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For those who bought CVT, do you experience judders at low rpm's?

44K views 88 replies 48 participants last post by  ousooner2 
#1 ·
My apologies if this question belongs to an existing thread or another forum but I did an advance search for "cvt" in the title and in the posts but got negative results.

Is the judder limited to some drivers' experiences or is this a universal thing with the new CVT? How are the dealers and American Honda dealing with this issue/complaint?

If it happens to all Accord CVT's, then I hope there is a quick fix for it since that will be a huge turn off for me especially when during my early driving days, the juddering or shuddering of the engine in our older GM Opel Record and MB 300D meant that the engine was about to stall.
 
#41 ·
I think y'all are over analyzing this. Yes, a CVT feels different than a normal automatic transmission, but then again so does a DSG or SMG compared to a normal automatic. It's the nature of the technology that it will feel different...period.

Is it 100% smooth all the time?? No, but I've never met an automatic or manual tranny that is. I've had automatics by Japanese, German, Korean, and American companies that depending on throttle position, speed, incline, or other factors that have kicked like a mule on a downshift/upshift. That is the nature of the technology on those types of automatics, just like occasional "judder" is on CVTs.

All I know is mine is smooth 98% of the time, and it isn't irritating when it does judder for a second or two. I can fix that by adjusting the throttle position with my right foot. As for the fuel economy, just look at the EPA numbers and the real numbers on sites such as fuelly.com. The mileage improvements are real, and Honda would not be investing millions in the CVT technology if they didn't firmly believe it is the right direction to go. After all, it is Honda's butt on the line if they fail to make a quality transmission, no matter the technology.
 
#46 ·
I feel the "judder", or a little push in my case, when stopping the car slowly. No "judder" accelerating from stop. A little annoying at first, but looking at my mpg I gotta say CVT is awesome!
 
#50 ·
2nd the awesome mpg! what i notice is when i'm coming up to a stoplight and take my foot off the accelerator, it doesn't just roll up to the light like my other car, it seems to be trying to fiddle with the "gears" as it's slowing down such that i actually have to give it a bit of gas to get to the light despite having sufficient momentum to get to the light (based on how my other car rolls). it just seems like taking your foot off the accelerator should disengage the transmission so it would simply roll to a stop on it's own rather than shift the "gears" around depending on speed.
 
#48 ·
I like the cvt, and i do feel the judder, but that ONLY happens when i have the eco button on, and ONLY when i accelerate, if your vehicle is juddering at any speed about 5-10 mpg, id take it in.

The judder im talking about feels like the cars Acceleration is Lagging. Only when econ is on though.
 
#49 ·
I have noticed the judder also. Worse when the car is cold, but always a little there at speeds below about 30 MPH. I did some poking around to try to understand its nature. What I found was that if I put the transmission in L, accelerate to about 35-40 MPH, and then play a bit with the throttle, there is both a lot of slack in the drivetrain, and a strong sense of "springiness". It feels as if, instead of using a steel belt between the CVT pulleys, Honda took a very long spring, joined the ends to form a loop, and used that instead. I suspect what is happening is that as the loading varies a bit a low speeds, this slack and springiness are combining to create that jerky feeling. Since this issue seems to vary among vehicles, I am beginning to wonder if it might be a production tolerance issue with the CVT. I guess time will tell.
 
#52 ·
It feels like a slipping clutch when cold sometimes. I've thought about trading for a V6 but they have their own problems as well.
 
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#57 ·
I've experienced the "judder" as well.
Also, the slipping started, when cold, last winter.
The slipping issue became more chronic until the transmission completely failed this week.
It would not fully engage in any setting....just revving and very slow speed.
I had it towed to the dealer and am awaiting their resposne.
I was warned about CVT technology before buying and, naively, thought Honda wouldn't put a crappy product in their cars.
My risk and it's biting me.
here's hoping they don't weasle out of their warranty.
 
#61 ·
Mine doesn't judder under any condition. However, I have not experienced a winter with the car. Honda in the past has extended the warrantee period on the 6th generation Accord transmissions to seven years and 100,000 miles when there was a known transmission defect. Then the warrentee was only three years and 36,000 miles. Honda replaced mine when the car as just over the seven years when the problem occurred at 93,000 miles. Even when they haven't extended the warrantee Honda will sometimes offer you a courtesy discount through the dealer. Of course you will have to open a case by calling customer service on the toll free number in your warrantee booklet.
 
#62 ·
Judder during accelerate when engine is cold. And right before stop at around 10mph, very serious judder that I have to change the way I brake to minimize. My VIN is out of the range though.

Then the real problem is, if I can change the way I brake, the techincians at Honda can also learn it and say cannot duplicate.
 
#63 ·
Sorry to hear of the problems that some people are having with the new Accord. I've been driving my new Accord for one week and so far I'm not noticing anything unusual. The CVT is definitely different than the 5-speed auto transmission in my last Accord (2003) but I'm not noticing any vibrations in the steering wheel or car when I drive. If anything, it actually seems a lot smoother than the 5-speed. The acceleration is very fluid and precise on mine at all RPM levels and I drive in Econ mode all the time.

