2014 Nissan Sentra: jerking or lurching

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Transmission · MN

The continuously variable transmission (CVT) on my 2014 Nissan Sentra has failed twice. First failure: in August 2018, at 42,429 miles, the car hesitated and jerked when accelerating. Walser Nissan Wayzata (invoice [XXX]) found an internal CVT failure with excessive debris and bearing parts on the magnets. Nissan replaced the CVT under warranty with a remanufactured unit (part 3102M-X428ERE) and reprogrammed the TCM. Second failure: around [XXX], at about 110,000 miles, in Minnetonka, MN, the replacement CVT began stuttering while the car was being driven at about 30 mph, then lost drive power completely. The car had to be towed and cannot be driven. This was only about 67,000 miles after Nissan installed the replacement unit. No crash or injuries. Safety concern: a sudden loss of drive power while moving in traffic creates a risk of a rear-end crash or being stranded in a dangerous spot. The Nissan-supplied replacement failed the same way as the original, which points to a continuing defect, not a one-time problem. The car was maintained on schedule with service at Nissan dealerships. I reported this to Nissan (case [XXX]) and Nissan refused to help. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 19, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · MI

While I’m driving it starts to stall. Especially after I press on the breaks and try to press on the gas again it being ins to like jerk and not want to go. I thought it was my suspension or that it needed a wheel alignment but after paying for those to get renewed it’s still having that problem and the mechanic said it was most likely the transmission.

Filed Apr 18, 2025 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked and lost automotive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. After several attempts, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. A mobile mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, who confirmed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the daughter's residence. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Filed Apr 10, 2025 · Transmission · 56,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted; however, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that two years later, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Filed Jun 19, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · WA

Car slips and jerks when accelerating at any speed as low as 10 mph. Check engine light came on, code is transmission failure. The code came on before routine maintenance was required. The car was not fixed and should have not had this issue happen.

Filed Nov 15, 2022 · Transmission · IL

While driving on the highway and when I try to accelerate in my Nissan Sentra, I've noticed that my transmission was starting to jerk. Because of this, I took my Nissan Sentra to a Nissan service center to get it inspected. The mechanic informed me that my transmission is faulty. I purchased my car in 2014 and only have 68,000 miles on it so I was shocked that my transmission is already having issues. Once I started to research Nissan Sentra CVT transmissions online, I noticed that there were numerous complainants from many consumers regarding this CVT transmission. I was told by the mechanic that I had to replace and fully pay for the transmission which costs $6,500 and Nissan Corporate was not going to help in anyway. This is unacceptable that Nissan is selling cars with faulty parts knowing that they will have to be repaired or replaced sooner than anyone can anticipate. It's also very dangerous to drive on these transmissions as they can breakdown any moment, potentially leading to a car accident and bodily injuries. Any Nissan car with this faulty transmission should be recalled. Here are all the links to other consumers filing lawsuits due to this issue: https://knightlawgroup.com/nissan-cvt-altima-sentra-versa/#:~:text=A%20Nissan%20transmission%20lawsuit%20alleges,or%20risk%20getting%20rear%2Dended. https://lemonlawexperts.com/2022-nissan-cvt-transmission-settlement-update/

Filed May 21, 2022 · Transmission · CA

Transmission faulty .The cvt requires compete replacement. Yes component is available for inspection. Loss of power, transmission jerking, transmission slipping. Transmission reliability called into question and can result in serious harm to unsuspecting drivers. Yes, problem has been confirmed by dealership as well as Nissan Consumer Affairs. Problems first appeared in February 2022 and was diagnosed after complete failure May 2022. Transmission has multiple diagnostic trouble codes present.

