Automatic gear downshifting failure at high speed

[defc0n1]

Hey everyone. I bought a 2011 Qashqai a few months ago, and within about a month of buying it, something happened: I was on the highway doing about 75 mph. I wasn't paying much attention to the engine revving. Suddenly, a loud bang, and I lost power - engine kept revving as I pumped gas, but no power to the wheels. RPM was in sync with the acceleration, but it was like the car went into neutral. No idea what happened. I stopped on the slip road, looked around for problems, and drove off home at 60mph.

Fast forward two months, multiple garages not being able to reproduce the problem, it happens again. This time, I know what happened - pumping the accelerator at high speeds makes the car downshift, but it doesn't fall into gear. This is fine in lower gears, but at top gear, if I press down the accelerator, it fails to engage the lower gear, and I have to bring it to a complete stop before the gear works again.

Any idea what's happening here? Busted gearbox or some kinda ECU problem?

[gloucester]

Well it's a CVT gearbox so doesn't actually have gears. The software creates virtual gears.

I've not heard this happening before. I suggest you telephone a specialist like https://www.stephensengineering.co.uk/n ... on-repair/ to discuss.

[defc0n1]

Well it's a CVT gearbox so doesn't actually have gears. The software creates virtual gears.

Is it CVT though? It's a diesel automatic, and my understanding of CVT gearboxes is that they don't shift at all. The engine sound is just a linear tune without the shift in pitch.

[defc0n1]

Just got back from the gearbox specialists. The torque converter is blown, apparently.