Does Anyone have a Trouble Free Murano?

[Halwg]

I joined this forum after recently buying a 2012 MO SL AWD that replaced my 2005 Maxima. The reason for doing this was mainly the fact that my wife and I age getting older, 60+ and we could no longer comfortably ride in the Max. The Max was absolutely trouble free over the 7 years I owned it. Outside of normal routine maintenance, the only things I had to replace on the car were tires, and the battery at 5 years old. I would have probably kept it another 3 years if not for the problems it was giving my back and knees riding in it.

So, when we looked for a vehicle that sat higher and had better utility, naturally we were drawn to the MO. And after driving Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Ford, and Chevrolet, the MO was a clear winner in ride and comfort category. And checking the ratings publications like Consumer Reports, and Edmunds, etc. the reliability showed up as good.

I joined this forum with the idea of picking up some tips on the operation of the vehicle and it's controls, and also finding a source of accessories for the MO. So far that has been very helpful, especially some of the stickies concerning operations of various controls.

But, what has been troubling is the huge number of posts relating problems with the Murano it seems like from it's inception. I read about CVT problems, transfer case issues, brakes, suspension, electrical, even engine problems. That really concerns me, because the MO is supposed to be another long term vehicle purchase. I'm thinking 8 - 10 years on this one. If that reliability is not there, then I may trade it off in 3 years once I have it paid for, and get something that doesn't seem to be a throw away vehicle at less than 100,000 miles.

So I'm asking if there are folks on here who have had trouble free Muranos, and if there are not any, then I'm thinking it's a vehicle I may only keep for the short term. What is particularly troubling to me is that publications such as Consumer Reports give the MO an above average rating for reliability. Where is the disconnect between this forum and those ratings?

Thanks for any information you can provide me.

[pmatawan]

I have an 09 Murano LE with over 108K miles. The only problems I've had was a Tire Pressure Sensor needed to be replaced as well as the tilt steering motor. Both were replaced under the extended warranty I bought. Other then that I am on my 2nd set of tires and will need a 3rd set soon. Has spark plugs replaced at 105K as well as trans fluid. I happy overall and I'm hoping to keep this car until it hits 250K if it lasts that long.

[genlee]

I too share your concern. At 68+ I traded our 08 Honda w/80000 miles for the '012 Murano with the goal of making it the last new car. After one month We are both pleased.

[Halwg]

What I am hoping is that this forum, being what it is, is a place where folks with problems go seeing solutions. And for that we are seeing cars that have problems being talked about much more than we are seeing folks just jump on here to sing praises of the Murano. If you took this forum as the end all, I doubt that anybody in their right mind would ever buy a Murano. But I know several folks that own them and they really like them.

I'm just trying to get a feel for how many folks on here are having trouble free experiences and how many miles they have on their cars.

Right now, my wife and I are both pleased with the purchase. I like the car, the ride and the utility. Time will tell.

[gziegler]

My '09 SL FWD has 32K on it at just about 3 years of age. I have not had a single issue and the only thing I have needed to do do is oil and filter changes and tire rotations. Still love it! I am very picky about my vehicles and after about a dozen or so, this is at the top of my favorites list!

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by Halwg

I'm just trying to get a feel for how many folks on here are having trouble free experiences and how many miles they have on their carsl.

97K on my 04 SE (bought new 10/04) and, at least to date, it is by far the best car I've ever owned in the 40+ years I've owned cars. Besides normal wear items (brake pads, tires, battery, wipers, 3 exterior bulbs TOTAL, air & in-cabin filters, accessory belts), the only problems have been one outer tie rod end($85 for the part and labor) and some minor rusting inside the rear doors (that I had repaired while getting a new rear bumper cover). Besides regular oil changes, an antifreeze change at 65K is the ONLY other fluid touched in this car in the last 7+ years. OEM tires were replaced at 61K ($590 for Cooper CS4's) and brake pads at 65K ($50 for all 4 wheels - took 1 1/2 hours and didn't even have to bleed the brakes). And both the original tires and pads could have gone longer.

I'm still getting great mileage (21+) on the original plugs. I'll get new plugs and get the deterioration date on the CVT fluid checked in another year or so.

Don't judge Muranos (or, in most cases, any other car) by what you read on forums such as this one.

[Qat]

Halwg - I had a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for 6 years and more than 120K miles. The week I bought it I joined a Jeep forum and had exactly the same reaction - there were so many reports of issues that I wondered if I had just screwed myself. But i only experienced one of the common major problems discussed on that forum - inadequate brake rotors.

