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17 transmission

40K views 50 replies 24 participants last post by  brhonemus 
#1 ·
Has anyone noticed anything odd about the way the new Armada changes gears? I believe this is a new 7 speed transmission but noticed when started off, RPM's get to almost 2 and drop below 1 right away loosing acceleration. Not sure why it is trying to change gears so fast. Seems way to soon to me. Anyone else notice this or something similar?
 
#2 ·
I hadn't noticed any early upshift issues, but thought I had been feeling an aggressive downshift, but I later figured out it was only the Collision avoidance system braking for me. Turned it off when I was in congested traffic situations and cured it.

I do think most vehicles these days are programed to shift for optimal fuel economy, if you want it to hold the gear longer, you might try turning on the tow haul mode. That mode should hold the gears longer.
 
#4 ·
I have an '07 and if you start off gently, it will upshift to the sub 1000 rpm bog down point, then immediately downshift a gear or two. It's annoying, but it's caused by Nissan misprogramming the ECU with regards to shift points, interacting with engine load, interacting with the myriad of sensor variables. Knowledgable nissan service management personnel readily acknowledge the problem, but since they don't work for nissan, but for the dealership lease/franchise holder, there is nothing they can do! Mine seems to hinge on engine water temps. If the water temp is below 180, it plays the upshift-bog point- downshift game. Once above 190, it plays normal.
 
#5 ·
What you are feeling is exactly what you think it is, shifting to the highest gear possible under your given throttle input. The reason that is done is for optimum fuel mileage. The sooner we can get the trans into high gear the lower engine speed and the better mileage you get. You can thank the Federal Govt for that. Every manufacturer does this and has for years as they have C.A.F.E fuel mileage numbers to hit as a fleet. It is much more noticeable the more gears your trans has as there is more shifting to do.
 
#6 ·
yep same behavior on the 2011+ qx56/80. im actually amazed how LOW a gear you can be when going up a hill! ive been on super low rpms and the car didnt even spit or flutter.. smooth but yeah the shifting feels weird if you are coming from the old school armada.

also the torque converter lock up (press on the pedal, rpms go up then back down as if the clutch is slipping on a manual tranny) is noticeable.. may not be an issue on the mada tho...
 
#7 ·
Yep, i am noticing this in mine as well. Early upshifts and lazy throttle response from it.

For instance, getting up to speed on a 40 mph speed limit road, after a mediocre acceleration at maybe 1/4-1/3 throttle, dealing with early upshifts and hesitant engine response, once the SUV is up to 40-45 mph, it almost seems like it kicks into overdrive (7th gear). From there, the RPMs is under 1500 for sure, and with light throttle input, meaning 1/4-1/3 throttle, the RPM fluctuates up and down as it tries to accelerate the car. Really annoying. Whats weird is that when I'm in manual mode, at 40 mph, it won't even let me get into 7th gear, which lets the RPM sit a little closer to 2k and the throttle response and drive is night and day.
 
#9 ·
So glad to know I'm not alone with this issue. I thought maybe I had a Lemmon. With 390HP, I was concerned that my brand Armada seems less responsive than my 2003 sequoia with approx 250HP. It's very disappointing at this point to drive a vehicle that just feels very under powered much of the time. Nissan should issue a software update to fix this issue. I haven't tried manually shifting to see how it performs when I force it to hold the gear longer. If anyone else has tried this, I'm curious what your results have been.
 
#11 ·
My Armada doesn't have any issues. It does go to the highest gear possible (probably to get the highest MPG rating for the govt,) but this was just like my 2011 Titan...

Like the Titan, if it really bothers you, just put it in Tow Mode and that will change up the shift points some. If that really bothers you, manually shift it. Sounds like a few guys have a different problem (with CEL coming on and such,) but for the most part this is just how Nissans are, from my Titan to the new Armada to the last Altima I had as a rental car. They shift early to get artificially higher MPG ratings.

Just my 2 cents.
 
#12 ·
Helo,

Thank you for the quick reply.. I am actually going to the dealership tuesday.. I dont know if you heard the transmission problems of the 2016 tacoma. It hesitates on going uphill and always upshifts. I currently have that car and planning on trading it to the armada this coming tuesday. Just dont want to get the same thing happened twice. thanks again
 
#17 ·
My wife's Armada has this issue to a horrible degree. She is ready to get rid of it if Nissan can't fix it.

