CVT surging up and down

PRak_CivX

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I have same issue during same speed range on cc. I have 30 minute commute on highway every day that I have to do 60-70. Notice this back and forth lurching. Car is 4 weeks old. Normal or no??
Lots of people are reporting the same issue. I also have it... But it is very subtle. I have to concentrate in order to perceive it.
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Rasfactor

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I am also having this same issue, actually annoying when you're just trying to maintain the same speed on the highway (even though I understand its not the best during the vehicles break-in period). I like Hunter's idea of some built-in code in the system, hopefully turns off after a few thousand miles.
 

RDMerBC

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I am having the surging/lurching issue as well -- most noticeable at highway speeds on level ground. You can see the revs surging up and down on the tach, and it feels distracting and unpleasant -- would not like to think this is just a characteristic of the CVT, or perhaps the torque converter. This surging seemed to arrive after about 1000km (600+ miles) on the odometer. Did not notice it during previous highway driving, where I was paying close attention and everything was smooth as glass.

I'm wondering if the surging has gone away for those of you who reported it earlier? Thanks. (Otherwise, the car is a great step up from my previous 9th gen. Civic in every way.)
 

marriott29

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I am having the surging/lurching issue as well -- most noticeable at highway speeds on level ground. You can see the revs surging up and down on the tach, and it feels distracting and unpleasant -- would not like to think this is just a characteristic of the CVT, or perhaps the torque converter. This surging seemed to arrive after about 1000km (600+ miles) on the odometer. Did not notice it during previous highway driving, where I was paying close attention and everything was smooth as glass.

I'm wondering if the surging has gone away for those of you who reported it earlier? Thanks. (Otherwise, the car is a great step up from my previous 9th gen. Civic in every way.)
I have the same problem too ! mine have 1200 miles and I really like the car but what should I do ? should I take him to the dealer to find out the problem ?
 


marriott29

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I have the same problem with my civic ex t and I like the car but its very unpleasant to feel that back and forward all the time . Sometimes I feel that the car its going to shut down . what should I do to fix this problem ?
 

dick w

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Take it to a dealer and describe your issue. They'll evaluate it and figure out where to go from there. This is what warranties are for.
 

twelver

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I am having the surging/lurching issue as well -- most noticeable at highway speeds on level ground. You can see the revs surging up and down on the tach, and it feels distracting and unpleasant -- would not like to think this is just a characteristic of the CVT, or perhaps the torque converter. This surging seemed to arrive after about 1000km (600+ miles) on the odometer. Did not notice it during previous highway driving, where I was paying close attention and everything was smooth as glass.

I'm wondering if the surging has gone away for those of you who reported it earlier? Thanks. (Otherwise, the car is a great step up from my previous 9th gen. Civic in every way.)
1000 miles and I still notice it. Most notably going 75 on cruise control. It's more subtle around 60 for me.
 

jmat

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1000 miles and I still notice it. Most notably going 75 on cruise control. It's more subtle around 60 for me.
cruise control seems to exaggerate it for me as well. its like the car wants to go forward but it hesitates. pretty damn annoying to be honest. it is almost happening all the time now, while as before it was just as low speeds. approx 1700 miles on the car now and it has gotten worse.
 

RDMerBC

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cruise control seems to exaggerate it for me as well. its like the car wants to go forward but it hesitates. pretty damn annoying to be honest. it is almost happening all the time now, while as before it was just as low speeds. approx 1700 miles on the car now and it has gotten worse.
Thanks for your updates, guys. Looks like it's not going away on its own. Seems like we'll have to take our cars back to Honda for warranty servicing on this issue (as Dick W suggested). I hope it can be tweaked/tuned to operate properly, perhaps with a software tweak. It is annoying and distracting and makes highway driving unpleasant.

Any owners with the six speed manual experiencing the same issue, I wonder? If not, it may well be the CVT or torque converter, or the way they communicate, that's creating the surging issue.

I wonder when the first scheduled servicing is for these new cars? Anyone know offhand?
 


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Mine is still doing it but maybe not as bad. I have around 1,200 miles on it so far.
 

RDMerBC

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Just an update on this issue. I've concluded that the surging at highway speeds has nothing to do with using the cruise control. Using cruise control remains, however, the best way to test for it.

I took the car (Touring model) out on a long, flat, straight stretch of four-lane highway and tested for this issue again this afternoon. The surging up and down in engine revs, which feels just like someone easing up on the gas, applying the gas, easing up on the gas, repeatedly, is there when the car is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), regular cruise control, and when one just tries to keep the speed constant with cruise control turned off. And just fyi, using economy mode has no effect on the issue. The revs keep pulsing up and down, making what should be a very smooth ride into an annoyance.

This makes me wonder if if it is indeed a CVT and/or torque converter issue. I'll book an appointment with my Honda dealer for warranty service this week and report back on what they do.
 

otaviovigato

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Just an update on this issue. I've concluded that the surging at highway speeds has nothing to do with using the cruise control. Using cruise control remains, however, the best way to test for it.

I took the car (Touring model) out on a long, flat, straight stretch of four-lane highway and tested for this issue again this afternoon. The surging up and down in engine revs, which feels just like someone easing up on the gas, applying the gas, easing up on the gas, repeatedly, is there when the car is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), regular cruise control, and when one just tries to keep the speed constant with cruise control turned off. And just fyi, using economy mode has no effect on the issue. The revs keep pulsing up and down, making what should be a very smooth ride into an annoyance.

This makes me wonder if if it is indeed a CVT and/or torque converter issue. I'll book an appointment with my Honda dealer for warranty service this week and report back on what they do.

I starting notice the same issue a couple weeks ago and I was trying to figure it out what it's..I have a touring model and i was wondering if was just me..I'm glad and sad at the same time because it's a brand new car and this is the last thing somebody that just bought a new car want to hear...I hope Honda can fix this as soon as possible without give any hard time and saying that it's something normal on the car...good luck for us..
 

RDMerBC

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I starting notice the same issue a couple weeks ago and I was trying to figure it out what it's..I have a touring model and i was wondering if was just me..I'm glad and sad at the same time because it's a brand new car and this is the last thing somebody that just bought a new car want to hear...I hope Honda can fix this as soon as possible without give any hard time and saying that it's something normal on the car...good luck for us..
I certainly think they will try to fix it, as it's in their best interest, especially during the "honeymoon" period when the new model is just hitting the roads. It's not normal, on any car, in my experience. The four new rental cars I've driven over the past two years (all lesser brands than Honda, I'd say) have not exhibited anything like this. They all ran smoothly at highway speeds, without surging. I'll book an appointment today and let the list know what transpires, hopefully by the end of the week.
 

camhabib

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That "surging" sounds like it may be pretty normal to me from my experience. Keep in mind, things like wind, road grade (angle), and surface material will all effect the stress put on the engine, and as such, what RPM it decides to stay at. My guess is that if you put it in Sport mode, that "surging" would be gone. This may not be a defect at all, but more a feature to ensure you don't do what's known as "dog the engine" which is put high loads of stress under low RPMs. My other car will go so far as to drop a gear or two just based off the angle of the car, even if I do nothing else. The CVT, since it lacks gears, tries to do this in its own right by moving up or down in the ratios while attempting to keep the same speed as best as possible. Could also be a technique to avoid running at the same RPM / ratio for too long which isn't terribly good for the drivetrain.

In any case, just my $0.001, could very well be an issue, though I haven't really noticed the car doing this myself.
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