Nissan Note problems: the CVT automatic and other known faults

Most Nissan Note problems that reach a gearbox specialist are in the automatic. On the second-generation Note (E12, 2013 to 2017) that is the Xtronic CVT, with judder at low speed, power loss when hot, whine and delayed engagement. The first-generation Note (E11) used a conventional four-speed automatic instead, with different weak points.

Perhaps your Note jerks when you pull away in town, shudders in a queue, or suddenly loses power after half an hour of driving and feels fine again after a break. Is that just how a CVT feels, or is something wearing? And does the advice you read online even apply to your Note, given that many “Nissan Note problems” pages actually describe the American Versa Note?

This guide sorts it out by generation and gearbox. It explains which automatic your Note has, what the common CVT complaints mean, what causes them, what you can check yourself and what to look for when buying. It comes from ATR Transmissies, an automatic gearbox specialist in Montfoort in the Netherlands. We read Nissan CVTs out with manufacturer-specific data, and we also tell you when an overhaul is no longer worth it.

Nissan Note problems at a glance

The Note sold in Europe came in two generations, both built in Sunderland in the UK. The table shows which gearboxes they had and where the known problems sit.

Later Notes (the E13 and the e-Power series hybrid) were built in Japan and not sold in Europe. In 2017 the Micra took over the Note’s place in the European range.

Which gearbox does your Nissan Note have?

The gearbox decides where you should look when something feels wrong, so check this first. A Note with a clutch pedal has a manual gearbox. Without a clutch pedal, it depends on the generation: an E11 automatic is a four-speed with a torque converter, and an E12 automatic is the Xtronic CVT. If you are unsure, our guide on how to identify your automatic gearbox helps.

Manual gearbox

The manual Note has an ordinary five-speed gearbox with a dry clutch, and its complaints are ordinary too: a slipping clutch, heavy or notchy gear changes, or a noise that starts as soon as you press the clutch pedal. That last one points to the release bearing, which only carries load while the pedal is down. Our article on clutch release bearing and pressure plate symptoms explains how to tell them apart. Different symptoms, then, and a different repair from the automatic.

Xtronic CVT (E12 1.2 DIG-S)

The automatic E12 has a CVT gearbox made by Jatco, which Nissan sells as Xtronic. It came only with the supercharged 1.2 DIG-S petrol engine, from 2014. According to ANWB, just under one in five second-generation Notes has the CVT. The Note appears among the applications of Jatco’s CVT7 family (JF015E), a compact CVT for small cars that combines the belt and pulleys with a two-speed auxiliary gearbox. The Juke and the Micra (March) are in the same family.

The Qashqai uses a larger Jatco CVT, but the weak points run largely in parallel. If you recognise the complaints in this article, our page on Nissan Qashqai CVT problems will probably sound familiar too.

Four-speed automatic (E11 1.6)

The first-generation Note was only available as an automatic with the 1.6 petrol engine. That gearbox is a conventional four-speed automatic with a torque converter, the Jatco RE4F03A, not a CVT. According to ANWB, about one in five E11s on the used market is an automatic. Its problems are covered further down.

Why a CVT feels different from what you are used to

A CVT has no fixed gears. Two pairs of pulleys with a steel push belt between them are moved closer together or further apart by fluid pressure, so the ratio changes steplessly. How that compares with a conventional automatic is explained in how an automatic gearbox works.

That explains how your Note drives. Accelerate firmly and the revs jump up and stay there while the speed rises. There are no gear changes, so you hear the engine drone at a steady pitch while the car picks up speed. This “rubber band” feeling is strange if you come from a conventional automatic, but it is not a fault.

What is not normal: jerking, shunting, judder, whine or power that suddenly drops away. Those are the difference between getting used to a CVT and having it checked.

Nissan Note CVT problems: the complaints we see most

The Note CVT complaints that reach us fall into six patterns. Each one points in a different direction, so it helps to note when the symptom appears: cold or warm, pulling away or cruising, in town or on the motorway.

Jerking at low speed

When you pull away from standstill or drive slowly in town, a jolt goes through the car, once or several times. In a CVT this usually happens because the push belt briefly gets too little clamping force and slips a fraction on the pulley. Owners also report a clunk from the drivetrain, and Auto Express describes the Note CVT as clunky, especially on hills. If the car feels unsettled in several ways, our overview of a car that jerks or stutters helps separate engine causes from gearbox causes.

