— A Nissan 9-speed transmission class action lawsuit includes 2020-2021 Nissan Titan and 2020-2021 Nissan Frontier trucks because the transmissions allegedly hesitate, lag, jerk and lurch.
More alleged problems include noise when shifting, hard downshifting and delays in shifting.
According to the 9-speed transmission lawsuit, Nissan knew in 2019 the trucks were defective and a safety hazard to occupants.
Even pedestrians are allegedly in danger because the Nissan 9-speed transmissions cannot maintain proper speeds which increases the chance of a crash.
The plaintiffs claim the trucks lurch forward when they shouldn't and without warning, allegedly a problem concealed by Nissan. The automaker also allegedly refuses to recall the trucks with the 9-speed “GE9R01A” transmissions and dealers allegedly always say the transmissions are operating normally.
Even when the Titans and Frontiers are still under warranties, Nissan dealers allegedly tell owners no repairs are necessary.
The transmission class action lawsuit does say Nissan created a software update for the 9-speed transmission, but the update didn't apply to 2021 Titan trucks. Additionally, the plaintiffs assert the 9-speed transmission software update didn't fix the alleged problems because truck owners continue to complain.
Nissan 9-Speed Transmission Technical Service Bulletins
The Nissan class action lawsuit references TSBs issued by Nissan to its dealerships regarding the 9-speed transmissions.
In November 2020, Nissan issued NTB20-077 which applies to 2020 Frontier and 2020-2021 Titan trucks with “9 Speed A/T (GE9R01A)” transmissions, telling technicians about replacing the transmission valve body. However, the plaintiffs say the TSB doesn't do anything for the alleged defects.
In April 2021, Nissan issued bulletin NTB21-028 entitled “2020 Titan/Titan X; Delayed Acceleration or Delayed Upshift.” The lawsuit says the TSB applies to 2020 Nissan Titan vehicles with 9 speed GE9R01A transmissions, but it does not apply to 2021 Nissan Titan or 2020-2021 Nissan Frontier trucks.
Truck owners 'experience[ ] a hesitation in acceleration during a rolling stop, or delayed acceleration when pressing the accelerator pedal at or near 0 mph,' and '[a] feeling of a delayed upshift or higher than expected engine RPM, while driving on a flat surface or up a small incline.'”
Nissan dealers were told to perform software updates and reprogram the transmission control and engine control modules.
Then TSB NTB21-073 was issued in August 2021 and titled, “Hesitation and/or Shift Shock,” which applies to 2020-2021 Nissan Frontier trucks.
The TSB says owners may, “report[ ] hesitation and/or shift shock during acceleration” or “[s]hift shock during deceleration.” Nissan dealers were told to reprogram the transmission control modules.
Finally, TSB NTB21-086 was sent to dealers in September 2021 and titled, “A/T Warning Light is on Without Past or Current DTC Stored.” The bulletin includes 2020-2021 Titan and 2020-2021 Frontier vehicles with 9-speed GE9R01A transmissions.
According to the Nissan transmission lawsuit, none of the TSB repairs have helped truck owners, including the three Nissan Titan customers who filed the class action.
- Jah Boone / New Mexico / 2021 Nissan Titan
- Luis Gutierrez / Texas / 2021 Nissan Titan
- Kurt Schay / North Carolina / 2021 Nissan Titan
The Nissan 9-speed transmission class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee: Boone, et al., vs. Nissan North America, Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lafferty Law Firm, Inc., and Lemberg Law, L.L.C.
