Browse over 9,000 car reviews
Are you having problems with the transmission of your Nissan Navara? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest Nissan Navara transmission issues & faults. We have answered all of the most frequently asked questions relating to problems with the Nissan Navara transmission.
Show all
Like every car company it would seem Nissan is doing everything in its power to reduce fuel consumption and holding on to higher gears for longer is a way to help do that. Go back to your dealer and ask if they can "retune" to get rid of the shudder.
We haven't heard of the problem you report, and haven't observed it on any of the Navaras we have driven, but maybe other owners could give us their experience of the car. It could, no doubt, be fixed once the cause is identified.
We have had another report of this on another new 7-speed Navara. The dealer told that owner that it was because the transmission has to trawl down through seven gears as it slows, which takes time, but that doesn't ring true. More likely it's a software issue that needs to be addressed by Nissan.
Fitting an external cooler would do no harm, it can only help. The other thing to keep in mind when towing is not to let the gearbox lug in overdrive, but change down when the road demands it.
Your cheapest course of action would be to fit a non-factory clutch kit and don’t replace the dual-mess flywheel. That would cost you around $600, but wouldn’t be my recommendation. A non-factory clutch kit with a replacement dual-mass flywheel would cost around $1800, a similar cost to an equivalent factory kit, but the best course of action given that you tow would be to fit a non-factory heavy-duty clutch and a solid flywheel. Cost for that would be about $1800.
It sounds like the torque converter locking up, which is a normal function of the transmission to save fuel. When it does you should see the engine speed drop as the converter locks up and rises again when it unlocks. It’s likely that you’re driving on or around the lock-up speed so you’re getting it cycling in and out of lock-up. Taking it out of overdrive at that speed will get around the problem.
First thing you should do is check your owner’s manual for any advice Nissan offers for when towing. Patrols had problems with fifth gear, so you need to be a little easy on the gear. Use fifth, but don’t let the engine lug down too far, change down before the engine and driveline become stressed. I would think 2000 revs is a pretty good downchange speed.
It’s probably not doing any serious damage, but it’s unusual that the synchroes should be worn as is suggested. Make sure you’re fully disengaging the clutch when you shift and try shifting a little slower and giving the synchroes a little more time to work. You could also try double de-clutching to see if that helps. If it proves to be a case of worn synchroes have the gearbox rebuilt and replaced.
Clutches are becoming a problem with modern cars, many of which are wearing out or failing at quite low kays. The D40 Nissan is one that we often get complaints about, and 38,000 km is way too few for a clutch under normal driving conditions. Nissan’s reaction that it is a wear and tear issue, but I would say that it is not ‘fair’ wear and tear. You have two options, seek the advice of a four-wheel-drive specialist and have a heavy-duty clutch fitted that will last longer, or consider taking Nissan to court. If you choose the latter get the advice of your state consumer advice people.
Clutches are not normally covered by warranty, but that assumes they wear out normally over a fairly long period of time and use. Yours, however, hasn’t done that, which suggests there is something wrong, something that is not normal. I would think you have a justifiable claim against Nissan to cover the replacement, but first you need to establish the cause of the problem. To do that the dealer has to remove the clutch to inspect it, which should determine that has gone wrong. There two possible scenarios at such a low mileage are a manufacturing fault, in which case Nissan should replace the clutch, or abuse, in which case you would have to cover the cost. If you’re not satisfied you could consult the consumer affairs people.