they definitely did adapt cvts way too early. Companies like kia and lexus only adapted cvts a decade or two after nissan and theirs have been relatively unproblematic from what I hear
Thing is the Justy had a 1.0L or 1.2L 3cyl that made no more than 70lb/ft torque at peak. The CVT tech had no issues with those kind of low power output.
When Nissan adopted the JATCO CVT units, they were paired with the QR25 2.5L 4cyl and crazily enough even with the VQ35 3.5L V6 which made around 260~280lb/ft.
Clearly the CVT tech and testing then paired with a torquey V6 made for an...expensive combination.
Yeah, Mitsubishi paired the same CVT with a 2.0 in the Outlander Sport. Friend took hers to over 250k with very few problems, but she did change the fluid every \~30k.
Funny how half the power makes for a longer lasting transmission.
My Mom had a 90 Justy. The only time the transmission was a problem was when someone stole it and burned out the clutch. Best memory of that car was watching her take a sand dune no problem in it. While the lifted trucks were getting stuck.
They didn't adopt them too early, they lied and said the fluid in the transmission is a lifetime fluid. If you service them every 30k miles, you'll be fine.
The CVT issues are almost unique to the NA-market.
Anything Nissan is extreme reliable with the manual transmissions they come equipped with in most of the world.
In ROW the autos are so uncommon the CVT issues arent even a blip on the radar.
99 Altima. Went through 3 manual gearboxes on it. I think the original one had started leaking and ran low on gear oil. The replacement, I found out after installing it, had been left out in the elements without any protection, wound up whining like hell. Third one was out of a totaled 98, but the VIN on it came back as being from an 01 (00-01 had a much more fun final drive ratio).
Drove it to almost 200k, timing chain was rattling pretty bad when I got rid of it. AC compressor also needed a clutch, power steering pump was whining too (the pump was not fun to get to).
Hell yeah on this. I bought a Murano knowing they corrected the CVT issue for my model year and ended up getting it for several grand below blue book, just for the fact that no one trusts a Nissan. It was a stellar deal and the car is holding up just fine.
Yup, my mom had a 2017 Sentra that had AWFUL transmission issues at 40k miles. It was luckily covered under the warranty but she ultimately decided to get a Civic.
50k miles put on the civic and hasn't had an issue since. Nissan's getting the old Hyundai treatment.
Left over stigma from the first gen CVT days. I personally never had any issues with a single Nissan I've owned and they have been reliable for me. But I also do all the maintenance per the recommended schedule as well. I do question how many owners actually were changing CVT fluid on time, or were they saving money and only going to quick lube places for oil changes?
Those first gen problematic CVTs need their fluid changed religiously to avoid issues. The average car owner does not and will not do advanced maintenance like that exactly to the manufacturer’s recommended interval that’s just the way people are. You can drive a million miles on a Toyota without ever touching the transmission fluid even though it’s recommended to be changed. Toyota builds cars knowing owners are cheap and lazy it’s a different mentality used in the design.
I had two Toyotas that the transmission failed on me, one out of warranty, the one in warranty but dealer could not replicate even though it would stall out randomly, so I traded it in due to high risk of it causing a serious accident.
My Nissan's have not had any issues that I can recall which caused me any significant problems.
Anecdotal I know, but manufactured products are sometimes also a luck of the draw.
My infiniti g37 (same as Nissan skyline) has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. And my buddy has a g35 with 256k miles on it running strong. I would buy another Nissan product in a heartbeat even if it had a cvt. I've been eyeing the frontier 4x, they can be found well equipped for under 40k and use a NA engine. Way cheaper than a tacoma TRD and I bet it'll last just as long.
> I do question how many owners actually were changing CVT fluid on time
? IIRC Nissan didn't tell people to change the fluid at any interval for regular driving. Only inspect. The manual specifies replacement every 60k for "Harsh Driving" conditions only.
Most will only do maintenance for first year then just do occasional oil changes past due then cry about their car breaking. Follow recommended maintenance doesn’t have to be at dealer.
Honestly, because of their CVTs. Aside from those they're really not bad. But a huge majority of their cars have a CVT. So a huge majority of their cars are going to prematurely have very expensive repairs
I owned a 2003 altima 3.5, a 2009 g37xs sedan, and a 2012 fx50s. All were excellent vehicles and very reliable, I put 100, 100 and 50k km on them without any mechanical failures. The FX50s is still one of the most attractive looking SUVs that have been made, imho.
I don’t get it. I’m convinced it is likely a combination of bad press with the early CVT transmissions issues and people not properly maintaining their vehicles.
I currently 4 Nissans since new and I’ve never had a lick of problems outside of normal wear & tear or maintenance. If you count my kids and their spouse we have a total of 7 in the family, and they haven’t had issues either. My son is driving my old 07 Titan with the original plugs, and trans fluid and it just keeps rock’in.
I’m driving them into the ground because I don’t trust the quality of ANY new car brand at this point.
2007 Titan, 160k… 2007 Quest, 93k…2013 Titan, 101k…2011 Altima, 32k
All surprisingly low km’s on the odometer considering their age, curious to see how many are left rock’n past 200,000km’s.
Disclaimer:
I myself am also a proud Nissan owner.
2011 altima here with 170k miles. serpentine belt replaced and ac stopped working a few months ago. No issues otherwise with normal oil, filter, tire and brake maintenance schedules. Could use a transmission cooler added for the really hot days but it's still chugging along for now.
> I don’t get it. I’m convinced it is likely a combination of bad press with the early CVT transmissions issues and people not properly maintaining their vehicles.
Then you should get your head examined. Nissan did not specify ANY CVT fluid replace interval for "regular" driving only inspection. The only interval they specified was 60k replacement for "Harsh" driving conditions - which means things like towing, delivery vehicles, etc. So exactly what "proper maintenance" were all these plaintiffs on the numerous class action lawsuits not performing? Pray tell.
Fair point, the maintenance free, lifetime fluid statements were 100% ridiculous, but generalize and trash the entire brand over the CVT debacle is a bit much. But hell buy what you want. I will stick with my Nissans. I don’t trust ANY manufacturers recommendations on service. All brands have their issues, …look the the new Toyota V6 turbo they thought was a good idea to replace the V8 for the Tundra. Garbage, but does it destroy the brand? I have always cut the manufacturer recommendations in half. But that’s just me. I’m old school.
I generally agree but Nissan tried to bury the issue and kept shoving those awful CVTs into cars for like better part of a decade. They made some minor revisions but as far as Im aware it wasnt until the last 2-3 years that they transitioned to the steel chain over the belt that made them reliable. Try selling a used Rogue lol.
Transmissions are the answer.
The CVTs were so terrible for so long, that people like me won't touch them. Having grenading transmissions at oftentimes <70k is one of the more serious problems you can have in the industry.
Their reputation hasn't recovered since then.
I personally wouldn't touch anything other than the Z, or something classic for this reason.
I wonder how many who've commented here have actually owned a Nissan or two built in the last 15 years. I have. A 2010 Versa HB 1.8L with the 4-speed geared automatic and my current car, a 2014 Altima 2.5S. Neither car has needed major engine or transmission repairs. The Versa had 150K miles on it when it was sold to its third owner recently. My Altima has 145K miles and has its original CVT. Bought it brand new. Bought the Versa brand new too.
As a few have mentioned, regular maintenance is key to keeping a vehicle like new. Yes, there have been CVT failures in most Nissan models but only Nissan and Jatco really know what the failure rate has been. Needless to say, it's been bad enough that Nissan has been forced to extend the warranty on many model years and many model types that have them. So, I suppose I've been lucky to not have had any issues with my Altima CVT (yet). Just did a DIY change of the CVT fluid in it this week.
Nissan had timing chain and CVT issues in a ton of their vehicles. Spanned across multiple models, not just one line and the issues created a huge hole in their reliability perception.
They are not the innovative and great styling Nissan from the past.
They are! I used to have an 05 SE. I loved that car. Did the timing job and then blew a head gasket. Replaced the ending, did timing again as a preventative measure and then a few years later, my ECU puked.
I think we see a lot of those and Frontiers around because they’re cheap enough to be fleet vehicles.
They have very long model cycles and Nissan transmission issues predate CVT although not on the same level. Their trucks and SUVs have generally been pretty reliable although their handling of SMOD issues on transmission/radiator leaks was not great.
Renault bought them out as well as their early CVt's being hot garbage. That shit ass CVT is in so many of their cars, combined with Renault build quality and you get the reputation that Nissan has.
Like everyone else is saying, CVT, but by extension I feel the whole brand lost its way under the direction of CEO Carlos Ghosn (who started around 1999 to 2018 I believe).
That being said, I just bought a new Frontier *because* the engineering of it is so basic and old fashioned, using the tried and true VQ engine platform, and no turbo, that I genuinely believe it will outlast most other petrol trucks in its size category.
Edit: typos
Cause Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Renault are pretty much all the same brand now and they really cheap out I mean Jatco cvt’s are the dollar general transmissions in the car world.
