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2014- CVT Trans comments/problems

158K views 345 replies 92 participants last post by  Nugg666 
#1 ·
Im having some buyers remorse worries!

I wouldn't really call it buyers remorse, but more like buyers worry remorse.

Essentially I own a 2014 Civic Sedan, however this is the first model year of the Civic that has a CVT. And i've heard some horror stories. I have owned the car for 7 days....but it's honestly starting to worry me for in the future, since CVT technology isn't exactly "modern" i suppose. Plus I know Nissan had a TON of problems with it.

Im wondering if i've made a mistake? The CVT FEELS nice...but man I dunno. Anyone know anything about the Honda CVTs?
 
#46 ·
Well, I have another issue that is my own, and that is my wife feels she needs to be able to drive my car, so it has to be an automatic.

Now, before anyone starts in with any, 'who is the boss' type of comments, this is what it is, and it is way more important for her to be happy and comfortable than it is for me to have an MT. That's just what it is.

So, at the very least (or most), I will be driving an AT, unless of course, I win the lottery. And if I'm gonna be in an AT, it needs to be one with gears, not some electric motor-feel thing.

Caveat: I haven't driven a 2014 Honda Civic CVT, so who knows, it may be fine. It's just that past experience with CVTs is telling me that's not so.
 
#58 ·
The more technology evolves, the more I want to stay behind.
 
#59 ·
You should sell the car and get a horse and an Amish buggy. I heard those are pretty low tech. :signlol:
 
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#61 ·
Speaking of old fashioned low tech. Today, we passed a old guy towing a trailer with a Studebaker Avanti on it. The car looked mint on the outside. I should be that old and look that good.
 
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#65 ·
CVT on 2014 Civic was the absolute deal breaker for me. There is no way I am buying another CVT equipped Honda without knowing the reliability. My 2013 Honda Accord CVT has been good and trouble free for 33k miles but it is just too early to know. Honda has a history of bad transmissions (01-04 Odyssey, 7th gen Accord V6 5AT). The 5ATs on Accord I4 and Civics have a good history and track record for long reliability with no issues even after 300k miles. Transmission fluid change is very easy compared to the CVT. Also the cost of fluid is much cheaper $6.50 (Honda DW1) vs. $10.50 (CVT Fluid).
 
#70 ·
It seems the CVT is HP limited as the 278hp V6 doesn't use it. Or is it because of the variable cylinder management?
 
#71 ·
High HP and torque have not been too friendly to CVT. But it is being mated with high HP (WRX, Maxima V6) so we will see how it goes. CVT gives you a great MPG in Accord because it goes to highest gear ASAP and keeping the RPM very low. My 13 Civic gets about 41-42 mpg on a 50 mile loop and my 13 Accord with CVT gets about 36-38 on the same course. It is crazy good for an Accord and CVT is the difference maker.
 
#72 ·
I've gotten 42.5 mpg on all highway driving with my '12 LX. No CVT fo' me.
 
#73 ·
Best in my 8Gen, 3 adults loaded for vacation, a/c at times....41.5. No road trips in the new one yet.
 
#75 · (Edited)
My Experience with the 2014 Honda Civic CVT…

My Experience with the 2014 Honda Civic CVT…

I bought my 2014 Civic Sedan EX-L w/NAV in December 2013. Overall I am happy with the car but the CVT I could live without. Mileage in cold weather (<32 degrees) has been about 32MPG. Since the weather has recently changed to >45 degrees, my gas mileage jumped to average 35-38MPG… same driving. I thought maybe it was oxygenated gas but we had a warm spell and the MPG jumped… then it got cold again and the MPG went back down around 32.

Now onto the CVT…
When the car is “cold” for the first 2-4 minutes… I sometimes experience hesitation when coming to a stop and then immediately trying to accelerate. Not the normal hesitation you might expect but actually pushing down the accelerator and nothing… wait... wait… wait… about a full second and then it engages. Doesn’t happen all the time so I am chalking it up to colder weather and cold trans.

I also experience surging on some hills… like it is trying to find the right ratio. I can recreate this every time on the same hill… warm or cold. If I have it in D in Econ mode or in normal mode, it surges, wanes, surges, wanes, surges, wanes. RPM jumps from 1500 to 2200 to 1500 to 2200, etc. Takes about 4-5 surges to find a ratio. It's not subtle and I have even had passengers ask "why are you doing that?" If I put the trans in S, the revs are higher and it does not surge. Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this kind of behavior from their CVT Civic. Nothing I can’t live with until I take it in for my first Oil change… I will report it then and see what they say. Anyway… this is my experience so far. I have about 5K miles on the car now.
 
