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Sedans Nissan Altima Nissan Altima CVT
84 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2009 at 11:10 PM
You are in the Nissan Altima Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: dbarrett2 (Jun 26, 2008 9:42 am) But apparently we're all crazy and should just be quiet and enjoy the jerkiness.
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Replying to: ripper82 (Jun 26, 2008 1:04 pm) You have a choice: 1. Go get a car with a regular automatic that has several larger shifts that are dictated by gear placement. -or- 2. Enjoy the Altima and ignore its slight quirkiness at lower speeds. Even with these micro-jerks, it's still the smoothest transmission on the market. |
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| I have only 5900 miles on my '08 Altima but have been extremely disappointed since day 1 of my ownership experience with the CVT performance. First, there is jerkiness when driving low speeds (e.g. 35 mph) and it feels like a standard that is not in the right gear; then when driving at highway speeds (65 - 75 mph) there is vibration. Additionally, at highway speeds there is an intermittent loose steering feeling. This is my second Altima. The first - an '02 - was a superior vehicle, in fact, I still have it and couldn't be happier with performance, gas mileage, and reliability. However my '08 pales in comparison with regard to the transmission feel and performance. I've returned to the dealership several times - with limited assistance in remedying these issues. I'm told that this is the way the CVT performs. I just can't believe that vibration and jerkiness are considered adequate performance for a transmission. I'm considering filing under the Lemon Law. Any suggestions? | |
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I accidently drove my brand new 2009 Altima (automatic) for ~4 miles in manual mode without realizing it. I don't even know how to drive manual. It was making it's normal noises, but when I sped up to about 40 mph, I kept hearing a LOUD grinding type mechanical noise from engine. I thought it was something else. Then when I stopped the sound stopped too. That's when I realized that my gear shift was accidentally on the manual side. It's been driving fine since the incident, but have I damaged anything?? When I go for my first service checkup, what should I tell them to check out? THANKS
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Replying to: jjan (Feb 26, 2009 12:08 am) When I go for my first service checkup, what should I tell them to check out? It depends. If the car is still in its break-in period (first 1000-1200 miles), then it couldn't hurt to ask. However, if you're out of that break-in period, you shouldn't worry about it. My '08 Altima 2.5 SL has 14k miles on it now, and I take it onto some curvy mountain roads quite a bit. While I drive it, I try and keep the revs above 3k so that power is always on tap. I've done this many times, and the engine is just as happy as the day I bought it. The car is built for this. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have a 6-speed manual mode. 
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Hi guys and girls...I'm looking at getting a 2009 Altima 2.5 S w/ the auto CVT transmission. In my research, I've read a lot about the knocking, grinding and speed issues but my main concern is about the transmission breaking down. I have heard that if the belt goes, you have to replace the transmission. Does anyone know much about this or know how often this actually happens. My mechanic and his transmission shop have never worked on a CVT so they provided no help on this issue. I love the Altima and can live with some of the noise/shaking if I can drive with confidence that I won't have to buy a new $4000 transmission as soon as the warranty runs out. Any help is much appreciated.
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Replying to: wantanaltima (Mar 09, 2009 3:50 pm) As for the reliability, Nissan says that their CVT has been (bassed on waranty claim numbers) more reliable than their automatic transmission. Now that what nissan says, but I tend to agree with them. I do not believe they would expanding their use if they knew they were inferior. It just wouldn't make sense from a business standpoint. But one way to look at the CVT is like this: Basically, it consists of two pullies connected with a belt (chain). There are no gears, gear cluster or any of the other parts in a conventional automatic transmission. That pretty much means there are far fewer things to go wrong with it. Personally, I would see no reason to worry about it. they're not new. Nissan first started using them with the murano back in 2002 or something like that. and now, with several generations of them having been made, the bugs and quirks have been worked out.
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Replying to: jd10013 (Mar 14, 2009 5:54 am) There are lots of forums on the web with people complaining about their reliability and Nissan's inability/lack of motivation to fix them. I've already been told that tranny shops aren't seeing them in for repairs b/c you can't repair them. And they're not getting the Altima's in for replacement as it's cheaper to just get it done through Nissan directly...sort of a captive market created by Nissan. Consumer's reports say nothing bad at all about the CVT transmission. I do absolutely service my current car as much as required and always do the "recommended" items just to spoil it so it treats me better in the long run. I'm still really on the fence with this. |
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Replying to: wantanaltima (Mar 14, 2009 6:36 am) I purchase a 2007 Altima in July of 2007 and due to my long commute to/from work, I've place a lot of miles on the vehicle. After hearing an unusual noise, I had the dealership look at it, they told me I need a new transmission. parts cannot be replace, you must purchase the entire tranny. I only have 66,000 miles on the car. Of course they do not want to provide any assistance for replacement to fix the car. I would not recommend purchasing Nissan vehicles. I returned to the Service Manager to plea my case and is currently waiting for a response. |
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