2003 NISSAN MURANO Complaints

I HAVE A 2003 NISSAN MURANO WITH 47K MILES. THE BELT TENSIONER BRACKET (ALSO CALLED IDLER PULLEY BRACKET) BROKE. WHEN THE BRACKET FAILED, IT CUT ONE OF THE COOLANT HOSES AND DAMAGED THE SERPENTINE BELT. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE / FAILURE TO THE ENGINE. ALL SERVICE TO MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DONE BY AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERS ONLY. I BELIEVE THE FAILURE OF THIS BRACKET WAS DUE TO IMPROPER DESIGN / MANUFACTURE. I HAVE SEEN REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM REPORTED BY MURANO OWNERS ON WWW.FRESHALLOY.COM AND WWW.NISSANMURANO.ORG. NISSAN REFUSED TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS FAILED PART UNDER THEIR ENGINE / POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. *NM

I OWN A 2003 NISSAN MURANO, THAT IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL DUE TO A FAULTY TRANSMISSION. ON THE 26TH OF NOVEMBER 2006, THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED AND STOPPED OPERATING, AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. NOW I HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD, $35,000 DOLLAR VEHICLE, WHICH MAY AS WELL BE A PAPERWEIGHT. THE VEHICLE IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY, AWAITING REPAIRS. I TAKE CARE OF THIS VEHICLE AS IF IT WERE MY OWN CHILD. I ENSURE THAT THE OIL IS REPLACED EVERY 3,000 MILES RELIGIOUSLY,AND I HAVE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR ROUTINE SCHEDULED SERVICES. TO SUSTAIN A NISSAN MURANO IS NOT A CHEAP TASK. THE LAST SCHEDULED SERVICE WAS A 60,000 MILE MAINTENANCE AND IT COST ME WELL OVER $500 DOLLARS. I ENSURE THAT THE MAINTENANCE IS BEING COMPLETED, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE SERVICES. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS NISSAN MURANO, I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD GIVE ME SO MANY HEADACHES. I HAVE BEEN TO THE NISSAN DEALERS FOR UNSCHEDULED WARRANTY REPAIR AT LEAST 5 TIMES A YEAR, SINCE I PURCHASED IT. SOME OF THE ISSUES I HAVE HAD WITH THE SUV ARE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNING ON, UNEXPLAINED VEHICLE VIBRATIONS WHEN DRIVING, CAR SEIZING IN THE MIDDLE OF ROAD, BAD BRAKES, ALTERNATOR HAD TO BE EXCHANGED, BATTERY WENT BAD, AND MY TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT FALL INTO GEAR. I CALLED THE NISSAN CONSUMER TOLL FREE NUMBER AND THE NISSAN CORPORATION IS ASKING ME TO CONSOLIDATE THE RECORDS OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN REPAIRED ON THE CAR, AND FAX IT TO THEM. IT SEEMS THAT CONVENIENTLY ENOUGH, NISSAN DOES NOT HAVE RECORDS OF ANY MAINTENANCE THAT WAS PERFORMED AT AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERS. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS INFORMATION HAD TO BE FAXED FIRST, BEFORE A DECISION CAN BE MADE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS HAD PREVIOUS DIFFICULTIES COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY AND HAD CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION WHEN THE CURRENT INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE ONLY DECISION I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IS, IF THE NISSAN CORPORATION IS GOING TO GRANT MY REQUEST TO FIX MY TRANSMISSION AT NO COST. *JB

FUEL DOOR ON MY 2003 MURANO LOCKED UP AND COULD NOT BE OPENED WITH DIRECTIONS IN OWNERS MANUAL. TOOK TO DEALER AND DEALER DETERMINED PROBLEM WAS LIKELY IN THE COMPUTER MODULE BEHIND THE DASH. IT WAS GOING TO BE $250 IN LABOR, THE DIAGNOSTIC CHARGE OF $90, AND POSSIBLY A $300 PARTS CHARGE TO FIX. I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP TO DISABLE THE LOCKING MECHANISM, AT A COST OF $135. *JB