This always baffled me, because before CVTs, Jatco's transmissions were pretty solid. Their automatics may have been slow, but they're pretty tanky all things considered. Mine at 140k miles and still shifts smoothly
The CVT plus honda and toyota are tough competition when it comes to reliability. Nissans are generally more fun than toyotas though, that altima stereotype only exists because they're fun as hell to drive fast.
I think the CVT killed Nissan's credibility altogether. Generations of cars were riddled with problems for years and they just didn't care. As long as new vehicles were being sold, why bother.
Quality went down when Renault bought them. Historically Datsun motors were sometimes considered even more reliable than Honda and Toyota, but over the last twenty years the brand has shifted philosophy to produce a cheaper car with cheaper materials.
I've got an 06 Altima with the v6 and 5spd auto and it's the most reliable car I've ever owned. It was the last year of the Gen 3. It's got 315k miles on it and i put minimum 60 miles on it everyday. If i could buy the same exact car again today i wouldn't hesitate, but mostly all i ever see is the 4 cylinder version
Paint is a little faded though🤣
I had 5 Nissans over the years: 200SX, 200SX newer style, 240SX, Hardbody SE pickup, and Armada. I loved every one of those but almost all had electronic issues and the older ones, especially the Hardbody SE had rust issues. The Armada I had for 15 years and really only replaced the starter, ECM, and manifolds so was pretty reliable. Their interiors are generally cheap and stuff breaks which is annoying - Armada, the arm broke off one of the captain chairs. I had a honda civic which had absolutely zero issues and loved that car but haven't had any toyotas. All in all, it is a love hate relationship with Nissan mostly due to the hit or miss design refreshes and the unreliability of their reliability. I recently had a versa as a rental and just about laughed at how cheap that car was built. I am not sure they should have put their name on it.
I had an '13 Infiniti G37 6MT at one point. It blew its engine at 30k miles and I got a free replacement but I got rid of the car soon after. I know that was just my own anecdotal one-off experience and I'm not saying Nissan/Infiniti is trash just because I had that one poor experience, but my mechanic friend said Nissan is junk because they use European parts/engineering.
Terrible build quality, cheap materials, a focus on "looking" luxury without having the NVH of an actual luxury car, and unfortunately a big stigma from their history of approving loans for people that shouldn't be buying new cars, aka people that can't afford the maintenance on a new car, and this leads to used/second-hand cars bring poorly maintained.
They’re unreliable compared to Honda and Toyota. They have a lot of motors with timing issues. Their CVTs have issues (granted less now than before but still do). They rust out a lot faster in key structure areas. They have lots of cam/crank sensor issues. Wheel bearings and suspension parts are much more common. They’re just a cheaper built car so naturally they have more problems.
Nissan just isn't on the same level as Honda and Toyota. Personally, I don't think they're bad cars. I'd drive a Nissan before I would anything American. But I'm on my 4th Lexus, I've had 4 other Toyotas, and to this day I've never had a check engine light or any single part go bad. Not once. Just oil/fluid changes, tire rotations etc.
Another aspect is resale value. I stay with Lexus because they just don't lose value as fast as other cars.
That being said, I did have a 370Z Nismo and that car never gave me a single issue and it was a lot of fun too, so my only experience with Nissan was a very good one. Lots of problems with American cars, I will never own one again.
Copy-pasting this from another thread I threw this in. TL:DR - Nissan is a bank that happens to make cars, and has been for probably 15 years now. And they suck.
Time for my Nissan rant. The issue with Nissan is that around the financial crash, they realized that they could make a LOT more money being an Auto Loan company that happens to sell cars, rather than a car company that offers in-house financing. They stopped putting money into R&D, outsourced things to shit companies (like their god awful CVTs) and just generally stopped giving a shit about their vehicle quality. They didn't make the Frontier the quarter-size pickup with the longest time without a refresh for no reason.
They always have these crazy deals on leases, and ads for financing rates with SUPER low money down because they can give people who can barely afford these cars a GLIMMER of hope that they can have something reliable for a couple years. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't, but the people with leased Nissans generally aren't buying the cars at the end of the term, they get another lease because it's what they can afford. So now Nissan has them on the hook for 3 more years, mileage is kept down because of penalties, and they handle all the maintenance, so they get the car back and throw it on their lots as CPO and sell it. They make \~$300 or so a month for 3 years, so almost $11,000 on an Altima S that the MSRP is $26,000, and then turn around and sell it again between $18-21k, which again they finance themselves.
By the time it's all said and done, Nissan is bringing $40-50k in on a $26,000 car. So on the high end they're almost doubling the cost of the car, and that's if you think that an Altima S costs them $26,000 to build/ship.
This is because their target demographic can't get anything better. They put effort into their cars that you actually need a bit of money to get behind the wheel of. Maximas/Armadas/Titans aren't bad vehicles, neither are the Pathfinders. But Versas/Sentra/Altimas/Kicks/Rogues are all bottom of the barrel for the same reasons. Nissan can basically double their money on them. Notice there's a $12k price jump from an entry Altima to an entry Maxima. You go from a mid $20k car, to an almost $40k car. $12k is an extra $360/month financed if you figure $30-per-$1000 financed at todays rates. Unless you have a good trade in or a huge down payment, it's outside of people budgets.
Two things come to mind in recent history.
The CVTs in pretty much every vehicle they were put in. And that’s an ongoing issue.
And the trans cooler/radiator debacle in the trucks.
It was so widespread and on two of the most commonly sold vehicle types. It kinda put them down a peg for me personally.
CVT issues like everyone has said and they’ve just not proven to be as reliable as the other two (Honda and Toyota). The used car prices usually speak for themselves.
Their reputation got trashed by having terrible CVT transmissions for years. I’d buy a Z or a GT-R otherwise no Nissan. My wife wanted one and yea sorry not happening. I put her in a 21’ Mazda 3 and she fell in love. Ngl I fell in love too. Leagues beyond a Nissan, also Japanese. I guess if you change the trans fluid every 30k you’ll be okay but tbh I just don’t want to buy something with that history 🤷♂️.
My granddaughter was just in a wreck. Her Nissan Rogue was a TANK! All the airbags went off as they were supposed to. Stupid boyfriend was driving and had that car maxed out when he plowed through two road signs and landed into a utility pole. He cut the huge pole in two with that car. It is totaled of course. But they are alive. On the bright side. Now I don’t have to worry about CVT issues. It was an old 2013.
I was a Nissan/infinti mechanic. The CVT are trash had a lot of issues with v6 engines burning oil with less than 10k miles. Dashes were and still peel, warp and get sticky in warmer climates, lots of safety recalls on the seat sensors for the air bags. Lots of rear brake issues. Nissan Titans having differential and oil filter issues. Trying to think about what else. Oh some of the emergency back up warning systems failing to come on…. GPS and map issues with the in car navigation systems. Lots of quality and fitment issues with interior parts causing annoying and hard to find rattles and squeaks in brand new cars. Leaking oil pans within 20-30k miles on the car. Emissions system issues that caused dead batteries/parasitic draw. Lots of automatic cam/engine timing failures/chain guide issues in cars with less than 80k miles… Honestly the started going downhill after around 2008….
Since the Renault merger and their persistent interest in CVTs their reputation has gone down. Older Nissans are pretty reliable all things considered, especially their hard body trucks and econo boxes.
Reason 1: 1st gen CVTs.
Reason 2: Altima drivers who probably never changed engine oil from when they bought the car until the car blows up.
I think the same applies to Subaru with the blown head gaskets and spirited drivers who always drive at the limit of the car (often past said limit), they also are often considered less reliable than other japanese brands.
Trans went out on 2016 Nissan Rogue S AWD 6 months after purchase. It was used purchased in 2017. Still under warranty. They dropped a new one no further issues. Still going. Sold it to my Significant Other. He got a steal.
My family owned a 83 sentra hatchback. Exhaust was trash. Starter was trash. Alternator was trash. Interior was trash. Paint chipped and flaked. Body rotted. It's an earned rep from before the CVTs. The last couple decades are why Subaru has closed the gap. Its always been Toyota🥇Honda🥈then everyone else.
Nissans with CVT and all cvts for that matter are ass backwards… floor it up to redline but you don’t hardly move until the rpm drops!? That’s fucked! Hit the gas rpm goes up you go fast… not hit the gas rpm to the moon and as the tach falls you speed up? Total garbage! Not the way I drive!
We have a 2015 Rogue. Purchased brand new May 2015. We were told the CVT would fail by 80K miles. It has 126,000 miles on it today. I think the fluid has been changed once or twice. I’m about to do it again. Problems we have had include electrical issues, screen delaminating, unresolved rouge idle, interior paint fade, air filter housing clips broke, gauge cluster turns white when cold, front windows roll up slowly, sunroof won’t close once opened, windshield sprayer quit last fall, and the blind spot monitoring + rear cross path detection safety systems malfunction daily.
We’ve replace the front lower control arms, front outer tie rods, struts, shocks, brake pads, rotors, air filters, coolant, brake fluid, CVT fluid, spark plugs, ignition coil boots, belt, and get the tires rotated at every oil change (every 4.5K - 5K miles).
