[Michael Mullock]

DON"T BELIEVE YOUR LYING EYES

The 2013 Nissan Murano is not safe at any speed. Had this catastrophic failure occurred 15 seconds later, I would be dead. Nissan claims there is not problem here. The Murano passed every inspection by Nissan and others. Nissan has to be aware of the problem. If you know anyone who lost control while driving a Nissan Murano, they may not be aware of this defect. Please feel free to share. this. lives depend on it and Nissan does not care.

[email protected]

From Nissan:
Dear Mr. Mullock,

"Thank you for allowing Nissan North America, Inc. the opportunity to review the circumstances regarding the incident involving your vehicle. Please be assured that Nissan North America, Inc. has taken every step necessary to fully investigate this matter.

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident."

Michael Mullock on LinkedIn: Nissan Murano Catastrophic Failure

 

[Michael Mullock]

A mechanic working for Nissan took me aside and said that the current state inspection protocol would not have noticed it. The larger point is that the Nissan inspection specialist ( see comment from letter) said that Nissan saw no issue relating to the failure. There clearly is an issue. If this is common then Nissan has an obligation to put that area of inspection in a priority category. If Nissan did not know about it, they do now.

 

[Michael Mullock]

^^^everything PaulDay said. I'm sorry Michael it happened to you. On the positive sidr no one got hurt. This sort of damage due to rust doesn't happen over night. Your mechanic and/or tire installer should've caught it long time ago. Even I myself check the under carriage of my Murano atleast a couple of times a year because I know it's an older car that sees it's fair share of snow/salt and extreme weather. I don't see how Nissan is responsible here.

let's assume that Nissan was unaware of this problem. They are aware now. Nissan has an obligation to notify all inspection agencies that there is a need to inspect the rear suspension systems for rust. The Nissan maintenance manual advises that the underside of the car be washed to prevent corrosion. This was my practice since the car was new. The manual is silent about parts rusting on the rear suspension. Nissan has an obligation to put the car on a lift and measure the damage done by rust. There are instruments available to do that. A consumer buys new house with the reasonable expectation that the foundation will outlast the roof. A plane user has a reasonable expectation that the wings will not fall off. My car has been serviced by Nissan during the last year. At 115,000 miles I had a reasonable expectation that the rear suspension would not collapse. Nissan needs to notify all owners of the potential peril to them in driving their car. I will post photos of the general condition of the car

 

[Michael Mullock]

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Michael Mullock
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Discussion Starter · #1 · 11 h ago

DON"T BELIEVE YOUR LYING EYES

The 2013 Nissan Murano is not safe at any speed. Had this catastrophic failure occurred 15 seconds later, I would be dead. Nissan claims there is not problem here. The Murano passed every inspection by Nissan and others. Nissan has to be aware of the problem. If you know anyone who lost control while driving a Nissan Murano, they may not be aware of this defect. Please feel free to share. this. lives depend on it and Nissan does not care.

[email protected]

From Nissan:
Dear Mr. Mullock,

"Thank you for allowing Nissan North America, Inc. the opportunity to review the circumstances regarding the incident involving your vehicle. Please be assured that Nissan North America, Inc. has taken every step necessary to fully investigate this matter.

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident."






Michael Mullock on LinkedIn: Nissan Murano Catastrophic Failure





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PaulDay
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1,785 Posts
#2 · 10 h ago

Should have been spotted long ago during normal car maintenance.

Go after the people who worked on the car and didn't bother to tell you that there was a very obvious rust issue developing with the suspension. A mechanic has a duty to report developing issues like this. If the owner choses to ignore the issue, than this is what happens.

This is a common failure of all autos driven where salt is used on the roads and regular undercarriage inspections aren't performed. I've seen plenty of this in all makes and models.

Have a good day.