I think it is the nature of automotive forums.

To answer your question more directly, I don't have adequate miles on the MO to call it trouble-free. I'm at 16K, about a year and a half, and no problems at all so far.

[pezzhead]

I always am lurking and rarely chime in, but I wanted to here. I have an 06 which I bought new (the only ‘new’ car I have ever purchased). 95K miles and not a single issue that was not considered road hazard. Rock through the radiator never good and whatever you do, do not get it towed to the scum ball dealer. Also had a lug nut come off a car in front of me and kill the fuel pump. Not sure that happened, but that was covered by warranty. (I still have not figured that one out, but it was free). One set of brakes, tires, filters, fluids. Really need to change the belts. Still get, according to Mo, 28 mpg on pure highway and 22 mixed highway and city. Starting to get corrosion on the door handles between the body and the handle (basically on the back side of the handle) and it is actually going through oil now, but no smoke. That has me a bit worried, but I will change the PCV valve one of these days and see if that makes a difference.

I am crazy happy with the car. My passengers love the leg room in the back seat, I am 6’5 and have never been more comfortable in a car that did not look like a tank. Normally, no one can sit behind me because I have the seat all the way back. I get snow and ice where I live and Mo is fearless. Plenty of gitty-up and go for people who don’t want tickets. I have never had an issue getting to 75 by the end of the on ramp. I also travel quite a bit and always rent a lot of different cars. Not sure I would ever buy another car that does not have a CVT. You never realized how annoying transmission shift is until you don’t have it. The other thing that I hate is all the chiming and buzzing the other cars do. I don’t know if the new Muranos do that, but I get in my car and start it up without three different bells going off. When I have rentals, I want to rip out the dash and start cutting wires. And the little coaster brake thing, come on! That is way cool! Every day I have to travel down a long hill and I just sit back and smile as everyone else rides their brakes.

My plan was always to purchase a new one at about 150k or so. But I have to admit, I am hearing a lot of complaints about the new ones. When I first purchased my Mo, I would go months before I saw another one on the road. Now they are everywhere. In my mind, I am chalking up the increased number of complaints with the increased number of sales. The failure/defect rates are probably the same. Does anyone know where Muranos are made now? Mine was manufactured in Japan. I had always wondered if the assembly plan got moved and that correlated with a spike in customer complaints. Used to work next to a LandRover dealer. Double or triple to cost of a Murano, but I kid you not, every morning there was a line of tow trucks pulling expensive vehicles in. I think every car you get is going to have issues. You just cross your fingers and hope you don’t get a lemon. It 'seems' that Nissan is standing by their vehicles, but unfortunately, you have to deal with the greedy, scabby, dealers and their brain dead, useless employees.

Woops, way too long of a post. Sorry. Now that I am all sentimental, I think I will go home and wash my Mo!

[MsMurano]

Originally Posted by gziegler

My '09 SL FWD has 32K on it at just about 3 years of age. I have not had a single issue and the only thing I have needed to do do is oil and filter changes and tire rotations. Still love it! I am very picky about my vehicles and after about a dozen or so, this is at the top of my favorites list!

Same here, my 2009 Murano SL AWD had 22K on it and I had it 3 years. Only had oil changes and new tires put on. And, why I went back last weekend to get my new 2012 Murano SL AWD.

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by MsMurano

Same here, my 2009 Murano SL AWD had 22K on it and I had it 3 years. Only had oil changes and new tires put on.

Tires at less than 22K?? THAT'S not good (and not typical for Nissans, except maybe a GTR).

[Orzel]

We're in our 60's too, love our Mo. We bought it new in June 09, it's been basically flawless with the exception of the "seat creep" issue, which required a replacement module, and no down time. I've replace wipers 3 times, still on factory tires and brakes. We've done numerous long driving trips, in excess of 3k miles, in all manner of terrain, from sea level to over 14k feet, in very cold temps as well as extreme heat, the Mo hasn't disappointed and we were Lexus people prior to (OK - still have a Lexus GS which we love). Our Mo has been quieter than our RX's, handles better, gets about the same fuel mileage, and is a lot more fun to drive - in my not so humble opinion. Oh yeah, and is a whole lot cheaper to get serviced than the Lexus!

