— A Nissan transmission class action lawsuit settlement has received final approval from the judge regarding these models equipped with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).
- 2017-2018 Nissan Altima
- 2018-2019 Nissan Sentra
- 2018-2019 Nissan Versa
- 2018-2019 Nissan Versa Note
The Nissan transmission class action lawsuit was filed over alleged defects in the CVTs. The seven owners who sued allege the transmissions cause the vehicles to have acceleration problems.
In addition, the Nissan transmissions allegedly cause the vehicles to jerk, shudder, judder and clunk.
The transmission coolers allegedly are too small to handle the temperatures of the transmission fluid. Without lubrication for the Nissan transmissions, the CVTs overheat and cause drivers multiple problems.
Even replacing the transmission is allegedly worthless because Nissan uses the same defective transmission as a replacement.
The plaintiffs assert Nissan should recall all the vehicles and replace the transmissions with non-defective CVTs.
Nissan says it decided to settle the transmission class action lawsuit to avoid the cost of prolonged litigation, and Nissan denies all allegations of liability and wrongdoing concerning the CVTs.
Nissan Transmission Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Terms
According to the settlement, Nissan will extend the terms of the warranty and offer affected customers reimbursements.
Nissan Transmission Extended Warranty
The settlement says Nissan will extend the terms of the warranty for the transmission assembly (including the valve body and torque converter) and automatic transmission control unit. The Nissan transmission warranty will be extended by 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
Nissan Transmission Reimbursements
The class action settlement says Nissan will reimburse customers for parts and labor paid for qualifying repairs involving the replacement of or repair to the transmission assembly or automatic transmission control unit.
However, this applies only if the work was done after the expiration of the powertrain coverage under the original new vehicle limited warranty but within the mileage and time limits of the warranty extension (or before the earlier of 84,000 miles or 84 months of service).
The transmission lawsuit settlement says if the replacement or repair was performed by a Nissan dealer, the full amount the customer paid will be reimbursed.
If the repair or replacement was performed by a non-Nissan automotive repair shop, Nissan will reimburse up to $5,000 for that repair or replacement.
However, in both cases the replacement or repair must have occurred on or within the mileage and time limits of the warranty extension.
New Nissan Vehicle Voucher
Current and former Nissan owners who had two or more replacements or repairs to the transmission assembly or automatic transmission control unit are eligible for a $1,000 voucher. This can be applied for a purchase or lease of a new Nissan or Infiniti vehicle.
However, the transmission settlement asserts prior software updates and/or reprogramming do not count as a prior repair.
According to the CVT settlement, the seven named plaintiffs will receive $5,000 each, and the attorneys who represent those plaintiffs will receive $3.5 million.
The Nissan transmission class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California: Minerva Martinez, v. Nissan North America, Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Miller Shah LLP, Capstone Law APC, Maddox & Cisneros, LLP, Pearson, Simon & Warshaw, LLP, and Berger Montague PC.