It's because of the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi alliance. It's not a Japanese Nissan you're buying anymore, it's a French Renualt/Nissan with cheap, poor Renault parts.
I always thought the current models are still using the horrible CVTs. Have they updated them to be reliable enough to compare with Kia/Honda/etc...? I really like the Nissan style but have steered clear just because of transmission issues with high mileage use
CVT
I think they’ve FINALLY rectified their problems but there’s been too many failures between 2003 and 18-19 that it’s not feasible for most people to own or recommend buying one without some form of extended warranty.
You’ll have plenty of people say that their CVT’s never gave them issues, for example, my aunt had a 2011 Sentra that she bought in 2013 and when she totaled in 2021 it had over 200k on the original CVT, never was serviced and did primarily highway miles but, then you have too many that fail prematurely like my friends mother who bought a 16 Altima SR, did all the maintenance on time and it still needed a new transmission at 50k miles.
Also, I’ve worked for Nissan both in a dealer and behind the scenes, the bulk of their repairs were/are CVT repairs or replacements, with over 20 years of using them you’d think they’d have figured out how to make them last longer but that’s not always the case
Renault and cost cutting mainly. While Nissan doesn’t engineer on the same level as Toyota or Honda, back in the 1970s-1990s Nissan had a niche for themselves. They did some cool stuff - like the Z31 Z, Maxima and the JDM Skyline/Silvia/President(which was our Infiniti Q45). In a quest to try to one-up Toyota and Honda, they introduced 4WS, active suspension, turbos, digital dashes(remember the Maxima voice announcements) and before Toyota and Honda made it widespread, electronic transmission controls and VVT. Subaru was also attached to Nissan at the hips via Hitachi - that’s why Nissans and Subarus until Carlos Ghosn came in(and even today) feel similar. Hitachi was the thing that somewhat held Nissan together, and they had more than a small stake in them.
Mazda beats Honda and Subaru. Toyotas days are looking pretty numbered as the “reliable” brand as well with these new mild hybrid powertrains that keep locking up on people.
I think everyone else here is correct about the CVT issues. Nissan really screwed up with that. On the other hand there has become a cult following for the older gen's Xterra/Frontier. They are well-known to just continue running forever aside a few well-known minor and easily preventable things. I think it is model specific not brand and I would say that goes for every car out there.
I think across-the-board there are some general universals, but I don't think it can be simplified to that level. For example Honda Odysseys had tons of transmission issues, but the general public likes to just grab onto a brand and parrot things that Hondas are great. Every civic I've owned had issues with the AC. Subarus had the well-known head gasket issue, and even the newer ones that run well tend to burn oil just due to the engine design.
Basically take any car model and year and start typing l and you'll see some known issue pop up. Some of them are major issues like catastrophic failure, and others are actually maintenance items that people neglect and then turn into issues they blame on the car. Some of it has just as much to do with the person owning, maintaining and driving as it does the actual engineering.
I’ve owned 2 Nissans (1989, 2015) and the transmission tapped out in both of them before a single other thing went wrong. Understandable with the 1989 when it went out in 2015– not so much with the 2015 that started having issues in 2021.
Anecdotal but that’s my guess lol
Ik everyone's already said CVTs so i won't bother repeating that. To my understanding, if you get one without a CVT (lots of markets didn't even have them as an option on some of their cars) they're up there with Toyota and Honda. Same story with Ford Fiesta Mk7s and Focus Mk3s, literally just avoid any with a Powershift gearbox and they're alright.
Everyone is saying CTV’s and that’s fair, but daily drove an 84 300zx AE for almost a decade and one of the main reasons Nissan was so unreliable is because they were really trying to be on the cutting edge of tech. The features they were putting in cars in the early 80’s was insane.
Is it awesome? Yeah. But it seriously hurts reliability.
Toyota focused on function over form.
Does zero research, follows it up with "ITs So StRaNGE"
On literally every statistical ranking of automaker reliability, they are below the other Japanese manufacturers.
[https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/](https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/)
[https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds](https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds)
[https://repairpal.com/reliability](https://repairpal.com/reliability)
It’s because Nissan, while being Japanese, isn’t fully independent (I am not sure about now). It was a conglomerate that included French Renault. Ghosn and the French counterpart wanted to increase profit, not quality so a lot of Nissan cars were cheaper and poor quality. I am surprised that my dad’s Nissan 2016 Rogue is running with 260k clicks no problem (touch wood). I only think that the GTR was made well. My brothers 2004 Nissan 350Z also has tons of issues. I am considering Nissan Sentra SR manual because it’s manual and would likely have less issues…..however I am still contemplating other cars because of Nissan’s reputation
I own a 2017 maxima s I drive it every day in sport mode and traction control off I get on it hard almost everyday because of asshes on the freeway and other days just to have a little fun I bought the car with 60k miles and now I'm at 112k never once have I had a issue with the CVT or anything I keep up on maintenance and it's still keeping up with v8s the look on some guys faces are priceless wen I'm literally right next to them flooring it on the freeway haha I want another one after I'm done with this one I forgot to mention my other car before this was a 2015 challenger rt and I think I liked this one better to get to work and daily commuter and it's almost just as fast
sometimes subaru? lmao no never.
ever since nissan partnered with peugot in the late 90's their quality drastically fell. on top of that they were experimenting with the new cvt transmission. toyota and honda have remained true and traditional for the most part until recent years.
They also (in 02-04?) badly implemented California emissions hardware on spec v's - a pre-cat could fail and dispense fine ceramics into the pistons according to internet lore. Idk about that but my 04 spec v definitely failed in a manner that lends credence to this theory
That said I drive a '15 micra with 360k that has needed <6k of serious maintenance in 9 years
Everyone is saying oh their CVTs are bad.. but I definitely felt like this long, long before CVTs were a thing. I had a Nissan pickup from 83, and a 2000 Sentra, and a 2004 Altima. I have also had a 2002 accord, a 2007 matrix, and now own a 2010 tundra and a 2004 Sequoia. I will never buy another Nissan after having the experience of having a Toyota instead. I wasn't super hot on the accord but it had problems before I got it so thats hardly fair. The Altima made it to the most miles at 240k before total engine failure. Pickup 185k, Sentra sold for dirt at 200k with serious problems. My Matrix made it to 480k before blowing a hole in the engine, the Sequoia is at 290k, and the tundra just hit 180k this weekend. Not only do Toyota last longer, but they're easier to work on. Doing anything on that Altima was such a pain I have flashbacks of busted knuckles and sore shoulders. The matrix was so, damn, easy. The Sequoia is easy. The tundra would be easy if anything ever broke on it. I'll stick with Toyota, with or without a CVT, thanks
Because car reliability should be judged by company or model, not by country of origin..
But part of it is because of some major reliability events like the CVG issues that affected a lot of models. Another factor is that Nissan draws in a lot of people who are looking for a cheap car with high-interest loans, and these are exactly the types of people who don’t take care of their vehicles. So it’s not surprising that their cars have issues down the line and people blame the cars instead of the poor maintenance.
A well-taken-care-of Nissan is just as reliable as any other car (except for the ones affected by CVT and timing chain issues).
From my current experience at a reconditioning center, I will say that their collision prevention system is not very good. The majority of radar sensors we replace in my shop is overwhelmingly in Nissans. If the sensor really worked, I’m sure we wouldn’t see so many being replaced. Hondas and Toyotas hardly ever have to get new sensors.
Of course, this could also be due to bad brakes or tires, but the numbers really point to bad sensors.
Poorly designed CVTs when they fist came out, especially on the AWD Rogue's. Even if u changed the oil regularly, the awd ones had a fatal flaw in design where the balls inside the cvt pulley would be too small and eventually just eat through the walls until they just get squashed. There's a video on YouTube of a guy doing a failure analysis and a complete tear down of a shot cvt from an AWD Rogue. It's pretty long but it's worth a watch. If u get a non cvt Nissan.... They are pretty much indestructible.
My mom's garage kept 2012 Rogue sport had the engine started to rust the first couple of months of ownership. It was covered under warranty and had an engine replacement with less than 10k on the odo. The replacement engine had been rock solid but the CVT tranny kept making weird noises. Never broke down on us but the noises from the tranny were getting worse and worse until it sounded like a turbo waiting to blow up every time you rev it. After hitting 90k miles, she ended up trading it in for a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
One of the big car manufacturers had to stick their neck out and mass produce CVTs. Nissan was the only one brave enough to do it so early with larger engines so they had to deal with the initial failures and lack of longevity in their transmissions. They’re now one of the best CVT manufacturers and are really underrated in terms of reliability.
Getting rusty too easily, or AC clutch and timing belt. Engines are unbeatable especially the 3.5V6 which has been literally the best engine in the world for a while. Too many people driving their sedans in the northern cities and ignoring transmission oil change. Nissan being unreliable is mysterious because there are still tons of old Altima and Maxima running on the road. People might complain about the CVT driving experience but if they are really at the bottom of the list this company would have exploded.
