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QX60 Transmission Swap

59K views 45 replies 23 participants last post by  ctang101 
#1 ·
Tt appears that Nissan/Infiniti made a surreptitious switch to the QX60s transmission. Last years JX was riding with the the belt variant of Nissans CVT8 but earlier this year the switch was made to the chain CVT8 that from the Pathfinder and V6 Altimas. Some smart fellas on the Infiniti JX forum picked it out, and are not so pleased...

The CVT8 chain drive is the cause of many shudder/judder problems across the Altima and Pathfinder community

It will be interesting to see if QX60 starts CVT shuddering.......
 
#2 ·
The jury is still out on the transmission change. I'm very satisfied with the original transmission that came with my JX. The newer transmission has a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. if that is important. I love how smooth the JX drives and can't comment on the later model JX or new QX60. Still a very nice car.
 
#12 ·
I just bought a QX60 over the weekend and during the process I also drove a JX35 they still had on the lot. It seemed the QX60 was slightly "quicker" when driving the same route (some interstate and some back roads) and with the same load and same 18" tires. The QX60 only had about 20 miles on it whereas the JX had ~150 so I don't think break-in or mileage was even a factor.

As far as the transmission I know my QX has the 7th gear but don't recall what the JX had. I imagine if it was one of the last JX's built it likely has the 7th speed as well.

My owners manual says the QX60 can tow 5,000 pounds (no distinction between 2wd and AWD) so clearly a transmission change was made in this mode.
 
#13 ·
I'll try to clear up a few things here.

First off, I don't know anyone who has taken their JX or QX60 to the track yet, so it's kind of hard to answer young padwan's question. My butt meter says the QX60 may be slightly faster in initial acceleration than the original JX35.

As for the tranny - back around May Infiniti made a mid-year change to the transmission in the JX35. So any JX built after that, and all QX60's, have the new transmission. No one from the factory has stated unequivocally that it's the transmission from the Pathfinder, but that seems to be the sense from everyone. That said, I've not seen any problems from any JX or QX60 customers regarding the transmissions on their vehicles.

And the PF and QX60 are NOT the same car. They ride on the same chassis, and use the same drive-train. They also share seating configuration and some features as well. But the PF is noiser, cheaper, and doesn't have anywhere near the available safety and luxury features of the QX60. It also has a much shorter warranty and Nissan dealers do not offer loaner vehicles when your car is being serviced.
 
#17 ·
mechanically QX60 and Pathfinder are different. Don't call them different vehicles, they are NOT. They offer different features and comfort, yes, but they are still mechanically identical.

If the owners manual says QX60 is rated for 5,000lbs then yes the switch was made, the JX was only capable of 3,500 lbs. The difference in "quickness" may be explained that the PF CVT uses a chain, while the JX's CVT (last year) was belt driven. The torque itself is enough to get a heavy vehicle up to speed quicker.
 
#19 ·
Sorry you had trouble reading/understanding my post.

I said, I've not seen any of MY customers have problems. And I was talking about Infinitis, not Nissans.

I'll see if I can get to the TSB. I'm a salesperson, not a tech. Take anything I say with a grain of salt (see sig).
 
#23 ·
because i can thumb my nose at the guy in the JX when i pull up next to him at a stoplight in my QX60.

obviously joking. i would say that a .5 second difference can be noticeable, but it doesn't seem like the QX is that much quicker. with that said, it seems, based on the responses here, that the QX has better power delivery which will matter and be noticeable in every day use.
 
#26 ·
Swapping my transmission

I just bought a 2014 QX60. Shudders badly at low speed when I accelerate. I took the car to the Infiniti service center. They didn't even call me to tell me that they were replacing my transmission. They are replacing my 2 week old car with a new transmission without any explanation. How confident should I be that I won't have problems with the next one?
 
#28 ·
2014 QX60
1800km serious shuttering at low speeds and accelerating. dealer says it needs a new torque. although a new one is 3 weeks away minimum. we are stuck driving it the way it is. to say the least, I'm PISSED!!!!!!!!!! this is my first Infinity and I thought I was purchasing a quality vehicle from a reliable manufacture. :mad:
 
#31 ·
3k on my qx60 - dealer installing new tranny tomorrow - i asked if it was same design as one that just failed and was told NO the torque conv was redesigned and it alleviates problem - i asked how many trannies he has replaced and how many returned again and he said he has done 4 trannies and none needed further work - we shall see- i will let you all know how it goes....
 
#32 ·
When we were shopping QX60's and Pathfinders, I researched all the transmission problems, and apparently they've redesigned the torque converter 5 times at least, and some vehicles have had 3 transmissions within 10,000 miles. Go check out Pathfinder Talk forums. The dealers will typically never buy back the vehicles until the lemon law paperwork has been filed. Which many have. Doesn't really instill confidence.

So we will be going with a Toyota Highlander Limited, since Nissan keeps trying to "redesign" a faulty major drivetrain component.

Looks like the early JX35's with the older proven CVT is the way to go.

Good luck with yours.
 
#36 ·
For those of you who work at a dealership, I was wondering what % of QX60s sold 3 months ago or more (& JX35s with the newer transmission) have ended up having the transmission shudder. How reliable is the transmission?


Is Infiniti addressing this issue in the 2015s? (cause it seems like more and more of the 2014s are having issues with the transmission shudder)
 
#37 ·
I was doing some research last night and stumbled upon this class action lawsuit for the CVT in the Nissan Pathfinder. I wonder if it will come to this with the Infiniti QX60? I have a 2014 QX60 AWD with the 6 speed CVT, manufactured in Sept. 2013. I have 12,000 miles on it, but haven't had any problems to date. A friend of mine has a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder and they were driving at 80 mph on the freeway, it started trying to shift into 1st gear. Needless to say, they now need a new transmission and they are 200 miles out of warranty and have to pay.

Nissan Faces Pathfinder Transmission Defect Class Action Lawsuit
 
#42 ·
All I can say is that they replaced my tranny at 2k with the updated refurbed one and and we 28k miles shudder free.

The tranny was down shifting funny a few months back, and Infiniti said there was ano update to the TCM for that. Since then, really no issues.

It's a lot smoother.
 
#45 ·
Just bought a pre-owned QX60 from a Land Rover dealership yesterday.

Has 38k and clean Carfax. Also purchased the Elite Protection Plan from one of the online resellers yesterday.

Driving it this morning, felt what all of you have described as the dreaded shudder, I think.

Is it all the time at low speeds, or intermittently at low speeds?

Mine is not all the time...of course its only been 24 hours.

For any of you in the DFW area, am I better to go to Sewell or Crest for service and this sort of issue?
 
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