NHTSA Complaint #11386752 — 2018 NISSAN ARMADA

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE HAS DISPLAYED AN INTERMITTENT TRANSMISSION SHUDDER AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THIS OCCURS AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20-40 MPH. THE SHUDDER CAN BE FELT THROUGH THE FLOOR INTO THE SEAT AND APPEARS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION IS SEARCHING FOR A PROPER GEAR. UNDER HARD ACCELERATION/FREEWAY DRIVING THE ISSUE DOES NOT PRESENT ITSELF. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO BOTH MY NISSAN AND INFINITY DEALER. BOTH TECHNICIANS WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE CONFIRMED FEELING THE SHUDDER. DRIVELINE SERVICE WAS PERFORMED AT NISSAN AND THE ECM RECEIVED THE MOST CURRENT UPDATE. NISSAN TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE ARMADA AND THAT THE SHUDDER IS DUE TO THE COMPUTER TRYING TO FIND THE OPTIMUM TRANSMISSION SHIFT POINTS FOR THE BEST FUEL ECONOMY. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO MY INFINITY DEALER AFTER LEARNING THAT THE ISSUE IS KNOWN TO EXIST IN THE QX56 & QX80 AS WELL AS THE ARMADA AS THE VEHICLES ALL SHARE THE SAME COMPONENTS. MY SERVICE TECHNICIAN DROVE THE VEHICLE AND ALSO CONFIRMED THE SHUDDER OCCURRING INTERMITTENTLY UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS. I REQUESTED THAT THEY SEARCH FOR THE MOST CURRENT UPDATE WHICH WOULD BE THE "E" UPDATE, UNFORTUNATELY THIS UPDATE ONLY APPLIES TO MODELS PRIOR TO 2018. SERVICE TECH ADVISED ME TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NORMALLY AS THIS IS NOT A MECHANICAL ISSUE, BUT A SOFTWARE ISSUE. HE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT NISSAN / INFINITY ARE WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAVE DONE LITTLE TO NOTHING TO PROVIDE A TSB, COMPUTER UPDATE, OR PERMANENT SOLUTION. HE FURTHER ADVISED THAT A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, REBUILD, OR MAJOR SERVICING WOULD NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE AS IT IS SOFTWARE RELATED. IT IS DEEMED VERY COMMON. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN A $65,000 VEHICLE. NISSAN NEEDS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE INSTEAD OF HAVING DEALERS ADVISING OWNERS THIS IS NORMAL. MY CONCERN IS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHILE DRIVING.