lightonthehill

Only sixteen cars? That is all you have bought from your dealer? I'm surprised they will let you onto their lot.

Actually, sixteen cars takes me back to the 1960s. Twenty takes me back to my automotive beginning in 1949 with a black four-door Studebaker.

It really does help to have a good, long working relationship with one's dealer. I am friends with so many folks there.

mls277

You are way out of my league! I have owned 2 cars since 1998. And Im still on the 2nd one.

Melissa40

I got the car back Friday evening. I drove it from Kentucky to Tennessee for approximately 3 hours each way over the weekend and had no issues whatsoever. I'm praying the new CVT is flawless. Time will tell. Thanks to all of you for your help on here. I will update you all again soon

rbaker100

Glad for you - enjoy the ride!

RB100

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

That's good to hear, did you mention to them like others suggested about giving you an extended warranty on the CVT for your headache?

rbaker100

Light - these don't count my first car - 67 Mustang - 2 Subarus for wifey - a Cutlass S for me and a Mits Eclipse and 2014 Mazda 3 5 door for her - go figure - HA!

lightonthehill

Like you, I did not count the cars for my wife (who makes cars last a long time) or my kids (their cars do not last as long as my wife's do), so you still easily beat me hands down on the number of personal cars we have bought.

I must say I 'played the field' among car brands until I settled on Nissan/Datsun back in the 1970s. Their reliability and service was better than I had experienced in almost thirty years of trying different brands.

Scott Thomas

Melissa, I've had my 2016 Maxima SR for about 3 months now, and it's sitting at the dealership waiting for a call from Nissan HQ about a new transmission. I had the exact same issue as you. The service guy even told me that they have another Maxima sitting there too, with 200 miles!, that has the same transmission issue as well. Clearly they haven't tried to fix the issue yet.

lightonthehill

This 2016 Maxima has a newly designed CVT. It is clearly better than the 7th gen CVT, which itself was clearly better than the 6th gen CVT. As for not trying to fix the issue, finding and fixing a bug in a CVT (or any complicated mechanical device) can be very difficult. I have no doubt they are very concerned and are working on this, but even if/when they find the problem, it may be very difficult to fix.

And even after they design a fix, it must be tested extensively before any thought of putting it in the CVTs going into new cars on the assembly line. As for putting it into Maximas already on the road, that would probably require dealers to disasemble and reassemble CVTs as they fail. That is never a good idea for many reasons. Best to simply replace the tranny when they fail. That method also gives them another failed tranny to study in trying to determine exactly what went wrong.

Scott Thomas

Got my car back today. They replaced the transmission valve assembly. According to the Nissan rep, this is an updated piece that Nissan had to have made in Japan. The service tech at the dealership told me they've been ordering these new pieces for the Maximas, Altimas, Rogues, and pathfinders so it's a pretty widespread problem with the Nissan CVT. Car drives perfectly now with the new piece.

Ricky Green

Scott-
How do I know if I'm eligible for the transmission valve assembly?

I'm new to the CVT world, but I'm not impressed with the tranny in my 2016 Maxima.

Scott Thomas

Ricky,

I brought it in for the very recognizable kicking at low speeds and they verified that it was in fact defective. However, after reviewing my invoice it looks like Nissan issued a Technical Service Bulliten (TSB) NTB15-015C that relates to this issue. Perhaps mentioning it will get them to review your car for that issue. Good luck.

robtroxel

Scott,


Thanks for the follow up and the actual TSB number.
For most of us the CVT has been working good especially when compared to my 2010 Maxima's operation

Ricky Green

Took my 2016 Platinum in last Saturday to have the CVT looked at. The transmission tech ran the TSB listed above and neither of the two codes appeared. He took it for a ride and could not duplicate the jutter or jerking motion I referred to. I eventually took a ride with him(me driving). He sat in the passenger seat with his laptop connected to the data port below the steering wheel ready to record what I claimed I was experiencing. No go. What I was experiencing is normal. It's the feeling of the transmission downshifting while coasting to a stop. The tech thought I meant the violent shuttering feeling experienced by some other 2016 Maxima owners. The laptop also confirmed with the waveform of the graph the valves opening and closing properly.

robtroxel

Ricky,


Thanks for the report. I do like the fact the CVT does provide engine braking when you start slowing down. That does lighten the load on the brakes considerably. Driven properly the brakes should last a long time. In my previous 2010 Max I used the paddle shifters to manual downshift before braking. That said, I do wonder what the effect will be for the radar cruise control which seems always to be applying the brakes lightly to mitigate the traffic it "sees" ahead (Platinum feature). It does not appear that the radar component can be disabled when the cruise is engaged.
The CVT on the 2016 is light years ahead of the 2010 CVT.

