This is associated with the known issues with the CVT transmissions in this vehicle. In August of 2023, pur CVT transmission suffered a total failure in traffic. We got it to a repair shop and they installed a new factory purchased but 3rd party shop installed transmission. 3 years and 2 months later this transmission suddenly failed while pulling onto the freeway (Interstate 5). This caused my wife with 3 kids to have to coast to the side of the freeway with 70 mph traffic, then sit on the side of the freeway till help arrived. With this transmission failing only 3 years from replacement, this is an obvious risk associated with this transmission and there is a history of issues with no improvements obviously.
Nissan Quest cvt failure problems
33 of the 2,121 owner complaints about the Nissan Quest describe cVT failure, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 33
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical repair cost reported
- $5,000
- typical mileage
- 93,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 9Transmission failure 8Jerking 7Stalling 6Slipping 6Shudder 5Won't start 2Overheating 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P1778 3P17F1 2P0868 2P0746 2P17F2 1P1722 1P1701 1P1700 1P0776 1P0725 1
What owners say
The CVT transmission on this vehicle has failed. The vehicle is jerking and and stalls while driving. If I'm at a light stopped and the light changes to go, the vehicle won't move unless I put my foot all the way down on the accelerator then it Jenks and starts to move. I took it to Sheridan Nissan in Delaware, and they told me this has been the issue with the CVT transmission and I need to just get rid of the van. To get a new one put in is over $7000 with just a 12 Mos12,000 miles warranty and they say it may go out again. I was told by another dealership that Nissan new about this problem, but won't fix it. I've noticed that they have replaced CVT transmissions in other Nissan vehicles and other years, but seem to skip the 2012 Nissan Quest. The engine light came on after it started jerking and I had it towed to Nissan and then they told me that the transmission is slipping. They told me I could drive it home, but to "get rid of it because it doesn't have much life left." Please make Nissan recall these transmissions like they did others. If they are all CVT transmissions, why are some being fixed and others being ignored? Please help.
Car need transmission replaced - there is no warning on car that transmission is having major issues (ie no check engine light). My car shakes on turning this has been on going since I purchased the car in 2017. In late 2023 the car did not have as much pick up power like it used to and had a whining noise once you drive for a while (without the power it used to). There were no check engine light warning to date. On 1/12/24 I used auto zone engine diagnostic and following error codes came up - P17FO - CVT JUDDER P17F2 -JUDDER T/C inspection Diagnostic at AAMCO ON 3/25/24 show additional issues that don’t show any warning signs eg check engine light PER AAMCO additional issues: Engine missing cylinder 3,4; and cylinder 1 is misfiring. Transmission juddering around 2nd gear, chain slipping under pressure…transmission having internal mechanical failure. I am not sure if these issues are serious enough to show as check engine. If they should I don’t know why my car check engine light is not on?
Driving our van out of town, we started having problems with the transmission 2 hours into our drive. We have never had problems out of the transmission. When we accelerate from a stop it would give a shutter and sometimes a pop. It was very dangerous turning into the traffic as it was shuttering you loose power and could get hit. When we stopped at a store where i could check things out at turning the van off. When we started the vehicle it would not go into forward or reverse. We had it towed and had to pay over $4500 to replace the transmission with a new one. The mechanic said they get these all the time because it has a cvt transmission and they are no good. The replaced and refunded a lot of people that had different makes and model. I don’t understand why they don’t on a Nissan Quest . Nissan knows this is a problem. We had our entire family in the van and could have gotten hurt or killed. Nissan needs to do the right thing here and reimburse or replace them.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Quest. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the contact shifted the CVT transmission into low (L) manually. The contact stated that the vehicle began to vibrate and then began to shake the entire vehicle. The contact removed his foot from the accelerator pedal and started to tap the brakes. The contact stated that the vehicle started to shake more violently while slowing down. The contact stopped the vehicle and felt resistance from the shift lever while attempting to shift the vehicle into park (P). The contact stated that the check engine warning light momentarily illuminated, but then turned off. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had reoccurred without manually shifting gear. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC code: P17F1 (CVT Judder). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,022.
CVT Transmission failed and had to replace with new CVT Transmission while returning from a trip on June 7 2023. It failed in middle of the trip. Aamco Boardman, OH helped replace it with brand new transmission and it cost $7525. Last year also Compressor failed and had to replace it with brand new compressor at the local garage here in Shippensburg. Mileage is only 110000 miles. Very disappointed and dissatisfied with 2012 Nissan Quest.
I was driving on the roadway when I felt a jolt and my 2017 Nissan Quest suddenly would not accelerate. I was almost rear-ended and had to come to a stop in a moving lane of traffic. I had no warning lights or previous symptoms, and my Quest has about 80,000 miles. I had my vehicle towed to a local mechanic and was told that they have seen many other similar issues with the Nissan Quest's premature CVT transmission failure. The codes thrown indicated CVT transmission "judder." They recommend that I call AAA and have it towed to a Nissan dealership. I had my Quest towed to a local Nissan dealership and was told the transmission would cost $6200 to repair, which is more than it is worth.
On April 19, 2022, I was driving home after picking up my son. The traffic was bumper to bumper. And as I sat in traffic, when I moved my foot from the brake to the accelerator, the vehicle would not move. So while sitting in traffic, and the traffic began to move, I could not move. So I turned the car off, and turned it back on, and I was able to move enough to get the vehicle on to the shoulder of traffic. My father came and changed the battery, and I was able to start the car and drive home, which was 30 minutes away. Two days later, same thing happened again. After driving the vehicle for a delivery, I was on my way to get some gas. And as I turned from one street to another, the vehicle stalled on me as I was turning slow. The vehicle would not start up at all. So I had to call a towing service to tow the vehicle home. According to some people online, the problem could be in the CVT transmission overheating, or it could possibly be a software issue. The 2011 Nissan Quest were a part of a recall, but when I put my VIN number in, it doesn't show my vehicle being one, but its doing what the recall was calling for. Our safety was put at risk, because the vehicle stalled in the middle of 2 busy highways, causing a safety risk for me and my son, but also causing a risk for others behind me in traffic, not knowing that my vehicle was stalled. There were no warning signs that popped up at all. The car just quit driving. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. Right now it is just sitting in front of my house, until we figure out what to do next. I have had to pay 2 towing fees for the problem, and don't want to come out paying a whole lot for this issue. We just bought this vehicle from a private owner 2 weeks ago, and this is the first week it is doing this.
Daughter's Quest has a bad CVT transmission. Diagnosis made by independent service center. Check engine light came on. Codes P1700, P0746, & P0868. Unsafe to drive - doesn't accelerate, shakes, shutters, etc. Other Nissan Quest/Nissan owners with same issue (Pathfinder, Rogue, Juke, Murano, Versa,Sentra,Altima). Refer to CarComplaints.com. I mailed a letter to Nissan Corp Office in Franklin TN. They offered no assistance. Nissan settled a class action law suit for Sentra, Versa, Altima with same trans problem by agreeing to replace trans and extend warranty from 5yrs/60K miles to 10 yrs/120K miles. Want Nissan to replace bad CVT transmissions and extend warranty on Quest vans and other models with bad CVT transmissions.
CVT transmission is failing, it is very very common with Nissan.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Nissan Quest cvt failure
Which Nissan Quest years have cVT failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (16 complaints), 2013 (6 complaints) and 2014 (4 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix CVT failure on the Nissan Quest?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $5,000 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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