CVT transmission problem?

SKIPAWAYKID

MEMBER
2007 NISSAN ALTIMA
2.5L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
156,000 MILES

Bought the car listed above in 3/22 with 136,000 miles. Started hearing whining noise coming from front passenger area at about 145,000 and serviced trans with no improvement. Then I started hearing a grinding noise that gradually got louder and changed wheel bearing on passenger side. No luck. I went to a third shop, and they suggested carrier bearings but before I could bring it back to them it wouldn't back out the driveway. Engine revs up fine in P and N but in D and R only revs to 1500 and won't move. In N it took 3 guys to move it 2 feet. Also, the brake light is on? When I put it in R or D I can feel it going into gear, but it won't move. It does feel like the brakes are locked but the fact that grinding noise has been getting louder and louder for a year makes me believe the transmission is dead even though it has been shifting perfectly the whole time it was making the loud grinding noise. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Sunday, August 20th, 2023 AT 11:24 AM

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
15,233 POSTS

I think your assessment of a failed transmission is correct given the noises and the lack of motion, it's likely a failed drive belt or the output drive reduction gear bearings have failed, both are common. The CVTs Nissan (JATCO) uses have been a problem since day one in the US really. That is because they are very undersized for the US market. If you look at the Asian markets, they were built for you will see they are used in lighter cars with much smaller engines that produce less HP and torque than the engine used in the US market. Your Altima for instance doesn't have a similar car built there, it is only a US vehicle. However, Nissan decided that the CVT was the wave of the future to let them meet emissions and gain market share. However, that somewhat backfired because of the CVTs failures. With the mileage you have I suspect that is likely the second CVT in it. However, the repair is pretty much the same as it has been, Remove the failed unit and install a factory remanufactured unit. There are a few places that can rebuild them, but they are difficult to get the parts for, so most are really factory rebuilds and not rebuilt in house.
On that vehicle you remove the engine and transmission as an assembly, then split the CVT off and reverse that to install the replacement. The attached are what the book has for instructions.

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