EXPERIENCED CLICKING SOUND AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING IN MOUNTAINOUS AREA. 2003 MURANO WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED WITH WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE COMPLETE FAILURE OF CVT TRANSMISSION IN NISSAN DEALER MAINTAINED VEHICLE WITH 77,000 MILES ON ODOMETER. AT THIS POINT, NISSAN HAS OFFERED NO GOODWILL HELP IN REPLACING $5000 CVT TRANSMISSION,CITING OUTSIDE OF 60,000 MILE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY. RELIABILITY OF CVT TECHNOLOGY IN 2003 MODEL IS QUESTIONABLE , IF COMPLETE FAILURE ON CVT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AT 77,000 MILES. WITH EXCEPTION OF REPLACING TWO RADIATORS AND THIS CVT FAILURE, I HAVE HAD BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH VEHICLE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE SEAT IN MY MURANO BROKE LOOSE AS I WAS HEADED INTO A CURVE. THE SEAT ACTUALLY THREW ME INTO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND CAUSED ME TO JERK THE WHEEL AND RUN OFF OF THE ROAD. UPON THOROUGH EXAMINATION BY MY SELF AND AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERSHIP, A BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE SEAT SECURE TO THE TRACK SYSTEM HAD BROKEN. THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS A DEFECT AND THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. THIS PARTICULAR SUPPORT BRACKET IS A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE SEAT ASSEMBLY AND WITHOUT THIS PIECE THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO SAFELY DRIVE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, THE PIECE IS MOST LIKELY TO BREAK UNDER TENSION SUCH AS ENTERING A CURVE AS WAS THE SITUATION IN MY CASE, OR SWERVING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IN EITHER EVENT, THE UNEXPECTED MALFUNCTION COULD CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MORE TROUBLING IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE PIECE WOULD BREAK IN A COLLISION, THEREBY THROWING THE DRIVER INTO THE DRIVER DOOR AND THE DRIVER'S HEAD INTO THE GLASS. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH NISSAN AND THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ABOUT THE PART ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THEIR STANCE IS THAT THOUGH THE PART IS DEFECTIVE, THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THEY WILL NEITHER REPAIR MY VEHICLE NOR ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH A RECALL TO AVOID ANY FUTURE ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES. I EVEN OFFERED TO SEND NISSAN PICTURES OF THE BROKEN PART AND THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. THE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO LOG IN THE CORRECT PART WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM. HE LOGGED IT AS A BROKEN SEAT TRACK. WHEN I ADVISED HIM THAT IT WAS NOT THE SEAT TRACK BUT THE ACTUAL SEAT, HE DISMISSED IT BY SAYING THAT WAS THE CATEGORY THAT NISSAN HAD ESTABLISHED FOR SEAT MALFUNCTIONS. *JB

ON MONDAY, 11/13/06 I TOOK MY 2003 NISSAN MURANO IN FOR WINTERIZING & TO HAVE THEM CHECK OUT A HUMMING NOISE TO THE NISSAN DEALER. LATER THAT DAY I WAS CALLED AND TOLD THE NOISE WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSFER CASE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT MY COST, OVER $4000 TO REPAIR. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 89,000 MILES. DECIDED TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND HAD THE VEHICLE MOVED TO ANOTHER NISSAN DEALER. THIS NISSAN DEALER HAS REPAIRED ANOTHER MURANO WITH THE SAME SITUATION AND SO WAS ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THAT IT IS NOT THE TRANSFER CASE, BUT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. UNFORTUNATELY THE COST IS EVEN MORE - OVER $6000. BEING I DID NOT PURCHASE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COSTS. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE "WHY" FOR THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT EITHER THE TRANSFER CASE OR TRANSMISSION WERE FAILING WHEN THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN. I CALLED MY SALESPERSON ABOUT THE SITUATION AND HE INFORMED ME HE HAD A FRIEND THAT HAD HIS TRANSFER CASE FAIL AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MILES. IN MY OPINION, MAJOR COMPONENTS - TRANSMISSIONS OR TRANSFER CASES SHOULD NOT BE FAILING AT THIS MILEAGE AND WOULD LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO PURSUE TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A RECALL SITUATION.*JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON DRY ASPHALT ROADS, THE VEHICLE STALLED COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE IT WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR THE STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER, HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL# 03V455000, PERTAINING TO THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