[Halwg]

I really have a decent dealer to work with, and if they don't take care of me, I know the owner and the sales manager personally. Another reason I stuck with Nissan. Right now I think the smoothness of the CVT is great. I drive a 2010 Explorer, and you want to talk about annoying transmission shifting, try one of them after you have driven the MO. The MO is way smoother than even my 2005 Maxima, which still felt like silk next to the Explorer.

Thanks for some encouraging posts.

[Melodymurano]

Anyone have a Murano past 120k miles if so, how is it funtioning? Some of us like me bought a used one that is already old - in my case I bought a 9 yrs old with 92k miles (2003 murano but still shines like new, copper color) and wonder how many more miles I have left. Good news is that I do not accumulate much miles in a year - my mileage will be like between 4-6k miles annually on this car. I'm hoping it last another 10 yrs as it is so pretty to look at.

[Pilgrim]

The answer to this question is relative. "Trouble free" means different things.

To me, "trouble free" does not mean that the vehicle has never required work. Replacing brake pads, belts, lubricants and performing normal maintenance (including such things as replacing thermostats) does not indicate a problem. For that matter, neither does replacing a starter, alternator or water pump when a vehicle gets to perhaps 60K miles or more.

All such things to me fall under normal wear and tear and should be expected. Therefore, if these kinds of things are all you've had to do within the first 60-100K miles, the vehicle is "trouble free".

One step past that is warranty issues which might not be normal wear and tear, but they are covered by the manufacturer and therefore don't normally impact the owner.

Then you get to stuff like transfer cases, motor mounts, and other parts which typically do not fail in most cars until the vehicle has a LOT of mileage on it - say, more than 100K miles. For that matter, very few cars ever have a motor mount fail.

In my case, I bought my 2007 Murano at 49K miles and at 65K miles I had a transfer case leak and a power steering hose leak. Those were replaced under an extended warranty that I bought with it (most unusual for me, and only the second time in 40 years I have bought an extended warranty on a car) or I would have traded it. The PS hose wasn't a big deal, because any vehicle can have a hose leak - but it does seem to be a frequent failure point on Muranos. The transfer case was indeed a big deal ($2000 in labor) and the long-term durability of that unit concerns me.

BUT - if I get to the end of the extended warranty in December 2012 and everything looks tight underneath (especially in the transfer case area) I'll keep it. It drives great, just crossed 70K miles and is a pleasure to operate.

[HVT]

Originally Posted by Halwg

I joined this forum after recently buying a 2012 MO SL AWD that replaced my 2005 Maxima. The reason for doing this was mainly the fact that my wife and I age getting older, 60+ and we could no longer comfortably ride in the Max. The Max was absolutely trouble free over the 7 years I owned it. Outside of normal routine maintenance, the only things I had to replace on the car were tires, and the battery at 5 years old. I would have probably kept it another 3 years if not for the problems it was giving my back and knees riding in it.

So, when we looked for a vehicle that sat higher and had better utility, naturally we were drawn to the MO. And after driving Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Ford, and Chevrolet, the MO was a clear winner in ride and comfort category. And checking the ratings publications like Consumer Reports, and Edmunds, etc. the reliability showed up as good.

I joined this forum with the idea of picking up some tips on the operation of the vehicle and it's controls, and also finding a source of accessories for the MO. So far that has been very helpful, especially some of the stickies concerning operations of various controls.

But, what has been troubling is the huge number of posts relating problems with the Murano it seems like from it's inception. I read about CVT problems, transfer case issues, brakes, suspension, electrical, even engine problems. That really concerns me, because the MO is supposed to be another long term vehicle purchase. I'm thinking 8 - 10 years on this one. If that reliability is not there, then I may trade it off in 3 years once I have it paid for, and get something that doesn't seem to be a throw away vehicle at less than 100,000 miles.

So I'm asking if there are folks on here who have had trouble free Muranos, and if there are not any, then I'm thinking it's a vehicle I may only keep for the short term. What is particularly troubling to me is that publications such as Consumer Reports give the MO an above average rating for reliability. Where is the disconnect between this forum and those ratings?

Thanks for any information you can provide me.

You're basically now driving a 2012 Maxima with more utility and higher ride height. The CVT has been updated as has the AWD system and seeing as the engine is basically the same as your Maxima, you should feel confident that your Murano will be trouble free for quite some time. And being the Murano is built in Japan, I've found the fit and finish better than any of my US built Nissans so far.
Remember, you're in a Murano forum so you're going to hear some bad stuff too.