Although the RE0F10A Nissan CVT transmission is capable of providing both good fuel economy and performance, there have been a number of transmission problems associated with it over the years. In fact, Nissan has had to extend the factory warranty on vehicles equipped with this transmission several times. They did this in an effort to avoid class-action lawsuits brought by owners alleging the company knowingly sold them a defective transmission. But there are also scores of happy Nissan Xtronic CVT owners out there who love their vehicles. Nevertheless, there have been a number of Nissan CVT recalls over the years.
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Nissan CVT recalls
Recall ID: NTB16–121a / PC490
Date issued: January, 2017
Vehicles affected: 2013 – 2016 Nissan Altima & 2014-2016 Nissan Rogue
Summary: This Nissan Altima CVT recall and Nissan Rogue recall applies to vehicles equipped with the RE0F10A Nissan CVT transmission. Nissan voluntarily recalled these vehicles to address a number of drivability complaints.
Remedy: Owners were instructed to take their vehicles to their local Nissan dealership where the TCM software would have been reprogrammed at no charge.
Recall ID: NTB15–038 / PC346 & PM554
Date issued: April, 2015
Vehicles affected: 2015 Nissan Altima, 2015 Nissan Rogue & 2015 Nissan NV200
Summary: This Nissan Altima CVT recall, Nissan Rogue CVT recall and Nissan NV 200 recall applies to vehicles equipped with the RE0F10A Nissan CVT transmission. Nissan voluntarily recalled these vehicles to address a number of drivability complaints that stemmed from issues with the OEM torque converter.
Remedy: Owners were instructed to take the vehicle to the nearest Nissan dealership, where their transmission would be inspected and the torque converter replaced if it wasn’t deemed necessary.
Recall ID: 15V775000
Date issued: January, 2016
Vehicles affected: 2015 Nissan Rogue
Summary: This Nissan Rogue CVT recall was issued in conjunction with the national Highway traffic safety administration due to a design flaw that would allow the vehicle to be shifted out of Park when the brake pedal was not depressed. In certain conditions, this could lead to a crash and/or serious injury.
Remedy: Owners were instructed to return their vehicle to the nearest Nissan dealership, where a revised shifter assembly would be installed free of charge. For more information, contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Or the national Highway traffic safety administration at 1-888-327-4236.
For more information on common Nissan CVT transmission problems, click here.
Options when dealing with Nissan CVT transmission problems
Buy a Used RE0F10A Transmission
If you wanted to save some money, you could go down to the local junkyard and buy a used RE0F10A transmission. But keep in mind, it’s coming out of a wrecked or otherwise totaled vehicle. This means you don’t know how it was maintained, if it was abused or what the condition of the internal components really are. So you have no way of knowing if you are going to get 30 miles or 30,000 miles out of it. And that replacement warranty you get from the junkyard isn’t going to cover the labor cost that you’ll have to pay a mechanic to install a replacement transmission if the first used RE0F10A breaks.
Buy a Rebuilt RE0F10A Transmission
If you don’t want to risk future problems from a used transmission, then you might consider buying a rebuilt RE0F10A transmission from a mechanic or transmission shop. In this scenario, they basically take your existing transmission and replace all of the main seals clutches and other “wear parts”. A rebuilt RE0F10A transmission is obviously better than a used one. However, most mechanics and repair shops don’t have the experience and equipment to inspect every single component for signs of damage, warping and any other condition that might cause the parts to fall below the original manufacturer’s specifications. Plus that rebuilt transmission warranty may only be honored by a few local transmission shops.
Buy a Remanufactured RE0F10A Transmission
Unlike a rebuilt RE0F10A transmission, a remanufactured RE0F10A transmission has been completely disassembled and then re-engineered on an assembly line. Each component is inspected, cleaned, and reconditioned by a technician that specializes in that particular stage of the process. All of the critical elements including the case, gears, valve body, shafts, pumps, and the torque converter are tested to ensure that they meet original equipment (OE) tolerances and standards. And any part that doesn’t meet the original specifications is either machined until it does or replaced with a brand new part.
Once all of the components meet specification, they’re sent down an assembly line and the transmission is reassembled. The reman RE0F10A transmission is then put on a dyno machine which simulates real-world driving through a software program called C.A.R.S. This allows any leaks and imperfections to be discovered and dealt with before the transmission leaves the factory.
Another benefit of a remanufactured transmission are the updates and upgrades it receives. Once a certain vehicle model has been in production for a few years, small issues with the design are discovered and solutions are implemented. It may be more robust friction materials, stronger seals, stiffer springs, or number of other things. These changes are immediately applied to the new models still in production, and Technical Service Bulletins (TSB’s) are sent to dealers so they know how to deal with problems that may arise. Transmission remanufacturing companies like Street Smart Transmission also get these TSB’s, and implement the changes on their assembly line as well.
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