2014- CVT Trans comments/problems

143539 Views 343 Replies 90 Participants Last post by jasper60103, 9 d ago

Mercfh

Discussion Starter · Mar 2, 2014

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?

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Lilvipa

· #321 · Jan 5, 2020

After driving my CVT 15 Civic LX for a nice 2 hours with a high pressure system nicely rolling in, Ive decided to hold out on an ILX or 5 speed until theres more info on cvt. at the end of the day a car that is taken care of is going to take care of you so if you're rough on it and you hit it hard over 5000 rpm then you're going to have more belt wear and higher chances of having a transmission issue. If you if you keep it around 4500 RPM when passing and try not to hit it to off try to hit it too hard too often especially during extreme cold/heat, then you should be good for 15 years. Changing the fluid/filter on cvt seems to help alot too according to high mileage civic owners.

Olegator

· #322 · Feb 5, 2020

Hi guys,

I see that some of you afraid of CVT and potential issues you may have. To my knowledge, CVT transmission is a good option for sure and has a good lifetime period, but... you should follow a few rules. To change (drain\fill) CVT fluid every 25-30k km, replace strainer (if CVT has strainer) every 50-70k km. This should keep you away of getting issues. As far as I know, it can run for 150k+ km with no issues.

Personally, I just bought a used Civic 2013. I was looking for 2013 specifically, because of the 5-speed hydro-mechanical transmission. I beleive that it is more reliable that CVT and has lifetime 200k+ km. But automatic transmission does not mean that you are safe and will not get a pain in a**. Mine has 50k km and I am going to replace fluid soone along with filter (under the hood) and strainer (located inside the tranny). I went to my local Honda dealer to find out some parts prices and I was told that they never replace the transmission strainer - that made me lough, to be honest.
Ok, so you change your tranny fluid sometime and never replace filter, right? If so, try to change your engine oil only with not replacing the filter... Sounds crazy

same thing with transmission. IMHO

I had Toyota Corolla 2011 and Camry 2015 with classic type automatic transmission. AT fluid was changed on time, but...
Corolla 2011 - there was whining noise came out from sattelites in AT and its 'normal' but that made me crazy.
Camry 2015 - u760e tranny. Well-known problem was torque converter shudder on specific conditions (speed\gear\rpm) - that was a nightmare.

I am sorry for being a bit wordy. I just would like to ask CVT users stay relaxed. Other type transmissions have issues as well (vibrations and noises).
Please enjoy your CVT (great gas economy and smooth ride) and maintain it properly.

Cheers.

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wheresbicki

· #323 · Dec 2, 2020

I have a 2014 Honda Civic with CVT. 96k and still runs fine. Here's my two cents on the CVT. Definitely recommend changing the fluid regularly every 30k miles. I do notice a performance difference as the fluid ages. Fluid drain and refill only, I do it myself. BE VARY PRECISE with the amount that is put into it, the CVTs are sensitive. I typically measure the amount drained and put that amount back in. If the CVT feels sluggish, level the car and run the car to temp with the CVT check plug bolt out. Chances are too much was put in.

Many people overlook the fact that there is a CVT filter. Change it and its O-rings as well. I do it every 60k miles. I definitely recommend checking out MrRangerZr1 videos on YouTube on how to perform these services.

Also in the winter, wait for the transmission fluids to heat up. It should heat up around the same time as the engine, so wait for the idle RPM to drop below 1000 RPM at ignition.

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Teeps

· #324 · Dec 2, 2020

wheresbicki said:
I have a 2014 Honda Civic with CVT. 96k and still runs fine. Here's my two cents on the CVT. Definitely recommend changing the fluid regularly every 30k miles. I do notice a performance difference as the fluid ages. Fluid drain and refill only, I do it myself. BE VARY PRECISE with the amount that is put into it, the CVTs are sensitive. I typically measure the amount drained and put that amount back in. If the CVT feels sluggish, level the car and run the car to temp with the CVT check plug bolt out. Chances are too much was put in.