Judder when creeping

In a traffic jam, on a car park ramp or when you turn out of a driveway, you feel a high-frequency vibration through the floor or the pedal. That is classic CVT judder, and there are two suspects. The first is contaminated or worn CVT fluid, which makes the drive take up in small steps instead of smoothly. The second is the torque converter. A torque converter is not a clutch: it transfers torque through fluid, and it has a lock-up clutch that closes at steady speeds. If that lock-up clutch engages unevenly, you feel exactly this kind of shudder.

Loss of power or limp mode when the fluid is hot

You have been driving for a while, usually in town or at a steady low speed, and suddenly the car barely accelerates. The ratio stops changing and sometimes a warning light comes on. After it cools down, the car drives normally again. That is typical overheating behaviour for a CVT: the control unit cuts torque to protect the belt. It is a protection, and a sign that something is structurally wrong with the fluid or the cooling.

Whine that follows engine speed

A humming or whining tone that rises and falls exactly with engine speed points to the oil pump, or to the bearings and the running surfaces of the pulleys. If the noise gets louder as the gearbox warms up, that is an extra clue.

Delayed engagement of D or R

You move the selector to D or R and for a second or more nothing happens, then the drive engages with a thump. That points to fluid pressure that is too low or builds up too slowly. Our article on an automatic gearbox that does not shift properly explains how to tell this apart from other shift complaints.

A CVT that will not drive at all

This is the last stage: the car no longer moves forward, or only in reverse, or it stays in limp mode even after cooling down. By then there is usually mechanical damage to the belt or the pulleys. The warning signs that come before this are listed in gearbox failure symptoms.

Nissan Note four-speed automatic problems (E11)

The four-speed automatic of the E11 1.6 is a simpler, older design than the CVT, and there is far less published about it. The complaints owners report are the usual ones for a conventional automatic: shifts that come late or harshly, slip between gears, a delay when engaging D or R, and a car that feels like it has lost power over time.

In our experience these complaints usually start with the fluid. Old fluid loses its friction properties and carries wear particles into the valve body, where the shift valves and solenoids sit. Caught early, a correct fluid change and a valve body repair often help. When the clutch packs inside the gearbox have been slipping for a long time, an overhaul is the honest answer. A diagnosis with live data shows which of the two you are dealing with.

What causes Nissan Note automatic gearbox problems?

On the Note CVT, the fluid is the most common root cause. Heat, belt and pulley wear and faults in the ratio control follow from it or add to it.

CVT fluid that has not been changed for too long

In a CVT the fluid does more than lubricate. It builds the clamping force with which the push belt grips the pulleys, and it carries away heat. Old fluid loses its friction properties and is full of wear particles. Our article on gearbox flushing explains how a fluid change works in practice and why only draining is often not enough. What else belongs to regular care is covered in CVT maintenance.

Overheating

A CVT turns a lot of energy into heat, and at sustained low speeds in town there is little airflow and therefore little cooling. If you use your Note mostly for short trips in town, the gearbox works harder than in a car that does motorway miles. ANWB recommends the CVT for drivers who are often in city traffic, and for comfort that is fair. Just keep in mind that repeated overheating ages the fluid faster, which leads to more slip and more heat.

Belt and pulley wear

Once the belt has slipped for a while, it marks the running surfaces of the pulleys. The surface becomes rough or grooved, and after that the belt can never run cleanly on it again. This is the point where a fluid change no longer solves anything.

Ratio control and valve body

The pulleys are adjusted by a hydraulic valve body, controlled by the gearbox electronics (on many Jatco CVTs through a step motor). If the step motor wears, or valves in the valve body stick because of contamination, the actual fluid pressure no longer matches what the control unit expects. The symptoms are illogical behaviour, complaints that come and go, and often fault codes that you can only interpret properly with manufacturer-specific equipment.

What you can do yourself

Have the CVT fluid changed at the interval for your car, and use the CVT fluid that Nissan specifies. A CVT places very specific demands on the friction properties of its fluid. A universal or “suitable for” fluid can ruin the gearbox within a short time, even if it still drives well at the moment of the change.

