[TikiMan]

Ok, first off... I know reading web boards too much can make you not want to buy anything now days, because every product can have problems.

So with that said; I love the Murano and want to buy one bad. I just bought my wife a new 2003 Daytona Blue 350Z Touring. And I use to own a 1994 300ZX twin-turbo (with 400 HP), so I trust Nissan.
However I keep reading postings saying that the Murano has issues with the new CVT, and some have even said it was dangerous because their Murano had a delay in taking off from a start.

Now I reading post that say, owners are feeling a "slipping" after long drives???

All of this is giving me cold feet on buying this sport-SUV / crossover.

Now I know the Murano isn't a BMW, Lexis or MB, but after getting all the bells and whistles on the one that I want, I will be spending as much as $40k on it, and that is no small amount of money for me.
So I want to make sure I am getting a good, reliable commuter / pleasure vehicle.

I just noticed that Mazda's prototype "Murano wane-be" Nextourer, is said to have a CVT transmission also. So I assume the CVT is here to stay, but is it really perfected?

http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/cars/mazda_nextourer.asp

http://www.edmunds.com/news/autoshows/articles/42919/page001.html

How many here with high miles on their Murano's feel safe with their CVT? Have you noticed any problems?
How much time have you spent at the shop with your Murano (besides regular maintenance)?

I just don't have time to spend days on end taking my new car to the shop to fix this and that, especially when Nissan doesn't provide free rentals.

FYI: So far I have noticed two problems with our new 350Z, and neither is so bad that I feel unsafe driving it.

Signed...

TikiMan aka "Fear of CVT".

 

[Enforcer]

For a person that has a fear of CVT's, why do you look at cars that have them?



3500 miles, no problems, NO FEAR. Very quick off the line and smooooooooooth all the way. Problems folks on FA have had with the MO CVT are a lot less than the problems people on my350z.com have with the 6MT in the Z. In both cases, Nissan was quick to respond...now if they would just fix the Z tire feathering issue as quickly...

 

[TikiMan]

Thanks for the reply.

I am only looking at the Murano w/ CVT. I just noticed the Mazda had a CVT also, that is the only reason I posted it.

Do you think the belt will survive past 100k miles if maintained well?

 

[Enforcer]

Note the MO has a 3500lb tow capacity. Yes, there is margin, don't know how much, but you can always get the extended warranty to be sure.

 

[jpburk]

Is the CVT perfected? Of course not! For that matter, neither is the more traditional standard or automatic transmission. Whenever you're dealing with something mechanical, there's no such thing as perfect. The better question is, how likely is it that the CVT in the Murano that I buy will be defective? And, am I willing to take that chance?

Your disclaimer at the beginning of your message was right on target. Whenever you read about something on an internet message board, you're not necessarily getting the full picture. People who are encountering problems with the CVT (or who are just a little....ummmm....excitable--no names, please!) are more likely to post messages than those who are satisfied or who have had no problems with their CVTs. Even so, the complaints are relatively rare, given the thousands of Muranos that have been sold. I don't think there are any definitive statistics out yet, but it looks like those who have had problems with their CVTs are a small minority of Murano owners. There's a chance that the Murano you buy will be one that has a bad CVT, but is it likely that yours will be bad? Probably not. So, are you willing to forego driving/owning one of the most fantastic and satisfying vehicles because there's a, say, 5% chance that the transmission will be defective? I wasn't, and almost 7000 miles later, I haven't regretted my decision! :31:

Jeff

 

[twelsh]

I was a little skiddish about the reliability of the CVT at first too, but then I read that Nissan has been using it for the past 10 years in Japan so that allayed my fears somewhat. What also helped alot is the extended warrenty offered by Geico on new cars only - bumper to bumper including all parts except things designed to die early (brakes, exhaust, etc). It only increases my premium by $30/yr for the first year, then slightly more each year after that to a max of $85/year after 3 years -- and its good for 7 years or 100,000 miles in every state but NY (where its appears to last longer for some reason according to the footnote on their website). People who have Geico for their insurance carrier should check it out!

 

[LKimura]

The CVT is not new technology. Look at the post "Best Way to Accelerate" and there is a discussion on a racing class with this transmission. I had heard, but not confirmed, that the CVT has been in use for 30 years. I have approx 4500 miles on it and find it very, very quiet with high performance. No gear hunting on mountain roads. Throttle response is good. I had a GM transmission that required re-building at 70K. I guess this is part of your research. Good Luck

 

[lnichols]

The CVT has been used for years in Japan and has been used in larger vehicles than the Murano. I just drove on a 500 mile trip from Northern Virginia to Myrtle Beach, a 500 mile trip from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, WV, and a 350 mile trip from WV back to Northern Virginia. The CVT performed flawlessly through the WV mountains and I was still able to get 19 mpg with the cargo box on top.

