I‘ve got one of these brand new 2014 Nissan Sedans (at 1k miles so far) and am a little concerned with what I‘m seeing online.I‘m a bit of a skeptic and all I‘m see is anecdotal, more negative things about CVT than positive.And I get the feeling that people don‘t say anything until something goes wrong so these anecdotes aren‘t representative of the overall reliability of CVT‘sSo is there anything more scientific out there that takes a look at the reliability of CVT‘s?Any studies or mechanics/experts that may be able to tell what the failure rate of CVT‘s is in comparison to other transmissions?Thanks
Cvt Long Term Reliability
The CVT transmission has come a long way since first introduced by Subaru over 25 years ago. With the proper care and servicing, that transmission will outlast any conventional automatic transmission, but, care is key. good luck
I don't know if any of my experience carries-over to the Nissan . . . have a Ford Five Hundred CVT AWD. We like it - but heard the same reliability horror stories and have talked to many mechanics, the dealer service dept, and done some online research. The Ford CVT is no less reliable than their other auto transmissions - - but is unforgiving of lapsed maintenance. Our other Ford with a conventional automatic doesn't need service until 100,000 miles, but the CVT is to be serviced at 60,000 - - - reason: the anti-wear additives in the special fluid wearout and there would be excessive wear to drive chains. Every quick oil change shop we asked was ready to flush the transmission for us . . . although they were unaware of the special CVT fluid required, or that it has two filters that MUST be changed. If you skip service and the transmission fails prematurely, dealers don't fool around trying to repair it - - - they replace it and costs of $5000+ are not uncommon. We had ours PROPERLY serviced on time and continue to have no problems. As we expected the car gets about 1 mpg less than the conventional automatic, but that is probably from the full-time AWD. The transmission is a wonder: smooth, always INSTANTLY in the correct ratio (we have a steep, steep driveway and must manually downshift other cars - but not the CVT). We are disappointed that Ford no longer offers the CVT in the new Taurus . . . . which is why Nissan is on our list for next car - so we can have another CVT. ADDED Monkeysnot: There may have been others, but Dutch manufacturer DAF introduced Variomatic transmission in 1958. . . the patents for which were one of the reasons Volvo later bought DAF . . . and Ford bought Volvo !