2017.5 Murano Platinum w/Tech package
Gun Metallic w/Glass Coat Finish
20" Chrome Rims
Bose Audio
Thinkware 800 Pro Front/Rear Camera
3D Maxpider Mats w/Cargo Cover & Net
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Frameless Rear View Mirror
Illuminated Kick Plates & Foot Well Lighting
Sonic Shock Sensor (Active Alarm Upgrade)
Rear Bumper European LED Lighting
Front DRL/Turn Signal LED Lighting @ Fog Light Frame
Full Underbody LED Ground Lighting
All LED Lighting
Michelin Premier LTX 255/55/20 Tires

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Discussion Starter · #3 · 9 h ago

A mechanic working for Nissan took me aside and said that the current state inspection protocol would not have noticed it. The larger point is that the Nissan inspection specialist ( see comment from letter) said that Nissan saw no issue relating to the failure. There clearly is an issue. If this is common then Nissan has an obligation to put that area of inspection in a priority category. If Nissan did not know about it, they do now.


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canWat
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#4 · 9 h ago

Michael Mullock said:
DON"T BELIEVE YOUR LYING EYES

The 2013 Nissan Murano is not safe at any speed. Had this catastrophic failure occurred 15 seconds later, I would be dead. Nissan claims there is not problem here. The Murano passed every inspection by Nissan and others. Nissan has to be aware of the problem. If you know anyone who lost control while driving a Nissan Murano, they may not be aware of this defect. Please feel free to share. this. lives depend on it and Nissan does not care.

[email protected]

From Nissan:
Dear Mr. Mullock,

"Thank you for allowing Nissan North America, Inc. the opportunity to review the circumstances regarding the incident involving your vehicle. Please be assured that Nissan North America, Inc. has taken every step necessary to fully investigate this matter.

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident."

View attachment 56297


View attachment 56298
View attachment 56299
Michael Mullock on LinkedIn: Nissan Murano Catastrophic Failure
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^^^everything PaulDay said. I'm sorry Michael it happened to you. On the positive sidr no one got hurt. This sort of damage due to rust doesn't happen over night. Your mechanic and/or tire installer should've caught it long time ago. Even I myself check the under carriage of my Murano atleast a couple of times a year because I know it's an older car that sees it's fair share of snow/salt and extreme weather. I don't see how Nissan is responsible here.

2022 BMW X6 xDrive40i Black Sapphire
2012 Nissan Murano SL AWD Merlot

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PaulDay
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#5 · 7 h ago

Michael Mullock said:
A mechanic working for Nissan took me aside and said that the current state inspection protocol would not have noticed it. The larger point is that the Nissan inspection specialist ( see comment from letter) said that Nissan saw no issue relating to the failure. There clearly is an issue. If this is common then Nissan has an obligation to put that area of inspection in a priority category. If Nissan did not know about it, they do now.

Ever heard of BSPYA? Well that's all that letter and the mechanic was doing. Of course, they don't see a problem with their product. It was a lack of maintenance. Rust like that takes YEARS to get to that point. Whoever was looking after your car mechanically did you a big disservice by not pointing it out.

That rust damage would have been clearly visible anytime during the last two years when ever that tire was removed.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

2017.5 Murano Platinum w/Tech package
Gun Metallic w/Glass Coat Finish
20" Chrome Rims
Bose Audio
Thinkware 800 Pro Front/Rear Camera
3D Maxpider Mats w/Cargo Cover & Net
Curtis Class 3 Hitch w/OEM Tow Harness
Frameless Rear View Mirror
Illuminated Kick Plates & Foot Well Lighting
Sonic Shock Sensor (Active Alarm Upgrade)
Rear Bumper European LED Lighting
Front DRL/Turn Signal LED Lighting @ Fog Light Frame
Full Underbody LED Ground Lighting
All LED Lighting
Michelin Premier LTX 255/55/20 Tires