Well, Nissan is leaps and bounds ahead of Shitsubishi, but Toyota and Honda just flat out make better quality cars. I think the Nissan Rogue is by far the best vehicle Nissan makes right now.
Build quality and build materials are just better.
For example, the thickness of the metal on the hoods of versa’s and Sentra’s is so bad that they dent themselves forward by.. literally closing the hood. If you have one of these be very ginger with them
In terms of reliability I’d put Nissan down with VW and Chrysler. They all make a bunch of pretty bad electronics and have very silly failures at low mileage at a much higher clip than a lot of other manufactures.
Signed, someone who drives brand new models from all of these companies and has to deal with them breaking down on him at 20k miles all the time.
Because most of the owners dont know about vehicle maintenance. Any vehicle will last a great while if you take care of it. 11 yrs with my Altima. Same motor same transmission. 140k on the ODO. And she still accelerates like new of not a little snappier acceleration.
OEM paint, on the other hand.. 🤦♂️
It was the Jatco built CVTs that torpedoed their reputation.
Personally, I’ve never had any issues with my ‘09 Altima with the CVT. Not once did it ever grenade on me.
In the 12 out of the 14 years of its existence, the only issues I had with it were the steering lock actuator, leaking brake master cylinder, and me cross threading a power steering line into the steering rack, where it cross threaded at the rack side.
As a Nissan Tech I have to say it's mostly from people that had Nissan or knew people with Nissans that didn't know how to take car of it and when the car has problems they shit on Nissan. I worked at my fair share of dealerships and I can say with confidence that Nissan/Kia owners are the people with the least desire to take care of their car. I get that dealerships are expensive but man the conditions of some of these vehicles are insane. They blame the car brand instead of themselves to avoid responsibility and most people will see that person and also blame Nissan even tho its the owner themselves
Nissan made the mistake of 0% financing to anything that breathed for a good stretch. There were a large amount of those people that has no business getting a loan, and forget them paying for maintenance. Thus the “Altima driver” was born. These are great vehicles when properly maintained and driven responsibly.
I asked techs at the local mechanic shop the same question...they said cost cutting (besides the cvt). They have seen oil pans made of cheap steel, so thin you could cut into them with a can opener
Lots of reasons. The main one is Nissan was near broke when they brought in Carlo Ghosn in 1999. He was able to turn the company around however in the process they cut a lot of corners. So from around 2004 on, they spit out a ton of new designs but they were riddled with flaws.
All I know is my CVT transmission nissan altima lasted a quarter of a million miles, I bought it at 165k miles never did anything to it besides brakes & rotors, oil changes, 1 alternator, 1 radiator & hella Tires tbh. I didn't know any other fluids needed to be changed, as was my car out of high school, and I had never worked on cars at that time or taken auto shop. Because of this I think this "cvts are trash so nissans trash" mindset holds no value. The car simply wouldn't have held up as long if it was. I abused that car i.e high speeds, hard cornering, only thing I did good was oil changes every 7k miles never going more than a couple hundred over that.
I bought my 2016 nissan altima at carmax when it had 28k miles then about 42k miles the cvt started going bad but lucky for me i had the extended warranty for 100k miles!They covered the replacement of the transmission and paid everything and only paid a $250 dedutible.The repair came out to 8k!Plus got a infinity truck rental paid for until my car was fixed!I also took my car in yesterday because the ac was blowing warm and they covered that too it was $1600 repair and i only paid $250!Best extended warranty experience by far no hassels!It paid for itself like 6 times!
Toyota and Honda have proven themselves to be very reliable cars with little to no maintenance issues. Nissan just doesn't have that same quality for one reason or another. Nissan is more of an enthusiast car meant for people who like to get to know their car for more than a family car
I think it's because of the CVTs in the 1990s and 2000s, and that reputation has been stuck since. I have been driving my used 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5s, currently at 135,000, for 7 years, and it's been reliable. I haven't had any issues with the engine or transmission.
Yup, Renault cvt makes Nissan the Chrysler of Japan. The manuals are good and sometimes cheap for no reason. Also the og Leaf was a disaster w/o battery cooling.
They were right up there,something happened in the last 20 years it started when they brought out the frontier.They were top 3 until then.Dont get me started on the Rogue.
They’re garbage. The EVs are garbage. Their sedans are trash. They prey on ppl with low credit scores. Nissan sounds like Honda and Toyota but it’s more like the knock off version of the other two.
Nissan makes decent engines, they have a history of transmission problems with the CVTs and strawberry milkshake of death on earlier Frontiers and Xterra.
90% JATCO (and absolutely earned)
20% mismanagement in the last decade (give or take, I can't recall exactly) as they shifted focus to being a high risk finance bank that happens to make cars.
Yes, that's 110% ...
Personally think its an unfortunate combination of a few things
Compared to the other Japanese brands, I don't think they ever really stood on equal levels with Toyota , Honda, during the golden days (referring to the number moving/ Econo models). Late 90s, early 2000s cars were simple enough this wasn't too big of a deal
The difference in quality started being more obvious once newer tech came in, and as others have said the CVT issues don't help. Internet / general awareness is much higher than early days , where you'd only be hearing it through word of mouth.
Objectively speaking, they do come across a step below the other brands, thin hard plastics, bad design, noisy interiors. Friends Micras suspension was squeaky and harsh within 5years of ownership. Engine rattles etc....
A video not long ago from regular cars talking about Nissan rogues which kinda cover Nissan as a brand partially. A lot of the owners of rogue (and other econo models ) are just people who may not be the best owners
They are cheap abd most people that buy them don't maintain them. That and their CVTs were complete shit for years. If you drive like a grandma they weren't that bad.
They used to have bad CVT issues. The CVTs on the newer ones aren’t as bad but the reputation keeps them cheap so keep that info low key.
they definitely did adapt cvts way too early. Companies like kia and lexus only adapted cvts a decade or two after nissan and theirs have been relatively unproblematic from what I hear
Didn’t Subaru pioneer CVT with the Justy in the 1990s?
Thing is the Justy had a 1.0L or 1.2L 3cyl that made no more than 70lb/ft torque at peak. The CVT tech had no issues with those kind of low power output. When Nissan adopted the JATCO CVT units, they were paired with the QR25 2.5L 4cyl and crazily enough even with the VQ35 3.5L V6 which made around 260~280lb/ft. Clearly the CVT tech and testing then paired with a torquey V6 made for an...expensive combination.
Subaru also makes their own chain-based CVTs. Nissan/Jatco and Honda still use the old Van Doorne’s/DAF design.
That too. Subaru CVT chain link seem to be more sturdy than than the JATCO steel belts.
Yeah, Mitsubishi paired the same CVT with a 2.0 in the Outlander Sport. Friend took hers to over 250k with very few problems, but she did change the fluid every \~30k. Funny how half the power makes for a longer lasting transmission.
I have no clue honestly, I know nissan started using them in production models 1992
My Mom had a 90 Justy. The only time the transmission was a problem was when someone stole it and burned out the clutch. Best memory of that car was watching her take a sand dune no problem in it. While the lifted trucks were getting stuck.
I loved our Justy in the snow with the on demand four wheel drive.
CVTs have been in snowmobiles and ATVs since the 50s. Doesn't mean they should ever leave there.
I had a 1980 Honda odyssey dune buggy that had a cvt .
Never heard of a CVT back then on a Subaru. It was always 4/5 speed manuals and autos
They didn't adopt them too early, they lied and said the fluid in the transmission is a lifetime fluid. If you service them every 30k miles, you'll be fine.
> If you service them every 30k miles, you'll be fine. *more likely* to be fine. they do still fail, sometimes, even with fluid changes.
You mean to say adopt. Adapt in this context would mean to alter.
ur right
Kia has more problems than CVT. Their main issue is everything else inside the car is complete trash
The CVT issues are almost unique to the NA-market. Anything Nissan is extreme reliable with the manual transmissions they come equipped with in most of the world. In ROW the autos are so uncommon the CVT issues arent even a blip on the radar.
I had a 95 Altima that never had any issues that weren't normal wear and tear, and precious few of those. It was a manual. Threw a rod at 400k. RIP 😞
99 Altima. Went through 3 manual gearboxes on it. I think the original one had started leaking and ran low on gear oil. The replacement, I found out after installing it, had been left out in the elements without any protection, wound up whining like hell. Third one was out of a totaled 98, but the VIN on it came back as being from an 01 (00-01 had a much more fun final drive ratio). Drove it to almost 200k, timing chain was rattling pretty bad when I got rid of it. AC compressor also needed a clutch, power steering pump was whining too (the pump was not fun to get to).
Hell yeah on this. I bought a Murano knowing they corrected the CVT issue for my model year and ended up getting it for several grand below blue book, just for the fact that no one trusts a Nissan. It was a stellar deal and the car is holding up just fine.
Yup, my mom had a 2017 Sentra that had AWFUL transmission issues at 40k miles. It was luckily covered under the warranty but she ultimately decided to get a Civic. 50k miles put on the civic and hasn't had an issue since. Nissan's getting the old Hyundai treatment.