I can replicate the issue from a stop on level ground or uphill. Accelerate at a 1/4 throttle, maybe less. RPMs will raise to about 2250, and then shift. The worst shift is 3rd to 4th, and the Rpms drop to about 1200. Feels like the car is completely falling on its face.

Took it to the dealer (Sat. Service department was already gone) and took our salesman for a ride. We then jumped in one on the lot. It shifted beautiful! Same throttle input as best I could, and it would shift at 2500rpm and never drop below 2000. It felt like a totally different vehicle!!!

Going to talk to service asap and try to get this figured out. Ours is bad enough that we won't be keeping it if it can't be fixed. We love everything about it, but this is ruining the experience of an otherwise great car.

(We also had a bad ECM and it took over a month to get the part. That doesn't help the situation! Pay for an Armada Platinum and spend the third month of ownership driving a Rogue. lol)
 
#18 ·
Update

Dealer had the Armada for the day.
I demonstrated the issue for the tech. He drove one on the lot and had the same issue. Nissan tech line stated "this is a characteristic of the car", not confirming that it's a problem, but acknowledging that it does shift this way.

If you are having issues, take it in! The more that do, the faster we'll get a fix!!
 
#19 ·
I found the shifting to be very odd at the beginning. So much so that I thought something was wrong. That being said, I've noticed that while going up hills or even under mild driving conditions the vehicle will run at a higher gear then I'm used to. As a result, it will be less reaponsice to low to moderate throttle input. However, as I've gotten used to this, I've also noticed the Armada will maintain its speed. Given the amount of gas that this thing consumes, I now prefer this driving characteristic assuming it helps with the MPG. Also, the torque is enoug to keep this beast going up even the steepest of hills without needing to downshift. I now have about 2k miles on it and really enjoy the driving characteristics. If you give it heavy throttle off the line, you will quickly appreciate the power of the vehicle and know what's on tap if you really need it.
 
#22 ·
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Nissan is not going to issue a "fix" because it doesn't consider this to be an issue. Consequently, I suggest you trade in the car sooner rather than later. I've been there before with a few vehicles and I always regretted not trading one in sooner, regardless of the financial hit. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose with the car lottery.
 
#27 ·
hi ya,

this is a different issue- so please don't upset , just telling the story of how a few peeps got nissan to provide a software update for the transmission.
In Australia, there was an issue where a few found that while driving and then going to 'overtake' and under full throttle the box would drop to 3rd gear and then fail to change up to 4th until the right foot was lifted... making it a potential safety issue.
one guy did the dealing with Nissan aust and the dealer and via the fb group found other owners with the same issue. got the VIN id and after lots of back and forth, nissan released a software patch
 
#28 ·
Kerry, good info!

Not ready to trade it off, but I have a good relationship with the sales manager, and he sides with me. I know the lemon law, and it will be easy to hit that, if needed (I doubt it). It's also covered by lemon law for the first year. We have time to wait for Nissan.

The real bummer is, we talked about this whole scenario already. No other SUV fits our needs/likes. Wife doesn't want a Tahoe/Yukon, they are everywhere. Closest thing is a Land Cruiser, and she thinks they are boring looking. She would happily go back to Lexus, but it's either 4runner size or Land Cruiser with Lexus grill and $90,000 price. That being said, I see her back in a Lexus in 6mo if Nissan doesn't fix the issue, regardless of price! I'm totally fine with that.
 
#31 ·
***UPDATE***
So I called the dealer last week to find out what the status is of the software update. They had not heard anything and suggested I call Nissan Consumer Affairs. Called them and was assigned a case, blah blah blah and the rep for the area told me Nissan engineers are working on a fix, no ETA, no nothing. I then asked to speak to someone higher up and they guaranteed that a fix was in the works but again could not give any sort of ETA. Their suggestion was to call the dealer for updates. On one hand I am glad to know they are working on it but sitting out here in limbo isn't acceptable to me. I guess the only other thing I could do is go to the dealer and ask to speak to their Nissan rep. Very frustrating.
 
