Nissan CVT Transmission Problems: What You Should Know
Class action lawsuits allege that numerous Nissan CVT transmission problems exist.
Nissan CVT transmission failure symptoms include slipping, jerking, lurching, and stalling, all of which put drivers at increased risk of crashes and injuries.
These lawsuits allege that Nissan refused to admit the CVT transmission was defective and tried to disguise the CVT defects with shoddy repairs. Certain lawsuits have since settled, and Nissan still uses CVTs in newer models such as the Sentra, Altima, Rogue and Kicks.
Nissan CVT Transmission FAQ
If you’re experiencing ongoing transmission problems in your Nissan vehicle, you might have a defective CVT transmission. Below are answers to some of the most common questions about Nissan CVT transmission issues, potential recalls and your options under California lemon law.
How Do I Know if My Nissan CVT Transmission Is Defective?
If you’re a Nissan owner, your vehicle may be a lemon if Nissan or its dealers couldn’t fix a warranty defect that substantially impairs it within a “reasonable” number of attempts. Common Nissan transmission problems include:
- Delayed Acceleration
- Lurching and Jerking
- Transmission Slipping
- Shaking, Shuddering or Judder
- Vehicle Hesitation or Stalling
- Burning Smells
- Transmission Fluid Leaks
- Transmission Overheating
- Engine Revving
- Strange Shifting Noises
- Premature Transmission Failure
A burning smell or overheating can be a sign of a transmission problem and should be checked right away. When power or acceleration problems occur in places like stops, freeway ramps, intersections and highways, drivers face a greater risk of getting rear-ended or causing a crash.
These problems ought to be taken seriously. If you’re a Nissan owner and notice these CVT issues, and a Nissan dealership hasn’t resolved the problem, your vehicle may be considered defective under lemon law.
What Nissan Cars Have CVT Transmission Problems?
Despite settling multiple class action lawsuits, Nissan still uses CVTs in its newest Sentra, Altima, Rogue and Kicks models. Problems have been reported in multiple model years with Nissan CVT transmissions. Affected years include some of the vehicles below:
- 2020–2025 Nissan Sentra
- 2020–2022 and 2024 Nissan Altima
- 2020–2022 Nissan Maxima
- 2020–2022 Nissan Murano
- 2020 Nissan Pathfinder
- 2021–2024 Nissan Rogue
- 2020–2022 and 2024 Nissan Versa
- 2020–2023 Nissan Kicks
If you have one of the above Nissan vehicles and experience transmission issues that seemingly cannot be fixed, your vehicle may be considered defective.
Nissan transmission problems to this extent may also entitle you to legal compensation or a new vehicle. If you live in California and bought or leased a 2020 or newer Nissan from a licensed California dealer, and its transmission problems keep coming back, reach out to Lemon Law Help.
What Are the Signs of Nissan CVT Transmission Failure?
More severe Nissan CVT failures reported to NHTSA include:
- Complete loss of power while driving
- Transmission slipping out of gear
- Inability to accelerate despite increased engine revving
- Unresponsive transmission despite shifting attempts
Why Do Nissan CVT Transmissions Fail?
Lawsuits and Nissan’s own service bulletins point to several causes of transmission problems in Nissan vehicles with CVT systems:
- Overheating: Some owners report their CVT overheating along with slipping and lost acceleration.
- Fluid Issues: Low or degraded transmission fluid can cause slipping, shuddering and acceleration problems. Follow the CVT fluid service schedule in your Nissan owner’s manual.
- Software Malfunctions: Faulty transmission control module (TCM) programming can lead to rough shifting and hesitation.
- Wear and Tear: CVTs use a belt and pulleys to change ratios, and some, like the one in the Versa and Kicks, add a small auxiliary gearbox. Over time, these components can wear out prematurely.
- Manufacturing Defects: Some Nissan model years have been linked to design flaws that lead to ongoing transmission problems.
Keeping up with regular maintenance and addressing CVT transmission issues early may help prevent long-term damage.
Has Nissan Issued a CVT Transmission Recall?
Nissan has not issued a broad recall for CVT transmission issues, but it has recalled certain 2024 and 2025 Sentras whose front left driveshaft might not sit all the way into the CVT. That can leak transmission fluid, cut drive power or, on 2025 cars, let the car roll away without the parking brake, so dealers check the driveshaft and, when needed, replace it and the CVT at no charge. Nissan has also issued technical service bulletins (TSBs) for CVT judder in newer models, but it continues to deny widespread defects in its CVT transmissions.
What Are Some of the Complaints From Nissan Drivers About CVT Transmissions?
Drivers have reported recurring CVT transmission issues in several Nissan models. The owner reports below come from NHTSA’s public complaint records, summarized in plain words.
2020 Nissan Sentra: The engine light came on, and the car stalled in traffic and would not move. The dealer blamed the transmission and replaced the CVT transaxle assembly.