Many people overlook the fact that there is a CVT filter. Change it and its O-rings as well. I do it every 60k miles. I definitely recommend checking out MrRangerZr1 videos on YouTube on how to perform these services.

Also in the winter, wait for the transmission fluids to heat up. It should heat up around the same time as the engine, so wait for the idle RPM to drop below 1000 RPM at ignition.

Some good insights based on actual experience.

Dan71

· #325 · Dec 14, 2020

wheresbicki said:
Many people overlook the fact that there is a CVT filter. Change it and its O-rings as well. I do it every 60k miles.

That's funny, I called 3 different Honda dealers in my area to have them do a full service of my transmission including the filter changed... and all 3 dealerships told me that my 2014 Honda Civic does not have a filter.

My 2014 Civic transmission went on me coming home from work last Wednesday night. Evey dash light went on, TPMS, Hill asst, VSA, Steering wheel, Transmission. Out of no where the transmission started shuttering at 45 to 50 mph, I was lucky to pull into a Walmart. Next day had it towed to the local Honda where we bought it new in '14.
They called me Saturday afternoon and reported the transmission needs to be replaced for internal failure.

Dealer quoted me $6000 for a reman trans with 10hrs labor.

I asked the dealer about the recall they have on these transmissions from 2012 to 2015, he quickly said mine was open to the recall. I have also brought it in numerous times for the transmission dipstick kept popping out and fluid gets all over. All they did was put a new dipstick and it still did the same thing. I was told to keep my eye on it.

Going to take it and have a used one installed or see other transmission shops want for a overhaul. Either way, I'm getting rid of it and I'm done with Honda.

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Teeps

· #326 · Dec 14, 2020

Dan71 said:
That's funny, I called 3 different Honda dealers in my area to have them do a full service of my transmission including the filter changed... and all 3 dealerships told me that my 2014 Honda Civic does not have a filter.

My 2014 Civic transmission went on me coming home from work last Wednesday night. Evey dash light went on, TPMS, Hill asst, VSA, Steering wheel, Transmission. Out of no where the transmission started shuttering at 45 to 50 mph, I was lucky to pull into a Walmart. Next day had it towed to the local Honda where we bought it new in '14.
They called me Saturday afternoon and reported the transmission needs to be replaced for internal failure.

Dealer quoted me $6000 for a reman trans with 10hrs labor.

I asked the dealer about the recall they have on these transmissions from 2012 to 2015, he quickly said mine was open to the recall. I have also brought it in numerous times for the transmission dipstick kept popping out and fluid gets all over. All they did was put a new dipstick and it still did the same thing. I was told to keep my eye on it.

Going to take it and have a used one installed or see other transmission shops want for a overhaul. Either way, I'm getting rid of it and I'm done with Honda.

Yikes 10 hours to swap a trans!
I thought that was too much time.
So I checked Honda warranty flat rate time and it was 9.7 hours!

Good luck on finding some one to rebuild your car's CVT...

jasper60103

· #327 · Dec 14, 2020

Dan71 said:
That's funny, I called 3 different Honda dealers in my area to have them do a full service of my transmission including the filter changed... and all 3 dealerships told me that my 2014 Honda Civic does not have a filter.

My 2014 Civic transmission went on me coming home from work last Wednesday night. Evey dash light went on, TPMS, Hill asst, VSA, Steering wheel, Transmission. Out of no where the transmission started shuttering at 45 to 50 mph, I was lucky to pull into a Walmart. Next day had it towed to the local Honda where we bought it new in '14.
They called me Saturday afternoon and reported the transmission needs to be replaced for internal failure.

Dealer quoted me $6000 for a reman trans with 10hrs labor.

I asked the dealer about the recall they have on these transmissions from 2012 to 2015, he quickly said mine was open to the recall. I have also brought it in numerous times for the transmission dipstick kept popping out and fluid gets all over. All they did was put a new dipstick and it still did the same thing. I was told to keep my eye on it.