Do not keep driving in limp mode. When the car cuts power, it does so to protect itself. Driving on means the belt keeps slipping on a surface that is already too hot, and that is exactly how a fluid problem becomes an overhaul. Pull over, let it cool down and drive gently to a specialist, or have it recovered. Stay away from additives that promise to clean out the gearbox as well: they change the fluid’s properties in ways nobody controls.

Finally, check whether there is an open recall. In the Netherlands you can look this up with your registration number in the RDW Kentekencheck. Recall repairs are free, but RDW notes that not every recall is registered with them, so also ask a Nissan dealer.

Is the Nissan Note reliable, and which years to avoid?

The Nissan Note is a reliable small car on the whole, and the gearbox choice matters more than the model year. ANWB rates the second-generation petrol Note as very reliable with no typical faults, and calls the first generation less trouble-free than expected. The weak spot that owners mention most is the Xtronic CVT.

No single model year stands out in the sources we checked, so “years to avoid” really means “versions to check carefully”:

• Note E12 1.2 DIG-S Xtronic (2014 to 2017): the CVT is the part to judge. Without proof of CVT fluid changes, or with judder or power loss when warm, walk away or have the gearbox assessed first.
• Note E11 1.6 automatic (2006 to 2013): an older four-speed automatic. Check for late or harsh shifts, and listen for a rattling timing chain, which ANWB mentions for the first generation.
• Manual Notes of both generations: usually the safer buy, provided the clutch takes up smoothly and the service history is complete.

The 2015 Note, a frequent question, is an E12. Its known points are the general E12 ones: the CVT on automatics, erratic automatic lights and wipers, and creaking front suspension bushes. Auto Express also lists recalls for the starter button (cars built up to March 2014) and the ignition coils (cars built from July 2015 to January 2016), so check the recall status of the specific car.

Buying a used Nissan Note automatic: what to check

If you are looking at a used Note automatic, a proper test drive tells you more than the advert. Plan it so the gearbox gets warm.

• Start the car cold and select D and R a few times: engagement should be quick and without a thump.
• Pull away gently and creep along at walking pace: there should be no judder or jerking.
• Drive at least twenty minutes, including town traffic, and repeat the tests when the gearbox is warm. Power loss or judder that only appears when warm is a typical CVT warning sign.
• Listen for a whine that follows engine speed.
• Ask for the service history, including any CVT or automatic fluid changes, and check the recall status by registration number.

If anything feels off, have the gearbox read out and assessed before you buy. A diagnosis costs far less than an unpleasant surprise afterwards.

Nissan Note problems that are not about the gearbox

To be fair, the gearbox is not the Note’s only weak point, but on the whole the car has a good reputation. ANWB calls the second-generation Note very reliable and knows of no typical faults on the petrol versions. On the diesel, moisture can collect in the lower intercooler hose after the car has stood in cold, damp weather. Auto Express mentions automatic lights and wipers that can behave erratically, and front suspension bushes that creak over speed bumps. For the first-generation Note, ANWB Wegenwacht lists a starter motor that can keep running because of a faulty ignition switch, a timing chain that can stretch, a steering rack that may need replacing and rear tyres that wear quickly.

Those are not our field: we work on gearboxes, and that is what this article is about. For automatic gearbox complaints on other makes, see our overview of automatic gearbox problems by brand.

How ATR Transmissies diagnoses a Nissan Note with gearbox complaints

We read the gearbox out with manufacturer-specific data, not just a generic OBD2 scanner. On a Jatco CVT a universal reader often shows little more than a general transmission fault, while the useful information sits in the manufacturer-specific parameters. More on what fault codes do and do not tell you is in our guide to transmission fault codes.

We then look at live data while driving: fluid temperature, requested versus actual ratio, control currents and pressures. That shows whether the belt slips and whether the gearbox is cutting power because of heat. The condition and smell of the fluid tell us a lot as well.

Then comes the choice: can a correct fluid change solve this, is it the valve body or the step motor, does an overhaul make sense, or is an exchange gearbox the wiser option? That depends on the wear on the belt and pulleys and on what the car is worth. We say so honestly when an overhaul no longer pays.

1. Book your car in: give us your registration number, the complaint and any fault codes or warning lights.
2. Diagnosis: we read out the gearbox, check the fluid and take a test drive, cold and warm.
3. You decide: you get our findings and advice first, and we only start once you agree. After the repair we test the car and do a final check.