#32 ·
Just wanting to chime in that my dealer also said nissan is aware of the problem but that they are not sure how to fix it yet. My wife has a qx56 and after driving my car she said she thought it was stalling out on her. Mine can be fine sometimes and then sometimes borderline dangerous leaving me sitting in an intersection as i try to get it to move. So annoying!

BTW mine is a very early build. First one in my region. Not sure if there is a correlation.
 
#34 ·
At first I was not too worried about this horrible transmission issue. My dealership told me Nissan is working on a fix. But, last week I bought my wife a 2016 QX80 and it has the same problem. Its not as bad on her car but its the same issue just less severe. Mine is bad. If the problem dates back to 2016 or even before that, are they really going to fix it? Like some other posts have mentioned. If the current tune is optimized to do the best at the MPG test without regard for drivability we could be in big trouble since any official fix will need to produce the same MPG results. Side note: They claim 13mpg city but our combined average is always 11-12mpg. Side note #2 . My wifes previous QX56 had the same trans and engine but no shifting or acceleration issue. Originally I thought her 16 drove the same but after more seat time its clear the 16 QX drives more like my 17 armada. Her 2011 QX had a really touchy throttle. Just a little press and it took off like a beast.

Another thing I hadn't seen mentioned here is that my transmission issue is intermittent. Is anyone else's?
Mine will lull me into thinking everything is fine then out of the blue no power, bouncing tach and surging. Have to really press the gas to snap out of it. That can't be good for MPG. I cannot make it happen any time I want. sometimes its fine, sometimes its not. Same with our QX80. I cannot pinpoint any specific circumstance that causes it. Although its alway during gentle acceleration.
 
#37 ·
As I've said in other posts, Nissan isn't working on a fix, despite what some clueless dealers have told some people. I have a 2011 EX35 and it performs about the same as my Armada. The Nissan 7sp shifts like this by design. Either accept it or sell it before it depreciates even more. Personally, I don't have an issue with it.
 
#35 ·
A couple weeks ago I had noticed briefly the bouncy tach thing that some of you guys have mentioned, but have yet to have any drivability issues, no hesitation issues at all. In fact every time I jump in the Armada after driving any of my other vehicles it takes me a few minutes to get use to the Armada's touchy or sensitive throttle, it flat out wants to go.
 
#36 ·
Agree it's on gentle acceleration and typically low speed when upshifts occur rather quickly. I just accelerate a little quicker and miss this all together. Not a big deal for me.

Alot of other vehicles have this same scenario too.


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#38 ·
My main issue is with the inconsistency. If it shifted the same each time I could deal with it. Its the fact that I'll expect it to do the same thing it did at the last three stop lights with the same pedal pressure but then I'll get a different result at the 4th light.
 
#39 ·
I guess i need to test drive an armada to see what the hubbub is about.

I know there is noticeable torque converter lockup that occurs, but that is easy to feel and realize.

The tranny on the new q (and the new armada) will shift into the next lower gear that maximizes petrol efficiency so it may "gear hunt" in stop and go traffic, and will react to accelerator pedal pressure, but once it learns your driving , the tranny "should" learn and adapt.

Again, you can always reset the ECM and then the shift points will reset.

That said, i have no issues with the tranny and other then the torque converter lockup, it shifts when i want it to, when i want it to and the downshift rev matching is a huge blessing with my , ahem, spirited driving... :D
 
#40 ·
Before bringing home my 17, I was really close on a new Escalade. If you think this is a problem check out the Escalade forum. Their stories are terrible and center around Active Fuel Management. Several people posting issues about terrible shaking and vibration, as well as shifting issues. It seems theses EPA ratings are pushing them to make questionable decisions. A 3rd party built a drive to install in the OBD port that shuts off the AFM, ironic considering several posts that GM dealers have told customers not possible to shut it down. I only have a couple hundred miles and mostly city driving and haven't noticed anything yet.


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#41 ·
My test drives of new denalis yielded 2 of the 4 i test drove vibrated and the dealer said "we can fix that obviously before you take it home". Lol that really helped me make the right choice right there.


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