2012 Altima 'slipping' on hills?

[CountZero]

I am sort of in the market for a new car. Had a free rental day with Hertz so I decided to use it on a day when I was going to do a fair amount of driving. Wanted an Altima as it is the running for cars to buy but they only had a 2012.

Took it out to SF, went up and down some hills. Not the big ones but still not completely flat ground. A couple of times stopping on a hill and rolling back a little before taking off. Fine, thought the car was decent enough aside from a bit of droning sound while driving on the interstate. Get home and to get into the garage I have to pull up onto a fairly steep driveway, stop and wait for a gate to open. When going up the driveway the engine suddenly revs like crazy, I stop going forward (like the gear has slipped is what it felt like) and then I lurched forward when it engaged again. It wasn't the tires slipping.

Is this a common issue with Altimas or CVT transmissions? Hills are a fact of life here so a car that does that every once in a while is not acceptable. It was luck that it happened at all and in a test drive it seems like it may never happen.

Not really a car guy, reading up on CVT it seems there were some issues on hills in early versions but nothing now but I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with them on hills.

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

-Server writer for Nissan.

Yes, CVT does require time to learn it. It's a vastly different driving style. And what you describes is normal. You have two cones with a chain running up and down. Technically the amount of gear ratios is infinite (well, you get the point).

CVTs have very little problems. Nissan backs all their CVTs with a 10 year 120,000mi warranty to prove it.

 

[fixxor]

I have a different view, worked parts at a Nissan dealership and we replaced A LOT of CVT's in the Altima's, Sentra's, and Versa's. Most if not all were from people who traveled down and up hill (I-15 cajon pass) to work. And if I remember right Nissan extended the warranty on the CVT's because of all the problems.

 

[Jumpem]

I have had two Subaru's with a CVT. I have never had an issue similar to what you described.

 

[Vic Vega]

Maybe a Nissan thing? My AWD Montego has a CVT and this sounds weird to me.

 

[Fenixgoon]

combination of transmission and traction control, perhaps?

 

[Arkaign]

-Server writer for Nissan.

Yes, CVT does require time to learn it. It's a vastly different driving style. And what you describes is normal. You have two cones with a chain running up and down. Technically the amount of gear ratios is infinite (well, you get the point).

CVTs have very little problems. Nissan backs all their CVTs with a 10 year 120,000mi warranty to prove it.

That's a logic fail there at the end. Not all that long ago when virtually every vehicle they made was spectacularly unreliable, Chrysler had a lifetime warranty on their vehicles. In cases where the warranties are extremely long, it's often to try to combat the perceptions (based on reality or not) that their products are unreliable. Sometimes it works as well : Hyundai and Kia I believe both instituted 100k warranties after suffering poor reputation for many years, and it probably helped them continue to sell a decent enough number of vehicles to remain competitive and continually improve their products over the years.

So the fact that they put a 10/120k warranty on it means nothing more than : it's covered for 10/120k. It has no bearing on the actual quality of the product.

 

[LTC8K6]

When going up the driveway the engine suddenly revs like crazy, I stop going forward (like the gear has slipped is what it felt like) and then I lurched forward when it engaged again.

Haven't heard of that with a CVT before. Sounds like it's beginning to have problems.

 

[Arkaign]

Haven't heard of that with a CVT before. Sounds like it's beginning to have problems.

Well, to be fair, rentals get beat on pretty hardcore. I wouldn't necessarily pass judgment based on a rental experience.

Personally I hate CVTs, but that's just me. I don't have any opinion one way or the other on their actual reliability.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Go for Accord. It has a much better CVT unit, 90% feels like a regular automatic.

 

[LTC8K6]

Go for Accord. It has a much better CVT unit, 90% feels like a regular automatic.

Yes. Car and Driver liked the Accord's CVT, which is saying something.

 

[heymrdj]

Yes. Car and Driver liked the Accord's CVT, which is saying something.

Test drove a 2013 Accord sedan sport model (4 cylinder and CVT) and it was an extremely smooth and powerful ride. Lots of power right down low couldn't even tell it was a CVT. Definitely on my short list.

 

[Zivic]

I have had two Subaru's with a CVT. I have never had an issue similar to what you described.

I may be mistaken, but I had heard, subaru had some hand in nissans CVT. I had heard the two companies are basically using the same CVTs.

 

[Nessism]

I may be mistaken, but I had heard, subaru had some hand in nissans CVT. I had heard the two companies are basically using the same CVTs.

Jatco makes the Nissan CVT. Nissan owns a good portion of Jatco. Don't think Subaru uses the Jatco CVT. Nissan owns a chunk of Subaru though (or at least used to).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jatco_transmissions