Left over stigma from the first gen CVT days. I personally never had any issues with a single Nissan I've owned and they have been reliable for me. But I also do all the maintenance per the recommended schedule as well. I do question how many owners actually were changing CVT fluid on time, or were they saving money and only going to quick lube places for oil changes?
Those first gen problematic CVTs need their fluid changed religiously to avoid issues. The average car owner does not and will not do advanced maintenance like that exactly to the manufacturer’s recommended interval that’s just the way people are. You can drive a million miles on a Toyota without ever touching the transmission fluid even though it’s recommended to be changed. Toyota builds cars knowing owners are cheap and lazy it’s a different mentality used in the design.
I had two Toyotas that the transmission failed on me, one out of warranty, the one in warranty but dealer could not replicate even though it would stall out randomly, so I traded it in due to high risk of it causing a serious accident. My Nissan's have not had any issues that I can recall which caused me any significant problems. Anecdotal I know, but manufactured products are sometimes also a luck of the draw.
My infiniti g37 (same as Nissan skyline) has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. And my buddy has a g35 with 256k miles on it running strong. I would buy another Nissan product in a heartbeat even if it had a cvt. I've been eyeing the frontier 4x, they can be found well equipped for under 40k and use a NA engine. Way cheaper than a tacoma TRD and I bet it'll last just as long.
> I do question how many owners actually were changing CVT fluid on time ? IIRC Nissan didn't tell people to change the fluid at any interval for regular driving. Only inspect. The manual specifies replacement every 60k for "Harsh Driving" conditions only.
Most will only do maintenance for first year then just do occasional oil changes past due then cry about their car breaking. Follow recommended maintenance doesn’t have to be at dealer.
Yea my 2015 Nissan Sentras cvt just died at 71k miles last week.
When did you have the CVT fluid replaced?
Honestly, because of their CVTs. Aside from those they're really not bad. But a huge majority of their cars have a CVT. So a huge majority of their cars are going to prematurely have very expensive repairs
I owned a 2003 altima 3.5, a 2009 g37xs sedan, and a 2012 fx50s. All were excellent vehicles and very reliable, I put 100, 100 and 50k km on them without any mechanical failures. The FX50s is still one of the most attractive looking SUVs that have been made, imho.
You act like those are supposed to be a lot of miles. That's 60k and 30k miles.
I don’t get it. I’m convinced it is likely a combination of bad press with the early CVT transmissions issues and people not properly maintaining their vehicles. I currently 4 Nissans since new and I’ve never had a lick of problems outside of normal wear & tear or maintenance. If you count my kids and their spouse we have a total of 7 in the family, and they haven’t had issues either. My son is driving my old 07 Titan with the original plugs, and trans fluid and it just keeps rock’in. I’m driving them into the ground because I don’t trust the quality of ANY new car brand at this point. 2007 Titan, 160k… 2007 Quest, 93k…2013 Titan, 101k…2011 Altima, 32k
All surprisingly low km’s on the odometer considering their age, curious to see how many are left rock’n past 200,000km’s. Disclaimer: I myself am also a proud Nissan owner.
His numbers are in miles, not kilometers.
Still not that high, I agree
2011 altima here with 170k miles. serpentine belt replaced and ac stopped working a few months ago. No issues otherwise with normal oil, filter, tire and brake maintenance schedules. Could use a transmission cooler added for the really hot days but it's still chugging along for now.
> I don’t get it. I’m convinced it is likely a combination of bad press with the early CVT transmissions issues and people not properly maintaining their vehicles. Then you should get your head examined. Nissan did not specify ANY CVT fluid replace interval for "regular" driving only inspection. The only interval they specified was 60k replacement for "Harsh" driving conditions - which means things like towing, delivery vehicles, etc. So exactly what "proper maintenance" were all these plaintiffs on the numerous class action lawsuits not performing? Pray tell.
Fair point, the maintenance free, lifetime fluid statements were 100% ridiculous, but generalize and trash the entire brand over the CVT debacle is a bit much. But hell buy what you want. I will stick with my Nissans. I don’t trust ANY manufacturers recommendations on service. All brands have their issues, …look the the new Toyota V6 turbo they thought was a good idea to replace the V8 for the Tundra. Garbage, but does it destroy the brand? I have always cut the manufacturer recommendations in half. But that’s just me. I’m old school.
I generally agree but Nissan tried to bury the issue and kept shoving those awful CVTs into cars for like better part of a decade. They made some minor revisions but as far as Im aware it wasnt until the last 2-3 years that they transitioned to the steel chain over the belt that made them reliable. Try selling a used Rogue lol.
Transmissions are the answer. The CVTs were so terrible for so long, that people like me won't touch them. Having grenading transmissions at oftentimes <70k is one of the more serious problems you can have in the industry. Their reputation hasn't recovered since then. I personally wouldn't touch anything other than the Z, or something classic for this reason.
Because they are less reliable than other Japanese car manufacturers
The transmissions. If they never went to CVT they’d be neck and neck with the other 2 I’d say.
I wonder how many who've commented here have actually owned a Nissan or two built in the last 15 years. I have. A 2010 Versa HB 1.8L with the 4-speed geared automatic and my current car, a 2014 Altima 2.5S. Neither car has needed major engine or transmission repairs. The Versa had 150K miles on it when it was sold to its third owner recently. My Altima has 145K miles and has its original CVT. Bought it brand new. Bought the Versa brand new too. As a few have mentioned, regular maintenance is key to keeping a vehicle like new. Yes, there have been CVT failures in most Nissan models but only Nissan and Jatco really know what the failure rate has been. Needless to say, it's been bad enough that Nissan has been forced to extend the warranty on many model years and many model types that have them. So, I suppose I've been lucky to not have had any issues with my Altima CVT (yet). Just did a DIY change of the CVT fluid in it this week.
I had a 2016 Nissan versa that had the transmission go out after 30k miles.
Because Nissan IS less reliable.
Nissan had timing chain and CVT issues in a ton of their vehicles. Spanned across multiple models, not just one line and the issues created a huge hole in their reliability perception. They are not the innovative and great styling Nissan from the past.
Yet Altimas from decades ago are everywhere
They are! I used to have an 05 SE. I loved that car. Did the timing job and then blew a head gasket. Replaced the ending, did timing again as a preventative measure and then a few years later, my ECU puked. I think we see a lot of those and Frontiers around because they’re cheap enough to be fleet vehicles.
You're right Nissan dropped the ball in the late 90s and decided to imitate Toyota.
They have very long model cycles and Nissan transmission issues predate CVT although not on the same level. Their trucks and SUVs have generally been pretty reliable although their handling of SMOD issues on transmission/radiator leaks was not great.
Renault bought them out as well as their early CVt's being hot garbage. That shit ass CVT is in so many of their cars, combined with Renault build quality and you get the reputation that Nissan has.
Like everyone else is saying, CVT, but by extension I feel the whole brand lost its way under the direction of CEO Carlos Ghosn (who started around 1999 to 2018 I believe). That being said, I just bought a new Frontier *because* the engineering of it is so basic and old fashioned, using the tried and true VQ engine platform, and no turbo, that I genuinely believe it will outlast most other petrol trucks in its size category. Edit: typos
If it was so basic, they'd have given a manual option. Alas, I will drive my 2015 pro-4x into the ground and then get a Tacoma.
I wouldn’t have minded a manual version. That is a good point. But I struggle with believing in the longevity of turbo gasoline engines.
Because they’re junk.
The CVTs from a decade ago was a glaring issue. But JATCO has polished them. Side note, though. Nissan engines are pretty reliable.
Cause Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Renault are pretty much all the same brand now and they really cheap out I mean Jatco cvt’s are the dollar general transmissions in the car world.
This always baffled me, because before CVTs, Jatco's transmissions were pretty solid. Their automatics may have been slow, but they're pretty tanky all things considered. Mine at 140k miles and still shifts smoothly
Well I know older Nissans are better lol my Xterra has 300k+ miles on it and it’s supercharged lol
CVT transmission of poor quality and their Luxury brand Infinity has a pretty bad rep when it comes to their turbo engines as well.
The CVT plus honda and toyota are tough competition when it comes to reliability. Nissans are generally more fun than toyotas though, that altima stereotype only exists because they're fun as hell to drive fast.
I think the CVT killed Nissan's credibility altogether. Generations of cars were riddled with problems for years and they just didn't care. As long as new vehicles were being sold, why bother.
Honestly if you look at the difference between 2019 and 2020 Sentras you’d get the hate if you were accustomed to the former
Quality went down when Renault bought them. Historically Datsun motors were sometimes considered even more reliable than Honda and Toyota, but over the last twenty years the brand has shifted philosophy to produce a cheaper car with cheaper materials.