TN79938

Melissa and Thomas, I just bought a 2016 Maxima Platinum two weeks ago. I have the same CVT problem. The vehicle does not even have 700 miles on it. Took it to the dealership and they found a code on the transmission. Now the Maxima is getting worked on. They are not sure if the CVT or the transmission valve assembly is getting replaced. Guess I will see. I am so disappointed. A brand new vehicle should not have this problem. Will keep you posted on what the outcome is.

lightonthehill

I hope you can take some comfort from the fact only a very few here have had significant CVT problems. My '09 Maxima CVT ran flawlessly from Sept 2008 to Sept 2015, at which time I got top dollar for that car when trading it in on my 2016, which has also had no CVT issues in the five months I have driven it. Just keep after your dealer to get this issue taken care of. You are correct that such an issue so early in your ownership experience is disappointing. But the most important thing is that Nissan fixes your CVT expeditiously and correctly.

mls277

I got my 7th gen the same month you did LOTH! Still have it...its got such low miles its hard to let go- but I'm starting to circle back to a white/charcoal SL that I'm going to really try and work a number in the low 30s on...platinum is great- but i originally said SL and drove the SL, and the price is starting to look right for that model.Wish me luck this weekend maybe ill have some photos to share. (or maybe not LOL)

lightonthehill

I'll light a candle for you. It will be cool here in middle GA Saturday, even cooler Sunday (maybe not out of the thirties), but Monday is the growling beast here in GA. Snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain are expected in north GA and rain across the rest of the state. Most of the eastern half of the country is going to be hit hard by this polar vortex. If you live in eastern US, try to close the deal Saturday.

mls277

LOTH did you consider the SL at all? Im leaning there because thats really in my budget range more than a platinum? Few grand does make a difference- I think a white charcoal SL with basics is gonna be all i need and will feel steps above my current Sport SV non tech.

lightonthehill

I did not consider the SL because I had many of the Platinum features on my 7th gen Premium, and actually used almost all of them. If finances had been a factor, I would probably have looked at the SL, as it is much better equipped than the base Maxima, and certainly has the features to make for a very enjoyable ride. And I certainly prefer the letters 'SL' on the rear deck, because the long word 'PLATINUM' seems a tad pretentious to me.

TN79938

Well, here is an update of my situation. After my Maxima Platinum was getting the transmission valve body assembly replaced, which took a week and a half, I finally got to pick it up. Only to drive around the block and notice that the transmission was slipping. Took it back and had the mechanics look at it. They agreed and tested everything. Now the transmission doesn’t work anymore. At the moment the dealership is waiting on Nissan engineering to call them back to find out how to proceed with this case. Needless to say, I am without my care probably for another week or two. Will keep you posted on how this unfolds.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Did the Nissan mechanics even test drive the car after they "fixed" it. It does not sound like it. Pretty disappointing and unfortunately pretty common.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Brake pads are generally cheap compared to gas. I usually would rather have my CVT coast. The engine braking in the CVT makes no sense.

Richard66

Two transmissions failures in as many months, you have a good case on getting a new car or your money back. I would start the process to do this.

lightonthehill

The engine braking is not a CVT thing. It has been on all Maximas since the intro of the 6th gen 2004, which was an automatic tranny. Aside from brake pad wear, I just like the ability to slow the car without using the brakes. Makes for a more sporty ride on very hilly and curvy mountain roads. Gives me the same feel I had back in the 1960s driving a Corvette on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This compression braking was touted by Nissan as a 'sporty driving feature' on the 6th gen, and I really liked it. It was kept on the 7th and 8th gens, and I was happy Nissan stuck with it. I do understand that not everyone enjoys engine braking like I do.

rbaker100

I like it too Light - especially on snowy and icey streets!!

TN79938

Here is another update on what's going on with my 2016 Maxima. I am supposed to be able to pick up my car sometime today. Another transmission valve body assembly has been replaced. That is the second one. The car has been in the shop now longer than I owned it. Hoping that this will fix the problem, but not holding my breath since last time I picked it up, I drove around the block, just to turn around and take the vehicle back since it still was not working properly. So far I really didn’t have a very good Maxima experience.

lightonthehill

Your experience reminded me of a time over fifty years ago when a driver on a learner's permit changed lanes suddenly without looking to dodge a dead squirrel in the road and knocked my car into a ditch, where a concrete culvert 'removed' the front suspension. I was just passing through on my way home on a long trip, and had to take a Greyhound bus the last few hundred miles home.

