CVT reliability - how long do they last?

[cos]

I keep hearing horror stories about the longevity of CVT trannies. Are any of them known for going 100K+ before needing a rebuild?

A friend is considering purchasing a new '09 Nissan Murano.

 

[saaber1]

Could be worse, he could be looking at the 2009 nissan armada which gets 12 mpg city (9mpg on e85)

Hard to believe they are still making gas guzzlers like the armada.

Another nissan cvt problem thread if you haven't seen it yet:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1361533&fpart=1

 

[Quattro Pete]

Murano has had the CVT since 2003... looking at reliability ratings, it appers to be pretty good:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2003&make=Nissan&model=Murano

Whether the brand new ones will be as reliable is anyone's guess.

 

[01rangerxl]

The CVT in my dad's 2004 Civic Hybrid made it to 38,000 miles before failing.

 

[Black_Thunder]

CVT in my Mother's Mercury Mystique.


has about 103,000 miles, never any tranny problems, shifts great!

 

[The Critic]

The '03 Muranos had some issues with the CVT, the latest CR survey shows a 2/5 in the transmission category. The later models have been fine.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Black_Thunder
CVT in my Mother's Mercury Mystique.


has about 103,000 miles, never any tranny problems, shifts great!


what year, they never came with CVTs from the factory, just hte CD4E and the MTX-75. plus a CVT does not shift.

 

[parimento1]

I think he meant Merc Montego

 

[swalve]

I suspect the effects of poor driving habits and lack of maintenance outweigh any functional issues.

 

[artificialist]

Nobody ever got any life out of the CVT found in the 2002-2004 Saturn VUE 4 cylinder, or in the 2003-2004 ION Quad Coupe.

AT flush or not, gentle driving or not, those things were worthless.

Now other CVT automatics? I don't exactly know. I have seen many Muranos get an early tow from a truck, but that didn't automatically mean the CVT failed. Fuel pumps have often been weak on certain cars.

 

[The Critic]

The only reliable CVTs are the ones found in the Toyota Hybrid vehicles.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
The only reliable CVTs are the ones found in the Toyota Hybrid vehicles.

Wasn't there some big outcry from taxi driver community that apparently these cars aren't nearly as durable as Crown Vics? Did it have anything to do with the transmission or was it something else?

 

[mstrjon32]

I'm sure they are not. I've use taxi's quite often and some of those drivers beat the ever loving snot out of those crown vics. I think a big part of the reason they do so well is because they produce a ton of torque and despite the hard driving they infrequently shift above 3,000 rpm.

 

[meep]

The 'yota hybrid CVTs are AWESOME. Ford uses them in the escape too. NO belt, no pulleys, no clutches. One planetary gearset biased by both motor/generators. that's it. search on "prius cvt mg1 mg2" and you'll find good info.

Mike

 

[Anduril]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The only reliable CVTs are the ones found in the Toyota Hybrid vehicles.

Wasn't there some big outcry from taxi driver community that apparently these cars aren't nearly as durable as Crown Vics? Did it have anything to do with the transmission or was it something else?

I think most of the "complaint" was about the batteries, which have turned out to be quite reliable.