Chevrolet was said to be considering retail distribution of a CVT (“Continuously Variable Transmission”) for the Cruze, but that news appears to be premature. This may be a good idea.
We’ve noted here before in these posts that CVTs and as well as other replacements of the traditional hydraulic automatic transmission have been the source of many new lemon law claims the last few years.
These include the CVT in Nissan models such as the Altima, Sentra, Versa and Rogue. There was also the class action involving Ford’s DPS6 powershift transmission in Focus and Fiesta models. We have also had a number of clients report similar problems in Ford Fusion.
Despite these transmissions’ contribution to lemon law issues, automobile manufacturers relentlessly chase sales volume, and they need these transmissions to meet their CAFE (“Corporate Average Fuel Economy”) standards. They aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, whether the kinks are worked out or not.
