2015 Nissan Pathfinder shakes, shudders, jerks and sometimes won't move forward when accelerating from a stop. Took to local dealership who replaced the MAF sensor and charged $641.12 only to have the problem continue. Took to another local shop who told us a code was coming up for the MAF sensor as well as the transmission. Since we had just had the sensor replaced, assumed this was a crooked shop and took to a local mechanic who we have used for twenty years who said it is the transmission and that NIssan has a recall on the CVT transmission so we need to take to the dealer and they should replace the transmission for free.

Took vehicle to the dealership who said there's no recall and that they can replace the transmission at our cost.

I took the vehicle and came home. I have researched this issue and there was a CVT Nissan lawsuit settlement, found on carcomplaints.com, that covers my year and model NIssan.

What do I nbeed to do to get this handled by Nissan?

The Pathfinder had started jerking and shuddering at low RPMs, at around 110,000KM. Took it in several times. First time, the unit that shifts to AWD was replaced. Second time, software update. Third time, transmission fluid replaced (at our cost). Within a month, the problem came back and we took it in. The car finally threw a code (117,000km) so the mechanics could open up the transmission and check it out. It was toast and required replacement. If we hadn't bought the extended warranty, we would have to had to pay for this out of pocket! Seems crazy that a 'newer' vehicle requires a new transmission. And, they wouldn't refund us our money for switching the tranny fluid ($300).

Definitely won't be buying another Nissan. I like everything about the vehicle - great features, comfort, fuel mileage, etc.,, but I don't trust that this vehicle will last.

I have only recently being dealing with this issue with my 2015 Pathfinder.

I heard a small whining noise in the rear axle area, but never thought much about it for past couple of weeks. Then, I heard a messed up rattling AC unit noise that I noticed over few days as the weather became more warm. I went to the dealership to get fixed, which turned out to be a radiator issue (costed $900; not covered by the warranty). I decided to get that done out of my pocket.

While the car was at the shop, I suggested to them that they should open the car up (costed $130 just to open up the car; not covered by the warranty). Lo and behold, I had a transfer case issue (a.k.a. transmission problem for 4x4). Thankfully, the car manufacture date was still within 5 years (within powertrain warranty; if not, the cost was $6000). Now, it's been 3 days and still the car is at the shop.

Mind you, if not for the warranty (which would have run out in Sep 2019), the total cost of the repairs were pushing into $8K. That's ridiculous for a car that I bought in 2015 brand new with current value at maybe $20K. WTF! I don't driver the car hard at all, so I was shocked by the repair costs.

I did some research into the CVT transmission issues. My two cents is that in the past Nissan SUV line up, there were radiator fluids and transmission fluids mixing due to faulty manufacturing design. So, I naturally thought that could have been an issue, since I had radiator issue. Also, I had transmission fluid replaced at 60,000 miles. It could have been that the fluids were depleted due to technician error plugging the car up afterwards and I drove the car with dried up transmission (just a guess, but improbable).

I found some parts information that I thought would be relevant if you are into finding parts on your own. I think these apply to pathfinders from 2013-15.

Engine model: 3.5L VQ35DE (usually a solid engine based on research) Transmission model: Nissan Jatco RE0F10J (JF019E) Transfer case model: Nissan Transfer Assembly; Part No. 33100-3KA0B

There are many websites that sell these parts, but I would caution you in buying products from sellers with not a lot of info. Good luck to those who have purchased this car in the used car market. I better sell this car, before it racks up more miles.

First off I want to say I love this vehicle. It drives nice, is comfortable to sit in and until now has been trouble free aside from tires, brakes and oil changes. I took it in for servicing because when the dial was set to auto it felt like it was in 4 wheel drive when starting from a stopped position and turning left or right. Phone call comes and the transmission is failing. Waiting to hear if the service agreement (extended warranty) will cover it. Need a complete replacement.

I will never own another vehicle with a CVT.

Update from Feb 17, 2019: After all was done ended up being the rear axle electronic coupling. This was a $2600 repair. PF was not throwing any CVT codes.

Have been telling dealership about the shuddering at low rpm and vibration since early days of having vehicle. Kept getting responses like "it shows fine" "Can't replicate" "Tightened exhaust cover screen to correct vibration" , did software updates etc. NOW that the car has gone over 60,000 miles, they have a code displaying (the judder P17F1) that says it may need a new transmission or at the minimum a valve replacement that will ONLY be about $2500. The part that really gets me is that we have been telling them about this issue and getting nowhere while it would have been covered. Also the lawsuit over the CVT transmissions cut off for Pathfinders year model 2014. Can Nissan show what changes they made in the 2015 that demonstrate the problem was remedied?? Everything I've been able to find shows the transmission is the same "Generation 4" one that was the basis for the lawsuit. It looks like no one repairs these transmissions, it's all replacement and is sounding like the dealerships are about the only option. Didn't show cost in complaint because we are still trying to find out what our options are here.