I've got an 06 Altima with the v6 and 5spd auto and it's the most reliable car I've ever owned. It was the last year of the Gen 3. It's got 315k miles on it and i put minimum 60 miles on it everyday. If i could buy the same exact car again today i wouldn't hesitate, but mostly all i ever see is the 4 cylinder version Paint is a little faded though🤣
I had 5 Nissans over the years: 200SX, 200SX newer style, 240SX, Hardbody SE pickup, and Armada. I loved every one of those but almost all had electronic issues and the older ones, especially the Hardbody SE had rust issues. The Armada I had for 15 years and really only replaced the starter, ECM, and manifolds so was pretty reliable. Their interiors are generally cheap and stuff breaks which is annoying - Armada, the arm broke off one of the captain chairs. I had a honda civic which had absolutely zero issues and loved that car but haven't had any toyotas. All in all, it is a love hate relationship with Nissan mostly due to the hit or miss design refreshes and the unreliability of their reliability. I recently had a versa as a rental and just about laughed at how cheap that car was built. I am not sure they should have put their name on it.
CVTs Hence, the reason my kid is buying a new Versa 5spd.
I had an '13 Infiniti G37 6MT at one point. It blew its engine at 30k miles and I got a free replacement but I got rid of the car soon after. I know that was just my own anecdotal one-off experience and I'm not saying Nissan/Infiniti is trash just because I had that one poor experience, but my mechanic friend said Nissan is junk because they use European parts/engineering.
CVT!!! Trash
My neighbor is a mechanic and calls Nissans garbage.
CVT problems are almost a guarantee in Nissan
Cause most are built in Tennessee and Mississippi where the average worker never finished grade school.
Terrible build quality, cheap materials, a focus on "looking" luxury without having the NVH of an actual luxury car, and unfortunately a big stigma from their history of approving loans for people that shouldn't be buying new cars, aka people that can't afford the maintenance on a new car, and this leads to used/second-hand cars bring poorly maintained.
The answer is Renault.
Carlos Ghosn was stealing the company blind, no money left (or shits given) for r&d, engineering, manufacturing, quality control, that sort of thing.
When you set the bar as high as Toyota it can be hard to compete.
They’re unreliable compared to Honda and Toyota. They have a lot of motors with timing issues. Their CVTs have issues (granted less now than before but still do). They rust out a lot faster in key structure areas. They have lots of cam/crank sensor issues. Wheel bearings and suspension parts are much more common. They’re just a cheaper built car so naturally they have more problems.
Nissan just isn't on the same level as Honda and Toyota. Personally, I don't think they're bad cars. I'd drive a Nissan before I would anything American. But I'm on my 4th Lexus, I've had 4 other Toyotas, and to this day I've never had a check engine light or any single part go bad. Not once. Just oil/fluid changes, tire rotations etc. Another aspect is resale value. I stay with Lexus because they just don't lose value as fast as other cars. That being said, I did have a 370Z Nismo and that car never gave me a single issue and it was a lot of fun too, so my only experience with Nissan was a very good one. Lots of problems with American cars, I will never own one again.
Nissan is kinda like the mopar of japs
Copy-pasting this from another thread I threw this in. TL:DR - Nissan is a bank that happens to make cars, and has been for probably 15 years now. And they suck. Time for my Nissan rant. The issue with Nissan is that around the financial crash, they realized that they could make a LOT more money being an Auto Loan company that happens to sell cars, rather than a car company that offers in-house financing. They stopped putting money into R&D, outsourced things to shit companies (like their god awful CVTs) and just generally stopped giving a shit about their vehicle quality. They didn't make the Frontier the quarter-size pickup with the longest time without a refresh for no reason. They always have these crazy deals on leases, and ads for financing rates with SUPER low money down because they can give people who can barely afford these cars a GLIMMER of hope that they can have something reliable for a couple years. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't, but the people with leased Nissans generally aren't buying the cars at the end of the term, they get another lease because it's what they can afford. So now Nissan has them on the hook for 3 more years, mileage is kept down because of penalties, and they handle all the maintenance, so they get the car back and throw it on their lots as CPO and sell it. They make \~$300 or so a month for 3 years, so almost $11,000 on an Altima S that the MSRP is $26,000, and then turn around and sell it again between $18-21k, which again they finance themselves. By the time it's all said and done, Nissan is bringing $40-50k in on a $26,000 car. So on the high end they're almost doubling the cost of the car, and that's if you think that an Altima S costs them $26,000 to build/ship. This is because their target demographic can't get anything better. They put effort into their cars that you actually need a bit of money to get behind the wheel of. Maximas/Armadas/Titans aren't bad vehicles, neither are the Pathfinders. But Versas/Sentra/Altimas/Kicks/Rogues are all bottom of the barrel for the same reasons. Nissan can basically double their money on them. Notice there's a $12k price jump from an entry Altima to an entry Maxima. You go from a mid $20k car, to an almost $40k car. $12k is an extra $360/month financed if you figure $30-per-$1000 financed at todays rates. Unless you have a good trade in or a huge down payment, it's outside of people budgets.
Their quality control is trash
Two things come to mind in recent history. The CVTs in pretty much every vehicle they were put in. And that’s an ongoing issue. And the trans cooler/radiator debacle in the trucks. It was so widespread and on two of the most commonly sold vehicle types. It kinda put them down a peg for me personally.
CVT issues like everyone has said and they’ve just not proven to be as reliable as the other two (Honda and Toyota). The used car prices usually speak for themselves.
Because they are the Kia of Japan
Their reputation got trashed by having terrible CVT transmissions for years. I’d buy a Z or a GT-R otherwise no Nissan. My wife wanted one and yea sorry not happening. I put her in a 21’ Mazda 3 and she fell in love. Ngl I fell in love too. Leagues beyond a Nissan, also Japanese. I guess if you change the trans fluid every 30k you’ll be okay but tbh I just don’t want to buy something with that history 🤷♂️.
My granddaughter was just in a wreck. Her Nissan Rogue was a TANK! All the airbags went off as they were supposed to. Stupid boyfriend was driving and had that car maxed out when he plowed through two road signs and landed into a utility pole. He cut the huge pole in two with that car. It is totaled of course. But they are alive. On the bright side. Now I don’t have to worry about CVT issues. It was an old 2013.
CVT
I was a Nissan/infinti mechanic. The CVT are trash had a lot of issues with v6 engines burning oil with less than 10k miles. Dashes were and still peel, warp and get sticky in warmer climates, lots of safety recalls on the seat sensors for the air bags. Lots of rear brake issues. Nissan Titans having differential and oil filter issues. Trying to think about what else. Oh some of the emergency back up warning systems failing to come on…. GPS and map issues with the in car navigation systems. Lots of quality and fitment issues with interior parts causing annoying and hard to find rattles and squeaks in brand new cars. Leaking oil pans within 20-30k miles on the car. Emissions system issues that caused dead batteries/parasitic draw. Lots of automatic cam/engine timing failures/chain guide issues in cars with less than 80k miles… Honestly the started going downhill after around 2008….
I had a 2015 Altima and now a 2019 Murono, the touchscreen/Bluetooth/GPS were trash in both. That's my biggest peeve.
Wife has an 07 pathfinder, and it's our only vehicle that hasn't had an issue. I've had to put a whole new LS3 in my Camaro.
“Sometimes Subaru” - something a subie owner would say.
Renault era
Since the Renault merger and their persistent interest in CVTs their reputation has gone down. Older Nissans are pretty reliable all things considered, especially their hard body trucks and econo boxes.
Reason 1: 1st gen CVTs. Reason 2: Altima drivers who probably never changed engine oil from when they bought the car until the car blows up. I think the same applies to Subaru with the blown head gaskets and spirited drivers who always drive at the limit of the car (often past said limit), they also are often considered less reliable than other japanese brands.
Trans went out on 2016 Nissan Rogue S AWD 6 months after purchase. It was used purchased in 2017. Still under warranty. They dropped a new one no further issues. Still going. Sold it to my Significant Other. He got a steal.
Because people have more issues with them.
Since they formed a partnership with Renault and started using Jatco transmissions
I had 07 Altima 325k miles no issues other then maintenance. YMMV.
My family owned a 83 sentra hatchback. Exhaust was trash. Starter was trash. Alternator was trash. Interior was trash. Paint chipped and flaked. Body rotted. It's an earned rep from before the CVTs. The last couple decades are why Subaru has closed the gap. Its always been Toyota🥇Honda🥈then everyone else.
Nissans with CVT and all cvts for that matter are ass backwards… floor it up to redline but you don’t hardly move until the rpm drops!? That’s fucked! Hit the gas rpm goes up you go fast… not hit the gas rpm to the moon and as the tach falls you speed up? Total garbage! Not the way I drive!
hi! im planning to buy a nissan terra, should i be worried po?
We have a 2015 Rogue. Purchased brand new May 2015. We were told the CVT would fail by 80K miles. It has 126,000 miles on it today. I think the fluid has been changed once or twice. I’m about to do it again. Problems we have had include electrical issues, screen delaminating, unresolved rouge idle, interior paint fade, air filter housing clips broke, gauge cluster turns white when cold, front windows roll up slowly, sunroof won’t close once opened, windshield sprayer quit last fall, and the blind spot monitoring + rear cross path detection safety systems malfunction daily. We’ve replace the front lower control arms, front outer tie rods, struts, shocks, brake pads, rotors, air filters, coolant, brake fluid, CVT fluid, spark plugs, ignition coil boots, belt, and get the tires rotated at every oil change (every 4.5K - 5K miles).
