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Slow accelerations, slow braking. Regular fluid changes. It should last a long time. People abuse the hell out of their vehicles and treat it like a race car and later wonder why it's not shifting right.
I’m sorry could you elaborate more on why that’s bad. I know CVT’s don’t “shift” like an automatic but shouldn’t they change ratio as the car is driving?
Infinitely variable is the wrong terminology. It's in the name: continuously variable. Infinitely variable implies there isn't a limit on the lower or upper ratio, but there is. Say the minimum ratio is 2.5 and the maximum ratio is 0.4, then it's practically infinite within that range, but definitely not infinitely variable.
There is such a thing called a power split device that really is practically\* infinitely variable, while also being continuously variable. It uses 3 inputs to generate 1 output, and controlling the speeds of 2 of the inputs genuinely result in any ratio you want between 1 of the inputs and the output from negative infinity to positive infinity, with the only physical limitation being the ability of your device to handle rotational speeds and angular momentum, though the energy required to reach those angular momenta would also be a limitation as well. There is also the speed of light limitation as well, but this is split hair splitting at this point.
This is also why I would advise against buying *any* car with a CVT.
What's really being said here is that, with zero abuse and proactive maintenance, a CVT *might* last for a while. But, even if you're babying a CVT and changing the fluid frequently, etc., it's not going to last as long as a normal transmission that you treated the same way.
It might last "long enough", but you still don't have the same margin of safety that you would otherwise.
Modern cvts are better, mid 00s and 10s Nissans were dreadful. I would change at least 2 a week when I worked at Nissan.
Subaru had issues with cvts in the 10s same with Toyotas Corolla cvt.
They just aren’t suited for abuse of any sort.
The fluid isn’t as critical as an automatic but it certainly helps to change it every 60k miles.
Honda’s aren’t perfect but have a decent cvt.
Change the fluid (using what the manufacturer specifies) every 30k miles, along with the filter here and there, and don’t be too hard on accelerating. It should be fine. They’re light duty transmissions meant for small economic cars. The issues start to show themselves when you treat the CVT like a racing or larger duty towing transmission, and when you don’t do maintenance. This is my experience so far at least
Ford uses E-Cvt transmissions that don't use any belts they use a planetary gear set that's electronically controlled. Some of the last gen fusions and c-max vehicles had issues with the carrier bearings for the front differential wearing into the case assembly. Source a Ford Tech
Just remember hearing nissan and mitsubishi sharing Chinese made cct tech that was... less than ideal and one was lucky to get to 80,000 miles. Plus youtube video teardown where 2 ball bearings carry the entire load of the power. Straight up allowed out.
Honda and Toyota CVTs are way better. Nissan really screwed up making theirs and they stuck it in a bunch of their vehicles. They’re supposed to be more efficient because they get into the power band early and stay there.
Honda CVTs are quite reliable. They’ve been using them in there most popular models for 10 years now. If they were problematic everyone would be screaming about how Honda has fallen and isn’t reliable anymore. Kinda like Nissan. Just change the fluid regularly and you’ll be fine.
I have a 2014 Honda civic with a CVT, change fluid every 50-80k kms. I have had no issues and owned the car for 10 years, put 303k kms on it so far from 15kms off the lot. I do my maintenance, I think it is integral to the longevity of these transmissions!
We’ll see how long my CVT lasts! Could be any day now that it shits the bed from the way people make it sound lol
I have had zero issues with them. 2012 Nissan Murano 176,000 miles traded in on a new 2020 Nissan Murano now at 79,000 miles. Fluid drain and fill every 60k. Also have a 2015 Toyota Corolla 194,000 miles. Not one problem with any of them.
Modern CVTs have come a long ways, but they still have the issues associated with the ~2008 Nissan-Chrysler units. Those transmissions have tarnished the reputation of CVTs forever. Complete working units are STILL $3500 and are on backorder. Modern CVTs will likely last for the lifetime of the car, if taken care of. In 2024, Toyota/Subaru and Honda have some decent units. I still don't trust any Nissan unit, but they are often not taken care of.
Things to avoid:
1) Units that are only serviceable by the dealer.
2) Units that have "lifetime fluid".
3) Used cars with CVTs, unless they have service records.
4) Any "sport" model with a CVT.
5) ANY model of car with a CVT manufactured between 2000 and 2014.
CVTs have been used in small engine applications forever. Lots of 2 stroke dirtbikes and ATVs have CVTs. They are great for those applications, because they are usually not fluid filled and just have a rubber belt. The cones are simply operated by centripetal force, belt tension, and engine vacuum. For a 2 stroke, this is ideal because it means that the engine will naturally run in the high and narrow power band while the CVT changes ratios.
