bagwell

doesn't the Prius also have CVT??? its been rock solid for TMOCO

mmarshall

Yes, the Prius has used them reliably for years. But it also (especially on the small inexpensive Prius C model) has very little torque, even with both gas/electric motors combined, compared to most American-market vehicles today.

Sulu

The Prius, like ALL Toyota, Lexus (and Ford) hybrids (right from the first Prius) use what they call an eCVT -- an Electronic Continuously Variable Transmissions -- which is nothing like the belt-and-pulley CVTs that Nissan, Subaru and Audi use. The eCVT is really a Power Split Device, a planetary gearset that has combines the power of an internal combustion engine and 2 electrical motors in various modes. Speed to the wheels is regulated by one of the electric motors and the ICE adds power as needed; the PSD allows the car to drive with the ICE off, to drive with the ICE recharging the battery or to add power if needed to the drive wheels (to supplement the electric motor that drives and regulates the speed of the drive wheels).

The eCVT / PSD does not use a belt and variable-diameter pulleys (and never has). The belt and pulleys is the cause of Nissan's and Audi's CVT problems.

toy4two

I've actually turned around after renting a car and driving it 5 miles with a CVT, what a terrible invention.

When shopping for my last car I test drove a 2013 Honda Accord, all was well until we took it on the freeway on ramp, I turned right around and ran from the Honda dealership as soon as he said in order to get the 4 cylinder (which I wanted) you had to take the CVT Just wrote off Honda.

FrankReynoldsCPA

Not sure why they mentioned the 6.0 on the F-150....it was only available on the F-250 and up.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i know most of this thread has become about cvt's but the article itself is pretty lame, talking about vehicles of all kinds of different ages, some as old as 15 years ('99) - seriously?

anyone can easily find out common 'issues' with any used car from a year or older with a few google searches.

not hard to find honda had issues with their autos years ago, or that earlier nissan cvts were pretty lame. priuses seem pretty bulletproof, like corollas and camrys, and all more effective than ambien.

about honda autos... i've not sampled one in last few years, but i've never thought any of them were very smooth, but that's a different issue than reliability.

mmarshall

Most older Camrys WERE bulletproof, but two important issues pooped up. One was the sludge/gel problems with delayed oil changes on the 3.0L V6 models (which, IMO, was more of a owner-neglect than factory issue), and second, the defective V6 automatic transmissions on the initial last-generation V6 models (2006).


(Some of the very early Camrys of the mid-1980s also had ignition-module failures, but I assume that is going back too far for purposes of this thread).

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i don't consider owner cheapness/neglect a product defect.

wasn't aware of that, but since you say it was on 'initial' models, i take it the problem was rectified fairly promptly.

mmarshall

I don't either, but it eventually wound up class-action suit. Lawyers will sue their own shadow if there's potential money to me made.



Yes, it was generally the 2007 model (which, of course debuted in 2006). Toyota, after some denials at first, admitted that some V6 automatic transmissions from the supplier they were using were defective (suppliers, of course, are often the root of problems). The issue was generally resolved by the following year.....actually, in a matter of months. This greatly embarassed Consumer Reports, BTW. They had had a long history of recommending newly-redesigned Camrys, simply based on the longstanding reliability of previous ones. Then, in 2007, all of a sudden, V6 owners started reporting significant transmission problems. CR changed its policy after that not to recommend ANY new car simply on it past record, but to make each new model prove itself in the hands of consumers first.

ydooby

I can't believe how many people continue to confuse Toyota's eCVT with CVT. Toyota really shouldn't have named the PSD the eCVT to confuse people to begin with. eCVT/PSD has nothing to do with CVT.

Fizzboy7

My mom's highly maintained 2005 MDX also blew it's transmission at 100k. If there was any sort of class action lawsuit for the MDX, we never heard about it. She wrote a letter to Acura just to get it off her chest, but I'm sure that will go nowhere.

Sulu

Agreed! In hindsight, it was the wrong idea to call the PSD as eCVT.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that Honda hybrids (Insight and Civic) had CVTs but they were normal belt-and-pulley type CVTs. And, of course, Honda's early hybrids (mild-hybrid Integrated Motor Assist) were nothing like Toyota's full-hybrid Hybrid Synergy Drive.

mmarshall

A transmission failure at 100K, IMO, is not grounds for a lawsuit. A failure at 50K, half that distance.....maybe. Most new vehicles in the American market are warrantied to at least 5/60 for their drivetrains....and are covered up to that time/mileage.

Major failures at even lower mileage than that were very common back in the late 70s and 80s.....especially on the first FWD cars. I was unfortunate enough to have owned some of those POS.

rogers2

While it's not warranted a law suit. Honda/Acura is aware their transmissions are a piece sh..
I had to replace my transmission in my Acura CL type S 4 times. Everything else on the car was reliable.
Honda should be embarrassed...