not sure if this has ever been posted, if so please direct me to thread. i was reading consumer reports review of the MO and they seemed to love it, but could not recomend it because of a problem with the steering. does anyone know what this problem is?
consumer reports
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Saw that report while thumbing thru that issue is the super-market.
I became alarmed as I was to take delivery in a few days. I remember it said the Murano would get Consumer Reports number one recommendation if it were not for a steering defect. I went to the net and searched and searched and could not come up with anything except a TSB on a possible loose steering bolt. I had the dealer search Nissan's web. Nothing, nada, zilch! I told them of the report and they were befuddled. They reported no MO was in for any steering problem.
I'm not sure what it was about and neither did anyone else seem to know.
Bottom line, I bought the MO and told the dealer to look into it because that report could cost them sales.
Can anyone else out there shed some light?
Bob1
I became alarmed as I was to take delivery in a few days. I remember it said the Murano would get Consumer Reports number one recommendation if it were not for a steering defect. I went to the net and searched and searched and could not come up with anything except a TSB on a possible loose steering bolt. I had the dealer search Nissan's web. Nothing, nada, zilch! I told them of the report and they were befuddled. They reported no MO was in for any steering problem.
I'm not sure what it was about and neither did anyone else seem to know.
Bottom line, I bought the MO and told the dealer to look into it because that report could cost them sales.
Can anyone else out there shed some light?
Bob1
If you take your mo out to a parking lot and try the following you will see the problem.
While going forward at a crawl. spin the steering wheel all the way to the left lock and then all the way to the right lock.
You should be aware that at some point, you went beyond the capacity of the power steering pump to keep up and the steering became very "heavy".
That is what they are talking about and it was on all 5 of the Demos I drove, and the one I bought.
It is a design issue.
It will happen of course, at faster speeds, I just wanted to direct you via a test, that was safe.
Where I run into it, is in parallel parking.
It is a PITA.
You are in reverse and backing up at a reasonable clip and it is time to REVERSE the steering wheel NOW! And the Power steering goes away.
Needless to say, it screws up that attempt.
I realize that I may be the last US driver that knows how to parallel park.
If you don't ever do these kinds of maneuvers, you may never feel it.
Nissan has disclaimed knowledge of this.
So, it costs them sales.
It's their call.
Homer
While going forward at a crawl. spin the steering wheel all the way to the left lock and then all the way to the right lock.
You should be aware that at some point, you went beyond the capacity of the power steering pump to keep up and the steering became very "heavy".
That is what they are talking about and it was on all 5 of the Demos I drove, and the one I bought.
It is a design issue.
It will happen of course, at faster speeds, I just wanted to direct you via a test, that was safe.
Where I run into it, is in parallel parking.
It is a PITA.
You are in reverse and backing up at a reasonable clip and it is time to REVERSE the steering wheel NOW! And the Power steering goes away.
Needless to say, it screws up that attempt.
I realize that I may be the last US driver that knows how to parallel park.
If you don't ever do these kinds of maneuvers, you may never feel it.
Nissan has disclaimed knowledge of this.
So, it costs them sales.
It's their call.
Homer
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This problem happens if you turn the steering wheel lock to lock very fast at idle speed. The power steering pump does not have the capacity to provide boost for that long, and you lose some power assist. Its not a complete loss, since I've driven cars without power steering before and the steering has never gotten that stiff in the Murano. Needless to say this is a nuisance to me and something that the dealer claims to not be able to reproduce. It is something that affects all Muranos, but I do not believe it will affect the safety of the vehicle unless you really do find the loss of boost to be significant. Test drive a Murano and see it for yourself.
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I parallel park daily. My old record is 4 inches front and rear clearance (in a Taurus), wheels within 3 inches of the curb, 2 backups. We're a dying breed Homer. With the snow plowed high along the side of the street these days, there are no problems parking the MO, I just blast right into the wide open spot.hfelknor said:
Personally, I've tried the steering test. No problems here. Is it supposed to effect all 03's?
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I take anything CU says with a grain of salt. Remember the Samari fiasco?
Anyways, you have to remember that CU doesn't test a bunch of cars, they test exactly one car. Now there is something to be said for that, but none of us know if CU had the TSB applied to that vehicle.
