My car started to act funny a few weeks ago. I was feeling slight vibration in the peddal at all speeds and the transmission was feeling like it was stuck in a lower gear. almost like when you go from D to Ds, but it also seemed to have lost power and my fuel mileage sucked big time.
Well I took it to the dealer to check it out and they turned around and told me that I need a new transmision which they will replace under warranty. I only have 13k miles on the car and it is a 2010 SV.

I didnt feel any slipping but this could be due to it being CVT vs regular transmission. I am still driving it since my appointment for changing the trasnmision is not untill Monday but they told me it was ok to drive it.

Anyone else had or heard of CVT tranmission going bad on the 7th gen? I am starting to get worried about this CVT. Typically maximas last along time and you can pack several hundred thousand miles on them but I am not so sure about this current generation. should i be worried?

 

First failure I've heard on a 7th Gen Maxima.

 

As far as i'm aware this is the first 7th gen CVT failure that i've heard of. Unfortunately it seems you're the unlucky one that got a funky one. Sorry to hear that, but at least your dealership is taking care of you.

 

the dealership was very friendly and hassle free. It did not take them long to diagnose the problem. My only issue was they could not provide any information regarding what may have gone wrong with my CVT.

 

dealers love those cvt jobs, make lotsa money on that since it's covered under warranty.

 

This is the first I've heard of anyone's CVT failing in either the 6th or 7th Gen Maxima, it could more than likely have been a manufacturing issue when it was being built something must have been amissed when putting it together.

It sounds highly illogical that only 13K miles of driving would do that to your car, I have over 50K and haven't had any issues with my car, thank God for that.

I wish you the best with you car but just take it easy for the next 3 weeks or so until things feel really normal for you driving it.

 

The CVT on my 2010 had to be replaced; I know of at least one other failure so that makes three.

See my posts in this thread for more information: http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...cvt-issue.html

 

yea it happens, most CVT's cant be serviced (Parts breakdown for service unavailable) only replaced.

 

reason why i wont be buying another maxima, further shown

 

just turned 75,000 miles this morning, my cvt been running fine, sounds like more 10's have major issues than the 09'.

 

Yea anything man made has problems even whatever you have purchased.

I have a 07 Jeep Patriot with approaching 200k, CVT is still running great

 

you fail to see what i'm saying. go scour the 4th, 5th and 6th gen subforums, then you'll realize why i'm saying i'll never buy another maxima because of the transmission related failures that they have yet to fix

 

no CVT issues and i have 73,000 miles with MANY MODS im def pushing 320hp to the crank @ the least. I dont drive normal either.

 

what did your mileage drop to when it started going bad? curious what the warning signs were so others can be aware

 

I am truly sorry some folks are not getting good dealer service. But thankfully, tranny problems with Nissan products are very infrequent.

The latest issue of Consumer Reports (April 2011) is the annual auto issue, and if we check the Maxima 'Transmission Major Problem' and 'Transmission Minor Problem' categories there, we find all Maximas of the last five years have orange ***** (highest possible rating) in both categories for all five years.

I have owned nothing but Maximas since October of 1984 (including at least one in each generation), have put around a million miles on Maximas during that time, and have NEVER had the first whisper of a tranny problem.

The only three CVT tranny problems we have had posted on this board since the 7th gen Maxima came out in June of 2008 (almost THREE YEARS ago) all resulted in immediate free replacement trannies from Nissan with no questions asked.

When I think back to the unending tranny problems I had with American vehicles from 1949 until discovering Datsun/Nissan 1978, I am so thankful I found Datsun/Nissan.

If you REALLY want to know about lousy tranny reliability, talk to my son about his Acura TL problems, and Honda Corp's 'solutions.'

The CVT in the 2010 Maxima has a TEN YEAR, 120,000 MILE warranty. I'll take that and run any day.

 

109,125 miles so far on my 09 and not a hint of issue. Standard Service at around the 30-60-90 (fluid change)

 

There had to have been a good reason why Nissan opted to raise their warranty from 60,000miles/5 years to double it right?

