V6 engines are inherently out of balance, so you will get vibration at low RPM. The CVT is setup to get you the best gas mileage possible, so with minimal throttle input and speeds under 45mph, my car usually keeps the RPM at 1,000. If you drive around with all the windows closed and the radio off, it would probably be a bit annoying. I don't really notice it with music on, and I think it's worthwhile for the gas savings.

 

I have same problem with my 2017 SL. Wish there was a sport mode switch so the rpms would stay higher even though it would use more gas. Small price to pay.

 

I wonder why more people have't complained about this 1000 RPM vibration... It's really annoying! And it only happens when driving should be the most relaxed (which makes it even more noticeable and annoying...) It happens around 20-40 MPH when cruising on a level stretch of road at a constant rate of speed. The moment I even lightly touch the accelerator pedal the RPMs raise a couple of hundred and the vibration instantly goes away. The same also happens if I move the shifter over to manual mode (which raises the RPMs a couple of hundred.)

A sport mode button, or at least an option to boost the RPMs a couple of hundred would make me very happy! I doubt the MPG hit would be significant, and would be worth it for peace of mind... The vibration is also kind of embarrassing when I have passengers, it shouldn't be happening in a vehicle of this caliber/price range... It's hard to believe that this problem still persists for some of us after 5 years of production... This would seem to me to fall under NVM (noise, vibration, harshness).

I've done extensive research via Google, and have only uncovered a relatively small number of threads complaining. And non of the original posters ever came back to update on whether they found a solution... Maybe it eventually went away, or they just decided to live with it (or traded it in...) I sure wish they had updated their threads...

It makes me wonder if maybe it's only a limited number of 3rd gens that have this vibration issue. It has me thinking that maybe it's due to something being loose, or there's an bushing missing or improperly installed somewhere... Maybe it's something with the way the exhaust system was installed? I keep meaning to crawl under mine and meticulously check all the exhaust mounting brackets, and the engine and transmission connections to the frame.

 

My 2017 has done it since day 1. I had started a thread a while ago about it and also participated in probably another 2 - 3 more threads talking about this exact same situation.

I spoke to a service tech at Nissan and he said he us very well aware of the situation and that this is how the vehicle is meant to operate. He reassured me that all Muranos do it and nothing is wrong with mine but there also isn't a "fix" for it.

Mine still does it and I haven't seen any negative effects to the engine / transmission...... yet.

 

My 2017 has done it since day 1. I had started a thread a while ago about it and also participated in probably another 2 - 3 more threads talking about this exact same situation.

I spoke to a service tech at Nissan and he said he us very well aware of the situation and that this is how the vehicle is meant to operate. He reassured me that all Muranos do it and nothing is wrong with mine but there also isn't a "fix" for it.

Mine still does it and I haven't seen any negative effects to the engine / transmission...... yet.

You mentioned awhile ago that your 1000 RPM vibration went away when you disabled engine braking via the CVTz50 app -- I guess it really didn't do away?

I tried disabling engine braking, it did't help mine...

 

I should also mention that one of the things I wonder about is the electronically controlled engine mount. It comes into play @ 900 RPMs. It's softens below 900 RPMs to alleviate vibration at idle, then hardens above 900 RPMs to avoid vibration at driving speeds. 900 RPMs is very close the the 1000 RPMs that vibration occurs... There's an OBD2 PID for it, but I haven't been able to successfully monitor it yet...

 

Were you ever able to address this issue? Looks like I'm having the same one

 

These responces are all very interesting. I was hoping for that "something loose" idea was correct, but it sounds like that is not the case.
Not sure if it is comforting to know that I am not complaining about "nothing" or if it is discouraging to find that there seems to be no solution.
Truth is, I really like the car in every other way and come March when my lease is up I really would like to get another one. Just not sure I want to put up with this annoyance for another three years.
I hope that someone at Nissan is reading this forum and puts some effort into fixing it.

 

Disconnecting the battery may have merit. It's something I have considered doing. My understanding is it will reset the "learned" engine and transmission performance values.

The problem is if it does work, it's only temporary, and it may affect gas mileage, etc.

I don't recall being annoyed by the 1000 RPM vibration when my 2019 was new. I think it wasn't until several weeks later that I noticed it...

Hmmm...

 

One of the many things I don't like vs previous gen. I wrote a few posts about this. It only happens when CVT temp is above+/- 60°F. In the winter, the RPM stays at 2,000 until the CVT warms up which I find too high. +/-1,200 would be perfect for all conditions IMO. Disabling engine braking via CVTz50 app didn't work for me either. Gotta wait for 4th gen to see if Nissan will fine tune their CVT...

 

Definately wont be a 4th Gen Murano in my family...

 

I'm wondering if the "vibration" felt at low RPM is the torque converter locking up as designed, and when that engages a direct mechanical connection to the engine, the driver feels some of the engine's ignition pulses. That could be perceived as vibration, but it would be a result of almost lugging the engine. Could something like that be going on?

Side comments.....