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Discussion Starter · #6 · 6 h ago

canWat said:
^^^everything PaulDay said. I'm sorry Michael it happened to you. On the positive sidr no one got hurt. This sort of damage due to rust doesn't happen over night. Your mechanic and/or tire installer should've caught it long time ago. Even I myself check the under carriage of my Murano atleast a couple of times a year because I know it's an older car that sees it's fair share of snow/salt and extreme weather. I don't see how Nissan is responsible here.

let's assume that Nissan was unaware of this problem. They are aware now. Nissan has an obligation to notify all inspection agencies that there is a need to inspect the rear suspension systems for rust. The Nissan maintenance manual advises that the underside of the car be washed to prevent corrosion. This was my practice since the car was new. The manual is silent about parts rusting on the rear suspension. Nissan has an obligation to put the car on a lift and measure the damage done by rust. There are instruments available to do that. A consumer buys new house with the reasonable expectation that the foundation will outlast the roof. A plane user has a reasonable expectation that the wings will not fall off. My car has been serviced by Nissan during the last year. At 115,000 miles I had a reasonable expectation that the rear suspension would not collapse. Nissan needs to notify all owners of the potential peril to them in driving their car. I will post photos of the general condition of the car

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Pilgrim
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10,183 Posts
#7 · 5 h ago

It depends on where you live. Rust is a much more immediate and severe problem in some parts of the US and the world. Not much of a problem in many other areas.

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2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, 75th Anniv. Edition, 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo

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MuranoSL2003

This is the first report that I can recall of a 2nd gen Murano having catastrophic rear subframe rust in this forum...

It does show the metal Nissan is using for some structural component's is not very high quality either in its composition and/or anti-rust treatment.

IMO, frame rust just should not occur to this extent.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Thank you MuranoSL2003. Nissan is now aware of the problem. Their decision to me was that they do not see anything that concerns them. They have had the car for weeks to inspect it. Here is Nissan North America, INC Response:

_
REF: Date of Incident: January 19, 2023 Vehicle: 2013 Nissan Murano
VIN No.: JN8AZ1MW4DW301652
Dear Mr. Mullock,
NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Franklin, TN 37068-5003
_

Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Telephone: 1-800-647-7261

Thank you for allowing Nissan North America, Inc. the opportunity to review the circumstances regarding the incident involving your vehicle. Please be assured that Nissan North America, Inc. has taken every step necessary to fully investigate this matter.

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident.
Based on our inspection of the vehicle and the available information, Nissan North America, Inc. finds no basis on which to offer financial assistance in this matter at this time. If you have not already done so, please refer this matter to your insurance company.

Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to review your concern. Sincerely,
Incident Investigation Department Nissan North America, Inc.

----------------------------

No wonder Nissan named their latest version "Rogue". Only a rogue corporation would show such contempt for the safety and well being of its customers, let alone the other vehicles that share the road with second generation Murano vehicles. Nissan employees and officers are now aware of the ticking time bomb in their vehicles. I have no doubt that others have been killed and injured in affected Muranos. I was doing 25 mph approaching a hill. Had the catastrophic failure occurred 15 seconds later I would have caused a series of head on collisions with several vehicles.

Nissan must be forced to recall and inspect these vehicles.

 

[Michael Mullock]

I fully agree that this is a manufacturing defect to the max. The defect, is, an engineering failure and like mentioned this can happen to many vehicles that live on salted roads. Salt on roads should be stopped. Not only is it bad for vehicles on the roads but the run off into the fresh water streams and rivers as well. Then the steel rebar in bridges and over passes. They all need to save the salt for the dinner table only. The defect ? Many fold ! Horrible paint that is used, and in critical rust areas wrong or no special treatments used, or just plain wrong materials that are used. Also many times the unit body frames and suspension parts can be boxed assembly's that have holes all around them to let the salt water ingress, so they pretty much rust from the inside out. Sorry Nissan all this rusting is on you.
Cutting corners and building sub par vehicles for a kings ransom price is the name of all the auto makers game. The part I like is the years of lies when they say they dip the bodies in a rust preventative, I have a 1957 salesman book saying similar, and we know how bad some of those years can be as a pile of rust.
Like I say someone can be looking all day at the bottom of some of these vehicles and never see the problem, if the rusting is all inside the box sections, out of sight out of mind.
With proper treatment inside those sections and sealing all holes and seams so there is zero ingress of water etc.and all welded seams painted with primer before welding this stuff could be almost eliminated as a problem. But most people are more worried about a big fancy screen and a ton of electronics rather than a rust free vehicle.

