CriticalCommonTransmission

Nissan Juke: CVT judder, overheating and premature failure (Jatco JF015E)

CVT judder, overheating and premature failure (Jatco JF015E) is a common transmission fault on the Nissan Juke on the 2010–2019 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $3,500 to $8,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 21 documented faults on the Nissan Juke.

Vehicle: Nissan Juke
Years: 2010–2019
Fuel: petrol
Gearbox: cvt
System: Transmission

This page covers the Nissan Juke as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Nissan Juke faults21 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

First-generation Jukes with the automatic use Nissan's small Jatco JF015E CVT, which runs hot, is intolerant of old fluid, and has a well-documented record of juddering, hesitation and outright failure — sometimes before 120,000 km. Once the belt and pulley faces start shedding metal (often flagged by code P17F0) the transmission is unrepairable and needs a replacement unit. Nissan extended CVT warranties to 84 months/135,000 km in some markets under class-action pressure, but those programs have long expired for NZ cars, and most Jukes here are used Japanese or UK imports that were never covered anyway.

What you would notice

Shudder or judder when accelerating from a stop
Hesitation or flaring revs when pulling away
Whining noise that rises and falls with engine revs
Jerking between 20-60 km/h
Transmission warning light or limp mode after a long hill climb

How to check it

Where to look. Transmission, under the engine bay on the driver's side of the front-wheel-drive powertrain

On the test drive, do several gentle take-offs from a full stop and listen/feel for shudder, then hold a light throttle at 50-60 km/h and listen for whine. Check the CVT fluid service history — you want evidence of fluid changes every 40,000-50,000 km with genuine NS-2/NS-3 fluid. Any judder on the drive should be treated as a failing unit, not a quirk.

What it costs to put right

$3,500 to $8,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has the CVT fluid ever been changed, and is there an invoice showing NS-2/NS-3 fluid?”
“Has the transmission or valve body ever been repaired or replaced?”
“Does it ever shudder pulling away from lights?”

Now check the Nissan Juke you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

AutoProv 'A Motor Trader's Guide to the Automatic Nissan Juke'
jukeownersclub.co.uk 'CVT Problem - 1.6 NA' thread
jukeforums.co.uk 'nissan juke cvt failure' thread
Honest John 'CVT failure on Nissan Juke - where do I stand?'
carcomplaints.com 2013 Juke transmission failure complaints

Nissan Juke buyer questions

Is cvt judder, overheating and premature failure (jatco jf015e) serious on a Nissan Juke?

We rate it critical and common on the Nissan Juke. First-generation Jukes with the automatic use Nissan's small Jatco JF015E CVT, which runs hot, is intolerant of old fluid, and has a well-documented record of juddering, hesitation and outright failure — sometimes before 120,000 km. Once the belt and pulley faces start shedding metal (often flagged by code P17F0) the transmission is unrepairable and needs a replacement unit. Nissan extended CVT warranties to 84 months/135,000 km in some markets under class-action pressure, but those programs have long expired for NZ cars, and most Jukes here are used Japanese or UK imports that were never covered anyway.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan Juke?

$3,500 to $8,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Nissan Juke years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2010–2019 Nissan Juke. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.