2016 Honda Civic EX 2.0 CVT Transmission Acceleration Concern

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Hey guys I have been dealing with something that might not be a problem but I can't find anything about it online and wanted to hear what you guys had to say.
My car is a 2016 Honda Civic EX 2.0 w/CVT i have had it 3.5 years and it has 36,000 miles. I have serviced the CVT at 30,000 at my dealership.
My car is entirely stock except for swapping my muffler and resonator.

What is concerning me is when accelerating while in D the car doesn't accelerate smoothly, the RPMs rise and fall when attempting to get up to speed, it is almost jerky or rubber banding in a sense. Since my exhaust is loud this is very noticeable and very embarrassing to hear because it does not sound good. If I accelerate while in S my car accelerates smoothly and I do not notice any problems. I have driven my car in S most of it's life and I am not sure if that is the cause of my concern because I have worn my CVT out or if I'm just not used to the way that my car accelerates while in D and I need to get used to the pedal response while in D.

I have brought these concerns to the dealership and they have assured me that they do not see a problem in their test drives. I have tried to look online for anyone having the same concern as me but I have not had luck. Has anyone hear experienced this or am I the only one? How are the rest of the 2.0 CVTs holding up out there?
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Did you begin to notice this just after the CVT service?

My CVT is definitely jerky; especially around 2200-2500 RPMs. I've been using eco mode lately and it seems to help smooth it out.
 
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indexcow

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Did you begin to notice this just after the CVT service?

My CVT is definitely jerky; especially around 2200-2500 RPMs. I've been using eco mode lately and it seems to help smooth it out.
No I was hoping the service would help or fix the problem but it didn't and I have just been ignoring it but I've decided to keep this car so I want to get this fixed if there's a problem. I agree that eco mode does make it better but it's really hot where I live so I need my AC to blow as cold.as it can right now so I've been driving with eco mode off.
 

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S mode doesn't deliver more torque. It just puts the engine at a higher rev range. You can put in in D and give it more throttle and have the same basic effect and power.
 

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In terms of torque, the 2.0 produces far, far less than the amount that would damage the CVT.
 


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Just curious, OP... why the change now from S to D?

I could certainly understand a difference being noticed if the switch was recent.

Maybe there's less of the 'optimizing' of the ratios by the computers when in S mode.

I would probably be more aware of the computer's interventions and non-traditional RPMs if my exhaust was louder.
 

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Hey guys I have been dealing with something that might not be a problem but I can't find anything about it online and wanted to hear what you guys had to say.
My car is a 2016 Honda Civic EX 2.0 w/CVT i have had it 3.5 years and it has 36,000 miles. I have serviced the CVT at 30,000 at my dealership.
My car is entirely stock except for swapping my muffler and resonator.

What is concerning me is when accelerating while in D the car doesn't accelerate smoothly, the RPMs rise and fall when attempting to get up to speed, it is almost jerky or rubber banding in a sense. Since my exhaust is loud this is very noticeable and very embarrassing to hear because it does not sound good. If I accelerate while in S my car accelerates smoothly and I do not notice any problems. I have driven my car in S most of it's life and I am not sure if that is the cause of my concern because I have worn my CVT out or if I'm just not used to the way that my car accelerates while in D and I need to get used to the pedal response while in D.

I have brought these concerns to the dealership and they have assured me that they do not see a problem in their test drives. I have tried to look online for anyone having the same concern as me but I have not had luck. Has anyone hear experienced this or am I the only one? How are the rest of the 2.0 CVTs holding up out there?
The cvt has simulated gear shifts in “D”. While “L” this simulation is removed. I’m not sure about in “S”. I think “S” acts like “D” except it holds the “gears” at a higher rpm.
 
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Just curious, OP... why the change now from S to D?

I could certainly understand a difference being noticed if the switch was recent.

Maybe there's less of the 'optimizing' of the ratios by the computers when in S mode.

I would probably be more aware of the computer's interventions and non-traditional RPMs if my exhaust was louder.
I've been driving with my girlfriend and her daughter in my car and I don't want to be going fast and furious with passengers. Plus my tires are near the end of their life so I've been taking it easy until I get new ones
 
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"S" mode will deliver more torque to the transmission and wear it out more quickly than "D". I would have hoped that the transmission was robust enough to take "S" mode since Honda gives us the option to use it. But maybe not. I use it on occasion (once or twice a year) myself to get the engine RPMs up to reduce carbon buildup.

The car does have a hesitation if you are heavy on the gas pedal during initial acceleration (like from a stop or when accelerating after coasting or slowing down) while in "D". To overcome this, always only use 1/4 pressure on the gas pedal during initial acceleration, then add more pressure after you start moving.

Get it tested out by someone who knows CVT transmissions or someone else with a 2.0 Civic with a CVT. Not the Dealer mechanics.
If it is showing signs of wear, don't let the dealership BS you with "It is supposed to be like that".
You have only a year and a half left on the drivetrain warranty.

Let this be a warning to others that we need to treat these CVTs gently.
Engine mods, hard driving, off road driving, mountain driving, towing and the overuse of the "S" mode should be avoided. Frequent fluid changes are recommended.
I have a similar model car as a work car I can test out but it doesn't get driven very much and only has a few thousand miles on it so so they aren't exactly in the same condition. I will drive it around and see how it behaves but it has 20,000 less miles than my personal civic.
 
