[Michael613]

It DOES have specific properties (as do many Honda fluids) so it is probably worth using. Could you buy it cheaper online? E Bay in the US has several listings. Unfortunately, shipping costs might negate and savings.

Aisin CVT fluid is supposed to be compatible, too...but many 'alternate' makers say that, and you wouldn't experience issues until it was in the trans for many miles.

Your call!

From all the oil analysis's done on bobistheoilguy, it seems like HCF-2 isn't anything special.

As long as the manufacturer's website states that it is approved as being compatible with HCF-2, I personally wouldn't worry because the data to backup the decision is out there.

Changing the fluid more often with 3rd party compatible will make the car last longer than changing it once in a while with HCF-2.

This one guy had 286,000 miles on his original 2015 Honda CVT using Castrol Transmax CVT or Redline CVT, changing it every 20-30,000 miles. His car calls for HCF-2.

If you look at his signature, he's now at 333,333 miles!!!

 

[CalgaryHRV]

Just quickly scanning this thread, I don't think any of the CVT transmissions that failed ever had their fluid or filters changed.
Lack of maintenance is a major factor in any transmission failure. It's in the owner's manual.
Do not rely on the dealer or the maintenance minder on the dash.

The rubber CVT trans fill plug is in there pretty securely but a few people have mentioned that they have found it popped out.
If you toss the air intake resonator, you can get your hand right on that fill plug to check it and clean the area.
Just another benefit of removing that useless piece of plastic.

With the air intake resonator still installed, it's a challenge to get your hand in there to check.
Perhaps a long screwdriver or something similar to push on the plug.

The air intake piece that goes between the air box and the rubber air intake on the rad support comes out easily to get your hand in there if needed.

 

[ICTMatt]

This issue has just happened to me. 2016 CVT with ~80,000 miles. Took the HRV out the other day and it was shaking when I gave it any gas. I immediately dropped it off at the nearby shop. The service guy called to tell me the filler plug was missing and that the transmission was gone; there were large chunks of metal attached to the magnet drain plug. Any luck working with Honda @Remc86007 ?

 

[Sol]

This issue has just happened to me. 2016 CVT with ~80,000 miles. Took the HRV out the other day and it was shaking when I gave it any gas. I immediately dropped it off at the nearby shop. The service guy called to tell me the filler plug was missing and that the transmission was gone; there were large chunks of metal attached to the magnet drain plug. Any luck working with Honda @Remc86007 ?

Was the transmission fluid ever changed? How often?

 

[Remc86007]

Just quickly scanning this thread, I don't think any of the CVT transmissions that failed ever had their fluid or filters changed.
Lack of maintenance is a major factor in any transmission failure. It's in the owner's manual.
Do not rely on the dealer or the maintenance minder on the dash.

The problem is that it isn't "in the manual" at least not the US Owners manual. It gives no timeframe for changing the transmission fluid in normal driving conditions. It tells you to follow the maintenance minder and have the dealer check it. I did both of those things and my transmission still died. I also spoke to several people with failed 2016 CVTs that had changed the fluid at 30k and 60k miles. Some transmissions have even failed before 30k miles. The only thing the manual says about a timeframe for changing the fluid is:
"Driving in mountainous areas at very low vehicle speeds results in higher transmission temperatures. This requires transmission fluid changes more frequently than recommended by the Maintenance Minder. If you regularly drive your vehicle under these conditions, have the transmission fluid changed every 25,000 miles (40,000 km). "

I live in Florida. My HRV has never been driven in the mountains at low vehicle speeds. Many cars do not require transmission fluid changes until 90k+ miles, so it did not seem unusual that the maintenance minder had not told me to do it yet and the dealer never suggested it.

Anyway, I think the proof that there is a latent defect in the transmission is this: I heard back from Honda today and they have agreed to cover 80% of the parts and labor for a new transmission even though I was 13k miles out of the powertrain warranty.

Obviously I am thrilled, but I think this is bad sign for the longevity of other 2016 CVTs. If I were an owner of a 2016 CVT that hadn't failed yet, I would exclusively get the fluid changes done at Honda dealers and immediately take the car in anytime there is even the slightest vibration, stutter, or noise from the transmission. I am convinced that a huge portion of the 2016 CVTs will not make it to 100k miles.

