CVT transmissions and which years to avoid

Continuously variable transmissions are in most small cars sold since 2012. Some years are fine and some are not. Here is what the owner-complaint data says, model by model.

The Lane Check · September 14, 2026

A continuously variable transmission has no gears. A steel belt or chain runs between two pulleys that change diameter, so the ratio changes smoothly instead of stepping. It is cheaper to build than a modern automatic, lighter, and better for fuel economy, which is why by the mid-2010s almost every small car and crossover from Nissan, Subaru, Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi had one.

The reputation is that they fail. The data says something more useful: some years of some models fail, the bad years are usually a block, and in most cases the block ends. What follows is the drivetrain complaint share, model year by model year, for the CVT-equipped cars we track. The share is the fraction of all NHTSA owner complaints about that model year that concern the engine, the transmission or the fuel and propulsion system. It is not purely a transmission number, so where the complaints point to the engine instead, that is noted. How to read these numbers.

Nissan

Nissan has used CVTs across the range longer than anyone, and the complaint data is the clearest illustration on this page of a problem that arrives, persists, and then goes away.

Altima

Every year from 2011 to 2017 is scored high, peaking at 65% in 2016. The 2018 redesign drops to 21% and the years after it stay in the normal range. Owners of the earlier cars describe a shudder and a lag under acceleration, then a whine, then a transmission that will not hold speed.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2012 Nissan Altima	57%^†	206 of 425	High
2013 Nissan Altima	46%^†	640 of 2,309	High
2014 Nissan Altima	45%^†	278 of 1,113	High
2015 Nissan Altima	42%^†	219 of 951	High
2016 Nissan Altima	65%^†	293 of 553	High
2017 Nissan Altima	55%^†	167 of 390	High
2018 Nissan Altima	21%^†	37 of 225	No elevated signal
2019 Nissan Altima	32%^†	69 of 231	No elevated signal
2021 Nissan Altima	14%	9 of 69	No elevated signal

Sentra

The same shape, one notch worse and a little later. 2012 through 2018 run from 43% to 73%. The 2020 model year is 8%.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2013 Nissan Sentra	71%^†	388 of 638	High
2014 Nissan Sentra	71%^†	233 of 380	High
2015 Nissan Sentra	73%^†	225 of 351	High
2016 Nissan Sentra	68%^†	162 of 270	High
2017 Nissan Sentra	61%^†	116 of 230	High
2018 Nissan Sentra	43%^†	68 of 185	High
2019 Nissan Sentra	37%^†	67 of 221	Elevated
2020 Nissan Sentra	8%	16 of 204	No elevated signal
2021 Nissan Sentra	9%	11 of 131	No elevated signal

Rogue

High from 2010 to 2016, with 2013 the worst year at 76%. Normal from 2018 to 2020. Then it comes back: the 2022 and 2023 Rogue score 78% and 67%, and this time owners are writing about the new three-cylinder turbo engine more than the transmission. A different problem, but the same page of the same list, and a reason not to assume the latest year is the safe one.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2012 Nissan Rogue	66%^†	181 of 317	High
2013 Nissan Rogue	76%^†	396 of 609	High
2014 Nissan Rogue	58%^†	206 of 439	High
2015 Nissan Rogue	43%^†	187 of 552	High
2016 Nissan Rogue	50%^†	229 of 539	High
2017 Nissan Rogue	39%^†	225 of 669	Elevated
2018 Nissan Rogue	17%	113 of 703	No elevated signal
2019 Nissan Rogue	18%	76 of 431	No elevated signal
2020 Nissan Rogue	20%	38 of 209	No elevated signal
2021 Nissan Rogue	34%^†	103 of 321	Elevated
2022 Nissan Rogue	78%	208 of 269	Very high
2023 Nissan Rogue	67%	463 of 704	Very high

Pathfinder and Versa

The 2013 to 2015 Pathfinder, the first with a CVT, sits between 54% and 59% on large samples; the judder in those cars was the subject of a class action. The Versa is high from 2012 onwards and never really recovers, though the samples get small after 2016.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2013 Nissan Pathfinder	59%^†	428 of 890	High
2014 Nissan Pathfinder	54%^†	260 of 573	High
2015 Nissan Pathfinder	54%^†	138 of 320	High
2016 Nissan Pathfinder	40%^†	34 of 107	Elevated
2012 Nissan Versa	67%^†	213 of 486	High
2013 Nissan Versa	53%^†	95 of 204	High
2014 Nissan Versa	61%^†	184 of 343	High
2015 Nissan Versa	49%^†	106 of 254	High

Subaru

Subaru's CVT arrived for 2010 on the Outback and Legacy and spread across the range. The early years score high on every model, but read the owner summaries and a large share of those complaints are about oil consumption on the engines of that era rather than the transmission. Either way the pattern ends sharply.