Anyways, you have to remember that CU doesn't test a bunch of cars, they test exactly one car. Now there is something to be said for that, but none of us know if CU had the TSB applied to that vehicle.
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Sgt_Beavis said:
CR had the dealer replace the steering pump and the problem still existed. Even though CR is not performance oriented, I do trust their reviews as being a good middle ground. Reading the fast car mags like Car and Driver and Road and Track, you hear fantastic reviews of vehicles yet they never address the more practical issues like CR (such as interior comfort and reliability). Between the car mags, CR, and Edmunds.com you can get a pretty good idea of how a car rates.
Where I used to live parallel parking wasnt an option, it was mandatory! I've experienced this in my MO, but its not that big of a problem. I agree its something that should be fixed, but in the meantime, go to the gym, pump those arms so you can turn...or complain, whatever suits you.
Photog, did you buy your MO yet or are you in the decision process?
If your hesitating due this discussion, well I would say that most if not all on this list consider it a non issue. I wouldn't let it stop me.
Now have the MO for a month and did not even know what the problem was until everyone clued us in. I have never noticed any issue with the steering but again I have not had to parallel park.
Bob1
If your hesitating due this discussion, well I would say that most if not all on this list consider it a non issue. I wouldn't let it stop me.
Now have the MO for a month and did not even know what the problem was until everyone clued us in. I have never noticed any issue with the steering but again I have not had to parallel park.
Bob1
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Keep in mind, anyone can find something wrong with ANY vehicle, no matter make or model. But I know I'm not alone in saying that the Murano is one h*ll of an SUV, despite some of the issues mentioned in this forum. In fact, I actually KNEW of the steering issue before I bought my MO but that did not stop me. I never once regretted that decision. I love my MO!!
i've had my MO for about 5 months now, this article came out after we made the purchase. i was just hoping it was'nt something really serious that my dealer did not tell me about. i'm always suspicious of consumer reports, however, they made this sound like such a big deal like the steering would lock up on you. that is why i decided to ask the real experts.
Yes, I notice this problem too; however I only notice it turning the wheel while standing still.
Though it is a bit tougher to turn, it is not something that would have stopped me from buying the MO. However it is a major design flaw and could prevent sales of MO's for people that have arm and shoulder problems.
The power steering should always be powered at all times when the engine is on.
Though it is a bit tougher to turn, it is not something that would have stopped me from buying the MO. However it is a major design flaw and could prevent sales of MO's for people that have arm and shoulder problems.
The power steering should always be powered at all times when the engine is on.
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MOST power steering pump are designed for 15 seconds boost for its safety
What i meant is that when you turn your steering *all the way* to one direction, the power steering pump provides boost and hence the steering feels light. When you did not turn the steering back, the boost is maintained. It is not too wise to have more than 10 - 15 seconds of continuous powersteering boost hence it will shorten the live of the pump (leaking is one of the most common).
I had this problem with my other car. And mechanics keep telling me not to keep the steering *all the way" in one direction (non center) too long. Also told me to move the car sligthly when one wants to turn the steering, instead of deadstop while turning the steering. This will prevent the pump working too hard.
That being said, maybe nissan's engineer decide to prevent this 'continuous boost' scenario to happen. Therefore, instead of maintaining the pressure, they let it 'sip out' after x amount of seconds of continuous boost. This, in the long run, save nissan a$$ for costly repairs, i.e replacing burnt/leaking pump.
Just my $0.02
What i meant is that when you turn your steering *all the way* to one direction, the power steering pump provides boost and hence the steering feels light. When you did not turn the steering back, the boost is maintained. It is not too wise to have more than 10 - 15 seconds of continuous powersteering boost hence it will shorten the live of the pump (leaking is one of the most common).
I had this problem with my other car. And mechanics keep telling me not to keep the steering *all the way" in one direction (non center) too long. Also told me to move the car sligthly when one wants to turn the steering, instead of deadstop while turning the steering. This will prevent the pump working too hard.
That being said, maybe nissan's engineer decide to prevent this 'continuous boost' scenario to happen. Therefore, instead of maintaining the pressure, they let it 'sip out' after x amount of seconds of continuous boost. This, in the long run, save nissan a$$ for costly repairs, i.e replacing burnt/leaking pump.
Just my $0.02
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