When I took a bus back to pick up my 'repaired' car three weeks later, I drove out of the repair lot, took a right turn to merge with traffic, then released the steering wheel so it would drift back to 'center position'. But when I released it, the steering wheel simply went quickly to full right turn, and the car entered a side street right next to the repair shop, then turned right back into the repair shop before I could grab the wheel and bring the car to a stop. It was four hours before the next bus arrived that was headed back home, and two more weeks before the car was actually ready. It was so obvious that nobody bothered to even check the repair. I was shy back then, but would have raised Holy Hell if that happened today.

Abraham_

New Maxima owner here. It's not my first Nissan, buy it is my first Maxima. Chalk me up to having the same transmission problem discussed above. I had the same shudder/jerking problem at light acceleration on day 2 of ownership. It would happen intermittently; not all of the time. I took it in yesterday and they finally called me today to tell me they are replacing the transmission. I will be one week without my car. I really loved this car. I'm crossing my fingers that the replacement doesn't have the same issues.

Melissa40, if you are still monitoring, how's your replacement transmission holding up after 5 months?

lightonthehill

My sympathy, Abe. This new CVT for the 2016 Maxima has been dependable, but it is completely redesigned and reprogrammed from the 7th gen Maxima CVT, and anything new will have a few bad ones creep in. Please let us know how this goes. Hope they gave you a nice loaner. And I, like you, would like to hear how Melissa's situation turned out.

Melissa40

I have messaged Abraham privately and we have discussed the issues that we both had with the CVT. My car now has 7,600 miles and is doing good after they replaced the CVT. There are still times at low speeds that I feel jerking and I have thought about taking it back to the dealership to be checked again. I just tell myself that this may be normal and how a CVT works. I had never owned a car prior to the Maxima with a CVT so I wasn't aware if it was smooth or not when it is slowing down. I think the car is the prettiest car on the road, but I will never own another one just because of my own experience. I have friends who have owned Maxima's for years and have no complaints. It just left a bad taste in my mouth to pay $38,000 for a car that didn't run right within a week or two.

240tomax

I strongly suggest you return the vehicle again if you feel it is still jerking. This is not acceptable and Nissan needs to make it right. If you haven't already done so, start raising a stink with Corporate Nissan.

lightonthehill

Melissa40 - I have never noticed the symptoms you are describing, and I have owned nothing but CVT-driven cars for over seven years. If I were you, I think I might approach this in a slightly different way: ask your dealer to let you test-drive one of the new 2016 Maximas he has on his lot. if it does not have the slight jerking at low speeds you sometimes have in your Maxima, tell the dealer you want the problem fixed. If that requires a new CVT, so be it. You paid for a 2016 Maxima, and it should operate like a 2016 Maxima.

I have driven nothing but Maximas since buying two 1985 2nd gen Maximas in October of 1984. I keep buying them because they have always given me superb service. I drove two of them over 200,000 miles each. It makes me sad to see someone who has bought a Maxima in good faith not get the true Maxima experience.

wyobbagy

Is there a copy of the TSB NTB15-015C available online? I noticed mine is starting to jerk between 30-50 mph while accelerating ..would be nice to go to the dealership with some backup.

Dana Ravia

So my 1st car was 2016 Maxima SL (only bc they didn't have the platinum ones in yet due to a recall -found that out later) but the transmission went out within 3 hours of driving off the lot. Finally got a new car, after fightING with Nissan for over a month. Got the platinum I originally ordered! Well I have had this once for going on 9 months and I hit an armadillo and it caused $3500 worth of damage to the front end of the car. Well the car was just about finished and was sent to service to reprogram the distant sensor on it and the machine threw a code stating either the valve body or transmission is messed up, and it is not due to the accident I had either. My car gave me no engine light or transmission light or any warning there was a problem. I am currently waiting for Nissan to let them know exactly which one it is.

I am in love with my car and this is just not the news I wanted to hear..

Abraham_

Just an update on my situation. Shortly after my original post, I got my car back with the new transmission installed. I have driven it for about 6 weeks and about 1200 miles in mostly city traffic. So far, so good! The transmission judder is gone, and I have fallen in love with my car again!

doctorpullit

That's great news!

realmac

Great to hear that it was fixed. Hopefully the new one stays free of any problems.

rbaker100

Afrer having the Platinum for almost 9 months and 3400 miles I took the car in today to have the CVT checked and the oil changed for the 2nd time - sure enough - there was an error code indicating the CVT valve body was failing - 5 hours later they had it replaced and now it seems to be perfect! Would strongly suggest that anyone with this car have it checked out at your dealership!