I reread the very first post on this topic.
They are wrong, it is a manufacturing defect. Just as I pointed out.
Those parts were not protected in the hidden areas if done correctly there would be no rust inside. And if done correctly on the outside the only thing that would have caused rust would be manually removing the paint and or protective coating.
So the metal was not protected during the manufacturing process. If the latex paint they use was applied directly to steel that could aid in starting a rusting issue.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Thank you Chidog. Nissan has no integrity. I allowed them to keep the car so that their "experts" could examine the defect. They advised me that it would take a couple of weeks and that I should rent a car and they would reimburse me. They stiffed me for $2500 and I had a towing company remove the car yesterday. I am having an independent company strip down the car and I will send the affected parts to a lab to be analyzed for the type of steel used. The Nissan mechanics and service people were visibly embarrassed and surprised by Nissan's letter of response.

I'm a little old fashion. When I start rolling down the runway, I don't expect my port wing to fall off.

 

[Michael Mullock]

 

[Michael Mullock]

Don't want to burst any bubbles here, but the pictures I see here are of a rusting issue with a control arm. Nowhere am I seeing frame sections rusted.

Rusting is so prevalent that there is insurance just for that. BTW, for Nissan. it's good for 5 years, unlimited miles, common coverage offered for most of the cars on their list.

New Car Rust & Corrosion Warranty Guide (unhaggle.com)

Seeing that the part rusted is an external part, painted with a different process than the whole-body frame corrosion dip, it's actually considered a consumable part. Yes, Nissan has different paint specs for consumable parts. Parts that Nissan know from history that will possibly fail before the life of the vehicle are not given the same treatment. Only the body frame has to last until the vehicle's EOL, which is now rated for 10 years/250K miles.

MM, I know that you're frustrated, I would be too. But from experience, you're going in the wrong direction. You're wasting money sending the part out for analysis.

As a former mechanic, it is a mechanic's duty to report any issue that can potentially affect the drivability. It's up to the vehicle owner at that point if they want the issue resolved. If the issue is severe enough, the garage can prevent the owner from driving the vehicle off the premises, requiring the owner to get a tow truck to remove it.

You were failed in this aspect. If you have copies of receipts of when work was done that would have involved that area, then you have a good chance for some legal recourse.

With these receipts and pictures, you can go to a lawyer and claim "Negligence of Duty.". In other words, the dealer/garage failed to notify you of a seriously potentially dangerous driving situation. The lawyer might send the part out for analysis, but more than likely will subpoena the dealer/garage for the work records, revealing the mechanics who worked on the car in that area who can than be disposed on the condition when they worked on it.

Nissan will never let it get that far. They will settle as soon as they get the request for the work records, if they were the ones that worked on car in that area within the last year. If it was an independent garage, then they can also be sued, but insist that Nissan perform the repairs as part of the settlement. Settlement should include getting the vehicle back to a drivability state, refund any money out of pocket since it started and your lawyer's fees.

If you go this route, expect it to take a while, but the chances greatly increase that you'll get some satisfaction down the road as opposed to the route you're headed.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

Outstanding advice, will keep you updated. MM

 

[Michael Mullock]

Here, have a little more ammo:

Nissan maintenance service checklist

• Replace engine oil and filter.
• Rotate tires.
• Inspect axle & suspension parts.
• Inspect brake lines and cables.
• Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings.

This is supposed to be done every time a vehicle is put on the lift. Checked and signed by the mechanic.

There should have been a note on the last workorder stating a rusting issue with the rear control arm. If not, then they didn't do their service checklist and lied about when it they signed off.