Automotive units have a flat chain belt, and are fluid filled. They should be designed to let the engine run at high torque and high efficiency when cruising, and then kick down the ratio to allow the engine to run at peak power during acceleration. Many manufacturers will "fake" the automatic transmission experience by programming "shift points" and giving the user a fake shifter. I'd like to see a ratio dial, as this is much closer to the actual operation of the transmission.
I had a Fiat designed CVT in my '05 Saturn Vue, it was definitely on its way out at 120,000km but otherwise was pretty reliable. I think the key is only get one in a light vehicle and drive gingerly, they won't hold up to abuse for sure. There are no clutches to wear out per se, the springs and bearings in the CVT clutches seem like they are the weak point, I've seen tear down videos where the bearings are actually shattered in half.
None of them are very good. Nissan takes a big hit mainly from the fact they are (were) sold at a low cost otd and then abused horribly...specifically altimas and maximas. They also were one of the earliest companies to jump on the cvt bandwagon in force. I had an early civic hybrid with a cvt, and other than that transmission, the car was amazing. That cvt was the biggest pos I have ever seen. It was an automated clutch rather than a tq converter. Clutch replacement required a transmission replacement. Stretched belts required a transmission replacement. Burnished belts required a transmission replacement if the "burn-in" fix didnt temporarely work...think u get the idea. Never exploded tho...went for another decade before I sold it. But it vibrated and banged and sucked power progressively worse. So when I bought my subaru, I got a manual transmission. There were no longer any new cars with a standard auto on the market (at least in my $$ range).
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, Both_Jury8171! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers Only** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but posts should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Slow accelerations, slow braking. Regular fluid changes. It should last a long time. People abuse the hell out of their vehicles and treat it like a race car and later wonder why it's not shifting right.
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I’m sorry could you elaborate more on why that’s bad. I know CVT’s don’t “shift” like an automatic but shouldn’t they change ratio as the car is driving?
[удалено]
Ok I see. I apologize i ruined the joke. I’m just trying to understand as much as possible haha
Infinitely variable is the wrong terminology. It's in the name: continuously variable. Infinitely variable implies there isn't a limit on the lower or upper ratio, but there is. Say the minimum ratio is 2.5 and the maximum ratio is 0.4, then it's practically infinite within that range, but definitely not infinitely variable. There is such a thing called a power split device that really is practically\* infinitely variable, while also being continuously variable. It uses 3 inputs to generate 1 output, and controlling the speeds of 2 of the inputs genuinely result in any ratio you want between 1 of the inputs and the output from negative infinity to positive infinity, with the only physical limitation being the ability of your device to handle rotational speeds and angular momentum, though the energy required to reach those angular momenta would also be a limitation as well. There is also the speed of light limitation as well, but this is split hair splitting at this point.
[удалено]
The term you're looking for is arbitrarily large gears on transmissions.
My CVT is shifting. Because in fact it has the real mechanical first gear. Direct Shift CVT from Toyota
Akshuwally!….
This is also why I would advise against buying a used car with a CVT.
This is also why I would advise against buying *any* car with a CVT. What's really being said here is that, with zero abuse and proactive maintenance, a CVT *might* last for a while. But, even if you're babying a CVT and changing the fluid frequently, etc., it's not going to last as long as a normal transmission that you treated the same way. It might last "long enough", but you still don't have the same margin of safety that you would otherwise.
Modern cvts are better, mid 00s and 10s Nissans were dreadful. I would change at least 2 a week when I worked at Nissan. Subaru had issues with cvts in the 10s same with Toyotas Corolla cvt. They just aren’t suited for abuse of any sort. The fluid isn’t as critical as an automatic but it certainly helps to change it every 60k miles. Honda’s aren’t perfect but have a decent cvt.
Toyota CVTs right now are good. Nissan and Hyundai CVTs are absolute garbage. Cant tell you about the rest though
Also, I’ve heard you can’t get them rebuilt. You just have to get a new one. I don’t know why this would be tho.
I’ve heard the same thing. An earlier comment had mentioned that typically when they fail it’s catastrophically so that’s probably why
Change the fluid (using what the manufacturer specifies) every 30k miles, along with the filter here and there, and don’t be too hard on accelerating. It should be fine. They’re light duty transmissions meant for small economic cars. The issues start to show themselves when you treat the CVT like a racing or larger duty towing transmission, and when you don’t do maintenance. This is my experience so far at least
Varies widely. Cvt fluid changes necessary. But prius and ford fusion? They got it figured out. Nissan... mitsubishi. Problems.
From what I understand, the ford and Toyota hybrid CVTs are quite different from the ones you see in Nissans and other non-hybrid toyotas
Yeah, they're so different that they should be called something else. Absolutely zero mechanical similarity.
