Mechanic Says CVTs Are Prone to Giving Out Early. Then He Reveals One Thing You Can Do to Make Your Car Last

"They all blow up because of the poor CVT."

Mechanic says modern CVT transmissions are prone to giving out early.

Photo by: autopartscity & Jake Leonard

Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Aug 5, 2025 at 9:00pm ET

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A mechanic is offering advice to CVT transmission owners that will keep their Nissans running as long as possible.

TikTok user Auto Parts City (@autopartscity) is an auto parts reseller based in Gurnee, Illinois. On July 5, the team behind Auto Parts City posted a video that includes a tip for owners of Nissan's continuously variable transmission, better known as CVT.

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“This is a 2016 Nissan Rogue transmission that we sold,” the person behind the camera says. “And we like to make fun of these Nissan transmissions because they all blow up because of the poor CVT. But Juan over here wants to give all of you CVT owners some advice.”

Juan explains that Nissan CVT transmissions include two filters. “One in the pan itself, in the bottom,” Juan says. “And this small one is an external filter for the transmission. Now, you’re supposed to replace your transmission fluid every 35-40k, in order for this transmission to last you over 200,000 miles.”

According to Juan, a lot of people overlook replacing the second external filter to the detriment of their vehicle.

“If you change your oil on your CVT every 30-40k, change this filter, and the pan filter, your transmission will last pretty much the life of the vehicle,” Juan says.

The History of CVT Transmissions

The CVT is notorious in the automotive community. Unlike a traditional automatic transmission, the CVT has no gears, and instead uses a two-pulley system to send energy from the engine to the vehicle’s wheels. CVTs are cheaper to manufacture than traditional transmissions and are also more fuel efficient.

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Of course, these benefits come with drawbacks, in particular, the sound of the engine and the feel of changing gears. That can be a dealbreaker for more serious automotive enthusiasts and even casual drivers alike.

And that’s not even mentioning the class action lawsuit Nissan settled this summer with owners of 2015-2018 Muranos and 2016-2018 Maximas. The owners claimed that the CVT transmissions in those model years were defective. Nissan agreed to extend warranties and reimburse owners for prior repairs. Some owners might qualify for a $1,500 voucher.

Viewers Weigh in on CVTs

In the comments, viewers debated the quality of Nissan vehicles and how to best maintain a CVT.

“Servicing of filters and replacing the oil is all well and good, but the Nissan CVT transmissions suffer from heat soak because they operate at a higher PSI pressure,” wrote one person. “So I strongly recommend the installation of an external oil cooler to lower the oil temperatures and prolong the life of the CVT oil.”

“This is actually very valuable advice,” wrote a second. “Thank you for sharing what some might consider a trade secret. My now junked Sentra had 140k miles, and I doubt any previous owners bothered to change CVT oil.”

What do you think?

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“The government forcing gas mileage created this,” said another person. “Manufacturers trying every trick.”

Motor1 reached out to Auto Parts City via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll update this if it responds.