2.5 or 3.6R? Either way, doesn't sound good, but your 2016 is covered under the 10 year/100k mile warranty extension for the CVT, so get it to a good dealer service department asap.

 

Sounds like you'll be receiving a free remanufactured CVT soon.

 

I'm going though similar on my transmission. It sounds like forward and reverse clutch slips due to low fluid pressure being applied to those clutches. As your engine RPM increases, the transmission oil pump builds pressure and the clutch engages. The two dealers I've visited focused on chain slip and haven't been able to figure it out. I didn't have a clue back then either, except that it was slipping. I've since spent a lot of time digging into schematics, teardown/rebuild videos and lurking on Nissan forums (since their CVTs have similar operating principles except for the AWD system). I will be well armed with knowledge for my next visit, along with a car that has a long list of symptoms, some of which are easy to duplicate.

Check out this procedure. It outlines how to time engagement from N to D or R and how long it should take (1.5 seconds or less). That may give you a clue about the health of your forward and reverse clutches.

I don't have a clue what could be causing the low fluid pressure. Hopefully you have a small, external leak that the dealer can fix without replacing the transmission.

 

Remember there now is an Extended warranty on it. So do nothing that will effect that. Transmissions and their parts are very expensive. As you are under 60,000 miles, in which there is an inspection on the Regular Maintenance Chart, they can not really blame you for bad Maintenance.

A Dealer probably will replace it, as is their practice. I would complain it is a safety issue, stuck when you need to move is not good. They just take them out send it off to Subaru and put a new one or a factory rebuilt one in, as per the instructions from Subaru of America. This is if it is a US one.

I would think it might be a Valve Body; but the US Dealers do not perform that service, which is probably for the better. You will never really know what went wrong as they just pack it up and ship it out.

 

I would think it might be a Valve Body; but the US Dealers do not perform that service, which is probably for the better.

Yes they do.

 

The extended warranty covers the CVT and most fixable mechanisms including the valve body. If something internal such as pulleys or chains, then yeah, that won't be serviced.

 

Change the filter and exchange one qt of fluid with lucas anti slip. Put the remainder of the original fluid back in.