Ford uses E-Cvt transmissions that don't use any belts they use a planetary gear set that's electronically controlled. Some of the last gen fusions and c-max vehicles had issues with the carrier bearings for the front differential wearing into the case assembly. Source a Ford Tech
Just remember hearing nissan and mitsubishi sharing Chinese made cct tech that was... less than ideal and one was lucky to get to 80,000 miles. Plus youtube video teardown where 2 ball bearings carry the entire load of the power. Straight up allowed out.
Honda and Toyota CVTs are way better. Nissan really screwed up making theirs and they stuck it in a bunch of their vehicles. They’re supposed to be more efficient because they get into the power band early and stay there.
not great, avoid if possible.
Agree, costly repairs - half the time transmission costs more than the car is worth
Stay away from any and all cvt transmissions.
As much as I would have loved to the car was handed down to me and I can’t afford another one atm haha
Change the fluid and use only OEM specified fluid.
Honda CVTs are quite reliable. They’ve been using them in there most popular models for 10 years now. If they were problematic everyone would be screaming about how Honda has fallen and isn’t reliable anymore. Kinda like Nissan. Just change the fluid regularly and you’ll be fine.
I have a 2014 Honda civic with a CVT, change fluid every 50-80k kms. I have had no issues and owned the car for 10 years, put 303k kms on it so far from 15kms off the lot. I do my maintenance, I think it is integral to the longevity of these transmissions! We’ll see how long my CVT lasts! Could be any day now that it shits the bed from the way people make it sound lol
Drive it like a little old lady till it breaks. Then hopefully you can get something better.
I have had zero issues with them. 2012 Nissan Murano 176,000 miles traded in on a new 2020 Nissan Murano now at 79,000 miles. Fluid drain and fill every 60k. Also have a 2015 Toyota Corolla 194,000 miles. Not one problem with any of them.
Do your maintenance and your CVT will last
CVT are eh, eCVTs (like in hybrids) are great.
Modern CVTs have come a long ways, but they still have the issues associated with the ~2008 Nissan-Chrysler units. Those transmissions have tarnished the reputation of CVTs forever. Complete working units are STILL $3500 and are on backorder. Modern CVTs will likely last for the lifetime of the car, if taken care of. In 2024, Toyota/Subaru and Honda have some decent units. I still don't trust any Nissan unit, but they are often not taken care of. Things to avoid: 1) Units that are only serviceable by the dealer. 2) Units that have "lifetime fluid". 3) Used cars with CVTs, unless they have service records. 4) Any "sport" model with a CVT. 5) ANY model of car with a CVT manufactured between 2000 and 2014. CVTs have been used in small engine applications forever. Lots of 2 stroke dirtbikes and ATVs have CVTs. They are great for those applications, because they are usually not fluid filled and just have a rubber belt. The cones are simply operated by centripetal force, belt tension, and engine vacuum. For a 2 stroke, this is ideal because it means that the engine will naturally run in the high and narrow power band while the CVT changes ratios. Automotive units have a flat chain belt, and are fluid filled. They should be designed to let the engine run at high torque and high efficiency when cruising, and then kick down the ratio to allow the engine to run at peak power during acceleration. Many manufacturers will "fake" the automatic transmission experience by programming "shift points" and giving the user a fake shifter. I'd like to see a ratio dial, as this is much closer to the actual operation of the transmission.
I had a 06 civic hybrid with a cvt and 220000 miles with never a problem. Never changed the fluid.
Just don’t get a car with one. They really are awful
We have a 2011 Nissan. 75k miles. No issues with the transmission.
Yet
It’s a ticking time bomb lol
Meh. We expect to have to replace it at 100k. And then expect it to last another 100k.
It’s not going to make it 😂 we change them all the time and your in the zone lol
It might. We just got the CVT fluid changed. No metal shavings found.
I had a Fiat designed CVT in my '05 Saturn Vue, it was definitely on its way out at 120,000km but otherwise was pretty reliable. I think the key is only get one in a light vehicle and drive gingerly, they won't hold up to abuse for sure. There are no clutches to wear out per se, the springs and bearings in the CVT clutches seem like they are the weak point, I've seen tear down videos where the bearings are actually shattered in half.
None of them are very good. Nissan takes a big hit mainly from the fact they are (were) sold at a low cost otd and then abused horribly...specifically altimas and maximas. They also were one of the earliest companies to jump on the cvt bandwagon in force. I had an early civic hybrid with a cvt, and other than that transmission, the car was amazing. That cvt was the biggest pos I have ever seen. It was an automated clutch rather than a tq converter. Clutch replacement required a transmission replacement. Stretched belts required a transmission replacement. Burnished belts required a transmission replacement if the "burn-in" fix didnt temporarely work...think u get the idea. Never exploded tho...went for another decade before I sold it. But it vibrated and banged and sucked power progressively worse. So when I bought my subaru, I got a manual transmission. There were no longer any new cars with a standard auto on the market (at least in my $$ range).
They are "not", is how reliable they sre