2010 Nissan X-TRAIL Pricing and Specs

This model X-Trail used a conventional automatic transmission with a torque converter. There are lots of things that can cause this condition, including a failure of the torque converter or any number of moving parts within the transmission itself.

But the first check is to see if there's sufficient transmission fluid inside the gearbox. Use the transmission dipstick to check the fluid level according to the owner's manual's instructions. A transmission with low fluid can certainly exhibit the symptoms you've noted. A quick fluid top up might put the wheels back in motion.

Bear in mind, however, that the transmission is a sealed unit and should only require top ups if there's a leak somewhere. That leak needs to be identified and fixed or the problem will recur.

It concerns me somewhat that any metal shavings were found in the oil when the gearbox was serviced. That said, some metallic `dust’ is part of the process of a transmission wearing, so it’s not necessarily the end of the world. In fact, this tiny debris is common enough that manufacturers actually often fit magnetic drain plugs to trap the particles and stop them being pumped through the transmission time and time again where they can do more damage.

I guess it all comes down to the size of the particles and whether a specialist transmission shop (which is your first port of call) thinks they are worth worrying about. But as rule of thumb (quite literally) if the particles are big enough to be picked up in your fingers or they feel sharp, then there’s something wrong inside that gearbox.

Metallic dust on its own is also less of a problem if there are no other symptoms. But you seem to think the behaviour and shift patterns of your transmission have changed recently (prompting you to have the unit serviced) and that really begins to sound like there’s something going on inside the transmission. Mind you, at the mileage you’ve quoted, that’s not really a surprise and plenty of CVTs have given up the ghost longer before 250,000km have been covered.

If your car was built between August 6 and October 30, 2010, Wayne, then it was the subject of a Nissan recall that was announced in November 2011. Apparently, the power-steering’s assistance could simply stop working, meaning that the steering would still work, but would require a lot more muscle input form the driver. Check the dashboard for a power-steering warning light that is the other clue that this is what’s happening.

The fact that your car’s problem is intermittent is a bit confusing, but given its recall history, I reckon a visit to a Nissan dealership to see whether the car was one of the affected ones is worth the effort. The other possibility is that the car needs a wheel-alignment as the wheels are not pointing where they should be when you’re turning right.