Date: XXXTo:the federal safety agencyOffice of Defects Investigation (ODI)1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWest BuildingWashington, DC 20590From:[XXX] [XXX]: FORMAL VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT – Sudden Loss of Propulsion and Traffic Hesitation / 2020 Nissan Kicks (VIN: [XXX])To the Office of Defects Investigation,I am writing to formally report a critical, life-threatening vehicle safety defect involving the powertrain/automatic transmission assembly on my 2020 Nissan Kicks FWD SV.While operating the vehicle at 61,564 miles in active traffic, the vehicle suffered a sudden and dangerous loss of propulsion without any prior warning. Upon pressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission slipped severely, causing the vehicle to hazardously shudder, shake, and hesitate to move forward. This unexpected lag in acceleration left the vehicle moving dangerously slow in a live traffic lane, creating an immediate and imminent risk of a severe rear-end collision.The vehicle was driven to a certified facility, Vann York's High Point Nissan (located in [XXX]), for an emergency mechanical diagnosis. A diagnostic scan revealed active Diagnostic Trouble Codes DTC P17F0 (CVT Judder) and DTC P2859 (Clutch A Pressure). The certified dealership technician explicitly documented on Repair Order #XXX that the transaxle assembly "WONT MOVE AND IS NOISY," prescribing a complete transmission replacement due to internal component failure.Following this diagnosis, I was forced to navigate the vehicle back to my residence under highly hazardous conditions using hazard lights. Due to the high risk of a total sudden stall or sudden loss of acceleration on public roadways, the vehicle has been grounded at my residence and is currently parked as completely undrivable due to severe safety fears.Nissan has a widespread, heavily documented historical record of manufactur INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Nissan Kicks cvt failure problems
19 of the 533 owner complaints about the Nissan Kicks describe cVT failure, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 19
- worst model year
- 2019
By model year
Often reported together
Slipping 7Transmission failure 6Loss of power 4Jerking 4Stalling 3Hesitation 3Shudder 2Check engine light 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P2859 1P17F0 1
What owners say
The car has 82000 miles on it and transmission had to be replaced. The car is 4 years old and the repair is was $6000.00 which is over half the cars value. Nissan consumer affairs denied any goodwill assistance for a know issue with Nissan CVT transmissions
My transmission failed while traveling on a highway at 60mph almost causing an accident. Issues with this generation of cvt transmissions have been the subject of multiple lawsuits and warrenty extensions. Nissan is knowingly selling defective vehicles and offer no assistance in resolving their failures. Nissan needs to be held accountable for risking the safety of its customers.
The CVT transmission is slipping and losing acceleration while driving, overheating and smelling really bad like burnt rubber, the oil is black and smells burnt, its currently at 52,100 miles and I sent it up to Chuck Colvin Nissan and they did not fix my car, they drove it back to me and when I test drove it myself it broke down on the side of the road and I had to sit for 30 minutes for it to cool off before driving home
My vehicle has experienced transmission-related issues that have affected its safety, reliability, and overall performance. The symptoms include hesitation during acceleration, delayed response when pressing the accelerator, jerking, loss of power, and unpredictable driving behavior. These issues have made it difficult to safely merge into traffic, cross intersections, and maintain normal driving speeds. The transmission problems occurred despite routine maintenance and normal vehicle operation. These symptoms raise serious concerns about the safety and durability of the CVT transmission installed in this vehicle. I am concerned that these issues may represent a broader defect affecting 2019 Nissan Kicks vehicles equipped with CVT transmissions. Drivers should be able to rely on their vehicles to accelerate and operate safely without fear of sudden loss of power or transmission failure. I respectfully request that this matter be thoroughly investigated and that Nissan be held accountable for any manufacturing defects associated with the CVT transmission. I also request consideration for appropriate repairs, reimbursement for related expenses, or any other remedy available if this issue is determined to be a known defect.
CVT issues-car is sputtering and gears slipping. Vehicle has 148,000 miles.
My CVT transmission has stopped working. At no time during taking it to Nissan dealerships to have oil changes in basic maintenance was it ever suggested to do a filter or fluid change on my transmission although Nissan transmissions are sold to consumers as locked and maintenance free it is a well-known fact that I've come to find out that this is a very incorrect statement and fluid and filters do need change every 30 to 50,000 miles or it will cause severe damage to one's transmission which is what it occurred to me on my 2021 Nissan kicks. Also all my safety features that told me if I was outside of a lane or anything like that would go off and not work properly tell me that it was wet conditions when it wasn't tell me I was going to crash when I wasn't even near anything. This occurred before the transmission completely bottomed out.
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while stopped at light, the vehicle did not accelerate and lost power. The vehicle was towed to a friend's residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the CVT transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,632
Vehicle was just purchased from a Nissan Dealership (2020 Kicks) and less than 1,300 miles of driving throwing a code stating there is a problem with CVT transmission. Will not produce enough power when going uphill. RPMs will suddenly not go over 1 when given gas uphill. There was a recall for this problem on other 2020 kicks but ours isn't covered and we just purchased this vehicle and drove it home less than 2 months ago.
We have had several problems with our 2021 Nissan Kicks, all of which are safety concerns, and all of which have have occurred at well under 100,000 miles. We purchased the vehicle from a Nissan dealer in January of 2022. 1 - Rust is bubbling up from under the paint. I am told this is perforating rust that could easily spread to or originate from the frame of the vehicle. This could cause the entire structure to fail. Despite the 5 year, no mileage limitation warranty for perforating rust, Nissan has refused to comply with the warranty. At the executive complaint level, they have admitted that the warranty exists, but at the repair level, Nissan has repeatedly informed the Dealer that the vehicle is not covered by a rust warranty or that the warranty expired based on mileage. The person at the corporate complaint level refuses to speak with the dealer or affirm the coverage in writing. At the repair level, Nissan has offered a fix outside of warranty coverage (a patch) which does not provide the continuing coverage provided by a warranty repair (which requires replacement of the panel). I have spent countless hours taking the car in to have it looked at and on the phone to try to get coverage with no success. 2 - The structural metal on the inside of the drivers door is cracking. We took the car in for repair because the window was not working but when they opened it up, they found that the the structural metal of the door itself where the window mechanism is attached has cracked. We have video indicating this may be a design defect in addition to poor materials. The Nissan dealer is not helpful, saying only that they don't have a body shop. Body shops say the entire door needs to be replaced but do not want to get involved with seeking help from Nissan. 3 - The CVT transmission failed just after the manufacturers warranty expired which is way too early for this problem. By some miracle, most of the cost was covered by a third party warranty company.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Nissan Kicks cvt failure
Which Nissan Kicks years have cVT failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (7 complaints), 2021 (5 complaints) and 2020 (3 complaints).
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