Nissan Qashqai J11 ST CVT (2014-2021) Questions & Answers

Hi Denny, as you have probably seen, there are a lot of customer complaints regarding JATCO CVT transmissions as used in Nissan and other manufacturers vehicles. I have provided below my own experiences with Nissan CVT's fitted to a B17 Pulsar and a J11 Qashqai.

I purchased for my wife a new Nissan Pulsar in 2013 fitted with a push belt CVT gearbox. The gearbox developed a rattle at 20,000 kilometres. Nissan Lakeside replaced the gearbox under warranty and the vehicle has now done in excess of 90,000 kilometres with no further problem and the CVT is very quiet. The CVT's fitted to Pulsars have a 2 speed planetary gear set to increase the CVT ratio spread which enables the torque converter clutch to lock up at 15-25 Kph to improve efficiency. When driving it is noticed the planetary gears change ratio at 50-60 Kph. I believe the same model of CVT is used in some petrol versions of the J11 Qashqai's. My J11 Qashqai was purchased new in 2017 and is the diesel 1.6 DCI version so has a pull chain belt CVT without the 2 speed planetary gear set to handle the higher torque of the diesel engine. The torque converter locks up at 30-50 Kph. When new the CVT in my Qashqai made all kinds of horrible noises at low speed and never felt right in regard to torque converter clutch lock up but these noises have over time reduced and now at 125000 kilometres is reasonably quiet and torque converter clutch lock up is working better. I permanently disabled the stop/start by loosening the retaining bolt on the bonnet switch, rotated the switch side ways and re-tightened the bolt. A side benefit is the battery always stays fully charged at 14.6 volts.

Apart from tyre and battery replacement and one indicator globe no other repairs have been done to either vehicle. Both vehicles have 10,000 kilometre services done by Lakeside Nissan. They use NISSAN consult to check the CVT fluid. I recently visually checked the CVT fluid on the Qashqai by removing the plug on the filler tube (a bastard to get off) near the battery and inserting a 1 metre length of 3 mm ID clear plastic tube down into the fluid pan, pinched off the tube end and withdrew to collect 350 cubic mm of fluid to inspect. The colour was a darkish green and when dripped onto tissue paper left no visible staining so the fluid appears still to be good.

I do think regular replacement of the CVT fluid will help extend the life of the transmission so I will in the near future replace the fluid in my Qashqai, and providing the exact same quantity is put back in as drained there should be no problem. I will pump out from the top filler tube and refill there instead of crawling under the CVT.

We only ever drive our vehicles on bitumen roads not dirt roads or through water. There is a rubber vent tube on top of the CVT so it is essential to keep the bottom splash guard in place and avoid dirt and /or flooded roads.

Both the Pulsar and the Qashqai have external transmission coolers fitted as standard in the factory which wasn't standard fitment on North American Nissan vehicles . I have read where Nissan Australia are replacing without charge failed CVT's on even second hand purchased vehicles. I believe one of the main issues with early Nissan CVT's was failure of the oil pump pressure regulating valve and from April 2016 I believe a re-designed variable displacement oil pump was used in CVT production.

I suspect a lot of CVT failures are the result of improper servicing such as using regular ATF fluid instead of the Nissan specified CVT fluid.

UPDATE ON QASHQAI. The weird transmission noise at low speed when the torque converter clutch was locking up returned at @ 130,000 kilometres.

I drained out 4.5 litres of the CVT fluid, it was quite dark. I removed the transmission pan and cleaned out the accumulated sludge in the pan and on the magnets. When I removed the pump inlet filter I found the @ 20mm diameter O-ring seal on the inlet pipe from the filter and going into the pump had folded over when originally fitted in the factory and this allowed some air to be sucked into the pump.

Now since replacing the damaged O-ring, adding 4.5 litres of fresh Nissan CVT fluid and replacing the external filter, the transmission is very quiet and torque converter lock up is quicker.

The original front brake pads will shortly require replacement so am looking at fitting DBA pads and rotors to minimize brake dust accumulation on the wheels.

It appears that other vehicle manufacturers using JATCO CVT's recommend fluid changes at 30,000 to 50,000 kilometres.

Thanks for the detailed explanation Andrew.

Hello. My 2017 nissan rogue sport also had this problem, I had to replace the whole fan. Cost really varies on alot of factors, I spent around 300 $ with the fan and labor. Hope that helped

I have a Nissan Qashqai J11 2018 with 2L engine. I have read a lot of articles on internet and have watched numerous YouTube clips about Qashqai CVT problems. Touch wood, I've had no issues with CVT yet after 46500 km on the clock. One of the things that I have promised to myself to do on my car, was changing the transmission fluid on regular basis. The first oil change was at 23000 km, after 3 year, and now, after 6 year, with 46K on the clock, I decided to change the oil and also the external (cartridge) filter. The oil (NS3) costs me $84 for 4L at the local Nissan dealer. I know I shouldn't change the oil that early, and it is a waist of money. However, I feel better and less stressed not think about $10000 replacement cost of CVT. My next service would be around 65K when I change not only the oil but also the internal filter.