Outback: 2010 to 2014 between 41% and 62%; 2015 onward between 7% and 18%. Legacy: 2010 to 2013 high or very high; 2014 onward normal. Forester: 2011 to 2013 and 2015 high, 2016 elevated, 2017 onward normal. Impreza: 2012 to 2014 high, 2015 onward normal. Crosstrek: 2014 and 2015 elevated to high, 2016 onward normal.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2013 Subaru Outback	49%^†	121 of 296	High
2014 Subaru Outback	41%^†	67 of 208	High
2015 Subaru Outback	18%	89 of 509	No elevated signal
2013 Subaru Legacy	64%^†	32 of 66	Very high
2014 Subaru Legacy	29%^†	10 of 53	No elevated signal
2015 Subaru Forester	45%^†	226 of 613	High
2016 Subaru Forester	36%^†	111 of 411	Elevated
2017 Subaru Forester	21%^†	89 of 584	No elevated signal
2014 Subaru Impreza	42%^†	29 of 108	High
2015 Subaru Impreza	33%^†	23 of 79	No elevated signal
2015 Subaru Crosstrek	42%^†	38 of 99	High
2016 Subaru Crosstrek	27%	34 of 131	No elevated signal

For a used Subaru the rule that falls out of this is simple: 2015 and later on the Outback, Legacy and Impreza, 2016 and later on the Crosstrek, 2017 and later on the Forester.

Honda

Honda's CVTs have a better record than Nissan's, but not a spotless one, and the bad years are specific.

Civic: the CVT arrived for 2014, and the 2014 and 2015 score 55% and 63%. The 2016 redesign drops to 15% and the Civic stays low after that, with the 2022 at 3%. HR-V: the first two years, 2016 and 2017, are high; 2018 and 2019 normal. Accord: the 2018 and 2019, which introduced a turbo engine alongside the CVT, score 44% and 41% with the complaints leaning toward the engine. CR-V: 2013 to 2017 high, 2018 elevated, 2019 onward normal.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2013 Honda Civic	26%^†	52 of 320	No elevated signal
2014 Honda Civic	55%^†	125 of 290	High
2015 Honda Civic	63%^†	205 of 387	High
2016 Honda Civic	15%	149 of 1,081	No elevated signal
2016 Honda HR-V	43%^†	93 of 239	High
2017 Honda HR-V	41%^†	46 of 122	High
2018 Honda HR-V	27%	39 of 156	No elevated signal
2017 Honda Accord	27%^†	131 of 534	No elevated signal
2018 Honda Accord	44%^†	782 of 1,869	High
2019 Honda Accord	41%^†	264 of 682	High
2020 Honda Accord	35%^†	110 of 356	Elevated
2021 Honda Accord	25%	52 of 228	No elevated signal

Toyota

The Corolla is the surprise on this page. Toyota's reputation is built on cars like the 2010 to 2017 Corolla, which sit between 11% and 34%. Then it climbs: 44% in 2018, 64% in 2019, and every year since between 43% and 61%. The 2019 hatchback and 2020 sedan introduced a new CVT with a mechanical first gear, and the complaints from those years describe hesitation and a shudder from a stop. The samples are moderate, a few hundred per year, and the pattern is consistent.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2016 Toyota Corolla	30%^†	39 of 213	No elevated signal
2017 Toyota Corolla	27%^†	34 of 189	No elevated signal
2018 Toyota Corolla	44%^†	47 of 141	High
2019 Toyota Corolla	64%^†	108 of 202	Very high
2020 Toyota Corolla	54%^†	152 of 306	High
2021 Toyota Corolla	49%^†	59 of 185	High
2022 Toyota Corolla	43%^†	52 of 147	High
2023 Toyota Corolla	61%^†	127 of 247	Very high

Mitsubishi and Jeep

The Outlander's 2015 model year scores 75% on 234 complaints, with 2016 at 59%; the years either side are lower. The Jeep Patriot and Compass used a Nissan-built CVT from 2007 to 2016 and are high or very high for almost every year in that span, with the 2012 Patriot at 77% and the 2016 Compass at 71%. The Compass was redesigned for 2017 with a conventional automatic; its numbers did not improve, so do not assume the CVT was the whole story.

Model year	Drivetrain share	Complaints	Signal
2014 Mitsubishi Outlander	37%^†	23 of 86	Elevated
2015 Mitsubishi Outlander	75%^†	166 of 234	Very high
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander	59%^†	88 of 170	High
2017 Mitsubishi Outlander	35%^†	21 of 78	Elevated
2012 Jeep Patriot	77%^†	226 of 354	Very high
2014 Jeep Patriot	61%^†	235 of 548	Very high
2016 Jeep Patriot	69%^†	289 of 458	Very high
2014 Jeep Compass	59%^†	126 of 306	High
2016 Jeep Compass	71%^†	193 of 293	Very high
2018 Jeep Compass	66%^†	568 of 937	Very high

Buying a car with a CVT

The data says the transmission type is not the problem; specific years are. So:

Check the year, not the badge. A 2018 Altima and a 2017 Altima are different propositions. The free report will show you the year you are looking at and the ones either side.
Ask about fluid changes. CVT fluid is not lifetime fluid, whatever the manual says. A car with a documented fluid change at 30,000 to 60,000-mile intervals has been looked after in the one way that matters most.
Ask about warranty extensions and reprogramming. Several of the model years above had extended CVT coverage or software updates. Whether this car got them is a question for the seller and the dealer.
Test drive for the CVT symptoms specifically: shudder pulling away, revs that rise ahead of speed, a whine that follows road speed, hesitation on the roll-on from 20 mph. The seller questions guide has the full script.
Prefer the year after the fix. On almost every model above there is a year where the share falls off a cliff. That is the year to buy, and it is often not much more money.

Check the actual car, free.Paste the VIN. One report is free, no card, and it shows the complaint pattern for that year, make and model.

Check a VIN