We purchased a 2015 Pathfinder. It has been nothing but trouble since the start. Within days of getting it we had it in the repair shop and it’s been in the shop every few months since. Nissan Head Office won’t authorize a replacement just keep trying to fix it even though they don't even know where to look. Cat stutters and has no power compared to the other Pathfinder 2015s we've driven.

I get so angry when I think about paying $42,000 for a car that’s broken. I will never buy another Nissan again and I make damn sure I tell everyone I know to stay clear.

First I want to say runnnnn as far away from Nissan as possible. All the shuddering and jerking is to much. I thought I had a nice truck until that nightmare started. Nissan tried changing a coil saying that would help (paid $100 deductible). Guess what? It didn't help. Then they said that the program needed to be updated. Ummmm what program? Was going to charge me $135 dollars for that. Wasn't happening. Overall they said that they would just rebuild CVT Transmission and gave me a loaner until their done with mine.

I purchased a used 2015 Pathfinder Platinum on 8/15/17. During the test drive everything seemed fine with the transmission outside of getting used to the CVT. A few days later I noticed a very distinct shudder at low speeds. They only way to avoid this slowdown is to accelerate fully. Any type of normal acceleration causes it to jerk slightly. I have only had the car 2 weeks and I am definitely having 2nd thoughts. I've owned 2 nissans in the past and no issues so I was not too worried about buying a lemon....bad logic for now. I have not gone to the dealer at this point as I am waiting on at least my first oil change. I cannot believe Nissan has not fixed the issue and not extend the warranties on all of its cars with CVT.

Thanks

shudder, jerking and finally engine failed while driving

I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2015 model which was bought last year from Arabian Automobiles Deira Dubai showroom and I have been facing jerking issues with this car from the beginning. Most of the time in slow speed I feel a jerk when the car is cruising and if I take my foot off the accelerator or press it harder it will stop. It usually happens at slows speeds when accelerating slowly.

I had mentioned this issue many times during service and in 20K km service they told me that it is fixed by reprogramming the CVT engine. But again the same problem was there and last week in 50K km service they told that it is fixed permanently by replacing the CVT engine.

Three days after the service I went for a trip with my family from Dubai to Salalah in Oman. While returning back the jerking problem started again and engine warning sign was showing in the car. It looked liked the gear transmission was not working properly and car was not moving forward even with full acceleration and rpm. I couldn't drive the car and I was stuck on the road in the desert at mid night for hours with my family and kids. I contacted Oman police for help they checked the problem and advised me not to drive. The car was then taken to Dubai border by recovery which costed me 1400 AED and my family came to Dubai border with Oman Police and then by taxi to home by paying AED 400. The leisure trip turned to be a nigtmare for me and my family because of the issue with car.

Now I don't feel comfortable at all driving this car which has a manufacturing defect and which is having problems after service. I approached the service center to provide me a cash refund and there is no positive response from them. So I contacted Consumer Rights to help me to get full refund for my car and also to get the expenses the which I paid for Recovery and Taxi because of the issue with car.

I have the same shudder / jerking in the '15 Pathfinder that others have. I've had it into the shop 3 times to look at it. They always say that unless it "throws a code" there's nothing they can do. The 1st time I had it in, they said they couldn't duplicate the problem. I even went and drove it and couldn't make it do it. Over time, the problem got worse and more easy to replicate, so they wanted to ride with me the next time. The 2nd time I had it in (August 2016), the technician rode with me, with a computer hooked up to watch the transmission while it happened. He witnessed it and said the gear ratio was really low but it wasn't throwing a code. There was a software update available for the transmission at the time so they applied that. (Free of charge when there was supposedly a charge for updates.)

I drove the car a few more weeks and maybe it's psychological, but ever since the update, my gas mileage was slightly lower (about 1mpg), the shudder problem was ever present at low speeds and it had even begun to slip very slightly going from Park to Reverse and again from Reverse to Drive. I called them back and they were optimistic that if it was starting to slip, then it would register it to the computer and have a code.

I took it back in yesterday (September 27th) for a scheduled appointment and the first thing they did was check for codes. The slipping hadn't triggered any codes but the shudder now HAD! AND... there was a TSB released for it in April. The TSB states for them inspect / replace the valve body in the CVT, if there is a large amount of wear, then they are to replace the whole CVT.

My car is scheduled to go back in next tuesday, (October 4th, 2016) to have them dive into the transmission. I'm hoping for the best. Wish me luck.

Update from Oct 7, 2016: I took my car in on Tuesday. They finally got the diagnosis and approval that the entire CVT needs to be replaced. There was enough wear on the chain to warrant a full replacement. It is covered under warranty. It will likely take a couple of weeks for the repair, but they put me in a brand new Rogue as a loaner, so it's not too bad.