[sudipt123]

Hi Forum Members,

I've taken a while to write a post on my woes ever after my Maruti Baleno developed a overheating situation with just 32k on the odometer. The car is a the CVT Delta 2020 Model being single handedly driven all along. The car has not given me any major issues till on the fateful day of July 19th '23, while picking up my child from School, the gearbox suddenly lost drive.

The Ordeal begins: -
The Gearbox icon and check engine light lit up on the instrument cluster.
It was raining that day (somewhat heavy) in Mumbai, and pushed the vehicle to the side with the help of fellow motorists. I called up the Maruti RSA and 45 min later, the mechanic arrives. He says, there is some internal issue and car needs to be towed to the ASC.

Dealer Workshop M/S Velox Motors - receives the vehicle and sits on it. JC is opened only (after 2 hrs upon reaching) once i start checking on the details. Dlr informs that most of their staff has left early due to the rains. Fast forward with their diagnosis, Dealer informs that the CVT oil cooler has failed and needs replacement. I had availed of EW (Gold) during purchase. A week of back and forth and with help of a EX Maruti Contact, the component arrives from Delhi and fitted in the car.

Now comes the Overhang: -


However I made a revisit (Within a month) to the same workshop with Issues of Jerking, poor pickup after driving about 400- 500 kms. Dealership said they will call Maruti Technical Helpdesk and ask the solution. However no Maruti personnel visited the Dealership. Finally, I was informed that they have exhausted all the troubleshooting steps and that nothing is wrong with the car.



Ultimately after checking a few technical forums and with info available to me, demanded the CVT Fluid to be changed which was done by Dealership. This step mitigated the issues to some extent, but didn't resolve and residual effects are being felt


Current issues being faced with car while driving: -

1. RPM is reduced even after constant throttle application.

2. Gear changes are sluggish and RPM Fluctuates while changes. (Can feel it) and watch on the tachometer

3. Jerking / Lurching between (20-30 KM/hr)

4. Very Poor Acceleration (Feels like I'm driving on CNG)- even on S Mode.

5. Facing poor fuel efficiency (Drop of about 3-4 KM/Litre) since the incident. Earlier used to consistently get around 16 Km/Litre (Mixed Conditions of highway and city)

6. Gearbox Whine /sounds persists after the repair.

7. Juddering while coasting.

8. Big Jerking from moving from P to R or N (more pronounced effect at cold start)



Repeat Complaints: -
2 Visits later , including the TSM, both times they are just hooking up the scan tool and checking the parameters and stating that no DTC's are showing. Last drive with TSM where the jerking issue was acknowledged by him, but stated that it's comparable to another CVT Baleno (point 8 was verified, but the jerking was somewhat subdued when compared to my Vehicle). I seriously feel that the CVT clutch is failing in my Vehicle, and this is just the start of the symptoms.

On speaking to a few local mechanics, was stated that rejection of acceptance is a common tactic used by Dealer till warranty gets over. Once it is over, they will ask you to change the entire gearbox assembly.

I humbly request my fellow members to help me out of this pickle. I am thinking to escalate this further, maybe even legal options.

But overall I am appalled with the life of these JATCO gearboxes running on the Baleno's and Glanza's.

Thanks in Advance

Sudipt

[GTO]

Work with Maruti. Try another dealership. Keep contacting Maruti's customer service until they solve the problem. I am also forwarding this thread URL to some contacts at Maruti. Maruti is known to take care of its customers.

I wasn't aware that the CVT Maruti uses is from Jatco. They have the worst reputation for reliability (check this URL and this). Nissan owns Jatco, but Jatco has destroyed Nissan's reputation in the USA, much like VWs & DQ200s.

In this sea of CVTs, AMTs & dual-clutch ATs, the good old torque-converter AT remains the most reliable & my preferred choice.

[MotoBlip]

Even I wasn't aware that Maruti used JATCO's CVT transmission. There's a sea of complaints on Reddit, with many users expressing concerns about failures due to overheating. Some have even resorted to installing aftermarket transmission coolers.

I hope Maruti assists you with this issue. Consider visiting a NEXA Service Centre; in my limited experience with them, they usually provide better service than ARENA workshops and warranty claims move more swiftly. My car also has a CVT, with around 65k kms, and things are fine. I recently had the CVT fluid and filter replaced. Could it be possible that they didn't replace the filter in your case, leading to a potential blockage? Also, have you noticed any underbelly damage?

[Jeroen]

There are several known problems with the Maruti CVT. With this many problems there are two that stand out.