I've seen the move to manufacturers designing engines for low RPM torque and operating them at very low engine speeds on the highway. My Jeep with the 5.7L V8 runs at about 1200-1500 RPM at 75 MPH, which seems awfully low. Of course, they do it for gas mileage, and that V8 has great grunt at low RPM as it's designed to. I don't recall what RPM my 07 Murano ran at freeway speed.

I'm somewhat more comfortable with my BMW 328 which runs at 2700 RPM at 80 MPH, which is right in its power curve...but it's not designed for low end torque, more for a power curve that runs about 2500-5000 RPM. My 280ZX turbo has no power below 2500 RPM, but comes on hard at 3000 RPM. Different engines for different times.

 

Thats what I thought was the agreed upon cause of the rumble, from reading older threads.

 

I've owned a Murano since it was first introduced, so I'm very familiar with its CVT behavior...

This third gen behavior happens at speeds up 40-45 MPH. I also monitor it via the CVTz50 app, so I can see when torque converter lockup occurs, IMO it has nothing to due with CVT torque converter lockup...

This is TCM programming to provide the best possible MPG in my opinion...

 

And, seeing there aren't a LOT of people complaining about this 1000 RPM vibration, I feel it may be something, somewhere, during the assembly process that's causing it for a handful of owners... The 1000 RPMs natural harmonics aren't being dampened for some Murano owners due to something that may occur rarely during assembly... (again, IMHO based on many hours of research...)

 

I wonder if it has anything to do with this electronically adjustable engine mount stiffening up too much at that RPM.

If that even makes sense...

 

I mentioned several posts back regarding the electronically controlled engine mount.

My suspicion would be that it wasn't stiffing up when it should at 1000 RPM, but I guess it could be the other way around too...

I think it's a possibility it's the active engine mount seeing it's either OFF or ON @ 950 RPM, which is super close to where we feel a hear the 1000 RPM vibration issue...

It should be OFF to lesson the vibrations at idle, and ON when driving (at least that's my understanding from the FSM...)

 

My understanding is the the torque converter lockup is mainly for better gas mileage (less slippage), and the unlock allows enough slippage so that you can come to a stop (like pressing on the clutch pedal on a manual transmission.) It doesn't need to unlock for a CVT to change gear ratios due to its inherent design. Perhaps it would need to unlock for conventional automatic transmission gear changes?

If what you say were true, it would have to remain unlocked all the time due to the CVT continuously changing gear ratios...

I monitor the torque converter lockup/unlock via the CVTz50 app, and it supports my understanding.

 

That actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks for adding some good info!

 

I should also mention that the 1000 RPM vibration will occur continuously as long as I'm not acceleration or starting to climb a hill, at which point the RPMs increase a few hundred due to the increased load, and the vibration stops. My 2003 would only drop to around 1200 under the same circumstance if I remember correctly...

The 1000 RPM mode is just to achieve the best possible gas mileage possible when cruising at a constant speed on a level road IMO. And in my case (and very few others it seems...) it's not being damped properly.

 

This Car&Driver article mentions the 1000 RPM exhaust booming that I experience. It's the only article that I can find that mention of it... And only one of their drivers. It seems most people are not sensitive to this low frequency sound, which is probably why the problem has never been addressed since it first appeared in the 2015 Murano...

2015 Nissan Murano AWD Long-Term Test!

Find out how the Nissan Murano satisfied (and disappointed) over our 40,000-mile long-term test.

www.caranddriver.com

It's a shame that Nissan doesn't offer a CVT programming change to address this problem for customers that are particularly annoyed by it. I'd be more than willing to sacrifice a bit of gas mileage, I don't think the impact would be noticeable... It's not so much a noise, but a VERY low frequency booming sound that is felt by my eardrums more than heard. My Murano is otherwise nice and quiet inside, which makes the booming that much more noticeable and annoying...

 

The impact to MPG may be more noticeable than you think. Compared to the 2nd generation, which had no such set up, the 3rd gets significantly better MPG. Also, I've found that by driving purposely in that range on shorter trips it does increase my MPG a lot. Mine doesn't reverberate intolerably, if at all between 30-40, it's more noticeable for me around 25-30. (lots of 30mph roads). If I tick it up just a tad the reverberation goes away.

 

brand new to Murano (bought a 16 SV few days ago) and new to the forum. I noticed this too and the car I traded in for it (2009 Dodge Journey with AWD) did the same as the Murano with that noise. It's nothing new to me but it's seems to not just be a Nissan thing. I think more and more brands have this same issue. Either way really enjoying the Murano despite the small noise at 1000 rpm.

 

Its akin to a regular automatic transmission seeking and staying at a lower gear for few economy, so I'm not surprised you've felt it in other vehicles.

 

Yeah I agree. Had a Durango RT rental and it also made this booming sound at low RPM. It's just that the throttle on that car was much more responsive so I was able to get rid of it by just oh so slightly pressing down a little bit on the gas.

 

My Jeep with the 5.7L V8 runs at about 1200-1500 RPM at 75 MPH, which seems awfully low. Of course, they do it for gas mileage, and that V8 has great grunt at low RPM as it's designed to.

