Data study

Nissan's CVT, by the numbers

We pulled every NHTSA complaint for 12 Nissan models from 2013 to 2024 and counted how often owners mention the check-engine light and the transmission. The short version: the CVT cars and the trucks tell two different stories.

How we counted. Source: NHTSA ODI complaints + recalls (api.nhtsa.gov), model years 2013-2024. "Check-engine mention" is a complaint whose text mentions the light; "CVT mention" is text mentioning the transmission (cvt, shudder, jerk, whine, hesitation, limp mode). "Power-train share" is NHTSA's own component tag. Counts reflect how many cars were sold and how old they are, not just how reliable they are — treat them as direction, not a scoreboard.

Every model, ranked by CVT-mention rate

Model	Complaints	Check-engine %	Power-train %	CVT-mention %	Top system
Sentra	2,714	7	35.7	40.7	POWER TRAIN
Versa	1,166	7.6	31.2	38	POWER TRAIN
Pathfinder	2,558	3.6	28.9	29.7	POWER TRAIN
Altima	6,042	5	20.8	21.2	POWER TRAIN
Rogue	5,103	7.1	20.5	20.6	POWER TRAIN
Maxima	486	3.7	18.9	20	POWER TRAIN
Murano	760	4.6	16.4	18.7	UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Juke	233	8.6	18.5	17.6	ENGINE
Kicks	456	11.6	11	14.7	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Frontier (no CVT)	382	5	16	12.6	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Titan (no CVT)	356	9.8	16	12.1	ENGINE
Armada (no CVT)	315	3.5	11.4	10.8	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The CVT cars vs the trucks. Across the 9 CVT-equipped cars, 25.6% of complaints mention the transmission. Across the 3 conventional-transmission trucks and SUVs (Frontier, Titan, Armada), it's 11.9%. Trucks get used differently, so this isn't a lab test — but the gap lines up with what Nissan CVT owners have been saying for years.

The takeaways

40.7% of Sentra complaints mention the transmission — the highest share of any model in this pull.
The CVT cars average 25.6% transmission-mention; the conventional-transmission trucks, 11.9%.
9 power-train-related recalls across the lineup, out of 190 total.

Recalls

NHTSA recall records for these model years include 9 power-train-related recalls across the lineup out of 190 total. Recalls are a safety action, not a complaint tally — they're a separate signal that a problem was serious enough to act on.

What this means if you own one

If your car is one of the CVT models near the top of that table and the light comes on with a shudder or a flare in the revs, get the transmission looked at before you spend money chasing sensors. If it's a Frontier or a Titan, the odds point back to ordinary engine and emissions causes — start with the gas cap and the codes.

Start with your model

Altima

Common check-engine causes on the Altima.

Rogue

Common check-engine causes on the Rogue.

Sentra

Common check-engine causes on the Sentra.

Versa

Common check-engine causes on the Versa.

Juke

Common check-engine causes on the Juke.

Murano

Common check-engine causes on the Murano.

Maxima

Common check-engine causes on the Maxima.

Kicks

Common check-engine causes on the Kicks.

Pathfinder

Common check-engine causes on the Pathfinder.

Frontier

Common check-engine causes on the Frontier.

Titan

Common check-engine causes on the Titan.

Armada

Common check-engine causes on the Armada.

Reading a code already? See Nissan trouble codes, how to reset the light, or the blinking light guide.

The CVT lawsuits

Owners haven't just complained to NHTSA — several Nissan CVT cases have gone through the courts. Each item links to its public source.

Weckworth v. Nissan settled over 2012–2017 Versa and 2013–2017 Sentra CVTs, extending the transmission warranty from 60,000 to 84,000 miles. Top Class Actions — Nissan transmission settlement
Martinez v. Nissan (final approval May 2023) extended the powertrain warranty on 2017–2018 Altima and 2018–2019 Sentra, Versa and Versa Note CVTs to 84 months / 84,000 miles. CarComplaints — Nissan transmission class action settled

Frequently asked

Does the check-engine light mean my Nissan's CVT is failing?

Not on its own. The light is a general fault flag — it can be a loose gas cap or an O2 sensor just as easily as a transmission problem. But on the CVT-equipped cars in this data, powertrain complaints show up more often than on the truck lineup, so if the light comes with shuddering, whining, or a hesitation when you accelerate, the transmission is worth ruling out early.

Which Nissan has the most CVT-related complaints?

In this pull, Sentra had the highest share of complaints mentioning the transmission, at 40.7% of its 2714 NHTSA complaints for 2013–2024. That reflects sales volume and model age as well as reliability, so read it as a starting point, not a verdict.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is counted from the public NHTSA complaints and recalls databases (api.nhtsa.gov), pulled for model years 2013 through 2024. We share the exact search terms and the raw data so anyone can re-run the count.