newer Nissan's CVT's

[flinter]

Hi,

Are the current Nissan CVT's being used in the new Sentra and Altima much improved and more reliable that the older Jatco CVT transmissions that were so problematic in the past? I have 2 friends with 2021 Sentras and they love their cars, so far.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I hope they are maintaining those CVTs to the exact or better than maintenance schedule recommended by Nissan.

 

[JavierH19]

They're alright as long as you maintain them religiously. They blacken oil way quicker than regular geared automatics. There's a lot of friction with metal belts.

 

[Zee09]

In 2021 models I noticed they got quieter for sure.
In a Rogue from the hatch area, I couldn't even hear the trans whine like before.

 

[SeaJay]

Like any mechanical object, the technology can and often does improve over time.

 

[zzyzzx]

According to this video (at around the 4:00 mark) he is seeing transmission issues with everything:


He also points out that the poor quality from vehicles built during parts shortage era probably won't be apparent for a few more years.

 

[zzyzzx]

Are the current Nissan CVT's being used in the new Sentra and Altima much improved and more reliable that the older Jatco CVT transmissions that were so problematic in the past?

Probably. But even if they were better, would you trust Nissan at this point? I mean the only reason anybody is even asking this question is because you (generally speaking) find cars on the Nissan lots, but not on the Toyota and Honda dealer's lots.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

According to Autoline daily, Nissan is only making money in the North American market.

 

[zzyzzx]

 

[Insertcoolname]

the 3rd generation nissan CVT started 2020.
i have the versa... and the cvt is TINY....
the power band available is insane...torque at any speed, the problem is, its constantly trying to downshift instead of idle coasting . as soon as you take your foot off the gas its like somebody pulled the plug somewhere. lol on the highway its great till you get some strong wind. mine once shot up to 5K RPMs, cruise control on at 70 mph , on flat ground ... and STAYED there over 3 minutes. it just did not seem good when i could maintain same speed manually at 2200 RPMs.

the manual states change CVT fluid every 5 years or 60K miles, which is also the cutoff for the CVT warranty .



eh...

on a positive note, it appears swapping the CVT for another unit looks easier than previous models... lol

 

[zzyzzx]

Obligatory:

 

[SC Maintenance]

How much does it cost to change a CVT, and is it any easier than a regular automatic in a transverse application?

Modern transmissions of all kinds seem to have all kinds of problems. CVT's are at the top of the list, and Nissan is at the top of that list, but there have been problems with other makes also. At the end of the day its a belt, and belts wear out.

So the only reason I can see to buy a CVT is its much easier to fix in the future? Otherwise its only benefit is to the OEM.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The transmission had its warranty extended to 84 months /84k miles on our 2019 Sentra. Just got the notice in the mail. I used to hate these things and wouldn't trust them. Things happened and now I'm daily driving one. The gas mileage is ridiculous. I can easily get hand calculated high 40s for MPG. I couldn't even hypermile my 5 speed Focus that much.

Before we bought this off lease I did a LOT of research on what causes them to fail and if there is a way to avoid it. Seems that anyone who has 150k+ miles on a Nissan CVT has changed the fluid every 15-20K miles.

If you change the fluid and filters regularly, the transmission will last. I just did our 2019 with NS3 fluid. Will do one more and change the filters then leave it alone until 40K miles or so.

 

[Passport1]

One of my vehicles has a JATCO cvt and it is a constant worry. Change the fluid every 20K miles and drive it with caution but that might not be enough. I compare it to having a genetic link to cardiac issues and doing everything right, diet, exercise, stress avoidance but still wondering if that is enough. I liken it to Jim Fixx, the famous runner who died suddenly from a coronary event at ~age 50.

 

[supton]

How much does it cost to change a CVT, and is it any easier than a regular automatic in a transverse application?

No idea, but I have wondered, if R&R dropped down to what a clutch job costs, and takes just as long, and lasted about as long... would it be that bad? nothing lasts forever.

mine once shot up to 5K RPMs, cruise control on at 70 mph , on flat ground ... and STAYED there over 3 minutes. it just did not seem good when i could maintain same speed manually at 2200 RPMs.

Weird... Some programming fluke for sure.

Although one wonders. I've heard of tricks like using high EGR flow rate so as to allow the throttle valve to open more, so as to reduce pumping losses. Is it possible something similar here is happening? Internal friction no doubt doubled here, so this seems like a complete fail--but then again, without seeing a BSFC chart, I wonder if some of the oddball things are actually intentional. High RPM, high throttle opening but little airflow through the engine (by playing with cam timing) = better mpg than low rpm operating? No it doesn't make sense to me, but is it possible?

One last thought: you sure it was flat ground? There's been a few times where I've been fooled by fake flats. On a bicycle you know for sure when the ground pitches upward, even when it doesn't look like it. Headwinds can be nasty too.

 

[chris719]

They are still trash I think. Had a 22 Rogue rental car with CVT and it was already slipping at 48k miles.

 

[cptbarkey]

Nissan is on my permanent s**t list when it comes to second hand buying. The only exceptions are first gen Titans, Frontiers and Xterras.

 

[Insertcoolname]

@supton the elevation change was about +50 feet over 120 Miles... so i was climbing REALLY slow on the TX coast.

im just sad how easy it is to 'confuse' the auto.

 

[k1xv]

My lady friend bought Nissan-Infiniti cars since 1992. Last year, she wanted a CPO Infiniti. But it came with a CVT. I advised her that its time to look at a Lexus, with a torque converter 8 speed and a V6. She did.

She always listens to me for car advice. She is very intelligent that way.

 

[fisher83]

I think Nissan makes great trucks but I'm much less confident in their cars made in the last 15 years or so. That being said, I don't think CVT's in general are inherently bad. Very few people seem to do preventative maintenance regardless of transmission type so I'm sure that doesn't help with longevity.