Are CVT Transmissions Reliable? The Truth About CVTs (Good And Bad)

This video will discuss the pros and cons of CVT transmissions, including reliability and long-term repair costs. If you are worried about buying a car with a CVT transmission, this video is for you. We will review CVT transmissions from brands like Nissan, Subaru, Honda, and others. We will discuss whether CVT transmissions are reliable or unreliable, whether you should buy one, and compare CVTs to other transmissions like DCT dual clutch transmissions. Check out the video for all the details!

SUBSCRIBE TO CHANNEL:

TikTok: @shariprymak

My Favorite Undercoating / Rust Protection:

My Favorite Scanning Tool:
BUY the FIXD Sensor for only $19.99 plus FREE SHIPPING:

My Favorite Floor Liners:
BUY the 3D Mats With $10 Off Discount Code: CARHELP3D10

My Favorite Dash Cam:

ABOUT ME

With over a decade of experience as a professional car buyer and auto consultant, Shari Prymak has helped thousands of consumers with their car buying needs. Car Help Corner provides honest, objective, consumer advice with all aspects of car buying and car ownership. For more professional advice, check out Car Help Canada, become a member, and subscribe!

[hopower]

As a Automotive Technician since 1986 I can say with confidence that all need to go back to the drawing board as they truly have longevity problems when compared to the old ways of doing things. Most CVT's simply will not make it too 100k miles no matter how well they are taken care of, some don't even make it too 60k miles.
The problem as I see it is they oil used and the cooling system for the transmission oil needs to be redone as the oil breaks down as these type of transmissions get a lot hotter than a standard automatic type transmission and once the oil breaks down it no longer does it's job for the transmission and failure is all but guarantied.

[Subie-Driver]

Just sold our 2011 Subaru Outback that had a CVT. 11 years, 257, 000 kmand zero problems with the CVT. Regular maintenance and fluid changes is the key. When it comes to transmissions there is no such thing as a lifetime fluid.

[richardtannehill]

I have a 2015 Forester with CVT with 125, 000 miles on it. I drive it hard and fast, and have had zero problems with he transmission.

[roadk]

They tried to replace the timing chain with a timing belt. That did not work out too well and they are going back to chains. So now, in their infinite wisdom, they have decided to put a belt to drive the whole vehicle and bury it where it is totally inaccessible without taking half the engine apart. Genius!

[tomdrummy]

CVT is not for anyone that needs to stomp on gas from a dead stop. Gradual acceleration is key to CVT from stop. Heat is generated, which is enemy for any transmission when you stomp on it. Once you are moving, 30ish mph then you can get on it more. Sometimes mechanical problems comes from the way a person drives.

[keithallsop]

Could also mention: most cvt's are push belt style, Subaru is pull chain which seems to be more reliable. Toyota's now have direct-cvt too, with a normal 1st gear and a clutch to engage the cvt which then takes over for higher speeds. Advantage being the cvt does not take the initial starting torque and covers a narrower ratio spread. More reliable.

[geraldthompson]

Truth is, even conventional transmissions are so complicated that even they’re not easy to diagnose or repair. Experienced transmission techs are dying off or retiring and the newbies don’t have a clue sometimes

[spgroh]

The CVT in my Mitsubishi blew up at 60K miles. It took them a month to get around to shipping a new one. I also had a Ford with a DCT that failed at about 89K miles. Ford did a rebuild on that and it failed again less than 12K later.

[raynash]

2015 Honda 312, 000 miles. Not one issue with my CVT. Change the fluid every 75k

[kenton]

Excellent video. Thanks for explaining this to your viewers

[zohaibali]

Thank you younman for your keen advice, luckily guys like you helped me a lot to understand nissan cvt & I had sold my altima2013 1 year ago due to cvt reliability issue

[mammydammy]

ive got a 2013 honda accord lx cvt. it has 336, 750 miles on it and the cvt belt just broke last week. i bought it used with 67, 000 miles at two years old. i changed the trans fluid 3 times since i had it. never had any issues with the trans or warning that it was going to break. i suppose thats pretty good for a cvt. the cvt belt was the weakest link in the whole car. nothing wrong with the rest of the car.

[GraemeWant]

I have a 2007 Honda Jazz Sport and have done 230K Kilometers. This one has a Clutch rather than a Torque Converter connecting the CVT to the Diff. I really like the CVT idea. As for Power Loss that is not a problem for me I just put my foot to the floor and it goes really well. However I have had the Clutch Shudder Problem. New oil fixed it for a while, but now I just live with it. Not really a problem for me. I have had no other problems with the car. At the time I bought the car it had to be a CVT or I was not interested. That is still the case. I have also driven the 2021 Honda Jazz Hybrid and I really that that CVT concept. It went very well. Could well be my next car. Good Video on the subject.

[jcollins]

A couple of things to consider.
1. Yes, Nissan had reliability issues with some of their their CVTs. (Some really bad issues) Mitsubishi used the same CVTs and didn’t have reliability issues. Mitsubishi used transmission coolers. This is a known root cause for Nissan’s problems. Nissan has since started using transmission coolers as well as a more robustly designed CVT. It isn’t entirely fair to say “stay away from Nissan” because they had issues in the past. With this logic, we couldn’t drive any car today.

2. In one part of the video, it is suggested that parts aren’t even available for eCVTs “because they are so reliable”, yet in an earlier statement in the same video, regular CVTs are a bad idea because parts aren’t available. This is a fallacy that suggests parts shortages are related to something other than transmission reliability.

In my view, and based partly on information from this video, a CVT transmission is much more reliable today than when they were first introduced. This is true for every system in a car.

[stephenhall]

Direct and sound advice. Over 50 years ago it was normal to follow the servicing intervals recommended and because the routine with garages and their customers was predictable it was possible to keep costs well down.

[thomasward]

My wife's 2020 Toyota CHR, Made in Japan.. bought new, babied and dealer serviced. At 67K miles started making a slight noise.. Toyota dealer diagnosed it needed a new CVT Transmission, cost $10, 500....

Sold it the next day at CarMax for an excellent price.
About to buy a Mazda CX30 with No CVT.

I will never own another CVT vehicle.

[corindikevcorindikev]

My 2012 Mitsubishi CVT has over 220, 000 km on the clock. Excellent economy, quiet and totally reliable. Most major transmission issues are now fixed by replacing the transmission. Mechanics who know how to repair things are rare. Car service people now call their so called mechanics, Technicians. They identify where the problem is and replace the whole component.

[m.b]

Very good explanation of CVT transmissions, thanks .

[joelvalenzuela]

I bought a Honda HRV model 2015, a crossover SUV with CVT transmission last 2015, and now it's year 2023, I used my vehicle for 8 years with the mileage of almost 90, 000 km and I have not yet encountered any problems with my vehicle's CVT transmission. For me, it's reliable.

[BeingRomansed]

Good video. Informative.
I am also impressed with the fact that the man asked for the like and subscribe at the end of the video rather than at the beginning like so many do. That's like asking you give a good review for a product and commit to it for the future without even trying it out.