping transmission but they could just call a tow truck and the manufacturer would cover the total cost of repairs.
The Crux of the Problem
As the cars aged, faulty transmission components became really problematic. The Nissan powertrain warranty was only good for the first 5 years or 60,000 miles. Just imagine having to replace the transmission in your car after only 5 years. What was even worst was that the problems usually started well before the end of the warranty. The dealer would then replace parts and put the car back on the road free of charge but it wasn't uncommon for the recently replaced part to become faulty after only a couple of months.
Owners were complaining that the various problems originated way before the end of the warranty and that the dealer had only temporarily fixed the problem, or in other words, fixed it so that it only lasts until the end of the warranty.
Since it's safe to say that the first Nissan vehicles with CVTs had a myriad of issues, which we will discuss in more detail below, it should be noted that the company made big improvements to its transmissions in recent years. Recent models are definitely more reliable nowadays.
The Main Drawback to CVTs
The biggest issue with Nissan CVTs is that once they break down, it’s very hard to repair them. Usually, when a CVT comes to a halt, it’s almost impossible to open it and replace the internal parts like in regular automatics. That’s because Nissan CVTs don’t have gears. Instead, they have two pulleys and a belt or a chain. Once the chain breaks, it usually wreaks havoc inside the transmission and damages various other parts.
Furthermore, since CVT are so different than other types of transmission, only a handful of mechanics can actually repair them. While removing a CVT transmission and replacing it with a new or refurbished one is pretty much the same as replacing a manual or automatic tranny, replacing internal components is a totally different story.
To most mechanics, CVT transmissions weren't even invented when they passed their certification. Moreover, unless a mechanic works for a dealer using CVTs on their vehicle, it's very unlikely they'll regularly work on CVT-equipped vehicles. For this reason, and especially if the vehicle is not under warranty anymore, once the transmission becomes faulty, the owner will probably have to bring his car to a specialized auto repair shop to have it repaired.
Common Nissan CVT Transmission Problems
So, what does this all mean for potential Nissan CVT transmission owners or buyers? To answer that question, let’s discuss common potential issues with this transmission, what they mean for you, and how you can mitigate them.
Early Nissan CVT cars had a lot of transmission issues. Most often, CVTs only had smaller problems, but there were numerous cases where the transmissions were completely destroyed. Nonetheless, as explained above, even small problems on CVT transmission often require extensive work to be done.
These issues mostly relate to:
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- Versa Note
- 2nd gen Versa;
- 7th gen Sentra;
- 4th and 5th gen Altima;
- 2nd gen Rogue;
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- 4th gen Pathfinder;
- 1st gen Juke
- 1st gen Murano;
- some Infiniti QX60/JX35.
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The most common CVT-related issues found on Nissan vehicles are:
- Loss of power and reduced performance;
- The transmission judders and stutters when accelerating from a standstill;
- Overheating;
- Transmission fluid and coolant leaks;
- The transmission can “slip” and change ratio too early;
- In rare cases, the Nissan CVT transmission can completely shut down without any warning.
Now, with that being said, you can still mitigate some of these issues with proper maintenance. Nissan CVT transmission requires regular fluid changes to keep the internal parts clean from debris. Also, CVTs don’t use regular transmission oil – you will need a specialized one. Keeping your transmission well-maintained is always key to keep it in good working order as long as possible, especially with trannies well-known for their reliability problems.
Nissan CVT Transmission-related Lawsuits
Since so many car owners ran into CVT problems, especially so soon in the vehicle's life, it didn't take too long for Nissan car owners to regroup and file class-action lawsuits against the manufacturer. Multiple lawsuits were filed for different car models but the most frequent claims regarded overheating and stuttering problems. Furthermore, based on internal communications from high-ranked personnel working for Nissan, the Batista vs. Nissan North America, Inc. lawsuit accused the Japanese manufacturer of knowingly installing defective CVT transmission without warning consumers.
Some of the lawsuits have already been settled while the outcome of others is still pending. However, if you own a Nissan equipped with a CVT transmission, you may very well be eligible for reimbursement, an extended warranty, or even a 1,000$ voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle.
