r/Nissan • u/Due_Information_3451 • 2d ago
What to do?
I bought a 2023 Altima with 8000 miles about 18 months ago without doing my research. After my granddaughter had a problem with her transmission on her 2011 Maxima then I found out about the dreaded CVT issue. I don’t know whether I should keep it or cut my losses and trade it in. I know they have improved the transmission and my warranty is 7 yrs or 100,00 miles. I also love the car. I am just so mad at myself for letting this happen. The dealership said to have the transmission fluid changed at 60,000 miles, others say 30,000. At a cost of $242. My car has 15,000 miles on it. Would I be stupid keeping it? What would you do?
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u/EnforcerGundam 2d ago
keep it but just change the cvt fluid and filter at every 25k~30k mile range. cvt have been improved and can last decently long once maintained properly.
ignore the dealerships recommendation about cvt fluid change interval!!
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u/Character_Dance_5054 2d ago
This^ I work for Nissan and this is solid advice. Treat your Altima well and it should last you quite awhile, plus the 100,000 7 year warranty is pretty damn good.
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u/Prudent_Frame_2195 2d ago
I'm not biased. I used to think Nissan's were pieces of shit. Some of them still are probably but not like they used to be.
Should you be worried no. Should you save money now for a potential large repair bill yes. But that's true of any vehicle.
Why do I think you shouldn't worry. I had the same worries for my wife when she bought her Altima. She didn't want to spend 2k more for a Camry. It's now (2015)10 years old and has 100k+ miles on it. Don't drive like an ass and do your transmission service earlier.
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u/kbarbo 2d ago
Just got a 23 myself, with higher mileage than you, plan to change the CVT fluid and filter at 30 K like others have suggested. I absolutely love the car. Try not to stress and just enjoy driving it! And for what it’s worth, I drove a 2008 Altima for 14 years and 188,000 miles. It never gave me an issue. Absolutely loved that car.
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u/maxx_colt 2d ago
Your granddaughter had a problem with her 14 year old Nissan, so absolutely you should get rid of your 2 year old Nissan.....especially since it's still covered by the warranty.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/GarageLongjumping168 1d ago edited 1d ago
The newer CVTs are much improved over the older ones. The main cause of failure is lack of maintenance which leads to excess wear on the belt, and can cause the pressure solenoids to malfunction.
Always use OEM fluid, it has specific anti-friction properties that the belt needs to operate properly, which most “multi-vehicle” fluids cannot provide. Do both of these and the transmission should last 170-200k no problem
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u/taidizzle 1d ago
the problem happens when you neglect your car. if you plan on doing the maintenence at normal intervals you should be good.
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u/Curious_kitten129 1d ago
I had a 2010 Nissan Altima that lasted 15 years and 90k miles without the check engine light coming on until just a couple weeks ago. I replaced it with a 2024 Rogue. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Portugaltheman0420 1d ago
Wow I’m impressed 90k and 15 years old? Talk about LOW miles 500 miles a month on average ?
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u/Curious_kitten129 1d ago
When I got it in 2011 it already had over 30k miles on it. I worked close to home and then switched to wfh several years ago. I never really went anywhere. Tbh if I didn’t have crap knees and the car wasn’t so low, I’d have probably replaced it with another Altima.
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u/shakebakelizard 1d ago
Re-read your post and you probably can answer your own question. Why would you compare a 2011 car to a nearly new car? The early ones were bad but newer CVTs can probably do 200k without problems as long as you don’t drive like a maniac. That said, I’d never buy one.
BTW, before you make a big purchase, do your homework. Review technical information. Understand what you’re buying. It’s not urgent so why not take your time and understand it better? 😀
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u/ChiefFigureOuter 1d ago
RTFM. So you’ve never actually opened your owners manual before? You have your maintenance schedule right there. Follow it. There is no dreaded CVT issue unless you don’t follow the schedule. Nissan tells you exactly what to do so why are you here acting like you don’t know? Read the book? Don’t have it? You can’t send links get it online. Oh and there is a free app where unbelievably there is your owners manual. And the app will remind you of service and help you schedule it.
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u/Due_Information_3451 1d ago
So you know I wasn’t comparing my granddaughters car to mine. When she had the problem I started looking online and found that Nissans had a problem with the CVT transmissions. Until then I was unaware. That was my bad for not doing my research. Thanks to all that commented. I appreciate your input.
