Nissan Compensates CVT Owners with $5,000, While Attorneys Receive $3.5 Million | Carscoops

      Some customers may qualify for a $1,500 voucher to use towards purchasing a new Nissan or Infiniti.

      22 hours ago by Brad Anderson

      The plaintiffs initially requested a complete replacement of all faulty automatic transmissions.

      Nissan will provide reimbursement for eligible repairs carried out beyond the warranty period.

      A fairness hearing is set for July 18 before the settlement is finalized.

      A class action lawsuit against Nissan, alleging defective CVTs in specific models, has come to a settlement after over two years of legal discussions. If you are part of the class, you may be eligible for some reimbursement for personal transmission repair expenses. Meanwhile, the four plaintiffs involved will each receive $5,000, totaling $20,000, which is considerably less than the $3.5 million that the attorneys will be celebrating.

      The lawsuit focused on the CVTs found in 2015-2018 Nissan Murano and 2016-2018 Maxima models. The four plaintiffs originally requested a full recall of the defective transmissions, but that did not materialize.

      A New, Yet Limited, Warranty Extension

      Rather than issuing a recall, Nissan has agreed to extend the warranty for transmission assemblies and automatic transmission control units to 84 months or 84,000 miles, whichever comes first. While this may seem encouraging, as noted by Car Complaints, the extended warranty has already lapsed for many affected vehicles.

      For those who have already incurred repair costs, there is a silver lining, as Nissan will reimburse expenses for repairs on transmissions or automatic transmission control units performed between the expiration of the original powertrain warranty and the newly extended coverage period. If the repairs were done at a Nissan dealership, the full cost will be reimbursed. However, if the repairs were completed elsewhere, the reimbursement will be limited to $5,000.

      Vouchers And Payouts

      Nissan will also provide a $1,500 voucher that can be applied towards the purchase or lease of a new Nissan or Infiniti model. However, this voucher is not available to everyone; it is only for those who experienced two or more transmission repairs or replacements during ownership. If you qualify for both the voucher and the repair reimbursement, you must choose one, as receiving both is not permitted.

      While the four plaintiffs may receive $5,000 each, the true beneficiaries of this settlement are the attorneys, who will take away $3.5 million. If you have been affected, there are still measures you can take. You have until July 3 to file a claim for reimbursement. If you are dissatisfied with the settlement, you can voice your objections before the fairness hearing on July 18.

      At the very least, you can note that Nissan has finally acknowledged the CVT problem after all this time; however, do not anticipate any major changes.