2016 Civic EX-T w/ CVT No power to engine. Transmission?

[Le0hart]

My 2016 EX-T CVT is my workhorse. I have to drive 30 miles back and forth to work everyday, so I have over 100k miles on it. Monday night driving home it started to have a weird feel. It began to fluctuate rpm and feel like it was having trouble maintaining speed. A few moments later it threw up “transmission problem” and “brake problem” codes and I lost ability to accelerate. Like it was permanently in neutral. I pulled over, turned it off and waited and turned it back on. The codes went away, but no matter what you put the gear select in, you couldn’t get power to the engine. The engine sounded fine, the car started fine. No awful mechanical sounds. I had it towed to the place nearby I have gotten tires and regular oil changes. But the nearest Honda Dealer is an hour away. My shop looked at it and drained the Transmission and said they found “metal shavings,” but beyond that, they couldn’t find anything. But they said take it to Honda. I still have 2 years left on my loan and owe $12k. Do I try and fix this and pay for a tow? Is this car’s transmission completely boned?

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[Civics4Ever]

Metal shavings don't sound good, could be the belts. Have you ever had the trans fluid changed? Is your car tuned?

 

[takierosales]

Check maybe its your tranny speed sensor. Also did you change cvt fluid? You might be in limp mode

 

[silverrascal]

Please post updates... even though I'm no where near 100K in mileage, I'm interested to know the cause of the problem and the solution. Sorry it happened to you but hope you get it solved. Good luck, man.

 

[Arashishozen]

I've seen this at work. Metal bits in the fluid is a sign of either the speed sensor inside the trans, or the belt itself. Either way, it's a transmission. Most of the internal stuff for the CVT honda doesn't actually have the option to get.

 

[GermanCivic]

@Le0hart
Any updates form this?

 

[twinknolls]

My 2016 EX-T CVT is my workhorse. I have to drive 30 miles back and forth to work everyday, so I have over 100k miles on it. Monday night driving home it started to have a weird feel. It began to fluctuate rpm and feel like it was having trouble maintaining speed. A few moments later it threw up “transmission problem” and “brake problem” codes and I lost ability to accelerate. Like it was permanently in neutral. I pulled over, turned it off and waited and turned it back on. The codes went away, but no matter what you put the gear select in, you couldn’t get power to the engine. The engine sounded fine, the car started fine. No awful mechanical sounds. I had it towed to the place nearby I have gotten tires and regular oil changes. But the nearest Honda Dealer is an hour away. My shop looked at it and drained the Transmission and said they found “metal shavings,” but beyond that, they couldn’t find anything. But they said take it to Honda. I still have 2 years left on my loan and owe $12k. Do I try and fix this and pay for a tow? Is this car’s transmission completely boned?

I have 2016 EXT Sedan with 150k miles and mostly freeway. Everything you mentioned happened to me. Noticed the vehicle was struggling to pick up speed, heard some rumbling in the front of vehicle, like something was caught in engine. I had difficulty accelerating, sounded like something snapped, then nothing but a burning smell and no response in any gear. Coasted to next exit off freeway and had it towed to Honda Dealer. It happened on my way to work. Honda Dealer told me steel belt in CVT snapped and there was a hole in transmission/case (most likely from belt snapping). Remanufactured CVT with 36k/3yr warranty installed with 4 wheel alignment, $5300. All services performed per minder. Owned Hondas for 20+ years. Never had any major problems with close to 400k miles on each. I think its a sign of the times were there's no money in things that last and things are built to be replaced or fixed at a acclerated rate anymore.

 

[GermanCivic]

@twinknolls
Oh man that's sucks. How many CVT fluid changes did you had within those 150k miles?

$5,300 is a lot of money but also it's not too bad, since I've heard a new one costs $9,000 including labour.

 

[twinknolls]

every 60k per minder and my mechanic who has only worked on Hondas for 30 years.

 

[Civics4Ever]

every 60k per minder and my mechanic who has only worked on Hondas for 30 years.

Oh so it was changed every 60,000 miles or 60000 kilometers? Either way it's way past the recommended interval. No wonder your trans failed.

 

[GermanCivic]

Maybe a faulty maintenance minder?

My maintenance minder and also the owners manual, both recommend to change the CVT fluid every 24k miles or 40k kilometers.

 

[Civics4Ever]

Maybe a faulty maintenance minder?

My maintenance minder and also the owners manual, both recommend to change the CVT fluid every 24k miles or 40k kilometers.

Or a bogus post.

 

[rwk226]

I think varying factors go into replacing the CVT fluid, but in my experience it's ALWAYS better to err on the side of caution. I replaced my 2018's CVT fluid at 35,000 miles (previous owner said they changed oil but nothing about CVT fluid) and it still looked to be in great shape. No shavings, no smell, only slight discoloration. Changed mine for peace of mind. $80 for the fluid and a pack of replacement washers, less than an hour's work is awfully cheap compared to a new/refurbed transmission. I never had any maintenance minders come up, and for all I know the fluid could've been changed before I bought the car (from a private party), but proper care and driving goes a long way in preserving your CVT, your motor, your car in general.

Real shame to hear what happened, though. Hopefully OP and nolls got their CVTs replaced and haven't had issues since.

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