 

[ICTMatt]

This issue has just happened to me. 2016 CVT with ~80,000 miles. Took the HRV out the other day and it was shaking when I gave it any gas. I immediately dropped it off at the nearby shop. The service guy called to tell me the filler plug was missing and that the transmission was gone; there were large chunks of metal attached to the magnet drain plug. Any luck working with Honda @Remc86007 ?

Heard back from Honda and apparently I had some sort of extended warranty that requires me to only pay a $300 deductible to have the transmission replaced. The full price would have been $5,000.

 

[Kboles]

Just quickly scanning this thread, I don't think any of the CVT transmissions that failed ever had their fluid or filters changed.
Lack of maintenance is a major factor in any transmission failure. It's in the owner's manual.
Do not rely on the dealer or the maintenance minder on the dash.

The rubber CVT trans fill plug is in there pretty securely but a few people have mentioned that they have found it popped out.
If you toss the air intake resonator, you can get your hand right on that fill plug to check it and clean the area.
Just another benefit of removing that useless piece of plastic.

With the air intake resonator still installed, it's a challenge to get your hand in there to check.
Perhaps a long screwdriver or something similar to push on the plug.

The air intake piece that goes between the air box and the rubber air intake on the rad support comes out easily to get your hand in there if needed.

Many of the owners here have posted that their maintenance was done by Honda directly. Highly doubtful that my second transmission (with only 11k miles on it) failed due to not having the fluid changed. There is clearly a defect with many of these 2016 models. Right now, on transmission #3 and approaching 150k - runs like a champ.

 

[ladyslimjim]

My 2017 HRV with 70,000 miles had total transmission failure while I was driving on the freeway. All the indicator lights came on and the car jerked a few times. I lost all power and then when I finally stopped on the freeway shoulder the car was stuck in park mode. I was still dangerously close to the right lane with cars zooming by and I couldn't get the car to move further away. Not to mention how scary it was to have this happen while I was on a downhill curve going 70mph.

The car has been very well maintained, and has had zero issues up to this point. I can't believe how many posts are on here with the same experience. This must be a defect. I towed the car to the dealer and after looking at it they said that this is becoming a common issue with HRVs and even though my warranty is up they will be making a request with Honda to help cover the $6,500 cost to replace the transmission.

I was planning on selling the car as soon as it was paid off to upgrade to a full size SUV. But now I am wondering how this transmission replacement will affect the resale value of the car??? And I'm still waiting to hear how much of the repair costs I will have to pay, even if Honda partially covers it, I will be out some thousands of dollars.

Does anyone know how the resale value will be affected? Do the dealerships ever buy the car from you if you don't want to pay for the costly repair? I'm just trying to figure out my options moving forward, I don't even want the car anymore after this experience, even if it is fixed.

 

[Fearturtle44]

sorry for your issue. You say that the HRV was well maintained so at what mileage intervals did you have your CVT transmission fluid changed? At 70k, you should have had at least two changes.

 

[ladyslimjim]

sorry for your issue. You say that the HRV was well maintained so at what mileage intervals did you have your CVT transmission fluid changed? At 70k, you should have had at least two changes.

It was changed once along with my break pads. I don't recall what the mileage was. However, the owner's manual does not give you a recommended interval. I didn't have any issues building up to that point either, no warning signs, no gear slippage...

 

[John35g]

It was changed once along with my break pads. I don't recall what the mileage was. However, the owner's manual does not give you a recommended interval. I didn't have any issues building up to that point either, no warning signs, no gear slippage...

When did you change the brake pads ? I have 25,000 miles - and the pads were recently inspect as not needing a change yet - and i did the fluid on my own at about 19,000. If i waited for brake pad change, it might have been past the recommended interval.
and yes 70,000 miles should have been at least 2 changes.

 

[Kboles]

My 2017 HRV with 70,000 miles had total transmission failure while I was driving on the freeway. All the indicator lights came on and the car jerked a few times. I lost all power and then when I finally stopped on the freeway shoulder the car was stuck in park mode. I was still dangerously close to the right lane with cars zooming by and I couldn't get the car to move further away. Not to mention how scary it was to have this happen while I was on a downhill curve going 70mph.

The car has been very well maintained, and has had zero issues up to this point. I can't believe how many posts are on here with the same experience. This must be a defect. I towed the car to the dealer and after looking at it they said that this is becoming a common issue with HRVs and even though my warranty is up they will be making a request with Honda to help cover the $6,500 cost to replace the transmission.

