CVT reliability and repair?

I was looking at a 2005 Ford Five Hundred AWD with 85,000 miles.

Someone that works on transmissions told me the CVT was unreliable (said to only expect 100K miles) and that it was expensive to rebuild ($7,000). Is this true? If so, buying one with 85,000 miles wouldn't be a good move.

I can't say from experience since mine only made it to 45k miles, but everything I have heard is that they are very reliable transmissions as long as the fluid is changed every 60K as required by the service schedule.

The transmissions are made in Europe by a reputable manufacturer (whose name escapes me at the moment).

They are made by Volvo. Very reliable. The tech is probably down on the CVT because he has no clue about how they work and no skills when it come to repairing them, if repairs are ever required.

I have an 06 500 and my CVT has 108,000 miles on it. The basic design of a CVT is more reliable than a geared transmission because of less moving parts. I have had the fluid flushed and changed at 100K as was recommended by Ford and have had no issues.

Hi all!

I have an AWD 500 with 85K miles as well and have had no problems with it (nock on wood... ) I believe ZF Batavia manufatures the CVT's and they are based off good old Deutchland (Germany). Ford had issues with the robotics/software with the company and this caused Ford to drop them. BMW had the same issue with them (they used the CVT in some of their Mini Coopers) then Ford sold the rights to Nissan, but that's another story. Just make sure the CVT was serviced at 60K. I've a friend who's a BMW engineer who's told me if something goes wrong with the fluid going "bad" inside the tranny that it will fail in a matter of minutes! A few members that have had issues with the CVT have reorted a "ticking" noise that gets louder as the tranny gets older. Those issues seem to be related with the tranny pump failing. Ask for the cars service record. If no service was performed on the CVT I would skip buying that car.

The continuously variable transmission was developed with joint-venture partner ZF Friedrichshafen AG and was manufactured at Ford's Batavia (Ohio) Transmission Plant with ZF providing its CVT technology and technical expertise in automatic Transmission design and development.

The ZF-Batavia CVT was designed for ease of ownership. Maintenance recommended at 60,000 miles includes draining and refilling the transmission fluid – no filter change is necessary, and under normal use the drive belt is good for the life of the vehicle. Ford’s new CVT is considered a "second generation" design with advanced electronic controls and an integrated computer control module.



Ford Motor Co did not sell their CVT manufacturing rights to Nissan Motor Co. Nissan uses JATCO Ltd CVT transmissions. Ford replaced the ZF-Ford CVT transmissions with their own Ford-GM designed 6 speed transmission due to cost and maximum engine torque capacity limitations, not because of issues with the robotics or software problems. The CVT transmission in the MINI was manufactured by ZF in Belgium. Reliability was the biggest issue BMW had with their CVT. BMW discontinued their CVT at the end of 2006.

As long as the 60k mile service was done, I wouldn't be scared of it. The main reason the CVT got eliminated was that the new joint venture Ford/GM 6-spd was less expensive than the CVT parts needed from ZF due to the tanking value of the dollar, it didn't have the ability to handle the torque of the upcoming 3.5L engine, and some people just plain didn't like it (I love mine). I have heard of very few problems from them, compared with the Aisin 6-spd that was the other transmission used in (most ) FWD applications in the Five Hundred. ( A few 2005 SE models had FWD and the CVT.) This CVT uses a chain and from what I've heard, failures are rare. I've had no problems with mine that weren't cured with a PCM reflash under warrantee.

stng1996 stated:"Ford Motor Co did not sell their CVT manufacturing rights to Nissan Motor Co. Nissan uses JATCO Ltd CVT transmissions. Ford replaced the ZF-Ford CVT transmissions with their own Ford-GM designed 6 speed transmission due to cost and maximum engine torque capacity limitations, not because of issues with the robotics or software problems. The CVT transmission in the MINI was manufactured by ZF in Belgium. Reliability was the biggest issue BMW had with their CVT. BMW discontinued their CVT at the end of 2006."

I stand corrected... I wish Ford would bring back the CVT, but I guess they want cheaper trannies in their cars. I've always wondered why the CVT could be adapted to the new (normal) 3.5 L 263 HP engine the Taurus now uses, since the HP/Torque figures are similar to what Nissan uses. Oh well....

I read somewhere that 250HP/250lb/ft torque was the limit of where they could get the CVT technology to be reliable without cost getting unreasonable. Once the dollar started tanking the ZF parts got more and more expensive. The JV (Joint Venture Ford-GM) 6-spd became available, so they didn't have to buy from Aisin anymore. When the new 3.5L Duratech for Taurus (which was the engine the Five Hundred was supposed to be launched with) exceeded the 250HP barrier, the CVT didn't (couldn't) make sense anymore.

Some people didn't like it because the felt it was a "golf-cart" transmission and always felt like it was slipping. I love mine and won't be replacing it replacing it as a road trip machine anytime soon.

Good stuff Hoser.


I believe the phase out of the CVT was due to costs. As far as I know it's a good trans.

I asked about the transmission on mine (07 SEL, 500) and was told by my local Ford dealership, that they have never had one in for trans issues! The told me it was a very reliable trans. I was told the same by a guy who works on cars for a living, as far as its reliability goes. The CVT technology was actually designed by Leonardo De vinci (?) in 1886.
I love mine!! I have 37k on it now and it runs great!
Hope that helps with your possible purchase.

The CVTs were NOT made by Volvo or in Europe.

They were a Joint Venture between ZF Group Germany and FoMoCo, and the plant was it Batavia, Ohio, in the Good old US of A.

wchain is correct and I stand corrected. Here's an old but interesting read.

http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_zf_batavia_finally/

I think the CVT is great but can't get a straight answer from the dealers in terms of maintenance. I'm at 60k miles and I've read that the fluid and filter should be changed. The closest Ford dealer says it need a fluid change only (no filter change) and it will cost $320. Interesting thing is I've heard the tranny holds 10 qts of oil but only 5 qts will drain out. Another Ford dealer says nothing needs to be done.

I've decided if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'll revisit the idea at 100K. Maybe by then, I'll want to get a new SHO. (actually, I already do). Paying $320 for a "half" flush sounds like a waste of money.

Tomcat,

There is indeed a filter. I changed mine at 60K along with the fluid.

If you can change the oil on your car, you can change the fluid, even if you dont want to change the filter, draining and refilling is better than nothing.

Take 2 gallon milk jugs, wash it out and get quart measurements. Use a sharpie and draw your graduation marks on the side of the jug.

I just got the car on ramps, drained the fluid into an empty container, and then the filter (in this case, you dont want to replace it) then I took a milk jug (1 gallon) with the marks, poured my drained fluild into the first 1 gallon, then filled the second one up. You should get close.

Then I refilled the transmission, started the car and worked through the gears with my foot on the brake.

After that, take it for a drive. It feels more responsive IMO. The fluid was not dirty, but was discolored.