If it's there, and you signed off when picking up the car, then it will be on you.

This is why it's important for a lawyer to get the full records and go from there.

Again, good luck.

Have a good day.

Thanks again

 

[Michael Mullock]

Thanks again

I took your advice and sent this to Nissan;

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident.
Based on our inspection of the vehicle and the available information, Nissan North America, Inc. finds no basis on which to offer financial assistance in this matter at this time. If you have not already done so, please refer this matter to your insurance company.

Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to review your concern.
Sincerely,

Incident Investigation

Actually as luck would have it, Piazza Nissan of Ardmore, on 08/02/2022 did some work on vehicle VIN No.: JN8AZ1MW4DW301652. The work required the car to be put on a lift and the charge was for $1238.50.

On the Invoice 236055, Item B , Health Check, MPI, "Perform Nissan’s 27 point vehicle inspection." Nissan’s Complimentary Multi-Point Inspection (CMPI). There are six categories to the CMPI.
The third category is titled UNDER VEHICLE. The first item is Rear Shocks/Rear Subframe/ Suspension.

No notice either in writing or verbally was given to me advising me of the catastrophic deterioration in that area. The Nissan factory trained mechanics could not see any problems.
I left the agency in total comfort that my vehicle was roadworthy, repaired and inspected by Nissan.

We move forward to your letter of February 27. "A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem,
failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident.”

So we are to believe that two teams of factory trained specialists on two occasions, seven months apart, could see no problem. Well Jeff, I think that is the problem.
How is a consumer supposed to know about a major problem with the safety of a Nissan Murano, when two crack teams of Nissan repair specialists did not notice. Please explain to me how that is possible.

Not trusting Nissan, I had the car towed away to an independent shop that had no problem recognizing the product problem, failure and catastrophic malfunction.

 

[Michael Mullock]

After some reflection, I bet that service guys HATE having to go to customers and tell them their Pootmobile's rear suspension doodad is rusty and needs to be replaced. All too many customers would assume they're being screwed into replacing parts without need. I'm fortunate that the shop I use goes out of their way to let you know about any item that could need work. They're smart enough to realize that they get some additional work out of that. But I am used to evaluating what they tell me and saying "thanks but no" to items that aren't urgent or important. I can replace a cabin filter or fan belt myself. More important, I have enough automotive knowledge that I can evaluate what they tell me. Knowing the basics of cars is important even if you don't work on them.

At any rate, that might - just might - be a reason it wasn't brought up. But if the rust was severs (and it clearly was) then there is no excuse for not reporting it. They didn't do their job.

Thank you Pilgrim. I naively thought that Nissan would be concerned about the danger to their other customers. They are not.

 

[Michael Mullock]

I was talking with a friend of mine, a retired corp. lawyer that I've requested help from in the past. He was looking at your issue from Nissan's point of view and how they'd react.

The first question that he had was: "What was the miles between 8/02/22 when serviced by Nissan and when it failed."

The less the miles, the better. If it's under 1k, then it's a no brainer that the check list was not performed.

Several take-aways from his conversation.

First, Nissan as a corporation will involve legal as soon as they get a official "Notice of Discovery" from a lawyer. Needed from them will the tech's signoff, any written/video pertaining to the 27-point inspection training.

Guess what, Universal Nissan has a training video used for new techs. It's posted on YouTube!

Nissan Service: Multi Point Inspection - YouTube

2:35 - 2:40 First tech states that the other tech was doing an underbody inspection. You can see the other tech moving from the back towards the front driver's side suspension and starting to check it with a light wand.

If your tech had inspected the rear suspension in this manner, then he would have surely seen the excessively rusted suspension part and should have checked the inspection report with that information so it could be passed to the customer.

Second is that all that is really needed to win is the "Notice of Discover" letter sent asking for the tech's signoff, written/video of training, and any shop camera surveillance video pertaining to your vehicle's repair.

