When driving the transmission it shudders/hesitates when pressing the accelerator.
2015 Nissan Sentra: shudder or vibration when accelerating
12 of the 352 complaints about the 2015 Nissan Sentra describe shudder or vibration when accelerating.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 68,000
- recalls
- 0
Shudder or vibration when accelerating by model year
What owners say
The was engine stalling, shuddering, jerking, and after a while I had loss of power, all of this happened when I was driving 65 mph on the highway.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact stated that the engine revved up to high. While driving, the vehicle stopped suddenly, drove, and then stopped again. The contact continuously moved the gear shifter and the vehicle moved forward. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission solenoids were defective. The contact called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
When I started the car it sounded like the engine was clicking. I turned it off thinking it may have been from the cold. After restarting the car, the sound did not start again. About 10 minutes into my drive, it started to feel like the the car was shaking each time I braked. About 5 minutes later, it felt like the car was fighting me to accelerate. After I stopped at a red light, it would not accelerate past 20 mph and started dropping as I pulled to the side of the road. It would not accelerate but I could hear the engine revving. No service engine light came on, or any other light. I turned off the car and called AAA to have my car towed to the dealership I purchased the car (Piazza Nissan). They did a diagnosis on the car which gave the diagnostic of P2859 and P0746. Upon searching these codes, a recall for Nissan Sentra with manufacture dates of 2013-2017 came up stating CVT judder and transmission issues. I called the dealer to ask about this recall, since they told me I need a new transmission with the cost of $6640.87. I was told the recall (Classification #AT19-011, NTB #NTB19-075 [XXX] ) for this expired in 2022. When asked why I never received a notice about this recall, I was informed they are sent by VIN. When I checked my VIN, no active recalls came up. Clearly, my car is experiencing the same issues as this recall and my vehicle (2015 Nissan Sentra) was manufactured in that time frame. I was lucky I was able to move my vehicle to the side of the road safely without causing as accident. I am deeply annoyed that I was not made aware of this issue that clearly effected my vehicle and could have caused a serious accident had I not been able to pull to the side of the road and thankfully the car behind was not close to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
This particular vehicle exhibits a very strong, almost dash rattling judder when moving from the 1st to 2nd gearing ratio. This is especially dangerous in traffic and intersections where the vehicle is known to be in 1st or 2nd gear ratio, as Nissan likes to ratio out their CVT in software through the TCM to produce what feels like shifting from gear-to-gear as in a normal automatic transaxle. What makes this situation extremely bad is that when entering an on-ramp to the interstate (I-20 for example) it will intermittently judder from 1st to 2nd and then no power. After the judder it takes another few seconds for the TCM to figure out what happened and engage maybe more valve body pressure? I'm not sure completely, but it's extremely unsafe to drive. The Altima/Rogue with the same transaxle and model year run was issued a TSB and subsequently a TCM update was issued to rectify the early shudder, but the Sentra did not receive that update. The TCM output data shows that when this shudder is happening that there is a loss in hydraulic pressure somewhere in the unit. As Nissan says you never are supposed to change the fluid, this creates a very serious issue not only with the transmission, but warranty as well. The safety risk to others is high on this one because this could cause major rear-end conditions and city driving collisions as the car is supposed to be accelerating but can't because the transaxle was slipping and not gaining speed with the rest of the vehicles as expected.
Over the last year my 2015 Nissan Sentra has been having problems of judder (shake and shudder), hesitation on acceleration, lack of power and RPM flare. It happens when I am driving highway speed and when going uphill on the highway as well. I went to Firestone to get a diagnostic check and came out with the code of p17f4. I was surprised given that no check engine light has turned on. I will be going to the Nissan dealership and asking them what steps can happen. This is the second Nissan vehicle (the second vehicle is a Nissan Rogue) that has had a transmission problem.
We bought this vehicle brand new in 2016, and it seem to be a nice vehicle until it hit 30,000 miles. When we hit 30,000 miles in April 2020, the brake system failed, causing a passenger side collision, however, there were no injuries. Then in November 2020, the transmission went out. At that time we had to have the front brakes replaced as well. Then in May 2021 at 40,000 miles, we had to replace the front brakes again. In September 2021 at 50,000 miles, the front and rear brakes started grinding and needed replaced, which ended up having the ABS system, ABS module, brake lines, brake rotors, brake calipers, brake drums, and pads replaced. In February 2022 at 58,000 miles, while driving home, there was a loud bang from the front of the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered violently, had very little acceleration, and there was a large amount of white smoke coming from the back of the vehicle. Had the vehicle towed into the service shop, where they stated the engine block had thrown a rod through the engine. Had the engine replaced. Four days after the vehicle was returned, the front suspension collapsed on the tires. Had the front suspension replaced at 58,000 miles. August 2022, the transmission failed once again at 69,000 miles, and also had to replace the front brakes again. At 76,000 miles, in March 2023, had to once again replace front brake pads, rotors, and passenger caliper. No rear drums and pads need replaced. Vehicle ABS system is nonresponsive, ABS light is on once again, when, pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle does not stop just like when ABS system and module was replaced prior. Emergency brake does not work as well. I have contacted Nissan several times, to which I was told they would no longer service my vehicle. Now I am wondering what to do at this point.