When I picked mine up in September 2010, this was something I had asked my salesman as far as the current reliability of CVTs and, at least for North Plainfield Nissan, it's uncommon.

Sorry for the issue that you have though I would like to know what may have caused it.

 

When I bought my 2010, the dealer gave out a free lifetime powertrain warranty. Not something one offers if there has been a history of problems.

 

Being new to the CVT myself, is it normal that the rpm will drop from 1100 to 900ish just before coming to a stop, and you feel the breaking become light, and need to apply the break a bit more for a split second? Enough to notice a difference in breaking pressure at least. Is this the effect of the EBD system? (no passengers or trunk weight)

Also this^^^....because I've been keeping an eye on my mpg.

 

He is correct on one thing that their is alot of guys having transmission failures with the 5spd auto in 6th gens primarily 04's and 05's but some 06's are starting to trickle in as well. Few things in the April issue of Consumer Reports they now only give the 09 an average reliability (what power equipment and body hardware in the 09 have been known issues to get it below avg?) as well as the 10, the only one listed above average is the 08..... Also the list Max as Upscale in the ratings and in safety as a "family" car, come on guys edit and catergorize consistenly....lol.

http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...lawsuit-6.html

Also in past years including last year they had several years of the Max listed as a great used car buy, this year only the 08.....They go back as far as 01 and now have one of the Maximas competitors from 01 listed the TL but no 01 Max...etc etc. We all know that the TL had a high transmission failure rate those years and they had it black in previous issues.....

 

I have a vibration between 20 and 40 and low acceleration. It also has a low speed rumble. The vibration can be felt in both front seats, the steering wheel, and the center console including the gear shift. Any suggestions?

 

i'd rather take the TL. i know with teh 3.2 TL acura has remedied the situation and given, to those who have gotten them from the dealer a good fix for the transmission with no more problems. nissan hasnt limited a finger. you speak as a nissan rep, if you are if you arent

all i see on these forums are transmission complaints and i wouldnt dare tell anyone i know, after what ive dealt with and i see whats going on on these boards to get a maxima, period. yes the engines are ok, but i'd never buy another maxima, period

 

Maybe:

NTB09-138
2009–2010 NISSAN MAXIMA; BOOMING NOISE OR VIBRATION
There is a booming noise and/or vibration when all of the following conditions are present:
• Speed between 20 and 45 mph
and
• Transmission is in “lock-up”
and
• Engine RPM between 1200 and 1500
and

Bring it in and have the TSB done. NTB09-138

 

There is a simple solution to every problem. Just sell your Max and buy a TL. That way two people will be happy, the person that buys your Max and you so you can buy a TL. If you don't like your car, don't live with it because it will drive you crazy. I know, I bought a Chrysler product once.

 

About 9000 miles on my '09.

You guys are scaring me. I hope I don't run into problems with my CVT!

 

No issues on my 10>> Turbine smooth and no TSB work done either

 

Nothing in this world is for sure, but if I were you, I wouldn't have the slightest concern.

With over 150,000 CVT-driven 7th generation Maximas on the road, and only 3 CVT failures (all fixed by Nissan without question) reported here, I would be very surprised if you had major CVT problems or any trouble getting a new CVT if necessary.

Drivers reporting to Consumer Reports have reported so few Maxima CVT problems that CU gives our Maxima CVTs the highest possible reliability rating. Also, Nissan warrantees your '09 CVT for 10 years or 120,000 miles. Try getting that warranty standard on an Acura or Lexus.

pfatboislim is either posting about trannies from over six years ago, or of isolated incidents, as CU gives Maxima trannies of the last five years their highest reliability rating. I have owned nothing but Maximas since Oct 1984, was driving Nissan/Datsuns before that, and have never had a whisper of tranny trouble in all those years.

To respond to pfatboislim's question, I am not, nor have I ever been affiliated with the Nissan Corp or any Nissan dealer in any way. I base my judgement of the Maxima on comparing my experiences with my son's Honda/Acura experiences (he has a TL, but now despises Honda/Acura), my daughter's Toyota experiences, and other neighbors and relatives experiences with various auto brands.