2021 Nissan Versa: A couple of months after buying it, the owner noticed the car was sluggish getting across intersections before it kicked into gear. A local mechanic found a CVT trouble code.
2021 Nissan Kicks: The CVT slipped and lost acceleration while driving, overheated and smelled like burnt rubber, and the oil was black and smelled burnt.
2023 Nissan Rogue: While driving, the engine revved high but the SUV would not accelerate, so the owner had to pull over and shut it off.
2024 Nissan Sentra: Check engine and “CVT Malfunction Service Now” warnings came on, and at a stoplight the car jerked or hesitated when the owner pressed the gas.
2024 Nissan Versa: With only 1,100 miles on the engine, the CVT failed and Nissan replaced it with a rebuilt one. Later the second CVT failed too, and the car had to be towed in.
How Has Nissan Responded to These CVT Problems?
Nissan has settled several CVT class actions, but no settlement so far covers a 2020 or newer Nissan. Class actions over Altima and Pathfinder CVTs that included 2020 models were dismissed in 2025 without a class settlement. As of October 2026, we found no open federal class action over CVTs in 2020 or newer Nissans.
Lemon Law Help only handles model year 2020 and newer vehicles.
If you live in California and have a 2020 or newer Nissan with a CVT, such as an Altima, Sentra, Versa, Rogue or Kicks, bought or leased from a licensed California dealer, you may still qualify under the lemon law. If a class action ever covers your Nissan, you will need to opt out by its deadline to keep the option of suing Nissan yourself.
If you did not opt out of a Nissan CVT transmission lawsuit before the opt-out deadline, you remain automatically included.
However, that does not mean you automatically qualify for settlement rewards. Settlements often place limits on who qualifies for payouts or repairs offered. That is why opting out of class action lawsuits is key to retaining your lemon law rights.
Has Nissan Found a Fix for the CVT Transmission?
Not a lasting one, according to the lawsuits, which allege that Nissan has known about CVT problems for years. Nissan has issued repair bulletins for newer models. In 2024 it made a CVT belt and pulley kit available for 2020 to 2023 Sentras, and in April 2026 it updated its repair steps for CVT vibration in 2020 to 2022 Versas, which call for new CVT fluid or a new CVT.
Nissan tried to address the CVT transmission juddering problem by:
- Reprogramming the transmission control module (TCM)
- Replacing the assemblies for the Continuously Variable Transmission
- Replacing the transmission’s valve body
According to these lawsuits, owners kept having the same problems after these repairs. Owners of newer Nissans still report CVT shaking, shuddering, overheating and acceleration problems to NHTSA.
Nissan has extended the CVT warranty on many models, but as of October 2026 none of those extensions covers a 2020 or newer Nissan.
Additionally, Nissan allegedly denies the existence of CVT transmission problems until after the warranties expire.
The lawsuits also allege that Nissan made some owners pay for CVT repairs while their vehicles were still under warranty.
I Think My Nissan Transmission Is Defective. What Can I Do?
If you suspect that your Nissan CVT transmission is defective, make sure to follow these steps:
- Take your vehicle to the dealership for transmission service and repairs. Report your concerns to the technician.
- Make sure the concerns you reported (no matter how minor) are written down in the repair order.
- Keep copies of your repair orders. If you lost them, contact the dealership for copies of the repair orders and receipts, which will serve as proof of repair attempts for your claim.
- Gather other documents, such as warranty information for the vehicle.
- Talk to a lemon law attorney about your options.
Even if your Nissan doesn’t have a CVT or has issues unrelated to your transmission, you should still follow these steps. If you suspect that your vehicle is defective, you want to establish a paper trail for your lemon law claim.
Sometimes, new class action lawsuits will include your vehicle and its defects. Make sure to opt out of a Nissan CVT transmission lawsuit before the opt-out deadlines, and then you can proceed with a lemon law claim. If you’re not sure whether you’re included, a lemon law attorney can advise you on the specifics.
Not everyone with a defective vehicle is included in a class action lawsuit. If you’re not part of a class lawsuit, you may go straight into the lemon law process. For a Nissan sold in 2025 or earlier, though, California law may require written notice to Nissan before a lawsuit that seeks civil penalties, sent while you still have the vehicle.
How Do I Opt Out of a Nissan CVT Class Action Lawsuit?
Owners covered by one or more Nissan CVT transmission class action lawsuits can opt out and file their own lemon law claim against Nissan, which can ask for cash compensation, a replacement vehicle or a repurchase.
If you are included in at least one lawsuit, you may need to opt out before a certain deadline to retain your individual right to pursue a lemon law claim.
Once you opt out of the Nissan CVT transmission lawsuit, you may pursue a claim specific to your situation. A California lemon law attorney can explain how that works for your Nissan.
Lemon Law Help works only in California. We help California residents who bought or leased a defective model year 2020 or newer vehicle from a licensed California dealer. We cannot help people outside California, unless they are active-duty military.
Should you move forward with a case, we represent you at no cost, working to obtain cash compensation, a replacement or a buyback.