They might have not filled the unit properly. Low fluid level provides a whole host of problems.

The other thing these things suffer from, poor TCM. Over time they break. I am not sure if it is the actual electronics, or some problems with the wiring and or connector.

Next time after a breakdown always ask for the error codes and a detailed list of what was done on the car. That might be useful in case new and or additional problems develop. It would be interesting to understand what caused the initial problem in the first place and what part was replaced.

You mention gear changes to be sluggish and gear box whining. I thought CVTs don’t have gearboxes. I am sure you are experiencing such symptoms, but again that indicates a low fluid level or other trouble.
If this is indeed a Jatco CVT it might have a torque converter as well.

As suggested keep the pressure on Maruti.

Good luck

Jeroen

[ike]

Originally Posted by sudipt123

I humbly request my fellow members to help me out of this pickle. I am thinking to escalate this further, maybe even legal options.


Sudipt

It sounds like you haven't involved Maruti yet, if yes I urge you to do so right away. Just an email to the generic mail ID will get you good amount of help and support. I also suggest you try a different dealership since the current one has not been able to diagnose properly after multiple visits. In my experience Maruti customer care is among the best and will help you out to a great extent.

[condor]

Any idea of which other Maruti models use the Jatco CVT system ?

[sudipt123]

Originally Posted by GTO

Work with Maruti. Try another dealership. Keep contacting Maruti's customer service until they solve the problem. I am also forwarding this thread URL to some contacts at Maruti. Maruti is known to take care of its customers.

Thanks for your support GTO, let's hope Maruti responds positively. I was in Touch with Maruti through Twitter and then through their customer service. I have once again shot a mail to them

Originally Posted by GTO

I wasn't aware that the CVT Maruti uses is from Jatco. They have the worst reputation for reliability . Nissan owns Jatco, but Jatco has destroyed Nissan's reputation in the USA, much like VWs & DQ200s.

Yes Baleno CVT has JATCO - Learnt in this forum itself. maybe i need to dig out the link from the Baleno Review
JATCO CVT's are infamous for their poor reliability. Learnt it all through Scotty Kilmer - THE BOSS

Originally Posted by GTO

In this sea of CVTs, AMTs & dual-clutch ATs, the good old torque-converter AT remains the most reliable & my preferred choice.

Yes absolutely no 2 ways about it, although AISIN CVT's and even HONDA's are pretty reliable.

[sudipt123]

Originally Posted by MotoBlip

Even I wasn't aware that Maruti used JATCO's CVT transmission. There's a sea of complaints on Reddit, with many users expressing concerns about failures due to overheating. Some have even resorted to installing aftermarket transmission coolers.

I hope Maruti assists you with this issue. Consider visiting a NEXA Service Centre; in my limited experience with them, they usually provide better service than ARENA workshops and warranty claims move more swiftly. My car also has a CVT, with around 65k kms, and things are fine. I recently had the CVT fluid and filter replaced. Could it be possible that they didn't replace the filter in your case, leading to a potential blockage? Also, have you noticed any underbelly damage?

Seriously considering a Nexa Dealer, however I doubt their expertise as the TSM admitted that the CVT gearbox is a sealed unit, and Maruti just replaces the entire assembly if any issue found.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

You mention gear changes to be sluggish and gear box whining. I thought CVTs don’t have gearboxes. I am sure you are experiencing such symptoms, but again that indicates a low fluid level or other trouble.
If this is indeed a Jatco CVT it might have a torque converter as well.

As suggested keep the pressure on Maruti.

Good luck

Jeroen

Thanks for that, actually I had the old CVT fluid drained, and filled around 2ltr of CVT OEM fluid (Green-2), the level was checked as per the user manual and found to be OK, both times.

Also Doubt the TCM failure- which would have been identified in the scan tool.

On further asking the Dealer the cause of Failure, they said there was a leakage in the cooler (i dunno the actual reason)- perhaps corrosion ?, and the GearBox overheated.

Attaching the part for reference

[Jaggu]

Get the details of Maruti's regional service manager from the dealership and speak to him. They usually schedule visits every month and ensure your car is checked by them. Then push for an early replacement of the box since it is under warranty and not an easily repairable part but a critical one.

As far as actual issue, my only guess is.. low fluid level has messed up the internals and the box is not performing at the optimum as it should. Hence the jerking and loss of performance.

[guptad42]

Looks like the CVT belt or pulleys might have suffered damage due to the low fluid levels when it leaked. Or the actuators that move the pulleys to change the effective drive ratio.