We repair gearboxes in our own workshop and do our own research into materials and tolerances. Read more about ATR. Are you a garage with a Note or another Nissan CVT you cannot pin down? With ATR Remote we can help with the diagnosis remotely.

What does it cost to fix a Nissan Note CVT?

The cost depends entirely on what the diagnosis finds. A fluid change on a gearbox that is still healthy is a completely different job from a valve body repair, an overhaul or an exchange gearbox. That is why the diagnosis comes first: only once we know the state of the belt and pulleys can we give you a real figure. What drives the cost of an overhaul is explained in gearbox overhaul costs. Contact us for a price indication based on your registration number and complaint.

Frequently asked questions about Nissan Note problems

What kills a Nissan CVT gearbox?

Heat and old fluid, mostly. A CVT relies on its fluid to clamp the belt to the pulleys. Aged or wrong fluid lets the belt slip, slip makes heat, and heat ages the fluid further. Driving on in limp mode finishes the job by scoring the pulleys. The right fluid at the right interval, and stopping when the car cuts power, prevent most of it.

Did Nissan ever fix the CVT problems on the Note?

We know of no published fix that makes the Note’s CVT care-free, and Nissan stopped selling the Note in Europe in 2017. What we see in practice is that fluid condition and driving style decide how long a Note Xtronic lasts. A well-maintained CVT that is not overheated can last; a neglected one often fails early.

Which car replaced the Nissan Note?

In Europe, the fifth-generation Nissan Micra (K14) took over the Note’s place in 2017. The Note continued in Japan and some other markets as the E13 with e-Power, but that car was not sold in Europe. Used Notes in the Netherlands are therefore E11 or E12 models.

Are Nissans known for electrical problems?

Not as a general rule. On the Note, the electrical complaints in the sources we checked are specific: a starter motor that keeps running on the first generation, and erratic automatic lights and wipers on the second. They are not gearbox faults and are outside our work, but a gearbox diagnosis does tell you whether a warning comes from the transmission.

Is the rubber band feeling in my Nissan Note a fault?

No. Revs that rise without gear changes are normal for a CVT. As long as the car accelerates smoothly and there is no jerking, judder or noise, the gearbox works as intended. Judder when creeping, a thump when selecting D or R, or power loss when warm are not normal.

How often should the CVT fluid in a Nissan Note be changed?

There is an interval, even though many owners assume the fluid lasts for life. How long it is depends on the version and on how you drive, and a lot of town driving shortens it in practice. Have it worked out for your car based on its registration and use, rather than relying on “lifetime”.

My Note loses power when it is warm. Can I keep driving?

Preferably not. That behaviour is a protection against the CVT overheating. Driving on increases the chance that a fluid problem turns into mechanical damage to the belt and pulleys. Let it cool down, drive gently to a specialist or have it recovered.

Are Nissan Note CVT problems the same as on the Qashqai?

The symptoms and causes are very similar, because both use Jatco belt-and-pulley CVTs that depend on fluid condition. The units differ in size and in the torque they handle, and the Note’s CVT7 also has a two-speed auxiliary gearbox. The diagnosis therefore stays model-specific.

Can a fluid change still save my CVT?

Sometimes. If the complaints have only just started and the pulleys are undamaged, fresh fluid of the right specification often solves a lot. If the belt has been slipping for a long time and the running surfaces are damaged, a fluid change is wasted money and we look at an overhaul or an exchange gearbox.

Does the Nissan Note have a timing belt or a chain?

The petrol engines use a timing chain; ANWB warns that it can stretch on the first-generation Note. On the second-generation Note only the 1.5 dCi diesel has a cambelt, which Auto Express says should be replaced every six years or 96,000 miles (about 155,000 km), ideally with the water pump.

Know your gearbox before you judge the Note

Nissan Note problems depend on which Note you have. On an E12 automatic, the Xtronic CVT is the part to watch, and fluid condition decides most of its fate. On an E11 automatic, it is a conventional four-speed with its own wear pattern, and a manual Note mostly needs a healthy clutch. Have the gearbox read out before a small complaint becomes an overhaul. Book your car in and we will tell you what is going on, and what is worth doing.

Not sure what your symptom means? Find out what your symptom could mean in our overview of gearbox failure symptoms.