I have the same low RPM noise/vibration, its stronger is I drive slow uphill, to me its like if you hame manual trany in 4th gear when you should be on 2nd.
Took it to our dealer, they reprogrammed tranny, same thing,
replaced transfer case, the same thing.
Now car is out of warranty, Im sure if I take it back they will as to pay, even known its old problem.

But here is what I can’t get, when Im experiencing thus noice / vibration on low ROMs, I switched to manual, and it goes a way.
There is a real issue with login in auto mode.

Try it in manual, im sure it will be better.


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I have the same low RPM noise/vibration, its stronger is I drive slow uphill, to me its like if you hame manual trany in 4th gear when you should be on 2nd.
Took it to our dealer, they reprogrammed tranny, same thing,
replaced transfer case, the same thing.
Now car is out of warranty, Im sure if I take it back they will as to pay, even known its old problem.

But here is what I can’t get, when Im experiencing thus noice / vibration on low ROMs, I switched to manual, and it goes a way.
There is a real issue with login in auto mode.

Try it in manual, im sure it will be better.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

My 2020 murano does the same thing. Putting it in manual gets rid of the noise because the rpm will increase over 1000.

 

Apparently Nissan programmed the CVT logic to achieve the highest MPG possible, despite the negative side effect of unrefined NVM (noise, vibration, harshness) entering the cabin (for those of us more sensitive to it...)

I can understand wanting to achieve the highest MPG possible, but they should also have added the ability to override this high MPG mode with a user option to boost the RPMs by 100-200 RPMs (similar to what manual mode does.) I'd gladly sacrifice a couple of MPG around town for a more enjoyable driving experience...

Or, as @I need coffee mentioned above, it could be the active engine mounts in some of our Muranos are not functioning as optimally. They kick in at ~950 RPM, very close to where the CVT logic drops the RPMS to when cruising around town...

 

I can't recall how low my '03 RPMs dropped dropped to around town... But I do recall my '03 making a pleasant little growl under the same low RPM situations that cause my '19 to make a obtrusive low frequency resonance...

 

When I brought mine to the dealer about 6 months after owning the car and complained about the low RPM vibration, they told me that they've had a fair bit of owners come in complaining about it. It's normal and nothing can be done, is what I was told.

 

Well, at least I got a fair good deal for mine. I'll keep focus on what I paid for and what I get out of it instead of thinking on that bloody vibration. Getting my foot away from the gas pedal for a split of a second and back in gets the vibrations away. It's annoying but a workaround to get me going.
I love the design and what the car offers but meh... Nissan has to step up their game in the transmission industry.

 

2020 Murano Platinum AWD, at about 2000 miles I noticed a weird hum. It's either gotten louder, more noticeable or I am now obsessed with hearing it. It drives me crazy. I've not mentioned it to my husband yet... we're driving to TN and we shall see if he notices it or not. Very disappointing for a very expensive car to have such an annoying flaw. This was supposed to be my long-term car but I've traded off cars for less. Thank goodness I love driving it all other speeds where it isn't an issue. Unfortunately we live on a road that is about 4 miles of 35mph ...

 

You'll notice that when the shifter is placed to the left in manual mode it doesn't make the hum... This is because the RPMs change from 1000 to a couple of hundred higher. But it's cumbersome to have to use manual mode...

Nissan really should have provided an option to not use the fuel saving 1000 RPM setting... This would be easy for them to have done, it's just programming for the CVT. They could have called it sport mode.

I think some of us are more sensitive to this low frequency sound than others, because there are only a few of us that this seems to drive crazy...

Let us know if your husband eventually notices it. And, if he doesn't, tell him eventually and see if he now hears it. If he doesn't, this will help support my theory that some of us are just very sensitive to the low frequency drone...

It's about the only thing I REALLY dislike about my '19...

 

The vibration is real at low speed, my car is doing it also.
When I first bought it, it wasn't doing it, it started later on, not sure when, but I experience it everyday.
Not sure if it is related to CVT or not, but it will be good to do a complete scan just in case.

Last time I was at the dealer, I test drove a new 2020 murano just to compare, and I did not notice any vibration.

 

I think we are talking about different things...

This is a 1000 RPM resonance that occurs whenever the RPMs drop to ~1000 at speeds up to ~45 MPH. It's similar to the sound of a manual transmission when you have it in too high of a gear for the load/speed. It's a CVT programming thing to increase the city MPG number...

AND, the resonance goes away the moment the shifter is put in manual mode. In manual mode, the revs don't drop below ~1200 RPM in any gear.

 

Well, he didn't mention it. I'm going to have to take him on another drive in town and mention it to see if he hears it.
I've found that I do the tap the gas, let off, tap the gas it does make it stop.

 

Thank you for your update!

Yes, tapping the gas will stop it for a very short time because it raises the RPMs over 1000 (where the resonance/sound it the strongest.) Moving the shifter over to the left (manual mode) also raises the RPMs over 1000 and stops the sound.