Even in reliable CVT transmissions like Honda, CVTs are very sensitive to timely fluid changes. Surface finish of belts and pulleys is critical to a smooth and efficient CVT. Running too long with the old CVT fluid is enough to create major problems, let alone running with insufficient fluid that your car has suffered.

You may need to push Suzuki for a CVT transmission replacement under warranty.

[vaisakhr]

Originally Posted by sudipt123

Hi Forum Members,

I've taken a while to write a post on my woes ever after my Maruti Baleno developed a overheating situation with just 32k on the odometer. The car is a the CVT Delta 2020 Model being single handedly driven all along. The car has not given me any major issues till on the fateful day of July 19th '23, while picking up my child from School, the gearbox suddenly lost drive.

Hi, I own a 2020 Baleno Alpha CVT, 45k done on the odo. I have faced similar issue few months back.

Was on a Sunday drive with my wife and 2yr old baby near Munnar, Kerala. Upon our return journey to home at Adimali the GB overheating warning popped up. Stopped the car, waited for 15 to 20 mins to cool down. Checked oil level and found everything to be normal visually. Started the car and the gearbox fault indicator was lit and the car refused to move in R. had to take a turn back to go home, since the roads were narrow and required a 3 point turn which I was unable to do. Asked my wife to step out with baby and wait near the nearby shop and i went ahead to find a good space to do a U turn. Sadly couldn't find any and decided to use a slope to help with reverse. Did that and picked them up and drove the car on N since the way back was downhill,luckily. Drove for few kms and there was the doom waiting for a us, a climb. The car simply refused to go up and had to park it on the side. By this time the it was dark outside and we were in a semi forest kind of place with no people or vehicles nearby. Was scared AF since my wife and kid were with me.

After many calls we somehow managed to arrange a flatbed to shift car, and a cab for them. Cab arrived first and I got down at a small village enroute home, since staying at that place alone was not safe. I went back to my car on the flatbed and moved the car to our home.

Next day took the same flat bed to shift the car to the Nexa service centre, my usual place.

Then the days of calls and frustration began. They were not sure what the problem was and were checking/doing what the company was asking them to do. The tried replaced the valve block( not sure what it is) and the TCM, no luck the car was still not moving. And MS asked to replace the entire GB.

My car was at the workshop for almost 3 months. Whole thing was covered under warranty, I only had to bear the cost of gear oil.

Note : The SC guys told me the entire bill was whopping 4.5L

[lxskllr]

Keeping an eye on this thread, as I also have a 2020 Jan Baleno Delta CVT.

Baleno uses the same unit that is in the Nissan magnite. It is the JATCO CVT7 (JF015E) Thanks u/Godzilla for sharing this.

My Car has done 58K KMs, and I have replaced the fluid twice - once at 20K and once at 40K. I was hoping I could replace this at 40K intervals going forward, but might stick to the 20K only.

[vamsi.vadrevu]

Originally Posted by lxskllr

Baleno uses the same unit that is in the Nissan magnite. It is the JATCO CVT7 (JF015E) Thanks u/Godzilla for sharing this.
.

I have a magnite CVT. If both have the same CVT units, I'm going to get the fluid replaced at 20k intervals too. I was intending to get it done at 30k. But looking at these issues and our driving conditions, 20k seems more reasonable.

I knew what I was getting into when I bought the magnite. Timely maintenance is the only thing we can do to prevent catastrophic failure.

The problem is, manufacturers give false advertising on CVT gearboxes saying it's a lifetime unit. And in their definition lifetime of a car is 60k km! So we gotta be more proactive in our maintenance schedule and go above and beyond the manufacturer recommended intervals.

[vamsi.vadrevu]

I've found a Russian website that shows all the potential failures of this gearbox.

It seems all the issues stem from delayed transmission fluid changes and non replacement of filters.
https://akppro.ru/en/magazine/article/jatco-jf015e.html

[TheCamShaft]

Originally Posted by vamsi.vadrevu

I have a magnite CVT. If both have the same CVT units, I'm going to get the fluid replaced at 20k intervals too. I was intending to get it done at 30k. But looking at these issues and our driving conditions, 20k seems more reasonable.

I knew what I was getting into when I bought the magnite. Timely maintenance is the only thing we can do to prevent catastrophic failure.

Also keep a close tab on reports for any patterns around AT cooler failure in your car model and consider replacing that too proactively . An AT cooler failure would lead into significant damage to the AT gearbox.