With the letter also describing the danger of failure at highway speeds, possibly causing the vehicle to overturn and flip causing serious injury to the occupants, and photos of the rusted part and failure. Also, that you as the owner rely on the dealer to be truthful with their inspection report to notify you of any potential driving safety issues.

After research on their part, they will probably see it as a no-win situation and offer a settlement.

Third, the thing about a tech required to report imminent failure of a part that can cause a car to lose control and crash? Seems that it's stood up in court, even though there no written law. In other words, there's been case precedent resolving this issue.

He said any lawyer can write up a letter in this manner for a flat fee, usually about $500, with the understanding that they will be called if it comes to legal action.

Take everything written here at face value. As he said, no two cases are the same, similar, but still different. But he did say, from his understanding of it, it seems to be a good case in your favor if handled right.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

Paul Day, thanks so much. The advice and information I am getting on this site is exceptional. Hats off to all of you. Obviously, I am concerned about my vehicle and what happened to me, but I am appalled at the irresponsibility and the cavalier attitude of PIAZZA NISSAN and the Nissan Motor Company. I survived the catastrophic failure of the left suspension. Others will not or have not been so lucky. The indifference by Nissan is simply appalling . My vehicle will be dismantled next week. The agency performing the work will be providing full documentation. After I examine the parts, they will be sent to a specialist forensic laboratory that does materials testing and nondestructive testing.

My last inspection by Piazza Nissan prior to the failure was in August 2022. We have had no snow or ice in this area up to the time of the failure. Common sense suggests that my case is not a singular event. I will be reporting on the findings and would highly recommend those with a similar Nissan Murano, have their rear suspension carefully reviewed by their Nissan inspection shop. Of course I will cooperate with others who are affected. Be Well.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Please keep us informed on the findings of the inspection. I hope they do an indepth inspection of other areas that could be prone to rusting as well as the original problem. Make sure they explain the reason for that rust out (poor anti rust treatment / inferior materials etc.) and also have them explain what would have prevented that from occurring. There is no excuse for that happening period. Maybe those components should be immersed in a zinc plating solution and then painted, I don't know for sure. I do know those parts should be treated like they are to be used in a marine environment, the question is how would they be made or protected if they were to be used on an aircraft carrier deck environment?

All those cars should have a safety recall right now. And no Nissan crying about it being an old (10 years) car. There are thousands of aircraft flying that are many times older than that. When there is a problem on an aircraft a fix is done. If these car makers don't want expensive law suits or recalls, then just simply do it the correct way the first time. When will they learn?
Like others say this is a dealer problem, and it is also a manufacturing problem. Simple stuff, any engineer knows steel will rust, and rust alot in a salt environment, and is why this is also a manufacturing issue.

I will share my experience and get to the bottom (Pun intended ) of this. On vehicle aging, the average age of all US vehicles is 12 year. Half the cars on US roads are over 12 years old. With that in mind, perhaps Nissan inspection standards should be ramped up as their cars age. Nissan has to be aware of this, if not before, they obviously are now. All the Nissan mechanics know the inspection process is flawed as the procedures do not cover an in depth look of the rear suspension.

Chidog makes a good point about air frames. When I enlisted in the USAF at 17 (now 60 years ago) we were flying B52's. They are still flying them. Can you imagine any aircraft builder ignoring fallen wings? Another example is your house. You certainly expect the foundation to outlast the roof, windows and appliances.
When a building inspector examines a house, the first issue is the foundation.

The suspension is the foundation of an auto mobile. 65 mph is an average speed on our interstates. Imagine a teenager or inexperienced driver facing a catastrophic failure of the suspension. I was lucky. So was Nissan, but if they think for one delusional minute the only way to determine the highway worthiness of their cars, they are in for a shock.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Hey MM, I just did a search on this site here. And there is plenty of cases of this happening. How are they getting away with this? I sure hope you open that can of worms.
They should be forced to fix this on all the cars. Again do it right the first time and this won't happen. This is well known in the first gens and you mean its still an issue in a 2013?
Why? Its almost similar to inferior parts in the CVT transmissions.
So what would happen if someone did something that was meant to cause a persons car to crash, at some point in the future? What would that be called?
Since this is so well known for years, you would think by now this is considered something done on purpose.


