Should I Buy a Car That Hesitates When Shifting Gears?

Here’s a thought, go for it. The Murano is an excellent investment and, even at $2,000 (full price). Be sure, though, that body is in good shape, especially around the wheel wells.

As to the hesitation, the Murano’s transmission is known as a CVT or continuously variable transmission. There are no specific gears as the transmission control computer and the engine’s control computer try to maintain the best gearing for each specific speed. Each computer reads its sensors (some of the are actually the same) and applies its own logic to the condition to determine what to tell the transmission. The transmission responds by moving the many planetary gears into position so that the gearing is correct.

The CVT relies on a series of planetary gears that are continuously meshing and unmeshing to maintain the best transmission settings. Sometimes, a CVT will seem to be slipping or hesitating as the vehicle moves when it really is not. Instead, the gears are actually working correctly but are taking a longer time to do their job. The reason is just age. Here’s an example, there’s an older Murano living not far from here whose body is in great shape; tires are in excellent condition; the interior is excellent; the engine sounds fine, but, the tranny is sort of sluggish and seems to hesitate. It has been checked and everything is clean. It is just age. The owner did have a filter and fluid job done not long ago (filter and fluid replaced) and the fluid was in good shape, while the filter did need replacement. That was it. Everything checks out and the Murano (same year as the one you are thinking of buying) is good to go.

In the case of the Murano you are considering, I would take it into a transmission shop and have the CVT looked over by a trained technician. Have them drop the pan and poke around inside to make sure that everything looks okay, that there aren’t metal shavings in the fluid or at the bottom of the pan and the like. If everything looks okay, then go for it and buy it.

Even if you have to replace the CVT, a $4,000 investment, if the body and engine are in good shape, then, given the price of SUVs today, the Murano is a steal and the investment you are making still makes this a good investment.