Based on an equivalent continuum cylindrical shell model, we have predicted the intermittent transformation between radial breathing and flexural vibration modes in a single-walled carbon nanotube. It is found that the radial breathing and flexural vibration modes may appear intermittently, in certain circumstances, when the dominant parameters of the problem are in the instable region of the Mathieu stability diagram. The coupled nonlinear differential equations of the radial breathing and the flexural vibration modes are presented to a fourth-order approximation, which is then solved using a finite series expansion method. Intermittent transformation between radial breathing and flexural vibration modes is predicted, which may influence the physical properties of the carbon nanotube and the Raman spectroscope measurements.