In all cases, we strongly recommend you research it a little and see if you are eligible. So many lawsuits were filed that it's almost impossible to list them all but here's a couple of them to get you started:
1. Patricia Weckwerth VS. Nissan North America, Inc.
Case Summary
The complaints alleged that 2013-2017 Nissan Sentra, 2014-2017 Nissan Versa Note, and 2012-2017 Nissan Versa vehicles have defective CVTs that can suffer poor performance or failure. The counts included breaches of warranties and violations of consumer protection laws.
Eligibility
- 2013-2017 Nissan Sentra;
- 2014-2017 Nissan Versa Note;
- 2012-2017 Nissan Versa vehicle equipped with a CVT.
Settlement
- Extension of the limited warranty;
- Reimbursement of qualified repairs;
- Voucher towards lease or purchase of a new vehicle;
- Expedited resolution program through the BBB if you claim Nissan breaches the warranty extension.
Settlement Website: Patricia Weckwerth, et. al. VS. Nissan North America, Inc. Settlement Website
2. Waldo Leyva VS. Nissan North America, Inc.
Case Summary
The complaints alleged that the manufacturer failed to disclose that some of its Nissan Sentra vehicles contain a defect that can cause premature transmission failure. According to the lawsuit, the CVT’s cooling system is designed in such a way that it makes the transmission unreasonably sensitive to heat and prone to overheating. Furthermore, the manufacturer would have also failed to disclose to consumers that the Nissan Sentra vehicles were equipped with a cooling system that is too small to effectively cool the transmission.
Eligibility
- 2012 to 2017 Nissan Sentra.
Settlement
- Dismissed. The plaintiff joined a similar case, Falk, et al. v. Nissan North America Inc.
3. Batista VS. Nissan North America, Inc.
Case Summary
Nissan installed CVT transmissions with known defects without warning consumers.
Eligibility
- 2013 and 2014 Nissan Pathfinder;
- Infiniti QX60/JX35.
Settlement
- Extended the warranty on the vehicle for 24 months or 24,000 miles more;
- Gave affected owners a transmission software update.
Settlement Website: Batista v. Nissan North America, Inc. Settlement Website
4. Christopher Gann VS. Nissan North America, Inc.
Case Summary
The complaint claimed that CVTs are defective and can experience poor performance or failure.
Eligibility
- 2013-2016 Altima
Settlement
- Warranty extension of 24 months or 24,000 miles for transmission assembly and Transmission Control Unit;
- Reimbursement for the repair of transmission assembly or TCU;
- $1,000 voucher for a new Nissan or Infiniti vehicle.
Settlement Website: Christopher Gann, et al. v. Nissan North America, Inc. Settlement Website
Nissan Warranty Program and CVT Extensions
Following the many lawsuits filed against it, the manufacturer had no choice but to extend the factory warranty. In fact, and even though they never acknowledged any wrongdoings fr0om their part, Nissan extended the warranty of its transmissions even more than the minimum required by the settlements, mostly to convince buyers of its reliability and gain back the consumers' confidence.
Nissan’s CVT use certainly hit a bumpy road a few times, especially in earlier generations. However, the Japanese manufacturer tried to make things right by extending the Nissan CVT transmission warranty on those models. Consequently, Nissan's warranty is now one of the best on the market.
Originally, the company offered a 5-year / 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. However, many first-gen Nissan CVTs started showing issues shortly after the end of the warranty's coverage period, which certainly caught a nerve with owners. Some owners needed to replace the whole unit, which often cost over $4,000.
Fortunately, following the lawsuits settlements, Nissan doubled the CVT transmission warranty in 2003-2010 CVT-equipped models. Now, these models come with a 10-year / 120,000-mile extended warranty on the CVT transmission. The same warranty also applies to newer models too.
Now What?
Will all that being said, what should you do if your Nissan vehicle suffers from CVT-related problems. Well, as with most other mechanical issues, the first thing to do is to visit a trustworthy repair shop. However, in this specific case, we strongly recommend going to the nearest dealer right away. Since many CVT transmission problems are already covered by lawsuit settlements, the dealer is often the best suited to advise.
If your warranty expired and Nissan chooses not to extend it, your best option may be to file a lawsuit. Several lawsuits have been filed against Nissan in recent years and many resulted in favorable outcomes for vehicle owners. When in doubt, contact a qualified lawyer for more information about how to receive compensation for your specific car model.