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In terms of torque, the 2.0 produces far, far less than the amount that would damage the CVT.
Also note that the 2.0 has a different CVT than the 1.5T and the limits of the 2.0 CVT have not been tested yet so nobody knows it's limits. It could be at it's limit from the factory or it could take another 100HP but nobody has done the RnD to find out like they did with the 1.5t CVT
 


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And higher revs generally give more torque. The 2.0 with the CVT in "D", the engine RPM's are generally kept between 1500 RPM and 2500 RPM unless you really flog it or go up steep hills. In "S" revs generally increase to 2500-3500 RPM. The torque is generally higher 2500-3500 rpm than they are 1500 rpm-2500 rpm. Remember, we are talking about the 2.0 here, not the turbo engine with it's flatter torque curve.
https://www.civicx.com/threads/civicx-2-0l-tuning-big-gains-confirmed-for-the-second-time.17353/



It doesn't matter how you deliver the extra power, the more power you put to your transmission (especially one with belts instead of gears) the more quickly it will wear out. Whether you are heavy on the pedal or put the transmission in "S" mode you are putting more strain on the tranny.

I am not looking for a back and forth argument on who is "right" on this, I am only warning people to go easy on these transmissions. They have not proven their durability yet.
At this point I'm wondering if I should keep up my driving habits to see if I can "beat" the warranty and wear out my transmission and get replacement before my warranty expires. Sounds dumb but if they arent going to fix it unless it's broken I might as well entertain them lol
 
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If it is already showing signs of wear, I would try to get it fixed sooner, rather than "proving" that it is worn by trying to break it further. Get it checked out by an independent transmission shop that you trust and don't let Honda off of the hook.
I have never been to a transmission shop so I don't have one I "trust". Taking my car to a transmission shop sounds like paying out of pocket which I'd like to avoid.
 

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I was thinking about this more earlier today.

If the CVT is still behaving the same in S as it did a year ago; I'm gonna' assume that it's fine. It seems like the thing would start to act up when higher demands were placed on it rather than lower ones. I'll go out for a burn and keep it in S and see if I notice a difference similar to your experience. My hunch is that there's more software intervention in D (and even more in Eco) than in S.
 
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Hey guys just an update, I took the work 17 honda civic for a spin today keeping an eye on the RPMs it looks like it does kind of behave the same way as my own, I am just able to notice it much more in my car since I have a loud exhaust. I will continue to drive the 17 work civic as well as my 16 personal civic to compare them but yes both seem to have some RPM fluctuations when accelerating in D with eco mode off.
 
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Hey guys I have been dealing with something that might not be a problem but I can't find anything about it online and wanted to hear what you guys had to say.
My car is a 2016 Honda Civic EX 2.0 w/CVT i have had it 3.5 years and it has 36,000 miles. I have serviced the CVT at 30,000 at my dealership.
My car is entirely stock except for swapping my muffler and resonator.

What is concerning me is when accelerating while in D the car doesn't accelerate smoothly, the RPMs rise and fall when attempting to get up to speed, it is almost jerky or rubber banding in a sense. Since my exhaust is loud this is very noticeable and very embarrassing to hear because it does not sound good. If I accelerate while in S my car accelerates smoothly and I do not notice any problems. I have driven my car in S most of it's life and I am not sure if that is the cause of my concern because I have worn my CVT out or if I'm just not used to the way that my car accelerates while in D and I need to get used to the pedal response while in D.

I have brought these concerns to the dealership and they have assured me that they do not see a problem in their test drives. I have tried to look online for anyone having the same concern as me but I have not had luck. Has anyone hear experienced this or am I the only one? How are the rest of the 2.0 CVTs holding up out there?

Hi there,

I started experiencing the same issue since yesterday. My car started showing the signs of engine hesitation and jerking out of the blue yesterday. Due to this Covid19 outbreak, I am working from home and I didn't drive my 2016 Civic LX 2.0l (Automatic transmission with 10,2000 kms on it) for a few days. But yesterday, I decided to go outside to buy a few things and all of a sudden my car started showing signs of engine hesitation while driving in the city at 50-60 Km/hr speed. It was hesitating more while accelerating. Then I decided to go on a highway just to check what is happening. While I was speeding up and try to merge on the highway, my car started jerking frequently. After then, I decided to come home and not to drive.

This morning I tried to give it a second shot before calling the dealership, I went for a short drive around my neighbourhood, It showed little signs of engine hesitation. Things got worse when I pulled up on my driveway. The Check Engine light came on along with all different kinds of warning signs on the dash.

It shows..
1. Emission System Problem
2. Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem
3. Hill Start Assist Problem
4. Power Steering System Problem (EPS)
5. Brake System Problem
6. Brake Hold System Problem

The car jerks every few seconds while in the Drive mode or on Reverse mode but with the brakes on. The jerks are noticeable. Car stops jerking while in Parking mode.

Any suggestions? What could possibly the issue? Did anyone have the same experience? Is there any vehicle recalls related to this in Canada or the USA? Is it the engine misfire due to worn out spark plugs or timing belt or dirt or debris in the fuel tank? Could it be water in the fuel tank due to high ethanol content in gas? I did fill up my gas tank at Costco for a cheaper price at $0.58 cents a litre due to this outbreak.
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