I may get an extended warranty from Nissan to cover the electronics (Nav would be an expensive fix too) and the CVT. I had a Ford Winstar and the extended warranty saved my ass since the tranny failed at 60,000 miles and the rebuilt failed at 65,000 miles . I think that a tranny could fail in any vehicle and would like to see some figures on how many automatic transmissions fail on other manufacturers transmissions.

 

[twelsh]

If you do end up getting the extended warranty, make sure you read the fine print -- nearly all of warranties that I looked at (including the one offered by the dealer) didn't cover "gps navigation"...

 

[lnichols]

I will have to look it over again. I just got a package from Nissan with all of the packages and the VPP pricing and it looked like the Gold+ Preferred covered all electronic components, but I will have to scrutinize it to make sure.

 

[CVeeT]

CVT was one of the major factors for my decision to get MO, wanted something of a new technology.

I did have concern initially, about some rubber belts in CVT, but did find that Nissan CVT is a metal belt and with alloy reinforcement plates, looked at the design schematics and my concerns were allayed.

At 1500 miles, CVT is silky smooth. Have pushed CVT hard on I-66 and never did it hesitate, takes off like a lear JET, smooooth.

To cover my basis I did get Nissan 7 years warranty.

and my confidence in CVT, it is in my name :2:

 

[GMTURBO43]

We've got 8300 miles on ours - road trips - stop and go Chicago traffic and never ever had a problem with it.

 

[Enforcer]

This is from the C&D review available as a pdf here and on the Nissan website and in hard copy at the dealers.

 

[Eric L.]

Enforcer had a good post above. About this Nissan using the CVT for 10 years and it is used in larger cars in Japan, perhaps this is true for small engine vehicles (used CVT for 10 years) and the Toroidal CVT (for powerful engines like the VQ30DET). But the Murano's CVT is the only application so far for that transmission. It is a beefed up design of traditional belt driven CVTs, but it is not the fantastic Toroidal unit the dealer might have you thinking it is related to.

The Murano's CVT is a new design (for a chain type CVT handling 245lb/ft torque) so I would not be surprised if the transmission has some early problems. But I doubt its as wide spread as some doombringers would want to make us think.

 

[twelsh]

Sorry Inichols, here's the fine print:

Security + Plus Gold Coverages

The following are not covered by Security + Plus Gold: Maintenance services, tires, wheel balance and alignment, battery, spark plugs and wires, fluids (unless required with covered repair), belts and hoses (belts and hoses are covered under Security + Plus Gold Preferred), wiper blades, A/C recharge ( unless required with covered repair) and/or conversion of the A/C system to operate on R-134, lubricants and filters (unless required with covered repair), disc brake rotors and drums, brake pads, MacPherson strut inserts/shock absorbers, clutch friction disc and pressure plate, throw out bearing, audio equipment, lenses and bulbs, sealed beams, carpet and upholstry, trim, moldings, glass, bright metal, wheel, body sheet metal, exhaust sytem, paint and rust, squeaks and rattles, water leaks, wind noise, any component of an electrically powered vehicle, any and all in vehicle communications systems and/or navigation systems, air bag sensors, and all items not covered by the Nissan Limited Warranty or Emissions Warranty.

(Fortunately the CVT is not listed here - yeah)

This was obtained from the following website: http://www.nissanfleetsales.homestead.com/SecurityPlus.html

 

[lnichols]

Oh well. Hopefully this thing will never die then. Seems like they should have a warranty that would cover this. I bet if the screen died they would have to replace it since it is nessesary for the Radio and HVAC to work (see what they are set too) which are covered. The screen is the thing that I worry about the most since the only other parts are the GPS reciever and DVD drive. Looks like the brains of the system are built into (behind) the screen as it is a one piece unit.

 

[twelsh]

Uh.. if you look in the middle of the paragraph you'll see that "audio equipment" are not covered either... sorry -- but I like the argument for the HVAC controls!

 

[Doombringer]

That's interesting. My dealership offered me a warranty that also covered the stereo, and stated that it was a new offering whereas previous ext warranties did not cover the Bose system.

But about the CVT. I haven't had many problems with mine, and I'm at about 5500 miles. I believe what difficulties I -have- encountered are actually related to the torque converter and its clutch, as I get a light 'buck' when I accelerate after engine-braking (kickdown as Nissan calls it) below 60 MPH. Above 60? Accel after coasting is smooth, precisely when the Service Manual says Kickdown is not engaged. Go fig.

So, don't worry so much about the CVT as you should about the parts that pair it with the engine. There are many other points of failure.

 

[Enforcer]

But I doubt its as wide spread as some doombringers would want to make us think.

So, don't worry so much about the CVT as you should about the parts that pair it with the engine. There are many other points of failure.

LOL! Ahhh the irony...

 

[Eric L.]

LOL! Ahhh the irony...

Ehhh...it was a figure of speech! This is totally off topic, but it would kind of dumb to start a new thread on this - I was checking my spare tire in the trunk today and noticed a cool hook you can use to keep the trunk mat up!