 

It's definitely for gas mileage. In fact, if you try and purposely run it in that range for a trip, (as best as you can considering conditions) especially a short local trip, the mileage difference is significant. Most cars will get you to the highest most fuel efficient gear as fast as they can, with a similar feeling/vibration. I don't find it particularly annoying and if I do a slight increase in throttle will eliminate it. Next time I'm at the dealer I'm going to ask about it.

 

I've asked the dealer about it. They said it's normal operation and the way Nissan programmed tht system for fuel efficiency. Nothing my dealer could do about it.

Not sure if bumping up idle RPM by 100 would also in turn bump up the cruising RPM by 100.... forgot to ask them that.

 

I've asked the dealer about it. They said it's normal operation and the way Nissan programmed tht system for fuel efficiency. Nothing my dealer could do about it.

Not sure if bumping up idle RPM by 100 would also in turn bump up the cruising RPM by 100.... forgot to ask them that.

Thats what I figured. Thanks

 

I still have the issue... Over time it seems to be diminishing to some extent, or I'm just becoming less sensitive to it. It's still annoying... Maybe more miles will resolve it somehow, I still have less than 3k miles on mine...

Can you explain what you're experiencing? Maybe you can articulate it better than myself...

I have searched extensively all over the Web in the past to find others mentioning a similar issue. But there never seems to be a resolution update for the few threads I have seen...

 

Well, I can try.
So, my new to me 2015 Murano was making a noise/vibrating when going over 25mi(40km)/h

Took my car to the mechanic, had the driver wheel bearing replaced and that noise is gone. However, I have this new vibration/gridding noise now at low rpm.

My mechanic thought it'd be the heat shield, but he just called me to say that the heat shield is tight and locked in place so he doesn't know where the noise/vibration is coming from.

It happens at low rpm only, or when I'm over 65mi (105km) / h

So I found this thread... which sounds just like what I have...

The car also makes a noise/vibrates when accelerating from 0

It's annoying. My 250000km (155000mi) Kia Sorento doesn't sound like that. I'm starting to regret my purchase despite all the comfort and luxury the Murano has to offer

 

Your issue sounds different from mine... Mine is more of a low frequency harmonic that only occurs up to speeds of ~43 MPH when the RPM drops to 1000-1100 RPMS and is under a light to moderate load. If the load is higher the RPMs will rise above 1000 and the harmonic goes away. I feel it mostly in my eardrums, but more as a pressure wave than a noise... I think I may be somewhat more sensitive to low frequency sounds/harmonics than others...

Has your mechanic checked the rotor dust shield? It can get bent during the wheel bearing replacement. There's very little clearance between it and the rotor...

 

It is definitely not the rotor dust shield...
It sounds a lot like what everyone has described on this thread, you included. Still waiting on the mechanic to call me back but mostly likely I'll just have to deal with it.

There's is no metal grinding sound. It's more likely a vibration that appears with low rpm or high speeds...

 

This is the dust shield I'm referring to (red arrow.) It's very thin and easy to bend which can result in the noises you're experiencing.

 

You mentioned your noise occurs above 65 MPH. That's nothing like the noise I have... My noise ONLY occurs while moving at ~15-20 MPH up to around 43 MPH, and only when the RPMs are at 1000-1100 RPMs. At 65 MPH I'm over that 1000 RPM threshold. Anytime the RPMs are over 1000-1100 my noise is completely gone.

Did your noise start right after the wheel bearing replacement?

 

I can't really tell if it was there before or after as when I got the car I already had the wheel bearing issue.

Just got the car back and my mechanic asked to bring it back this Friday.

He said that once the car is on the lift, there is no noise at all. However, he hasn't had time to look into it deeper.

I drove to the gym and noticed that when my rpm drops to 900-1000, it then vibrates and generates a little noise (might be due to the vibration itself). Then, I shifted to manual mode and keeping the rpm up did the trick. However, I drive 90% city so driving manual isn't an option. If I wanted to drive manual, I'd have gotten myself a stick car (which I really enjoyed back on my track days).

Anyway, it's so annoying. I had really high expectations towards this Murano. It's my third car equipped with a Nissan's CVT and the first with a problem like this...

 

Sounds like you had two different noises/complaints. The 1000rpm low speed slightly noise/vibration is normal operation for this vehicle. It is optimized for fuel economy. Your mechanic can't fix it because there isn't anything to fix. If you drive leisurely in the city and stick as close as you can get to the 1000 rpm you will get good mileage out of the Murano in city driving, at least I do. Maybe mine is not as bad as others or it just doesn't bother me but I don't consider it an issue or complaint.

 

One thing to consider since the OP's complaint is the issue happens in the 900-1,000 RPM range is that this is when the electronic-controlled engine mounts deactivate. From idle to 950 RPMs, the mounts are soft to absorb excess vibrations, but above 950 RPMs the solenoid cuts vacuum to the mounts and they "harden" up. As far as the vibration is concerned, it could be this transition that he's noticing (or perhaps there is a problem with the mounts themselves, but doubtful given the age of the car).