In my new 3.5 SL I've noticed an occasional "shutter" when I accelerate from a stop gently. It will shutter, feeling almost like when tires slip on wet pavement. Most of the time it doesn't happen. Seems to do it when cold and when accelerating gently at around the 10-15 mph mark.
Fortunitely or unfortunitely it only happenes once in awhile so taking it in to the dealer may be a waste of time.
The important reason for taking it to the dealer is to get the complaint on record. But I agree that it's mostly a waste of time. My dealer put me in a loaner, kept the car for two days, drove it 86 miles, and said that they couldn't "really" duplicate the problem. They admitted they felt it once but contacted Nissan who dismissed it as "normal for the 3.5 cvt".
My car was returned to me trashed out as is nearly always the case when left at the dealer. After a couple of hours washing and detailing it, I'm right back to square one.
The loaner, BTW, was a '12 Altima which has the previous generation CVT that performs far, FAR, nicer than the new one.
don't stop there. if it was normal nissan wouldn't of had the dealer replace my CVT. keep the complaints going to nissan eventually nissan will do something. meanwhile we ride in a 30K pkus car that is like riding on a wash board.
After reading these posts, i have put 2 and 2 together (on the 2.5 SV). The person that described it as shifting from 1st to 4th on a manual trans has a pretty perfect description. I feel this low rpm shudder under normal acceleration from a stop or while moving. Nothing about it is alarming to me. I felt it on multiple test drives and it is a small price to pay for better MPG.
As far as the CVT comparison, I have driven every Nissan variation of the CVT with significant seat time, and this one is by far the best. I think that may be the key to this. I would be interested to know how many others have spent significant time behind the wheel of any CVT variation before this car. Everything about it is unnatural feeling and it really takes some getting used to.
__________________ 03 350Z Crawford 265 Cams, Plenum, Headers, Cats, Big Bore TB, Fujitsubo Ti Exhaust, TS ECU, JWT Intake, Clutch, Flywheel 09 Xterra X - 6MT 2013 Altima 2.5 SV Storm Blue
I have rented the prior generation or driven a family member's 2012 Altima before and after my purchase of the 2013. The 2013 has slightly more vibration at the 15-20 mph point compared to the 2012. To reduce the effect I keep the 13 in Ds until I reach highway speed. A small trade-off to get the better MPG....as long as problem free longevity exists with the new CVT I am satisfied.
As far as the CVT comparison, I have driven every Nissan variation of the CVT with significant seat time, and this one is by far the best. I think that may be the key to this. I would be interested to know how many others have spent significant time behind the wheel of any CVT variation before this car. Everything about it is unnatural feeling and it really takes some getting used to.[/QUOTE]
I have owned nearly every CVT equipped car sold in the US. starting with the 1996 Honda civic HF. Owned Audi's with the Bosch unit, Fords with the ZF/ Ford unit, and Suzuki's and Nissan's with the Jatco CVT's.
I know them quite well and prefer ones that operate as pure cvt's with smooth, seamless ratio changes. This new CVT 8 has weird ratio variations and abrupt converter lockup that almost completely negates one of the real cvt advantages - its strong, smooth and seamless performance.
The sharp converter lockup, especially in the 3.5 version with the heavier duty clutch components, is very annoying. I have other cars with step gear transmissions that operate more smoothly.
The technician at my dealer confirmed that the previous cvt didn't go into lockup mode until about 37-40 mph and it's almost unnoticeable. He says the lockup jolt that is very evident on every start, occurring around 20mph with light throttle, with the 3.5 is "characteristic" of this new transmission. It's a characteristic I don't like at all.
This appears to be done for at least two reasons: make the cvt feel more like a conventional automatic. And quickly get in lockup mode for better EPA numbers.
I have a question for current owners. Have any of you tried driving in Ds mode to see if the problem is still present? I read on the Accord forum that some users are driving in Ds mode and the shudder isn’t happening.
I have a question for current owners. Have any of you tried driving in Ds mode to see if the problem is still present? I read on the Accord forum that some users are driving in Ds mode and the shudder isn’t happening.
I have found that Ds mode exhibits the same behavior at low throttle.
I have rented the prior generation or driven a family member's 2012 Altima before and after my purchase of the 2013. The 2013 has slightly more vibration at the 15-20 mph point compared to the 2012. To reduce the effect I keep the 13 in Ds until I reach highway speed. A small trade-off to get the better MPG....as long as problem free longevity exists with the new CVT I am satisfied.
If I wanted to shift gears, I would've bought a stick
The "judder" has been minimal so far on my 2.5 SV. One other characteristic I've noticed is that when bringing it to a stop, there's a small "nudge" right as the car is about to come complete stop. It does it about 50% of the time and it's a light thing, but it's there.
It'd be great if Nissan would provide data recorders to anyone experiencing peculiar things so that they could be quickly addressed and corrected. It doesn't take much to kill the reputation of a great car model, so it would be to their advantage to quickly resolve this issues.
This morning I too experienced the "nudge" when coasting to a stop at about 22 MPH. Also when coasting down a relatively steep incline at low speed, 20 mph or so, it shifts into a lower gear and RPMs increase- I know CVT- but it acts like regular auto trans.
This morning I too experienced the "nudge" when coasting to a stop at about 22 MPH. Also when coasting down a relatively steep incline at low speed, 20 mph or so, it shifts into a lower gear and RPMs increase- I know CVT- but it acts like regular auto trans.
The "nudge" I mentioned happens just a half second before the car comes to a complete stop. It's only moving at 1-3 mph, not in the 20-22 range. It feels like the transmission briefly dissengages for a split second and then re-engages.
I have 3.5 SL and am experiencing the "juddering" at a multitude of speeds. Country roads (45mph), Interstate (70ish), I even had it happen from takeoff at a green light this past weekend. The immediate fix is the aforementioned increase of throttle. Mine is going into the dealer tomorrow for this very issue and others. I will post back with whatever findings they come up with.
Having them look at: Transmission "juddering", Flappy sound from mirror on driver's side at speed, 1 TPMS that wants to read about 7psi higher than the others (checked with pressure gauge and the tire is properly filled like the others), and a few other odds and ends.
I was about to buy a brand new 2013 Altima SL 3.5, but now I am on HOLD.
Please pass this on to the Nissan representative.
There are so many threads with complaints about the CVT that I am now looking to avoid ALL Nissan CVT's. I almost bought a Maxima, but it's got the same d@mn combination of a Nissan CVT with 6-cylinder engine.
I looked seriously at the Infinity G37x, but it seems to me that it would cost me an extra $14,000 just to avoid Nissan's lousy CVT. Why should I pay money to Nissan because they sell a product with a bad design?
I'll keep driving my ancient car until there is a fix for this problem. Or I may just buy the new Accord.
I was about to buy a brand new 2013 Altima SL 3.5, but now I am on HOLD.
Please pass this on to the Nissan representative.
There are so many threads with complaints about the CVT that I am now looking to avoid ALL Nissan CVT's. I almost bought a Maxima, but it's got the same d@mn combination of a Nissan CVT with 6-cylinder engine.
I looked seriously at the Infinity G37x, but it seems to me that it would cost me an extra $14,000 just to avoid Nissan's lousy CVT. Why should I pay money to Nissan because they sell a product with a bad design?
I'll keep driving my ancient car until there is a fix for this problem. Or I may just buy the new Accord.
Frustrating, ain't it? I WANT to give Nissan my money for an Altima but I'm waiting to see how this turns out. I suspect a lot of people are.
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