My 2015 Nissan Sentra has received routine maintenance since I had purchased it new as the original owner. The vehicle was taken to Authorized Nissan Dealerships for routine maintenance and transmission diagnostic test 50,220MI. During this time the vehicle was within mileage and time warranty per Nissan settlement of the CVT transmission. At the time, the transmission was experiencing surging and falling RPMs at or around 2900RPM traveling above 70MPH; heavily prevalent at speeds +75MPH. I had also mentioned to the technician the problem seems to worsen after driving for duration's when the transmission gets warmer. At lower speeds it would sometimes jerk or 'downshift' rough during accelerations. The dealership had pulled no codes during the diagnostic test, "test drove and could feel a slight trans slip/judder when going uphill especially. no codes present."(technician) The issues became more prevalent, I felt my safety was definitely at risk on the highway, as well as my car could not be depended upon for longer distant trips especially, became limiting factor. The vehicle was brought back again for routine maintenance and another transmission diagnostic 57,899MI. Surging and jerking issues had worsened. While entering a connecting highway the car had accelerated to 55MPH before 'shifting' and the had risen to 4900RPMs. Following the incident my vehicle would experience rougher 'downshifts' and jerkier acceleration than before. At this visit to the dealership the transmission diagnostic test pulled a code P17F3-Auxillary Gear Box Ratio error. I am currently seeking Nissan Motor Corporation to remedy my claim with the information presented, affecting my safety, cost of transportation and time to visit the dealership, and the significant lost value of my vehicle with its limited power-train life span of only 57,899MI.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on a bumpy road, the vehicle would skip to the passenger's side. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side lower control arm ball joint had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, while driving 20 MPH on an uneven road surface, the vehicle started shuddering with an abnormal rattling sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle would make abnormal squeaking sounds while turning to the left. Additionally, the contact stated that the front service brakes, brake rotors, and the rear service brakes were replaced twice within four years; however, the vehicle would emit a metallic grading sound while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. Diagnostic was done on 4-6-2022 stating that the problem is the same problem as the recall that was put out for 19s26 by Ford.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would shudder after accelerating and stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who performed a transmission flush and replaced the fluid filters. However, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and diagnosed as transmission failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure and to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure and referred the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
At 80,000 mile mark car would sputter on highway when accelerating, RPM flaring, engine would rev up on highway when accelerating. Car would also judder. Seems clearly a CVT issue.
Vehicle stalled when I pressed down on the gas pedal to accelerate. 1 mile before stalling it started to judder when I would come to a complete stop and jerk me forward when I would excelerate from a stop. I turned off my vehicle after it stalled, shifted to park, and turned off the vehicle. When I turned it back on and shifted to drive it accelerated, slower than usual and I was able to park. Prior to this incident, I took the vehicle in for the juddering problem 7 days ago and they replaced the CVT control valve.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Clicking noise from front or rear axle during take-off/acceleration
- Enhanced diagnostic logic for CVT
- CVT oil leak diagnosis using fluorescent dye
- Dear Nissan Sentra Owner: Thank you for being a Nissan owner
- CVT Repairs Repair Recommendation: Dealers are advised to use all diagnostic information available in the...
- CVT Warranty Extension In an effort to assure customer satisfaction, demonstrate our confidence in...
- Enhanced diagnostic logic for CVT
- CVT judder
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2015 Nissan Sentra shudder
Is shudder or vibration when accelerating a common problem on the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
12 of 352 owner complaints about the 2015 Nissan Sentra (3%) mention shudder or vibration when accelerating. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Nissan Sentra?
There are 0 recalls and 40 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Nissan Sentra
CVT failure 51Transmission failure 45Jerking 43Stalling 40Check engine light 34Hesitation 25Loss of power 25Slipping 18Airbag light 14Won't shift 10No deployment 9Door locks 8Whining noise 8Grinding brakes 7Sudden acceleration 7
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