Filed Apr 29, 2022 · Acceleration, Transmission · CO

i was driving my 2014 nisaan sentra sv and when merging into traffic from the off ramp as i turned and accelerated in that second the car downshifted and accelerated enough to put me in danger due to the oncoming vehicles it then shook and i had the gas pedal depressed completely the vehicle then jerked real hard and would not go thankfully the vehicles that were oncoming seen me with just enough time to almost cause a huge car accident they slowed however you could hear brakes and see people behind the first vehicle swerving due to the sudden stop because of me i was honked at cussed at flipped off someone even threw a drink at my car and it could have been way worse the vehicle would not shift i had to get out in the middle of highway to push my car into a safe zone where i was in danger not to mention i lost my job for the simple fact it was my first day at my new career in johnstown at high country beverage since i purchassed this vehicle on July 3 2021 the dealership sold me a lemon vehicle that absolutely would not pass emissions in which i had to force dealership to re issue my temp tags 3 times due to the failed attemps and they would not give me my money back they had several attemps and chances to fix the issue in which they never did ive spent hundreds of dollars out of my pocket to figure it out and finally jan 2022 i was able to pass emissions , then shortly after in feb 2022 the car kept dying out and reading p0101 p0102 code mass air flow sensor and low circut current i spent 400 dollars to fix this issue theres more

Filed Mar 4, 2022 · Transmission · 73,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2014 Nisan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated 20 MPH. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact veered to the side of the roadway and waited to attempt to restart the vehicle. The contact then attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle would jerk and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

Filed Feb 12, 2022 · Transmission · NC

This is 4 years after my first transmission died and was replaced. I couldn’t keep my car speed up in evening traffic, at 65mph, and my RPM’s began to jump back and forth, never steadying. My car jerked so badly I was struggling to control it and several cars had to pass me, going into the lane to the left of me. I had to drive it one more day, tonight, and after 60 minutes of driving, at 70mph on the interstate, when 3/4 of the way home, it began violently jerking again and RPM’s were jumping uncontrollably. Again, I struggled to control the vehicle and had to decelerate by removing my foot from the gas pedal. I had to put my emergency lights on, so other vehicles would hopefully go around me. Almost home, I could barely accelerate after stopping for a red light, then my car dramatically slowed to about 10mph with a tractor trailer approaching behind me, though thankfully, on a less-traveled road, so I had time to pull over, not completely stopping because I was afraid it wouldn’t accelerate at all if I did, from experience with the first transmission. After the truck passed, I slowly managed to make it uphill to the next intersection, where again, once accelerating when I turned, the car began jerking erratically. It never made it above 30mph for the last 3 minutes home. It was late at night and very dark. This car - this transmission issue - is absolutely terrifying. To drive along a consistent speed and suddenly have an out-of-control vehicle, with numerous cars around you while driving 70mph, is terrifying. My last transmission died while driving - had that happened on the dark interstate, no doubt I would have caused an accident. I have a 2.5 year old amd 15 year old - there is no way I trust this vehicle with them in it. I’m now afraid of my vehicle stopping in the middle of a busy roadway and causing a catastrophic accident just to get it to the dealership 25 minutes away. Death, injury, and/or trauma is waiting. Our children are worth more than this.

Filed Feb 2, 2022 · Transmission · TN

CVT transmission has never been right since the car was nearly new. Shifting was erratic and would slip as it shifted to a higher gear, twice the car lost speed on the highway, motor running and RPM's revving indicating a transmission failure. We had it in to be checked under warranty twice (under 55,000 miles). All they would do is a software upgrade and said there was nothing wrong with it. The problems got worse and we took it to another dealer. They dropped the pan and "checked" for metal shavings. New fluid added and sent on our way again, saying nothing is wrong, that this is normal for a CVT transmission. Obviously no one was going to fix or replace it and all we could do was to continue to drive the vehicle. Now the transmission has failed completely. RPM's jumping up and down, car jerking, loss of power, we were worried of getting rear ended as we couldn't drive at a continuous speed. We barely made to a relatives house to park it. It has been towed to the dealer again and is being checked out. I cannot believe a recall has never been filed for the CVT transmission in these vehicles. Obviously Nissan is not going to do anything about the problem, even though there are thousands of complaints and a class action lawsuit filed against Nissan for this safety hazard.

Filed Jan 12, 2022 · Engine · MS

Car’s engine began to fail and was indicated by RPM meter malfunctioning and car jerking while driving. When breaking and accelerating the car would delay and jerk.