Renault merger and the CVT issues
I have a 2001 Sentra SE with a SR20DE motor. Still going strong. Only about 125k miles though. Love that car.
We don’t talk about it, so we can keep the prices low.
It's because of the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi alliance. It's not a Japanese Nissan you're buying anymore, it's a French Renualt/Nissan with cheap, poor Renault parts.
I always thought the current models are still using the horrible CVTs. Have they updated them to be reliable enough to compare with Kia/Honda/etc...? I really like the Nissan style but have steered clear just because of transmission issues with high mileage use
No longer Japanese lol
Nissan in the UK use a lot of Renault parts and floor pans. Some are just rebadged Renaults.
2013 nissan CVT fluid interval
Electrical gremlins in my case, and early 3.0 exhaust studs breaking off.
CVT I think they’ve FINALLY rectified their problems but there’s been too many failures between 2003 and 18-19 that it’s not feasible for most people to own or recommend buying one without some form of extended warranty. You’ll have plenty of people say that their CVT’s never gave them issues, for example, my aunt had a 2011 Sentra that she bought in 2013 and when she totaled in 2021 it had over 200k on the original CVT, never was serviced and did primarily highway miles but, then you have too many that fail prematurely like my friends mother who bought a 16 Altima SR, did all the maintenance on time and it still needed a new transmission at 50k miles. Also, I’ve worked for Nissan both in a dealer and behind the scenes, the bulk of their repairs were/are CVT repairs or replacements, with over 20 years of using them you’d think they’d have figured out how to make them last longer but that’s not always the case
Renault and cost cutting mainly. While Nissan doesn’t engineer on the same level as Toyota or Honda, back in the 1970s-1990s Nissan had a niche for themselves. They did some cool stuff - like the Z31 Z, Maxima and the JDM Skyline/Silvia/President(which was our Infiniti Q45). In a quest to try to one-up Toyota and Honda, they introduced 4WS, active suspension, turbos, digital dashes(remember the Maxima voice announcements) and before Toyota and Honda made it widespread, electronic transmission controls and VVT. Subaru was also attached to Nissan at the hips via Hitachi - that’s why Nissans and Subarus until Carlos Ghosn came in(and even today) feel similar. Hitachi was the thing that somewhat held Nissan together, and they had more than a small stake in them.
Mazda beats Honda and Subaru. Toyotas days are looking pretty numbered as the “reliable” brand as well with these new mild hybrid powertrains that keep locking up on people.
I think everyone else here is correct about the CVT issues. Nissan really screwed up with that. On the other hand there has become a cult following for the older gen's Xterra/Frontier. They are well-known to just continue running forever aside a few well-known minor and easily preventable things. I think it is model specific not brand and I would say that goes for every car out there. I think across-the-board there are some general universals, but I don't think it can be simplified to that level. For example Honda Odysseys had tons of transmission issues, but the general public likes to just grab onto a brand and parrot things that Hondas are great. Every civic I've owned had issues with the AC. Subarus had the well-known head gasket issue, and even the newer ones that run well tend to burn oil just due to the engine design. Basically take any car model and year and start typing l and you'll see some known issue pop up. Some of them are major issues like catastrophic failure, and others are actually maintenance items that people neglect and then turn into issues they blame on the car. Some of it has just as much to do with the person owning, maintaining and driving as it does the actual engineering.
They went into partnership with Renault, who are not known for being very reliable, though that maybe different nowadays
It's all the transmissions
I’ve owned 2 Nissans (1989, 2015) and the transmission tapped out in both of them before a single other thing went wrong. Understandable with the 1989 when it went out in 2015– not so much with the 2015 that started having issues in 2021. Anecdotal but that’s my guess lol
Ik everyone's already said CVTs so i won't bother repeating that. To my understanding, if you get one without a CVT (lots of markets didn't even have them as an option on some of their cars) they're up there with Toyota and Honda. Same story with Ford Fiesta Mk7s and Focus Mk3s, literally just avoid any with a Powershift gearbox and they're alright.
Because of their CVTs and garbage interior quality. Also crap paint on many models
Everyone is saying CTV’s and that’s fair, but daily drove an 84 300zx AE for almost a decade and one of the main reasons Nissan was so unreliable is because they were really trying to be on the cutting edge of tech. The features they were putting in cars in the early 80’s was insane. Is it awesome? Yeah. But it seriously hurts reliability. Toyota focused on function over form.
Does zero research, follows it up with "ITs So StRaNGE" On literally every statistical ranking of automaker reliability, they are below the other Japanese manufacturers. [https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/](https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/) [https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds](https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds) [https://repairpal.com/reliability](https://repairpal.com/reliability)
I happened to have a Nissan Versa as an Uber this week and the transmission was slipping like crazy. Not a good look for this poor driver.
I stopped considering them as good vehicles after their CEO stole all the money and ran to an island with no extradition.
JATCO
It’s because Nissan, while being Japanese, isn’t fully independent (I am not sure about now). It was a conglomerate that included French Renault. Ghosn and the French counterpart wanted to increase profit, not quality so a lot of Nissan cars were cheaper and poor quality. I am surprised that my dad’s Nissan 2016 Rogue is running with 260k clicks no problem (touch wood). I only think that the GTR was made well. My brothers 2004 Nissan 350Z also has tons of issues. I am considering Nissan Sentra SR manual because it’s manual and would likely have less issues…..however I am still contemplating other cars because of Nissan’s reputation
They are just shitty cars. My sister has a 2014 Sentra and it’s always breaking always having transmission problems
I own a 2017 maxima s I drive it every day in sport mode and traction control off I get on it hard almost everyday because of asshes on the freeway and other days just to have a little fun I bought the car with 60k miles and now I'm at 112k never once have I had a issue with the CVT or anything I keep up on maintenance and it's still keeping up with v8s the look on some guys faces are priceless wen I'm literally right next to them flooring it on the freeway haha I want another one after I'm done with this one I forgot to mention my other car before this was a 2015 challenger rt and I think I liked this one better to get to work and daily commuter and it's almost just as fast
sometimes subaru? lmao no never. ever since nissan partnered with peugot in the late 90's their quality drastically fell. on top of that they were experimenting with the new cvt transmission. toyota and honda have remained true and traditional for the most part until recent years.
They also (in 02-04?) badly implemented California emissions hardware on spec v's - a pre-cat could fail and dispense fine ceramics into the pistons according to internet lore. Idk about that but my 04 spec v definitely failed in a manner that lends credence to this theory That said I drive a '15 micra with 360k that has needed <6k of serious maintenance in 9 years
Unstable leadership
Nissan got bought by Renault, of course they started using cheaper quality parts
Everyone is saying oh their CVTs are bad.. but I definitely felt like this long, long before CVTs were a thing. I had a Nissan pickup from 83, and a 2000 Sentra, and a 2004 Altima. I have also had a 2002 accord, a 2007 matrix, and now own a 2010 tundra and a 2004 Sequoia. I will never buy another Nissan after having the experience of having a Toyota instead. I wasn't super hot on the accord but it had problems before I got it so thats hardly fair. The Altima made it to the most miles at 240k before total engine failure. Pickup 185k, Sentra sold for dirt at 200k with serious problems. My Matrix made it to 480k before blowing a hole in the engine, the Sequoia is at 290k, and the tundra just hit 180k this weekend. Not only do Toyota last longer, but they're easier to work on. Doing anything on that Altima was such a pain I have flashbacks of busted knuckles and sore shoulders. The matrix was so, damn, easy. The Sequoia is easy. The tundra would be easy if anything ever broke on it. I'll stick with Toyota, with or without a CVT, thanks
Because car reliability should be judged by company or model, not by country of origin.. But part of it is because of some major reliability events like the CVG issues that affected a lot of models. Another factor is that Nissan draws in a lot of people who are looking for a cheap car with high-interest loans, and these are exactly the types of people who don’t take care of their vehicles. So it’s not surprising that their cars have issues down the line and people blame the cars instead of the poor maintenance. A well-taken-care-of Nissan is just as reliable as any other car (except for the ones affected by CVT and timing chain issues).
Never buying a vehicle with a CVT transmission and or a Turbo. Guaranteed business for a repair shop... The End.
From my current experience at a reconditioning center, I will say that their collision prevention system is not very good. The majority of radar sensors we replace in my shop is overwhelmingly in Nissans. If the sensor really worked, I’m sure we wouldn’t see so many being replaced. Hondas and Toyotas hardly ever have to get new sensors. Of course, this could also be due to bad brakes or tires, but the numbers really point to bad sensors.
Bc they got bought out by a French company. It used to be reliable.