I was planning on selling the car as soon as it was paid off to upgrade to a full size SUV. But now I am wondering how this transmission replacement will affect the resale value of the car??? And I'm still waiting to hear how much of the repair costs I will have to pay, even if Honda partially covers it, I will be out some thousands of dollars.

Does anyone know how the resale value will be affected? Do the dealerships ever buy the car from you if you don't want to pay for the costly repair? I'm just trying to figure out my options moving forward, I don't even want the car anymore after this experience, even if it is fixed.

Make sure you file a vehicle safety complaint with the NHTSA. They will have a report of the transmission failure from Honda (supposedly), but they will not have an account of the dangerous situation this created for you, unless you report it. The more people who report this safety issue, the more likely an investigation will be triggered and a recall created. This happened to me too on the interstate. Glad you are safe.

File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

 

[ladyslimjim]

When did you change the brake pads ? I have 25,000 miles - and the pads were recently inspect as not needing a change yet - and i did the fluid on my own at about 19,000. If i waited for brake pad change, it might have been past the recommended interval.
and yes 70,000 miles should have been at least 2 changes.

I'm guessing it was at about the 35-40K mark, I know my break pads had early wear on them at the time. I still can't imagine that a transmission would have such a catastrophic failure when at 70K it would just barely be due for a transmission fluid change (according to your recommendation, again, the manual does NOT state when to change transmission fluid, simply says to do it whenever your MM tells you to). And with no other signs indicating that there was anything wrong with the transmission at all. It seems to me that there must have been some internal malfunction, but I'm not a mechanic. After the Honda dealership looked at my car it was clear that they had seen this issue before in the same model car and were quick to remedy the situation.

 

[ladyslimjim]

Make sure you file a vehicle safety complaint with the NHTSA. They will have a report of the transmission failure from Honda (supposedly), but they will not have an account of the dangerous situation this created for you, unless you report it. The more people who report this safety issue, the more likely an investigation will be triggered and a recall created. This happened to me too on the interstate. Glad you are safe.

File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

Thank you, I most certainly will.

 

[Kaite-Beasley]

My 2017 HRV with 70,000 miles had total transmission failure while I was driving on the freeway. All the indicator lights came on and the car jerked a few times. I lost all power and then when I finally stopped on the freeway shoulder the car was stuck in park mode. I was still dangerously close to the right lane with cars zooming by and I couldn't get the car to move further away. Not to mention how scary it was to have this happen while I was on a downhill curve going 70mph.

The car has been very well maintained, and has had zero issues up to this point. I can't believe how many posts are on here with the same experience. This must be a defect. I towed the car to the dealer and after looking at it they said that this is becoming a common issue with HRVs and even though my warranty is up they will be making a request with Honda to help cover the $6,500 cost to replace the transmission.

I was planning on selling the car as soon as it was paid off to upgrade to a full size SUV. But now I am wondering how this transmission replacement will affect the resale value of the car??? And I'm still waiting to hear how much of the repair costs I will have to pay, even if Honda partially covers it, I will be out some thousands of dollars.

Does anyone know how the resale value will be affected? Do the dealerships ever buy the car from you if you don't want to pay for the costly repair? I'm just trying to figure out my options moving forward, I don't even want the car anymore after this experience, even if it is fixed.

My 2017 is less than 64,000 and has had total transmission failure. Did you file a complaint with corporate or did you work exclusively with the dealership?

 

[ladyslimjim]

My 2017 is less than 64,000 and has had total transmission failure. Did you file a complaint with corporate or did you work exclusively with the dealership?

I dealt with the Honda dealership. They had seen the issue before and were quick to file a request with Honda for me. Honda agreed to cover most of the cost.

 

[Michael613]

A few of you in this thread with a failed transmission mentioned that the fill plug came out of place and fluid ended up leaking out.

So I figured out that this happens because the cap for the breather vent becomes blocked, which forces the pressure in the CVT to become too high and then the rubber fill plug pops out = putting your transmission at risk.

More info can be found in the following thread:
Transmission Fluid Plug

 

[Fearturtle44]

Has anybody had a transmission failure and have had their fluid changed every 25-35k?

 

[Kboles]

Has anybody had a transmission failure and have had their fluid changed every 25-35k?

My second transmission failed at 11k miles. Does that count?

 

[Fearturtle44]

Definitely