Granted, the 'perfection' of my Maximas can somewhat be attributed to two factors: although I am a 'spirited' driver, I NEVER abuse my car, and I have all recommended maintenance done and check everything on my car regularly.

I will never own anything but Maximas until I either see a car I like better for a better price, or find Nissan or their products or service unsatisfactory.

Again, I suggest you have nothing to worry about with the CVT in your '09 Maxima.

 

I am not at all associated with Nissan either and for the first time in 26 years of driving purchased a Nissan (07 Altima 3.5SL) then upgraded to the Maxima after putting 72k miles on the Altima in three years.
I drive my cars hard. The Altima was wrung out many a times and not EVER did I have a CVT issue other than having to change the fluid. The Maxima is also flawless and I love the CVT and starting to enjoy the sport mode (without shifting using the stick or paddles) quite a bit.

I can and will knock Nissan for the quality of paint and the God awful tires they put on my Max but that is it. The tranny is solid.

I would assume some people have had issues and that is why they extended the warranty but for the most part the CVT is proven to work well. Its was in the Murano before the Altima added it and many people have put a ton of miles on them.

 

Glad you mentioned the paint and tires.

As my Maxima is garaged unless I am driving it or am out of town, I have had no paint issues. But I have seen folks here on the ORG, especially those with Maximas that are not garaged, mention the paint. Some have even said the paint is 'soft', hence vulnerable to any road trash, etc. That is not good.

Many here are not pleased with the Goodyear RS-As. I was not totally pleased with the RS-As on my '04 Maxima SL either, so replaced them with Contis, and then the car rode like a champ.

But the RS-As on my '09 seem better, and have given no trouble the first 20K miles. In fact, I have only had them rotated and balanced once (I only do this every 15K), and have never had the slightest bounce, wobble or anything but a smooth ride. I may keep them another 20K or more if they continue to perform well. At some point, I will put on Conti Extreme Contact DWS tires.

Nissan might be wise to consider switching the OEM shoes to a slightly better tire. After all, the Maxima is now supposed to be 'near-luxury.'

 

This is the first incident I have heard about the CVT failure. However, I may have my transmission checked because I did feel a slight vibration when I pressed the gas and it felt as though it didnt want to move like it normally would. Im hoping it was just one of those days I was over thinking the situation.

 

They likely won't even tear it down. I'd put money on them sending directly to Nissan engineering for diagnosis as they'll want to know what happened to it the most.

 

Wow that's a real scary story, good luck with everything.

 

This shouldn't scare you. Your CVT is covered up to 120,000 miles. So you have a ways to go. Just because people have a problem here, which seems to be very very isolated doesn't mean everybody is. I have almost 19k on our car and not a single hint of a problem. I went to the dealer on friday to get some wiper blade inserts and chatted with the sales guy there, and they haven't had any issue with the new cvts. So that is great news. Now the earthquake was another story.

 

the cvt's seems to be strong, and I think the reason they are very willing to swap it out so fast under warranty; is because nissan has an agreement with the company that provides them with the cvt tranny's.

either they cover all issues, or they find another supplier.

 

Just to give you guys some info, when my CVT went bad I was getting no more than 20mpg and I was trying to drive it economically. Also, the feel was as if the car was in a lower gear but no slipping was felt.

 

My advice is, if you feel the car underpowered and experience any noises/vibration, definatelly get it checked out. It is not going to act like a normal transmission failure (slipping..etc).

 

Wud you all recommEnd going to the dealer or a known transmission place like ammco???

 

If the dealer replaces because even he can't repair, where does that leave the transmission repair chains and independent shops?


(New idea - "wud" is somewhat insulting in that you apparently aren't willing or able to spell out the whole word, but expect an honest and easily understood reply anyway)


Norm

 

Well I havent updated in a while. My transmission was changed and the service was excellent and hassle free. They gave me a loaner. I am driving my car with the new transmission and have fallen in love withit again. They also informed me about the 10 year 120k mile warranty.

I believe my case was isolated (hopefully) and I hope to not ever have this issue again.

 

glad to hear it all worked out great for you! There are good dealerships around!!!