There are more than this below.

Rusted subframe part name?

Does anyone know the name of this cracked / rusted part? Its attached to the rear tie rod. The Other side is still intact but just as rusted. The rear wheels seem to be angled inwards....

www.nissanmurano.org

2009 Nissan Murano with a rusted subframe

Hello, everyone, I have a 2009 AWD Nissan Murano SL with 112k miles on it that's in very good condition with one major issue: I found out yesterday that the rear cradle is extremely rusted, and the subframe has sheared in two where it connects to one of the control arms for the rear driver's...

www.nissanmurano.org

Murano "Subframe" (K-Frame) Catastrophic Failure

2006 Murano SL AWD, 155000 miles, Rear "Subframe", "K-Frame" or "Cross member" (Nissan part number for mine is: 55400-CC00A. OEM part from Nissan: $1100.00. Labor Est. $1700.00). Well known issue and well documented, complete failure, due to rusting from the inside out and breaking in half...

www.nissanmurano.org

Rusted rear subframe.

My son had the same problem with his Murano 2007 SE. While driving 55 mph he suddenly couldn't steer properly. Luckily he was able to get off the highway. Had car towed to repair shop and mechanic said he had never seen a frame rust that bad. He filed a road hazard claim with his insurance...

www.nissanmurano.org

There must be a data base of injuries and fatalities of Nissan Murano owners who "Lost Control". I was fortunate as I was driving on an incline at aprox 30 mph and was able to bull bull the car off to to the right side of the road. I called the police and they sent out a patrol car who pulled behind be to protect my six. We backed it off to the verge out of traffic. Backing the car up, the broken wheel returned to 90 degrees and we got it off the road. The moment that I tried to move forward, the wheel collapsed again. The police officer said he never saw anything like this. I have the incident report number. Anyone driving such a defective Murano, involved in entering or leaving a highway at speed, would lose all control of the car.

Hydrogen embrittlement is the likely cause.
High-strength carbon steel and low alloy steels are the alloys most vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement. Steels with an ultimate tensile strength of less than 1000 MPa or hardness of less than 30 HRC are not generally considered susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. (Another example can be found in the article Hydrogen Embrittlement Issues with Zinc: New Guidance Discussed .)
Hydrogen enters and diffuses through a metal surface at ambient or elevated temperatures. This can occur during various manufacturing and assembly operations or operational use—anywhere that the metal comes into contact with atomic or molecular hydrogen. An Introduction to Hydrogen Embrittlement

 

[Michael Mullock]

There must be a data base of injuries and fatalities of Nissan Murano owners who "Lost Control". I was fortunate as I was driving on an incline at aprox 30 mph and was able to bull bull the car off to to the right side of the road. I called the police and they sent out a patrol car who pulled behind be to protect my six. We backed it off to the verge out of traffic. Backing the car up, the broken wheel returned to 90 degrees and we got it off the road. The moment that I tried to move forward, the wheel collapsed again. The police officer said he never saw anything like this. I have the incident report number. Anyone driving such a defective Murano, involved in entering or leaving a highway at speed, would lose all control of the car.

Hydrogen embrittlement is the likely cause.
High-strength carbon steel and low alloy steels are the alloys most vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement. Steels with an ultimate tensile strength of less than 1000 MPa or hardness of less than 30 HRC are not generally considered susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. (Another example can be found in the article Hydrogen Embrittlement Issues with Zinc: New Guidance Discussed .)
Hydrogen enters and diffuses through a metal surface at ambient or elevated temperatures. This can occur during various manufacturing and assembly operations or operational use—anywhere that the metal comes into contact with atomic or molecular hydrogen. An Introduction to Hydrogen Embrittlement

from the same article:"Processes that can lead to hydrogen embrittlement include phosphating, acid pickling, electroplating and arc welding. During these processes, there is a possibility of absorption of hydrogen by the material. For example, during arc welding, hydrogen is released from moisture (for example in the coating of the welding electrodes; to minimize this, special low-hydrogen electrodes are used for welding high-strength steels)."

