Looking at a 2008 Outlander SE 2.4 and curious how reliable the CVT is? I've read on here that Mitsubishi uses their own software to make it act like a regular 6 speed automatic . I've never owned a CVT , though my 2012 Cruze 6T40 HydraMatic looks like a CVT and wasn't hard to rebuild. It's pure junk. I've read nothing but good things about this generation outlander , besides being slow.
2nd Gen Outlander CVT reliability
- Thread starter popwar
- Start date
Mitsubishi uses Jatco CVTs, just like Nissan, yet you rarely hear of a CVT issue in a Mitsubishi product.
Could it be the Mitsubishi programming? Or is it because there's probably 1000 Nissans for every 1 Mitsubishi in the US?
Assuming we're talking US models, I've never heard any major complaints on later model Mitsubishis.
Could it be the Mitsubishi programming? Or is it because there's probably 1000 Nissans for every 1 Mitsubishi in the US?
Assuming we're talking US models, I've never heard any major complaints on later model Mitsubishis.
Popwar, have you ever floored a vehicle with a CVT doing 0-60? The auto makers got complaints from early CVT adopters, polished a turd and made it worse trying to make it behave like something its not.
I haven't . I am also interested in the 05-06 CRV with the 5speed auto trans , and those seem pretty solid as well, and just as slow.
I have an Outlander model with the six speed trans. Never any problems. Have a Suzuki which has a Jatco trans which Nissan makes. No problem yet. CVTs take time to get used to. Some drivers don't give them enough time. I accept their foibles and just drive on. They are very fuel efficient
transmissions.
transmissions.
what fluid have you used in the Outlander?
The nice thing about a Jatco CVT is the ease in which you can change fluid on them and there's lots of aftermarket CVT fluids available. Spill and fills are easier than an engine oil change and the ones that I have owned and seen all use an actual gasket on the pan, so if you choose to drop the pan to clean magnets and change the filter screen, it's easy enough to do so on. They've all got an externally mounted filter element you can change also.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
A friend of had a Lancer with that transmission. She never had a complaint. It was whiney and rubber band in feel but lasted a full 150k mi of her ownership.
I used Valvoline CVT fluid in my Jatco trans. Spec'd for the cvt and available anywhere. Works great.
I've seen the 3 I've stated in my local wm. May just do the blue bottle then. I'll may do the Honda cvt as well soon but we may get rid of it anyway.
A girl I dated a few years ago had a CVT Corolla. She wanted to know how to do a burnout, let's just say brisk acceleration is not possible in the Corolla, much less a burnout. Lol. Maybe that's why Toyota's don't fail as much as Nissan's although I haven't driven a Nissan CVT.
Your Outlander has the 3.0 V6 with the Invecs II transmission. That’s a great power train.
Nissan tech I know said jack rabbit starts, and WOT kills cvts around 80-100k.
To be fair, many traditional multi speed automatics will also fail from this treatment ~ not all, but enough.
I think its reliable atleast, the timing belt and premium fuel recommendation didn't win any points with me but it drove well enough on my test drive.
OP, If its got 120k+ miles and no record of a CVT fluid change, I would have a hard time paying too much for it, as if it was driven hard it may not go much longer.
Working at a Mitsubishi dealer, the only Outlander CVT I saw fail was with a guy who actually served his time there. He'd never changed the oil, and used to tow a rally car all around the country. Hard use, and if he'd changed the trans fluid a few times might've lasted longer. We used DiaQueen, although sometimes a Penrite product if the customer wanted to be cheap. Only other CVT I saw fail there was on a Colt.
