[sandydeb]

Going round exits at slow (20mph-ish) speeds and accelerating yesterday, I experienced the dreaded transmission stutter that has been reported on Pathfinders/Altimas/late model JX35s and QX60s.

Have to verify this a couple of times (was in a hurry yesterday) before taking it to the dealership and demonstrating the exact problem. But I think I know where this is headed - most likely a torque converter or entire transmission replacement.

I was hoping that I would not be stuck with one of those faulty units but here I am. At least the issue has been caught now instead of a few years later!

I must say though that overall this has been one of the more disappointing cars I have bought till now. The car feels very Nissan rather than Infiniti. It is sad that after producing exciting cars for so many years that are nothing like their Nissan counterparts, Infiniti has decided to pull an Acura on us.

 

[djwonder]

Hey Sandydeb, please keep us informed if you take it to your dealer. I had mine at the dealer in White Plains, NY for 1 1/2 weeks with basically nothing done to it. Finally I got tired of waiting and took back my QX. It's getting worse with mine, around 1500 miles. I will eventually take it to another dealer.

Good luck.

 

[BobOB]

Have you contacted Infiniti Consumer Affairs yet? If not, that would be my next phone call. I've had great luck with them and at least you may get your car fixed sooner. I wouldn't tolerate the poor customer service. If there is another Infiniti dealership close to you, you might consider bringing it there. But first, call Consumer Affairs.

 

[Rooster]

Going round exits at slow (20mph-ish) speeds and accelerating yesterday, I experienced the dreaded transmission stutter that has been reported on Pathfinders/Altimas/late model JX35s and QX60s.

Have to verify this a couple of times (was in a hurry yesterday) before taking it to the dealership and demonstrating the exact problem. But I think I know where this is headed - most likely a torque converter or entire transmission replacement.

I was hoping that I would not be stuck with one of those faulty units but here I am. At least the issue has been caught now instead of a few years later!

Yeah no way around it, that sucks.

The good news is your transmission is warranted for six years or 70,000 miles. This stuff happens. Back in 2000 I leased a brand-new Toyota 4Runner. The first time I towed a trailer with it the check engine light came on. Took it to the dealership and found out the crankshaft had to be replaced due to a faulty sensor--it too had less than 2000 miles. It was covered under the warranty but Toyota did have to pull the engine out of vehicle--I wasn't too jazzed with that. Anyway, I put 60,000 miles on the vehicle afterwards and then my dad bought it. He still owns it today, and it has over 150,000 miles on the odometer.

I do believe Infiniti cares about their reputation so I have no doubt they will fix it... so hang in there.

 

[PunjabiM3]

Does anyone know if the CVT in the hybrid is different than in the regular model? I noticed its towing capacity it listed at 3500 vs 5000 for the regular gasser model.

 

[sandydeb]

Yeah no way around it, that sucks.

This stuff happens. Back in 2000 I leased a brand-new Toyota 4Runner.....
I do believe Infiniti cares about their reputation so I have no doubt they will fix it... so hang in there.

Rooster - I hear you but there is clearly a difference between one-off manufacturing problems and a systemic issue with the transmission being used across different models.

This specific issue is widespread, something that the CEO has himself accepted. They have been blaming it on their CVT supplier JATCO - but JATCO is 75% owners by Nissan!

 

[Pathfinding]

The same problem on the Pathfinder. Nissan claimed they fixed it on the 2014 model but some owners already reporting the problem. My Pathfinder has the transmission replaced and still shudder. It's at the dealer this moment. I was looking to trade in for the QX60, but came here to find that some is suffering the same problem.

 

[dgandbver]

5000 miles on my QX60 - no issues - used as a commuter everyday and for road trips - Tahoe 3 times and LA twice now.
Please keep us posted on how Infiniti addresses and hopefully resolves your issue.

 

[Sinecure]

To answer Punjabi's question, same tranny on both hybrid and gasser AFAIK.

While there seem to be fewer JX/QX60's with trans issues than Pathfinders, I don't have any data to back that up. I can tell you that Infiniti is very good about addressing issues like this. Much, much better than Acura was when I had my transmission issues in 2003-4 on my 2001 MDX.

 

[sandydeb]

While there seem to be fewer JX/QX60's with trans issues than Pathfinders, I don't have any data to back that up.

Could that just be a function of the fact that there are almost 3 times as many Pathfinders as QX60s out there?

 

[Sinecure]

Yes, it could be.

 

[ningster]

I'm also at around 5k miles... if I have no CVT shudder, then I should be good for a while, right? it seems the CVT shudder usually appears within the first few thousand miles of ownership....

 

[golden123]

Appointment Set for June 2, 2014

I called my dealer, Bonita Springs Infinity, and when I bought the car, they promised pick up and a loaner car. The soonest they will pick it up is June 2. I will wait until then as I am 1.5 hrs away. It will be interesting to see if they can " reproduce the transmission judder" as it is intermittent right now. I really like this car for it's 22 mpg city mileage, big cargo but will look to trade in for something else if not fixed. Wish me luck!