 

[Michael Mullock]

This is why I have a 93 Mazda 4x4 for skiing. 30 years no salt issue and they use magnesium chloride here. I park the Murano in the Winter and just use it in emergencies. After going to a conference in Illinois several years ago, it seemed like no cars were over 7 years old. That is a huge amount of rust and it's amazing no one caught it or if they even cared.

The agency mechanic admitted that when they inspect the rear suspension area, they cannot see ithe details of the parts involved in the corrosion. They are not using the proper procedure or the proper inspection equipment. Either way they are compromising the customer by not divulging the consequences of their improper inspection. They worsen it by giving the customer an inspection form with a clean bill of health. Nissan Motors has to have some liability in the training and procedures of their agencies. The agency and Nissan now know about the problem. I would like to hear from others that were damaged by Nissan's lack of oversight. I have no doubt that others have been injured and killed.

 

[Michael Mullock]

You may be on a personal campaign, and I understand that. However, it would be helpful to the rest of us to hear that you are taking action on the aspect of this that you CAN do something about.

There has been a separate request for owners to join an action against Nissan for their neglect of the Crosscabriolet for some time. To my knowledge, no real progress has ben made. I think you have even less chance of galvanizing others to action. What you have is a rusted out part because you live in a high rust area, and the people who maintain your car screwed up and didn't catch it before a dangerous failure happened. Whether Nissan is legally responsible for that is an open question, and I doubt you want to spend a few hundred thousand dollars on a lawsuit to find out.

We understand your passion, but please spend some time focusing on the actions that you can take on a practical basis.

Well said Pilgrim. I will know more when the shop has everything dismantled. My passion is the "what if?" of the failure. I am convinced others have been far more damaged than me and others will be in the future if this goes unanswered.
From the comments including yours about catastrophic rusting and corrosion , this is a known phenomena to many drivers. However the vast majority of drivers are unaware. Nissan is aware.

Aircraft crashes are far more dramatic because of the numbers hurt and killed in a single failure. Aircraft maintenance inspections are mandated and done based on hours of flight. Auto inspections should be done on mileage and age of the vehicle. My experience with Nissan is that an inspection was made and nothing was noted. This needs to be fixed. Money talks and BS walks.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Well said Pilgrim. I will know more when the shop has everything dismantled. My passion is the "what if?" of the failure. I am convinced others have been far more damaged than me and others will be in the future if this goes unanswered.
From the comments including yours about catastrophic rusting and corrosion , this is a known phenomena to many drivers. However the vast majority of drivers are unaware. Nissan is aware.

Aircraft crashes are far more dramatic because of the numbers hurt and killed in a single failure. Aircraft maintenance inspections are mandated and done based on hours of flight. Auto inspections should be done on mileage and age of the vehicle. My experience with Nissan is that an inspection was made and nothing was noted. This needs to be fixed. Money talks and BS walks.

NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. There were 376 killed in US aircraft in 2021.

 

[Michael Mullock]

A correction: Your experience with THE DEALER is that an inspection was made and nothing was noted.

Nissan as a corporation did not conduct the inspection; a retail outlet did. To me, that's a reflection only on the dealer/retail outlet. If money talks, once again, aim at the DEALER. You have an opinion, but no leverage against Nissan.

Determining Nissan's responsibility is another thing entirely. The rust may be evidence, but one instance doesn't prove anything.

I'll let the thread continue, but if it becomes an ongoing condemnation of Nissan without a way to pursue group action, I will close it.

Point taken. I appreciate the advice and will provide relevant updates without further comments.