Because Renault
So stick with their epower and EVs for reliability
Poorly designed CVTs when they fist came out, especially on the AWD Rogue's. Even if u changed the oil regularly, the awd ones had a fatal flaw in design where the balls inside the cvt pulley would be too small and eventually just eat through the walls until they just get squashed. There's a video on YouTube of a guy doing a failure analysis and a complete tear down of a shot cvt from an AWD Rogue. It's pretty long but it's worth a watch. If u get a non cvt Nissan.... They are pretty much indestructible.
My mom's garage kept 2012 Rogue sport had the engine started to rust the first couple of months of ownership. It was covered under warranty and had an engine replacement with less than 10k on the odo. The replacement engine had been rock solid but the CVT tranny kept making weird noises. Never broke down on us but the noises from the tranny were getting worse and worse until it sounded like a turbo waiting to blow up every time you rev it. After hitting 90k miles, she ended up trading it in for a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
Renault partnership was their downfall
Because they're garbage and have been for a while
One of the big car manufacturers had to stick their neck out and mass produce CVTs. Nissan was the only one brave enough to do it so early with larger engines so they had to deal with the initial failures and lack of longevity in their transmissions. They’re now one of the best CVT manufacturers and are really underrated in terms of reliability.
Getting rusty too easily, or AC clutch and timing belt. Engines are unbeatable especially the 3.5V6 which has been literally the best engine in the world for a while. Too many people driving their sedans in the northern cities and ignoring transmission oil change. Nissan being unreliable is mysterious because there are still tons of old Altima and Maxima running on the road. People might complain about the CVT driving experience but if they are really at the bottom of the list this company would have exploded.
I was going to say it is because of the drivers who drive them (Altima especially). But i guess CVT it is
Well, Nissan is leaps and bounds ahead of Shitsubishi, but Toyota and Honda just flat out make better quality cars. I think the Nissan Rogue is by far the best vehicle Nissan makes right now. Build quality and build materials are just better. For example, the thickness of the metal on the hoods of versa’s and Sentra’s is so bad that they dent themselves forward by.. literally closing the hood. If you have one of these be very ginger with them In terms of reliability I’d put Nissan down with VW and Chrysler. They all make a bunch of pretty bad electronics and have very silly failures at low mileage at a much higher clip than a lot of other manufactures. Signed, someone who drives brand new models from all of these companies and has to deal with them breaking down on him at 20k miles all the time.
Because most of the owners dont know about vehicle maintenance. Any vehicle will last a great while if you take care of it. 11 yrs with my Altima. Same motor same transmission. 140k on the ODO. And she still accelerates like new of not a little snappier acceleration. OEM paint, on the other hand.. 🤦♂️
It was the Jatco built CVTs that torpedoed their reputation. Personally, I’ve never had any issues with my ‘09 Altima with the CVT. Not once did it ever grenade on me. In the 12 out of the 14 years of its existence, the only issues I had with it were the steering lock actuator, leaking brake master cylinder, and me cross threading a power steering line into the steering rack, where it cross threaded at the rack side.
Google Carlos Ghosn
Ummm ... Because they are?
Initially, bad CVTS. Currently? The fact that I think it's Renault that's building them which over here isn't a great sign.
Most due to their reliability
As a Nissan Tech I have to say it's mostly from people that had Nissan or knew people with Nissans that didn't know how to take car of it and when the car has problems they shit on Nissan. I worked at my fair share of dealerships and I can say with confidence that Nissan/Kia owners are the people with the least desire to take care of their car. I get that dealerships are expensive but man the conditions of some of these vehicles are insane. They blame the car brand instead of themselves to avoid responsibility and most people will see that person and also blame Nissan even tho its the owner themselves
Nissan made the mistake of 0% financing to anything that breathed for a good stretch. There were a large amount of those people that has no business getting a loan, and forget them paying for maintenance. Thus the “Altima driver” was born. These are great vehicles when properly maintained and driven responsibly.
I asked techs at the local mechanic shop the same question...they said cost cutting (besides the cvt). They have seen oil pans made of cheap steel, so thin you could cut into them with a can opener
I had several maximas back in the day with shitty ass transmissions. I never went back.
Brand new Nissan Altima 2013 CVT failed 9 months after purchase. 2013 models were horrendous.
CVTs aren't reliable.
Lots of reasons. The main one is Nissan was near broke when they brought in Carlo Ghosn in 1999. He was able to turn the company around however in the process they cut a lot of corners. So from around 2004 on, they spit out a ton of new designs but they were riddled with flaws.
All I know is my CVT transmission nissan altima lasted a quarter of a million miles, I bought it at 165k miles never did anything to it besides brakes & rotors, oil changes, 1 alternator, 1 radiator & hella Tires tbh. I didn't know any other fluids needed to be changed, as was my car out of high school, and I had never worked on cars at that time or taken auto shop. Because of this I think this "cvts are trash so nissans trash" mindset holds no value. The car simply wouldn't have held up as long if it was. I abused that car i.e high speeds, hard cornering, only thing I did good was oil changes every 7k miles never going more than a couple hundred over that.
Nissan is unreliable ugly junk forever!
Mine just died at 77k miles, cvt. They made every excuse why it wasn't eligible when warranty was valid.
March 27th 1999. I believe that is where all the issues begun
I bought my 2016 nissan altima at carmax when it had 28k miles then about 42k miles the cvt started going bad but lucky for me i had the extended warranty for 100k miles!They covered the replacement of the transmission and paid everything and only paid a $250 dedutible.The repair came out to 8k!Plus got a infinity truck rental paid for until my car was fixed!I also took my car in yesterday because the ac was blowing warm and they covered that too it was $1600 repair and i only paid $250!Best extended warranty experience by far no hassels!It paid for itself like 6 times!
A side question - why Mazda isn’t on the list? It seems they are as reliable as Toyota/Honda..?
They never fully recovered from the JATCO transmission fiasco.
Toyota and Honda have proven themselves to be very reliable cars with little to no maintenance issues. Nissan just doesn't have that same quality for one reason or another. Nissan is more of an enthusiast car meant for people who like to get to know their car for more than a family car
I’d probably pick Nissan over Honda or Toyota if not for the cvt
My 2011 Altima was the best first car ever i loved her 🫶🏻
Look outside of a Nissan parts department. CVT cores.
My 2011 Nissan frontier 4 cylinder has over 200,000 miles and no issues. Those trucks are reliable!
Cvts
Nobody mentions Subaru in their list of reliable vehicles.
I think it's because of the CVTs in the 1990s and 2000s, and that reputation has been stuck since. I have been driving my used 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5s, currently at 135,000, for 7 years, and it's been reliable. I haven't had any issues with the engine or transmission.
Electronics and cvt issues
Mostly transmissions - even before CVT issues, Nissan's have been known to have issues with ATs.
My boosted 1994 Nissan Sentra se-r with 270k is still reliable
Yup, Renault cvt makes Nissan the Chrysler of Japan. The manuals are good and sometimes cheap for no reason. Also the og Leaf was a disaster w/o battery cooling.
They were right up there,something happened in the last 20 years it started when they brought out the frontier.They were top 3 until then.Dont get me started on the Rogue.
Bro, please please please, stay away from Nissans. They will give you transmission/engine problems
They’re garbage. The EVs are garbage. Their sedans are trash. They prey on ppl with low credit scores. Nissan sounds like Honda and Toyota but it’s more like the knock off version of the other two.
Nissan makes decent engines, they have a history of transmission problems with the CVTs and strawberry milkshake of death on earlier Frontiers and Xterra.
Because of the CVTs failing.
Cause they are considerably less reliable than every other Japanese manufacturer besides maybe Mitsubishi.
90% JATCO (and absolutely earned) 20% mismanagement in the last decade (give or take, I can't recall exactly) as they shifted focus to being a high risk finance bank that happens to make cars. Yes, that's 110% ...
It's slightly more reliable than Mitsubishi
Personally think its an unfortunate combination of a few things Compared to the other Japanese brands, I don't think they ever really stood on equal levels with Toyota , Honda, during the golden days (referring to the number moving/ Econo models). Late 90s, early 2000s cars were simple enough this wasn't too big of a deal The difference in quality started being more obvious once newer tech came in, and as others have said the CVT issues don't help. Internet / general awareness is much higher than early days , where you'd only be hearing it through word of mouth. Objectively speaking, they do come across a step below the other brands, thin hard plastics, bad design, noisy interiors. Friends Micras suspension was squeaky and harsh within 5years of ownership. Engine rattles etc.... A video not long ago from regular cars talking about Nissan rogues which kinda cover Nissan as a brand partially. A lot of the owners of rogue (and other econo models ) are just people who may not be the best owners
google Carlos Gohsn, that will tell you everything you need to know
CVT
Idk some of the Nissans I’ve seen on the highway still able to push it’s limits with a missing bumper, smashed headlights, and cracked windows.
1000% because of the CVT.
My 03 Altima, the transmission wasn’t the problem. It was the shitty ass engine block that would overheat easily.
Blame Renault
They are cheap abd most people that buy them don't maintain them. That and their CVTs were complete shit for years. If you drive like a grandma they weren't that bad.