ok guys, looks like the excitement of the maxima design is kinda wearing off.

from my internet readings, looks like the 2009+ has issues with the CVT tranny...issues such as the car not accellerating when pushing the gas pedal.

anyone care to shed some light on this ?

 

About one inch of gas pedal held there will have my car speeding in a hurry. I'm pretty certain you can find almost any issue on any car on the internet and it may lead to automobile issue hypochondria. If yours has symptoms, that's different but because someone, somewhere has experienced an issue probably does not make the issue universally relevant.

At random I chose BMW and transmission problems and a lot of hits came back. Then tried Toyota and transmissions...be glad you don't have one!!

 

I got a 2009 and it does not do what you describe nor have I ever heard anybody else describe what you say and as far as the design excitement wearing off I don't have a clue what your implying as this car looks damn sexy and unlike any other car out there!!!...where did you find this in your readings?The cvt operates as it should,smooth shift free driving and good fuel economy and when you step on it,it flies!!!

 

I love the CVT. Since it doesn't shift, it's the smoothest type of transmission a car could have. Like Mick7 said, it takes off in an instant since there's no need for the transmission to shift down a gear or two like a traditional transmission. And on top of that you get a 10 year warranty. What more could you ask for?

 

bbmaxi - Are you sure your internet readings are not on the TL board? The '09 Maxima arrived at dealers two and a third years ago (6-26-08), there have only been two serious CVT problems reported here during that long span of time, and both resulted in immediate free tranny replacements from Nissan.

We have no guarantee this fine CVT is not programmed to explode after exactly three years, but remember Nissan gave us a TEN YEAR WARRANTY on this CVT.

As Charlton Heston once said (with apologies to Norm Peterson), Nissan can have my CVT back when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.

 

No CVT problems with my '10.

 

ok guys, I guess the 10 year warranty is good enough for me

 

I have a 2010 Maxima and have noticed this issue after driving on the Interstate at about 85mph for a couple hours straight. I pulled off to get a quick bite to eat and after coming to a complete stop it is almost like the car didn't want to go anywhere. Once I got past 30mph or so everything was fine.

Weird...

 

take it in! u have warranty!

 

any check engine light ?

 

No check engine light and after a few days the problem seems to remedy itself. I'll take it in the next time it happens.

It only seems to happen after I've driven a long distance at high (~80mph) speeds.

 

With the warranty, have no worries enjoy your car..

 

May be the transmission overheating if the weather is hot. These need a bigger tranny cooler.

 

Is there any proof you have of this??? I have heard this before, just wanting some validation. Do you have any thermal models of this or are you just guessing. Not to sound rude, but I have heard this and its just guys talking. No facts.

 

I was wondering if it might be heat related as it does not occur when simply driving around the town...only when driving at higher speeds for long periods of time.

 

Edmunds.com testing the 2009 Maxima, if they have no credibility, fine.

The full review has been condensed and if it is available, I can't find it. They drove the Maxima hard and it went into limp mode which was later to be found to be caused by the CVT overheating. To me that sounds like it could use a better cooler.

 

I DEFIANTLY agree with you =)

i personally have been in that limp mode very often...it usually happens when having the car in D and just ripping it on a str8 away until it slows itself down, or if you do many rolls....

 

anybody get a whining sound from there cvt

 

Hmm yeah i hadn't read that. I will have to ask a family member who is an engineer for Nissan. Not saying that the cooler is undersized, just looking for some proof that it is.

 

I do hear a whining noise when my transmission is acting up and I am giving it gas.

If you hear anything from the engineer at Nissan please let us know. I have a call in to a buddy who is a port mod specialist at the Smyrna plant hoping he can make some calls to find out more information.

 

The cooler is perfectly sized for the use the car was designed for. But I would suspect it is probably undersized for extended aggressive driving or repeated track runs.

 

In my case, I would personally not consider 85mph on the Interstate for three hours to be out of the ordinary. Oh well...

 

I didn't mean to imply that you were pushing your car. When I said 'extended aggressive driving', I was meaning things like those drivers that like to take their car on winding mountain highways, and use maximum accelleration going from low speed to high speed and back between each curve.

You should be able to drive your Maxima on the interstate indefinitely at 85 MPH with no tranny problem. I have done that. I would even say you should be able to cruise at 95 for hours on end with no tranny problem.

