Nissan CVT Transmission Fluid Change Interval and Other Maintenance

Your Nissan is most likely equipped with the CVT - Continuously Variable Transmission. This is the type of automatic transmission that has no gears but uses a band or chain and two conical elements. The chain moves on these elements and this allows the transmission to adjust the torque that it transfers to the wheels of your car. This is a very simple and even primitive explanation of the unit.

Nissan CVT transmissions highlights

• Average lifespan:90,000-100,000 miles
• Reliability Score:Low
• Prone to minor issues:Yes
• Price for repair after failure:Usually, no repair
• Price for replacement:$4,000-$6,000
• Availability of parts:Poor
• Common problems:bad fluid leaks, shuddering, only reverse available, various noises, complete loss of power, slipping.

Transmission fluid change in Nissan CVT - why so often?

So, you may read your manual for the Nissan car and learn from there that your vehicle requires transmission fluid change once every 60,000 miles. I would say that this is very optimistic. If you want to replace the transmission before it reaches 100K miles, you may change the fluid once every 60K and then save some money to pay for the extremely expensive transmission replacement.

I spoke to Nissan mechanics and some experienced drivers and they all confirmed that for the best durability of the CVT in a Nissan car, you should change the fluid once every 30,000 miles. The fluid is changed along with the filter so that the new fluid was cleaner and could work longer.

Here are the reasons for this:

• the average lifespan of the fluid is 10 years but it will deteriorate faster if you drive your car a lot;
• the fluid goes bad because of overheating, metal particles, some contamination, etc.;
• after 30K miles, the fluid in your Nissan CVT almost completely loses some of its important features;
• the fluid doesn't lubricate the parts properly if it's old and inefficient, so it slowly kills the transmission;
• also, the risk of immediate fatal transmission damage is extremely high, especially if the transmission is old enough;
• the older your transmission, the more often you should change the fluid in it.

While the first change of fluid is OK at 50,000 miles, all other changes should be completed much sooner than that. I recommend sticking to 30,000 miles which is one of the best intervals for the pretty weak Nissan CVT.

Also, you need to pay attention to the quality of lubricants and filters you use for transmission maintenance. If the quality is low, you will need to change them much more often than once every 30K miles. All my estimated intervals are based on OEM fluids and filters that the Nissan dealership offers. Actually, I don't recommend experimenting with transmission fluid.

How many miles will your Nissan CVT last?

It's hard to answer this question because the lifespan of the CVT depends on so many factors. You need to know the car model, the type of transmission, the year, etc. But, on average, the transmission in your vehicle will live about 120,000 miles. Some types die earlier and only go around 100,000 miles.

The durability can actually be much worse. I know some cases when Nissan CVT needed a replacement right after the 50,000-mile warranty period was over. That's disastrous because to replace the transmission, you will have to invest thousands of dollars.

That's why you should consider changing fluids and filters more often in the Nissan CVT. This will help you prolong the life of the transmission and enjoy smooth and fast driving without any problems. But anyway, at about 120K miles, the CVT may die and ask for an expensive repair or even replacement.

What kind of fluid should I buy for the Nissan CVT?

I don't promote Nissan dealerships and I understand all disadvantages of entering their office for a Nissan owner. But I still recommend buying only OEM fluids and filters for your transmission. This is crucial for driving your Nissan longer without having to replace the transmission.

Here's what may go wrong with aftermarket fluids:

• you can buy some fake and eventually kill the transmission;
• the fluid may be contaminated and clog the filter very fast;
• the viscosity may be too low or too high, both options are really bad for you;
• the overall quality of aftermarket fluids is never as high as in OEM products;
• the properties of the fluid may not be completely good for your CVT.

When Nissan orders certain types of fluid from the world's best manufacturers, the company makes hundreds of tests and researches to find out which exact type of fluid will be best for a certain transmission. That's why two similar but no identic CVTs from Nissan may require different types of transmission fluid.

I always recommend buying OEM filters and fluids for transmissions because it saves you money in the long run and you make sure that the vehicle works in good condition and is protected from common issues.

How much does it cost to change the fluid in your CVT?

Overall, an average Nissan CVT has about 8 liters of fluid (7 quarts). But to drain and refill, you will need less fluid - about 6 liters or 5 quarts. The problem is that not all old fluid is drained in the process and some amount is still left inside the transmission. This is, by the way, one more important reason to change the fluid more often.

The filter will cost you $100-$150 for OEM and $20-$50 for aftermarket option. Of course, OEM filters are significantly overpriced and you may find some good aftermarket options. But this economy isn't worth it - your confidence is worth much more.

The genuine Nissan transmission fluid is sold for about $30 per 1 quart. So, you will buy materials for $250 to $300.

Don't forget to add some labor. In the dealership, they will most likely charge you $300 or something while in a good repair shop, you may have this done for $150 or even less. In terms of where you should do this, it's your choice. But if your car is still under warranty, you should obviously go to the dealership.

What if you don't change the fluid in your Nissan CVT?

Changing fluid in your transmission is something extremely important for prolonging its life. I doubt if the CVT can go more than 80,000 with the same fluid in it. After this time, the fluid won't be lubricating the transmission, won't be helping the transmission in difficult situations, won't be cooling its parts, etc. It means, your transmission will be killing itself slowly and it will eventually fail.

Here are some of the most common effects that the CVT will experience with the poor fluid in it:

• very bad lubrication - the parts will start getting some unpleasant friction;
• poor cooling - the parts will overheat and this will add to the first problem of bad lubrication and friction;
• possible slipping - the belt may slip because of increased resistance in the transmission;
• broken belt - the belt can even break if the transmission has very old fluid that doesn't work anymore;
• overall failing - your transmission may just die unexpectedly because of the set of factors.

So, driving more than 50-60 thousand miles with old fluid is obviously a bad idea for your CVT. Also, if you somehow don't remember when the fluid was changed the last time, it's always better to change it once more than to drive with the old fluid for a long time.

Is age important for Nissan CVT fluid?

You may have noticed that I was talking about mileage only. But what if you have several vehicles in your family and you drive the Nissan only a couple of times a month? You will get to 30,000 miles for quite a long time and there is an age limitation for transmission fluid.

While Nissan will say you that the CVT fluid can work well for about 10 years, I think it's always best to change it after 6-7 years even if you still didn't drive 30K miles for this period. This will save your transmission from failing prematurely.

Final thoughts

Your Nissan car has one weak thing and it's all about its CVT. This transmission is not that durable and will require repair or replacement at about 120,000 miles. It doesn't mean that this transmission may not fail earlier than that.

Even though Nissan says you can change CVT fluid once every 60,000 miles, I believe you should do this twice more often - every 30,000 miles or once every 6 years. This will help you keep the transmission always in good condition and make sure it will let you drive the car without unexpected problems and failures.