Going to take it and have a used one installed or see other transmission shops want for a overhaul. Either way, I'm getting rid of it and I'm done with Honda.

Internal failure? Was the transmission fluid low when they inspected it? My guess would be yes if it has a history of loosing the cap and spilling fluid. I would want more answers before moving forward. How many miles are on it?

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Dan71

· #328 · Dec 14, 2020

jasper60103 said:
Internal failure? Was the transmission fluid low when they inspected it? My guess would be yes if it has a history of loosing the cap and spilling fluid. I would want more answers before moving forward. How many miles are on it?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

144452 miles.

They put another sized fill cap on it at the last service. I have no idea if they checked the fluid or not. The car now has to be pushed in and out of the garage.

jasper60103

· #329 · Dec 14, 2020 (Edited)

Dan71 said:
144452 miles.

They put another sized fill cap on it at the last service. I have no idea if they checked the fluid or not. The car now has to be pushed in and out of the garage.

That’s impressive miles for a 2014.
Maybe reach out to Honda customer service?
Just seems like if it were related to an existing issue you should get some help. The dealer has record that it’s a reoccurring problem.
Hopefully it works out. Keep us posted.

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Dan71

· #330 · Dec 15, 2020

jasper60103 said:
That’s impressive miles for a 2014.
Maybe reach out to Honda customer service?
Just seems like if it were related to an existing issue you should get some help. The dealer has record that it’s a reoccurring problem.
Hopefully it works out. Keep us posted.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did all my own oil changes 0W20 mobile 1 with honda filters every 5k. Motor runs great, 40 mpg. Going to miss that.

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jasper60103

· #331 · Dec 28, 2020 (Edited)

Dan71 said:
Did all my own oil changes 0W20 mobile 1 with honda filters every 5k. Motor runs great, 40 mpg. Going to miss that.

Yeah, fluid changes is all I’ve done at 58,000 miles. And I’ve learned to give the CVT fluid more attention from this forum.
Any update on your situation?

Dan71

· #332 · Dec 29, 2020

jasper60103 said:
Yeah, fluid changes is all I’ve done at 58,000 miles. And I’ve learned to give the CVT fluid more attention from this forum.
Any update on your situation?

They found a used transmission with 73k on it, life time warranty on the hard parts (whatever that means) and 12 month 12k on labor. The donor car was rear ended and they showed a transmission oil change around 56k.

Installed out the door with new fluid was $2500.

I still wont trust it, going to put her up for sale or see what type of trade $$ they want.

Thanks for checking in!

jasper60103

· #333 · Dec 30, 2020 (Edited)

Dan71 said:
They found a used transmission with 73k on it, life time warranty on the hard parts (whatever that means) and 12 month 12k on labor. The donor car was rear ended and they showed a transmission oil change around 56k.

Installed out the door with new fluid was $2500.

I still wont trust it, going to put her up for sale or see what type of trade $$ they want.

Thanks for checking in!

$2500 doesn’t sound too terrible, but I certainly understand your position. Move on to something else if that works out better for you. Thanks for the update.

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dmcquade

· #334 · Apr 21, 2021

Dan71 said:
That's funny, I called 3 different Honda dealers in my area to have them do a full service of my transmission including the filter changed... and all 3 dealerships told me that my 2014 Honda Civic does not have a filter.

My 2014 Civic transmission went on me coming home from work last Wednesday night. Evey dash light went on, TPMS, Hill asst, VSA, Steering wheel, Transmission. Out of no where the transmission started shuttering at 45 to 50 mph, I was lucky to pull into a Walmart. Next day had it towed to the local Honda where we bought it new in '14.
They called me Saturday afternoon and reported the transmission needs to be replaced for internal failure.

Dealer quoted me $6000 for a reman trans with 10hrs labor.