I honestly feel there is something not quite right with your tranny. I will be interested in what your dealer says.

 

[quote=lightonthehill;7787015]I didn't mean to imply that you were pushing your car. When I said 'extended aggressive driving', I was meaning things like those drivers that like to take their car on winding mountain highways, and use maximum accelleration going from low speed to high speed and back between each curve.

I thought by "extended aggresive driving" you meant dealing with Atlanta traffic every day

 

[QUOTE=atlanta10;7787094]I did that for over thirty years, and still sometimes have nightmares about it. But rather than driving aggressively in Atlanta traffic, I usually found myself doing somewhere between standstill and 15 mph. It was after six years of driving my 5 speed manual Datsun 200SX to work, shifting gears around 800 times each morning, and the same each evening, that I finally gave up manual trannies for good and bought my first Maxima (with automatic). That was 26 years ago, and I have owned nothing but Maximas with automatic/CVT ever since.

The Maxima is a VERY comfortable commuting vehicle that is also very well suited to long freeway trips when on vacation or retired. We use our trucks for hauling cargo (we do a lot of that), off-road travel, and driving in dangerous neighborhoods, but always take the Maxima for everything else. I smile a lot when driving my Maxima.

 

That was actually with a 370 not the Max.

 

Weird I drove in the desert last summer (over 100 F) for 4 hours at 85-90 MPH and never had any issues what so ever. The summer before I did the same except I was going around 75-80 MPH. Drove my Max all summer long in the AZ heat with the A/C blasting, even took it on the Bondurant track one morning with a club and it never skipped a beat.

 

No update as of yet, but we're getting closer. My buddy who works at the Smyrna plant indicated that he will get in touch with one of the quality guys over the Maxima CVT that also happens to live in the area. I don't want to bug him, so I plan on giving him a call this Wednesday if I haven't heard anything by then.

 

I can't disagree since either I was mistaken or the original test has been condensed. My memory was that the premium was tested first and then they tried a sport package and found it only rode rougher and did not produce as good slalom and lateral numbers. I certainly can't provide a link so maybe it is faulty memory.

 

UPDATE

My contact at Nissan spoke to the CVT guy he knows. I just sent over my VIN to him and they're going to have a new transmission valve body sent to my local dealer. Once it has arrived I am to make an appointment.

 

67K miles on my '09...
VDC will never turn off, light is always on.
Brake light is always on.
CVT has been flawless, no issues yet, knock on wood. I need to do my 60K mile service still.
Engine and everything else has been flawless.

**EDIT: VDC & Brake light were on due to my worn down brakes. Replaced all brakes and lights went off.**

So that means everything so far is flawless, knock on wood.

 

Update as of 11/5/2010 11am Central

I just spoke with my dealership. Nissan sent to them an entire transmission for my car (not just the valve body), and I am scheduled for Monday morning (11/8) to have the transmission replaced.

The service tech I spoke with at the dealership said he's seen this problem on a few 09's and 10's and that they've replaced valve bodies only to have to replace the entire transmission weeks later due to the problem coming back.

I'll check back in on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week with an update. I have a long trip planned for next weekend so that will be a good test.

 

good thing the cvt is warrantied up to 150k miles

 

TIFWIW: They're supposedly going to release a TSB on this issue once enough parts are available.

 

isnt the CVT tranny one of the best tranny ever made? i dont know thats what i heard it got some kind of award

 

I would say the jury is still out based on my experience...my opinion only though.

 

yea but from all the cars I driven its the smothest ride I every had not like those other cars when its switching to 3rd it pulls back a little then go again

 

Easily the best tranny I have driven. I love this CVT. Thankfully, it has been a reliable tranny. We have had only a few CVT failures here on the ORG, and this 7th gen Maxima has been out 2 1/2 years now.

Of course, if I lived in an area where traffic actually moved, a manual tranny might still be a lot of fun to play with.

 

UPDATE

The transmission swap took place today and as far as I can tell all went well. I haven't had a chance yet to drive it very far or at high speeds but will this weekend and will then report back.

 

I don't have any problems at all with my CVT, I'm not sure where you getting this info from about people having trouble with the CVT.

And the excitement of the car's looks has not faded from my car, it still gives people whiplash whenever they see it.