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u/Far_Mortgage_6772 1d ago
I have a 2006 murano normal maintenance and cvt fluid changes at 30k goes a long way but i just started to do them after 149k miles idk if the previous owner did them but the transmission feels new again so just do basic maintenance and my friend who works at nissan told me the same thing every 30k cvt fluid and oil change every 4k cuz i drive a lot
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u/Portugaltheman0420 1d ago
I do my flush at 30k everytime , and with 250. Saves money in long run, no hard accelerations excessively, it is a good car I have a 2023 Altima turbo sr . Only issue I have had is emissions caused by a dead cell in my battery . I’ve got 30,509 miles on it first Nissan no issues here , I say go With YOUR gut
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u/OlympicAnalEater 1d ago
You don't flush your transmission, wdf. That is how you fucked up your transmission in speed run.
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u/deafening_roar 1d ago
I had a 2005 Altima, it was a manual transmission, drove it for 174k miles, about 17-18 years, sold it recently and it's still going now, I bought a 2024 Altima 9 months ago because I had no problems with my Altima. I think as with any car, a lot of it depends on you as a driver and you as an owner maintenancing the car.
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u/Mysterious_Use8978 8h ago
Learn to maintain the car. Don’t follow Nissans intervals. When replacing parts stick to your oem parts especially if it’s a major/expensive piece of hardware. Nissan also doesn’t tell you when software updates are available. They can be of much value. Take care of your maintanece items and leave the updates to the dealerships.
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u/Mysterious_Use8978 8h ago
Oh ya, and learn about the maf and throttle body cleanings. Otherwise you will run into p101 and p4 somethings. Carb build up is a bitch but it needs testing ng and with how the vehicles are more electronic the codes will throw your brain in several directions. Same w all the Adas system. They are sensitive for a reason and expensive
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u/Due_Percentage_1929 2d ago
We bought our daughter a 22 Altima sr awd. It's been flawless, we are at 60k. The newer cvts are better.
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u/Secret-Function-2972 2d ago
Just bought a used '23 (55k miles) with my daughter 3 weeks ago - it's what she wanted. Planning to have the CVT fluid changed at 60k or before.
She just finished driving our 2011 Altima with 228k miles which we will hand down to our younger daughter when she turns 16 this summer. We bought the '11 with 8600 miles and have put 220k on ourselves.
If the '23 is anything like our '11, I expect that if we keep up with regular maintenance we shouldn't have many issues. That said, do what you are most comfortable with, but I would think you'll be OK.
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u/IcyZookeepergame7626 2023 Maxima SR 2d ago
Dont let the chronic CVT posts here scare you. Except for the occasional GTR pics, this sub has become one big comical CVT circlejerk. Change the fluid per recommendation like you would any other auto trans and it'll be fine.
Not an Alt, but I bought my 23 Maxima new in Oct of 2022. Barely at 15k miles now. Not a single CVT issue yet. Still the original factory CVT fluid given the low miles I drive but might change it later this year due to the age (vs mileage) of the fluid.
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u/Portugaltheman0420 1d ago
Any other trans has lifetime fluid mostly , I had a Honda , when I was young 18 , 36 now, but 226,000 miles and I dogged that car to dogshit , never did the trans or flushes lol she went kaput when I blew the motor like an idiot and still made it home on 2/4 cylinders the b16a1 engine was a BEAST
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u/UnderdevelopedFurry 1d ago
See what the warranty covers. How many transmissions are covered? In full? They are $8000 to replace each time at the dealer. You don’t have to trade in this vehicle, but if you can afford it, I would recommend you do. The quality of minor electronics is all over the place and I wouldn’t want to find out how long more essential components last
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u/Round_Ad_6369 2d ago
You're in the Nissan sub, people are going to be biased and always say keep it.
That said, keep it. Get regular and recommended maintenance and take it a little easy on the gas. Most wear on CVTs is done by higher torque, so keeping your RPMs relatively low (3k or less, so just don't floor it constantly) will minimize wear.
Most of the "Nissan driver" meme is people who dog the hell out of the car, don't get any service on it and then get surprised when the somewhat fragile CVT goes kaput.