I asked the dealer about the recall they have on these transmissions from 2012 to 2015, he quickly said mine was open to the recall. I have also brought it in numerous times for the transmission dipstick kept popping out and fluid gets all over. All they did was put a new dipstick and it still did the same thing. I was told to keep my eye on it.

Going to take it and have a used one installed or see other transmission shops want for a overhaul. Either way, I'm getting rid of it and I'm done with Honda.

My Daughters 2014 Civic LX Coupe with CVT blew apart last week, A little over 200,000km with same discription you gave. Started with the car getting a little jerking or sputtering sensation. It lasted about 20min before it quit. Car wouldnt move in any gear. Car is in mint condition with maintenance completed as required on CVT, including CVT filter and fluid changes.

The problem you listed with the plug blowing out happened to us too. There is a transmission vent close to the plug that gets clogged up and needs to be cleaned. After I cleaned it, it stopped blowing the plug out.

Anyway dealer took car in and there are belt pieces all through the transmission pan. Not impressive to say the least, that you cant get just the belt replaced. Honda does not rebuild transmissions at the dealer. It would require the purchase of a new CVT from Honda.

So price wise for the removal and install is a days labour, plus the price of a new CVT which I was told could be in the $4000 range. Ill be going with one from a salvage yard for considerably less.

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Teeps

· #335 · Apr 21, 2021

Not a filter; but a strainer. That can be serviced by cleaning.
However, if the strainer is so clogged that it does not flow fluid.
The CVT is already toast....

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2013ACURAILX

· #336 · Apr 21, 2021

dmcquade said:
My Daughters 2014 Civic LX Coupe with CVT blew apart last week, A little over 200,000km with same discription you gave. Started with the car getting a little jerking or sputtering sensation. It lasted about 20min before it quit. Car wouldnt move in any gear. Car is in mint condition with maintenance completed as required on CVT, including CVT filter and fluid changes.

The problem you listed with the plug blowing out happened to us too. There is a transmission vent close to the plug that gets clogged up and needs to be cleaned. After I cleaned it, it stopped blowing the plug out.

Anyway dealer took car in and there are belt pieces all through the transmission pan. Not impressive to say the least, that you cant get just the belt replaced. Honda does not rebuild transmissions at the dealer. It would require the purchase of a new CVT from Honda.

So price wise for the removal and install is a days labour, plus the price of a new CVT which I was told could be in the $4000 range. Ill be going with one from a salvage yard for considerably less.

New from Honda? yikes...
try to find a low mileage one at a wrecker.
LKQ or if you're in Ontario standard auto wreckers.

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dmcquade

· #337 · Apr 21, 2021

Teeps said:
Not a filter; but a strainer. That can be serviced by cleaning.
However, if the strainer is so clogged that it does not flow fluid.
The CVT is already toast....

View attachment 493658

Not that, the filter. See part #1

AT CVTF Warmer (CVT) - 2014 Honda Civic 2 Door LX KA CVT

Shop in the parts listing - 2014 Honda Civic 2 Door LX KA CVT AT CVTF Warmer (CVT). Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Honda parts.

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Teeps

· #338 · Apr 21, 2021

I didn't know about this fluid heater; now I do. Thanks, but still not a "filter" per Honda's online service data.
And I'll say again if that strainer is clogged to the point of needing replacement.
The trans has bigger problems.

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snahfu

· #339 · Jul 9, 2021

Not really a car guy but after switching mechanics, he brought to my attention to cvt plug was popped off.

Who knows how long it was popped off for...

Purchased a new breather cap + plug. Going in for my first cvt trans fluid change in a few weeks. Been going so far at 85k miles with just oil changes.

Teeps

· #340 · Jul 9, 2021

snahfu said:
Not really a car guy but after switching mechanics, he brought to my attention to cvt plug was popped off.

Who knows how long it was popped off for...

Purchased a new breather cap + plug. Going in for my first cvt trans fluid change in a few weeks. Been going so far at 85k miles with just oil changes.

Drain and fill?
Or fluid flush using a machine of some kind?

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