AFTER DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 55+MPH, FOR MORE THAN A HALF HOUR, IF YOU THEN GET INTO STOP AND GO OR CITY TRAFFIC, AND YOU ARE STOPPED, IF YOU PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR WILL NOT RESPOND FOR 5-10 SECONDS, THEN WILL LUNGE FORWARD. THIS IS NOT ONLY ANNOYING, IT IS SO DANGEROUS. NOW THAT I AM AWARE OF IT, I TRY TO LEAVE LOTS OF SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME (NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE IN THE CITY). IT ONLY SEEMS TO HAPPEN UNDER THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE. I NOTICED THIS HAPPENING A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AFTER PURCHASING MY MURANO. *NM

CRASH WAS FATAL HEAD-ON COLLISION INVOLVING POWER STEERING PROBLEM IN 2003 AND 2004 MURANOS. MURANO DRIVER WAS ROUNDING SWEEPING RIGHT-HAND CURVE ON FAMILIAR ROAD AND ENDED UP IN ONCOMING LANE. DRIVER APPARENTLY TRIED TO STEER BACK INTO PROPER LANE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO, APPARENTLY BECAUSE STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME VERY STIFF AND HARD TO TURN WHEN TRYING TO TURN QUICKLY TO AVOID CRASH. CRASH KILLED MURANO DRIVER INSTANTLY, AND INJURED DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS OF ONCOMING PICK-UP TRUCK. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IN PUBLIC SOURCES HAS FOUND THAT CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS ACCIDENT MIRROR PROBLEMS WITH SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING-ASSIST EXPERIENCED BY NUMEROUS MURANO DRIVERS IN ACCIDENTS AND NEAR-ACCIDENTS AT NORMAL DRIVING SPEEDS, AS IN OTHER COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA WEBSITE AND NISSAN OWNER WEBSITES, AND AS FOUND BY CONSUMERS REPORTS ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE MANEUVER TESTING. THIS IS A DESIGN ISSUE,WITH STEERING PUMP BASED ON LIGHTER ALTIMA UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH QUICK STEERING INPUTS. INTERPLAY OF CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION AND DRIVE-BY-WIRE THROTTLE MAY ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO PROBLEM BY CREATING POSSIBILITY OF RAPID DROP IN RPM WHEN DRIVER QUICKLY TAKES FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR, AS IN EMERGENCY. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER OTHER PROBLEMS WITH CAR'S STEERING PERFORMANCE ALSO LED TO INITIAL CROSSING INTO ONCOMING LANE. NISSAN CHANGED STEERING PUMP IN 2005 AND LATER MODELS TO DEAL WITH PROBLEM. DRIVERS OF 2003 AND 2004 MODELS ARE STILL AT RISK FOR LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHEN THEY MOST NEED IT. WHEN LOSS OCCURS IN PARALLEL PARKING IT IS AN INCONVENIENCE; WHEN IT HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, IT IS LIFE-THREATENING, AS IN THIS CASE. BECAUSE IT IS A DESIGN FEATURE, ALL 2003 AND 2004 MURANOS ARE SUBJECT TO THIS PROBLEM. MURANO OWNERS (AND DEALERS) SHOULD BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY OF THIS DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT. THERE SHOULD BE SAFETY RECALL FOR REPLACEMENT OF INADEQUATE STEERING PUMP SYSTEM BEFORE THERE ARE MORE FATALITIES AND INJURIES.*NM

2003 NISSAN MURANO, AT 2500 MILES TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO SKIP OR DISENGAGE FOR A SECOND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE PROBLEM. AT 12000 MILES VEHICLE STARTED TO ACT UP AND SAME THING HAPPEN, THIS TIME VEHICLE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL GEAR. VEHICLE RECALLED FOR ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT, SAME WEEK AND I INFORMED THE DEALER OF THE ISSUE, THEY SEEMED NOT TOO CONCERNED. AT 35000 MILES WHEN DRIVING IN REVERSE, TRANSMISSION CLINK NOISE. AT 58000 TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER WITH A COMPLAINT THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS ACTING UP. DEALER INSTALLED A GAS TANK SHIED, AND DID NOT CARE TO INVESTIGATE THE TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND SAID ALL ARE OK. 64000 MILES, AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD, ACCELERATION PEDAL PUSHED ALL THE WAY. VEHICLE WILL THEN SUDDENLY PICKUP SPEED AND LUNG FORWARD. VEHICLE RPM WILL KICK UP AND DOWN WHILE DRIVING AT STEADY AND CRUISING SPEEDS GIVING THE VEHICLE A FEELING OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. SITUATION IS GETTING WORSE AND NO HELP FROM DEALER SINCE HE RECENTLY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. *NM