The only thing I do notice is when the car is first driven in the morning it's just like the 2003 Accord. It takes a few miles before it gets warmed up and during that warm-up period it feels very similar to a standard auto transmission. The acceleration and shifting isn't quite as smooth but even then I don't feel any vibrations in the steering wheel or anywhere throughout the car. I wouldn't call it rough...to me it's just warming up. After that, it's as smooth as silk.

Vibrations in the steering wheel, seats, or other parts of the car shouldn't be happening on a brand new car so I would encourage anyone having such a problem to contact your dealer and have it addressed ASAP. If they don't fix it to your liking, get Honda corporate involved. Good luck!
 
#64 ·
I feel a lot of vibration when I am in D/S mode at a stop. as soon as i let the brakes go (RPM goes up a bit), the vibration stops. I notices that if im in D/S at a stop, turning on the rear defroster ON (RPM goes up a bit) the vibration goes away. if I turn if OFF (RPS drops a bit), vibration comes back. other than that, no vibration when driving.
 
#67 ·
Mine judders terribly when cold. Well it feels more like a slipping clutch. Is this what everyone describes the judder as?

I also notice when I floor the car from cursing speed it tries to slip and makes this high pitched squeaking noise sometimes

Mine is worse when using ECON.

I'm out of VIN range too.
 
#69 ·


this is the basic design of all CVT's no gears...belt driven and the pulleys change the ratios by moving closer together or farther apart. when the car is coming to a stop the judder you feel is the pulleys opening up all the way so the can can run in gear while stopped. As you accelarate the pulleys which are beveled come closer together to make a different ratio. CVT means continually variable transmission. Its main purpose is to save fuel and increase the window stickers EPA rating.
 
#71 ·
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jffePCHt11A

this is the basic design of all CVT's no gears...belt driven and the pulleys change the ratios by moving closer together or farther apart. when the car is coming to a stop the judder you feel is the pulleys opening up all the way so the can can run in gear while stopped. As you accelarate the pulleys which are beveled come closer together to make a different ratio. CVT means continually variable transmission. Its main purpose is to save fuel and increase the window stickers EPA rating.
And this we will not experience on the E-CVT of the Accord Hybrid? :)

I will gladly admit I'm no techie. :)
 
#70 ·
I have a CVT within range of the TSB.

After having the valve body replaced and complaining to Honda Corporate the the problems still exist, I was told this was normal for this CVT.

I have the judder when it's cold and I'm accelerating (occasionally when it's warm too), and I also have a problem that when I shift into R in the morning, the car won't move until pressure builds in the CVT system. I was told both are normal.
 
#72 · (Edited)
For about the hundredth time on this forum a consumer is told that a problem is normal. BS. the usual phrase honda uses is "it's a normal characteristic ". What's going to be the problems down the road say at 50000 miles. Eli on this site had his bought back for exactly the same circumstances as you. Use the lemon law book enclosed with the paperwork when you bought the car. Your located in California. Imagine the cars in the northern regions when it's 10 below in the morning
 
#74 ·
I also have this problem. I sell Hondas! and I have seen it happening in new cars. My mechanics say that it is normal. But it is not: I drive many cars, and some do some don't ! So the other day I got in my car (2013 sedan), and expecting the same shudders (more when the engine is cold), I set the gear shifter to L. I drove the car for few seconds getting to 3K RPM, then I set it to S for some more small time, revving the engine to 3 or 4K RPM, then to D. Bingo! no more shudders!! I have not had the problem ever since! So I went to the mechanics with the solution and they say that "sometimes a valve get's stuck or something.." The main manager noted the situation and is contacting Honda about this. He said that perhaps there is a small metal particle that could be in one of the passages of the valves controlling the gear positioner, and this could lower the pressure of oil inside of the transmission. Suggested not to do this again and see if the problem returns and note the miles. The CVT has no filter for the oil. Note that CVT's should not have a power flush, just an oil change. I would like for you, experiencing this problem, to do what I did and report to us to see if this is a general problem/solution.
 
#77 ·
I am happy to report that after trying this, my transmission is now acting normally. In fact, the car feels more responsive. It feels like I have the Econ button turned off, and I even had to look to see if the Econ light was on yesterday. I used to have a pretty long lag if I nailed it but now it 'shifts' and takes off right away.

I drove mine at about 3000-3500 in S for about 100 yards, then shifted to S for about half that distance and it started acting normally. Thanks for the tip!:banana:
 
#76 ·
CVT Judders

Just want to say that I got in contact with my friend in the service department and informed him that I wanted to set up an appointment for them to check out my car for the Judders. I let him know that my 2013 Accord Coupe LX-S's VIN falls right in the middle of the cars affected, and that it is experiencing Judders. He had informed me before, like most of the service people do, that some vibrations and such from the tranny are normal as the CVT is unlike your conventional automatic trannys. But I know the juddering feeling were all talking about, and it is not normal. Even in the TSB they mention that it happens mostly when accelerating, going from park to D, and etc. So they know there's an issue.

For those of you who have had the fix under the TSB...what did they change for you guys? Is it firmware? My friend told me it would need a partial torque converter, so it sounds like a hardware issue. He also said they are stingy and that he can't just tell them to replace mine, that they have to experience the judder themselves when I take it in. We would drive it. So like many of you, naturally I am worried if my tranny decides to play nice when we go. It's frustrating.
 
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