The transmissison failed one day after the car was in the shop getting a “24 point free maintenance check” before we bought it from an individual owner.We drove it one hour and it was smoking and failed. The dealer claims its not his responsibility. Seriously? All items on the “checklist” were checked ok except the one called Automatic Transmission Fluid…that line had no boxes checked.
Now they want $3200 for a new transmission.
What recourse do I have? Small claims court? The local BBB or paper?
You could ask for a refund for the 24 point inspection but such a minor inspection is no guarantee of the longevity of certain components. What do they check in a 24 point inspection? Light bulbs, wipers, filters, brake pads, tires?
I try to road test the vehicle for 20 minutes during a pre-purchase inspection to look for problems that the driver of the vehicle did not have listed on the work order. This inspection usually takes 1 1/2 hours and I get paid one hour of labor.
Checking the transmission fluid level usually requires the the transmission to be cooled to a certain temperature, this usually can’t be done while the customer waits. How many miles are on the transmission fluid?
Nissan has an extended warranty program for Rogue CVTs. I am not sure if it covers the 2013s (because some of them are still covered by the drivetrain warranty. Have you looked into whether yours is covered?
It looks like that ended in 2010- https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/navigation/warrantyContent
Yes, the free 24 point is visual but they claim no ATF on the underside…and claim they looked. There is no dipstick. We drove it on the highway and city for about 20 min.
The dealer who did all that work the day before we bought it from an individual says it’s "horrible horrible. And that they combed over the car for the woman who sold it to us.
I’m contacting Nissan complaint line. Also he’s going to ask his service mgr about my question-if you replace the transmission what can you do for us? So we’ll see. Probably still cheaper to go to a reputable trans. guy not at a deaalership…Still hoping to talk to the seller…in the next 24 hours she’d have had this $3500 repair bill on her hands… will she help us with it???
11,000 on the ATF. Flushed at 62,000 and now at 73,000
Right, ended in 2010. Powertrain was 60,000 or 6 years
You’re certainly free to do so, but I doubt they’ll do anything. It’s a used vehicle that is 6 years old with 73,000 miles
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None
Let me see if I have this right
The seller took the car to the Nissan dealer for a “24 point free maintenance check” the day before you bought it.
You bought the car thinking the “24 point free maintenance check” meant the car was in good shape.
You did not pay to get a Pre-purchase inspection done on the car because you thought “Hey what could go wrong” this car had a “24 point free maintenance check”
It’s a good thing that inspection was free , because you got your moneys worth.
And now you think the dealer that gave the “24 point free maintenance check” is at fault.
Heck the 18 year old kid at Walmart will give you a “24 point free maintenance check” when you get a $24.99 oil change, I would not trust it, but he will give you one.
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I understand and it’s 6 not 8 years old.
Fixed my post 
Unfortunately, there is probably nothing that you can do.
Even if the individual who sold the car maintained the transmission properly, there is still a chance that the transmission could have failed unexpectedly.
And then, there is the likelihood that the trans fluid wasn’t changed every 30k miles, as we always recommend in this forum. Because few maintenance schedules still list that vital service, most car owners don’t have their trans fluid changed every 30k miles, and that omission will inevitably shorten the life of the transmission.
Did you obtain hard copies of the car’s maintenance? Do they list trans fluid changes?
Before you commit to a trans overhaul/replacement, try to get comparative pricing from one or two independent transmission shops, as they usually charge less than dealerships do. Just be sure to avoid chain-run trans shops like Lee Myles, Cottman, Mr. Transmission, or–God forbid–AAMCO.
The thing is we have the receipt from the 30,000 flush. It was done one year and 11,000 miles ago.
Further, the day before we bought it the dealer who did oil changes every 5000 miles and the 30,000 flush also did a 24 point free “vehicle health” report.
Of the 24 things , 22 were marked in Green… ok; one in yellow, will need attention; and one had a check mark in the “did not inspect at this time” and that box was the AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID box.
Also, the under the car inspections checked all the boxes in green including “fluid leaks”- oil, trans fluid,coolant". So that also was OK.
Any other thoughts?
You bought a vehicle as is and the inspection was just that. Not a guaranty that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle . You can ask the person you bought from for help but that may be a waste of time. Frankly this is the risk of used vehicle buying.
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A transmission with no dipstick is not going to get checked in any free maintenance check. The only check recommended for these “Lifetime” fluid transmissions is to check for leaks.
The owner went far beyond what their owners manual said by having the fluid changed twice and bears no responsibility, nor does the dealer.
Neither one did anything wrong and neuther did you, you simply have had horrible luck.
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Sorry to say I can’t disagree.
Not all transmissions that don’t have a dipstick use Lifetime fluid.
I don’t think anyone has lifetime fluid, they only claim they do. Just like “lubed for life” suspension parts with no grease fittings. The life they are talking about is the life of the original grease they are made with.
My 2012 Toyota has no tranny dipstick and “lifetime fluid”.
I don’t believe it and I would have changed the fluid by now except Toyota has extended the warranty to 10 years and 150,000 miles so I am not touching it.
if I learn Nissan “extends warranty” on my Altima CVT (as they did on prior generation), I’m selling this car the very next day, as it would indicate it is very likely to fail somewhere just past that period
and back to original OP point - Nissan CVTs were redesigned in MY 2013, had high failure rate that year, then it settled down more or less… to what might be considered “normal”… in Nissan’s terms.
my wife’s 2013 Sentra had CVT failure at 42K miles, sold that car right after getting warranty replacement
Most use to claim it was a lifetime fluid. Even Toyota has backed off that. Newer vehicles have a change interval for the tranny’s using WS.