#77 ·
My Experience with the 2014 Honda Civic CVT…


Now onto the CVT…
When the car is “cold” for the first 2-4 minutes… I sometimes experience hesitation when coming to a stop and then immediately trying to accelerate. Not the normal hesitation you might expect but actually pushing down the accelerator and nothing… wait... wait… wait… about a full second and then it engages. Doesn’t happen all the time so I am chalking it up to colder weather and cold trans.
Sounds familiar as my13 Accord with CVT has what you are describing. Turn ECON off if you have that switch. CVT fluid drain/refill at 20k miles made it much better. Your surge on hills is normal. Take it in and hopefully you can duplicate the problem. Try it with ECON off before taking it to the dealer.
 
#84 ·
'14 EX - Transmission / Engine Problems

Whew…
I don't think I've had more issues with anything I've purchased brand new. :(
Sunshade Broken… Glitchy Lanewatch and HondaLink…now this.


SO-
Get into my 14 EX, after it was sitting outside…off for about 3 hours.
Drive off, nothing out of the usual. After I stop at a stop sign, I realize that after taking my foot off the break that nothing is happening. I'm going nowhere. I have to give it a little gas to go. (Weird. I live in Central Valley of CA, no hills anywhere)
As I get up to speed, I take my foot of the gas and the car slows down and gets really jerky with the accelerator. I pulled over, realize the car is idling rough and as I stop completely, the engine shuts off in drive…. I put it in park, start it again and notice my steering wheel vibrating from the rough engine idle. So I tried to get a video of the shaky engine. Turned off the car, turned it on again and it seemed to be fine. No CEL, or any other lights on dash.

This is a 2014 Civic EX, with just under 1900 miles, my first new car, my first honda.
Is this a sign of things to come? :( How should I explain this to the dealer when I go in to get my sunroof assembly replaced?
 
#87 ·
Sounds like a computer glitch. Not too uncommon on a completely new model (and with the CVT, I'm guessing it's completely different programming-wise). I would just explain to the dealer tech what's happening and let them figure it out. I bought the first year of a Chevy Colorado truck and the throttle went nuts one day with about 1k miles on it. They updated the computer and I never had the problem again in 144,000 miles.

Best of luck for a fast, easy fix! I used to believe that the "used cars already have all the bugs worked out" thing was a myth, but my experience with brand-new cars in the past 10 years has shown me that new cars do usually have some minor glitches to be fixed (under warranty) and that will likely never be an issue again once fixed.... This holds true for imports, too.
 
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#88 ·
Unfortunately your CVT is failing and needs to be looked at the dealer so it can be repaired or replaced. There are a number of CVT failures in 9th gen Accord with CVT transmission. I think this is rare but it can still happen. There is a TSB on Accord CVT and maybe they share some similarties. Good luck and let us know the outcome. This is a big gamble on Honda with CVT on Civics and Accords. It just may not be worth the initial money saving from cheaper CVTs.
 
#89 ·
Thanks for your help guys. I'm coming from a relatively old Jeep wrangler (2002), just not used to the computer systems and the glitches that sometime come with it. This car is light years ahead from my Wrangler. I don't think my CVT is failing. My car doesn't even have 1900 miles yet, I just made my second payment. I'd be pissed if that's the case. I'll keep
you updated once I visit my dealer sometime this week. Thanks
 
#92 ·
Thanks for the update. That was one of the fixes for the earlier Accord CVT stuttering problem.
 
#93 ·
Wow this could be helpful to other EX LX CVT owners that have the same issue.thanks buddy.Ill merge with existing thread about the CVT trans questions and issues.


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#94 ·
I'm a little late to this conversation but with my 14 LX CVT I have noticed surging on hills or "yo-yoing" as I've seen it referred to by car mags. It apparently is a common issue with all CVT's and honda was actually praised for this not being as pronounced in their CVT's as some other brands. That being said I still find it hard to live with because it feels like a failing or slipping geared automatic trans.

I will say I have enjoyed the CVT overall though. The mileage is almost as good as my girl friends mazda 3 skyactiv 6 spd (40-41 mpg at 75 mph) but it is no where near as fun to drive. The sport mode does make it a little better but still I miss changing gears. One thing I have noticed on hard acceleration if you go from D to S it acts very similar to the paddle shifters downshifting. So essentially you can accelerate a little faster off the line. I bought this car expecting it to a complete bore with this transmission but I've been pleasantly surprised. Still I am cautious to start adding HP for fear of wear and tear. I'm not too worried about the reliability though because Honda has been using CVT's on civic hybrids since I think 2004? ( correct me if I'm wrong) as well as on the fit and the insight in the early 2000's so they've had plenty of time to work out some of the kinks with their CVT's


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#95 ·
I'm a little late to this conversation but with my 14 LX CVT I have noticed surging on hills or "yo-yoing" as I've seen it referred to by car mags. It apparently is a common issue with all CVT's and honda was actually praised for this not being as pronounced in their CVT's as some other brands.

That being said I still find it hard to live with because it feels like a failing or slipping geared automatic trans.
I feel ya... If you want to "feel" better about your choice. Take a ride in a Gen 7 or 8 Civic with CVT...

Me; I would not buy a car with a CVT just for that reason.
 
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