Nissan Class Action Says Versa, Juke, Note’s Transmissions are Defective

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Nissan was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging certain models of its Juke, Note, and Versa vehicles contain a transmission defect that leads to sudden and unexpected shaking and jerking when driven.

Lead plaintiffs claim in the Nissan class action lawsuit that 2013-2017 Nissan Versas, 2013-2017 Nissan Versa Notes, and 2013- 2017 Nissan Jukes equipped with the Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission suffer from the defect.

The plaintiffs allege that the sudden jerking and shaking creates safety concerns for drivers, passengers, and other motorists.

The Nissan transmission class action lawsuit states that the plaintiffs experienced significant problems with their vehicles after purchase. These problems included jerking and shuddering, as well as the vehicles going into “limp” mode. One plaintiff alleges that her Nissan stopped unexpectedly in the middle of a five lane freeway.

According to the Nissan class action lawsuit, “The CVT is defective in the following ways … it causes sudden, unexpected shaking and violent jerking (commonly referred to as ‘juddering’ or ‘shuddering’) when drivers attempt to accelerate their vehicles; it causes the vehicle to lag or delay when the driver tries to accelerate, causing an unsafe, unpredictable acceleration; it exhibits a hard deceleration or ‘clunk’ when drivers either slow down or accelerate at low speeds; it causes complete transmission failure in the middle of roadways2 and it suffers catastrophic failure, necessitating replacement.”

Unfortunately, alleges the Nissan transmission class action lawsuit, the defect becomes apparent as the vehicles come out of the 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty they are sold with.

The Nissan class action lawsuit claims that the car maker must have been aware of the defect when they sold the affected vehicles in 2013, but persisted in using the defective transmission in later years.

The plaintiffs point to customer complaints, design failure mode analysis, and preproduction testing that would have revealed the alleged defect. Further, Nissan attempted to conceal its knowledge of the defect from consumers, alleges the Nissan class action lawsuit

Owners and lessees of the affected vehicles face not only unexpected repair costs, but also safety risks, argues the Nissan defective transmission class action lawsuit.

“Nissan’s omission at the time of purchase of the CVT’s marked tendency to fail just outside of warranty is material because no reasonable consumer expects to spend thousands of dollars to repair or replace essential transmission components in the early years of owning their vehicles,” points out the Nissan class action lawsuit.

“The CVT Defect is also material to consumers because it presents an unreasonable safety risk. Transmission malfunctions can impair any driver’s ability to control his or her vehicle and greatly increase the risk of collision,” states the Nissan class action lawsuit.

The Nissan CVT defect class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of those who purchased or leased any 2013-2017 Nissan Versa, Versa Note or Juke equipped with an Xtronic CVT, along with California, New Jersey, and Florida subclasses.

The plaintiffs are seeking a court order requiring Nissan to notify Class Members about the alleged defect as well as a recall and order stopping the car maker from selling vehicles with the affected transmission. The plaintiffs are also seeking damages.

In related legal news, a U.K. consumer watchdog group claims there are significant defects in seven models of cars including the Nissan Juke. 

The Nissan vehicle owners are represented by Caroline Ramsey Taylor, Gary E. Mason, Jennifer Goldstein, and John C. Whitfield of Whitfield Bryson & Mason, LLP, Russell D. Paul, Lawrence Deutsch, and Jeffrey L. Osterwise of Berger & Montague PC, and Jordan L. Lurie, Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett, Robert K. Friedl, Trisha K. Monesi of Capstone Law APC.

The Nissan Defective Transmission Class Action Lawsuit is Norman, et al. v. Nissan North America Inc., et al., Case No. 3:18-cv-00588,  in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

UPDATE: November 2019, the Nissan transmission class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.