Unfortunately, both methods are temporary... The tapping only works for several seconds until the CVT shift logic wants to drop the RPMs to 1000 (to increase MPG a little...) And the manual mode method requires manually shifting gears if you need to increase your speed...

 

Such a pity to live with this resonance discomfort in relatively comfy car.

Without already mentioned two workarounds with manual shifts and tap on gas, I found that using cruise control at those low speeds also increases RPM a bit, try it out on flat longer sections

 

My 2017.5 is noisy under 1000 rpm light-load conditions, so is my neighbor's 2019. It always sounded to me like the engine is slightly lugging, causing the CVT chain to vibrate a bit. I'm used to it, so I don't notice it unless someone mentions it. I've had manual transmission cars that would sound worse than that at 1000 rpm and a gear too high. I never paid much attention to it.

 

I do believe it's a sensitivity thing... My ears can't hear very high pitch ultrasounds sounds that others can, like those ultrasonic pest things. But I can hear very low frequency sounds very well, too well...

I appreciate your more detailed response regarding your '17.5 and the '19, it further confirms my suspicion it's normal. It does sound exactly like a lugging when in too high a gear sound. I remember it well from my manual transmission days...

But unfortunately it really ruins my enjoyment of an otherwise smooth and quiet vehicle. Almost to the point of wanting to trade it... It's that horrible. Especially when I know a simple CVT tuning setting would cure it for me. Using manual mode isn't a convenient option, but it does stop the drone. I use it when traveling at steady speeds below ~45 MPH, variable speeds are a pain keeping it in the appropriate manual speed gear.

 

My 2017 has done this since day 1. I took it into the dealer and they said it's normal. I haven't experienced any issues arise from it.


Yet.

 

Our 2015 Platinum had this vibration, i couldn’t stand it.
I had multiple visits with different dealers,
all in spec or we couldn’t replicate.

A few month ago, we got CVT code and dealer replaced body valve.

After that, this vibration almost not noticeable. And trust me, i was ready to trade it because if this vibration, now its totally different. Not sure if body valve plays any role or something else they did at the same time but this is a fact its gone.


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Our 2015 Platinum had this vibration, i couldn’t stand it.
I had multiple visits with different dealers,
all in spec or we couldn’t replicate.

A few month ago, we got CVT code and dealer replaced body valve.

After that, this vibration almost not noticeable. And trust me, i was ready to trade it because if this vibration, now its totally different. Not sure if body valve plays any role or something else they did at the same time but this is a fact its gone.


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I missed this when you posted it... What CVT code did you get that resulted in the valve body being replaced?

Is the low rpm vibration still gone after the replacement?

 

Hi, I had the same issue with my Nissan Murano 250 XL, 4 cylinder as it was generating high noise while at 1 to 1.5 rpm. I showed it to the mechanic and the mechanic replaced the engine belt and the engine belt tensioner. The issue is resolved now.

 

Anyone experienced this noise when driving steady on average speeds - rpm's drop so low that it seems like engine is lagging behind and this low vibration noise comes apparent? If you shift in manual shift mode - then rpm's go up slightly and vibration/noise is gone accordingly. I've read about it in one review and was wondering if those of you who already put some hwy miles can share their experience? Is this really noticeable bug or is an exaggerated non issue?

Yes, I have a 2020 murano with 22000 kms and it makes a deep bassy hum when rpm is 1000. Soon as rpm is higher it goes away. It is aggravating.

 

You'll notice that when the shifter is placed to the left in manual mode it doesn't make the hum... This is because the RPMs change from 1000 to a couple of hundred higher. But it's cumbersome to have to use manual mode... Nissan really should have provided an option to not use the fuel saving 1000 RPM setting... This would be easy for them to have done, it's just programming for the CVT. They could have called it sport mode. I think some of us are more sensitive to this low frequency sound than others, because there are only a few of us that this seems to drive crazy... Let us know if your husband eventually notices it. And, if he doesn't, tell him eventually and see if he now hears it. If he doesn't, this will help support my theory that some of us are just very sensitive to the low frequency drone... It's about the only thing I REALLY dislike about my '19...

Thank you for your posts on this discussion. I have a 2020 Murano SV and have this vibration problem. Its annoying, and I "work around" by either decelerating a bit to get it off 1000 rpm, or accelerating through it. Also, I use the manual shift method at times when this occurs. I took it to a Nissan dealer a about a year ago to check it out. The dealership happened to have a Nissan field rep at the dealership at the time, and he said it was normal, and there is no known "fix". I'm skeptical because not all similar year Muranos have it. There has to be a reason some have it and others dont. The field rep even had a phrase coined for the problem. He called it "fuel economy drone". One good thing is the problem doesnt seem to worsen as the car ages and the miles pile up.

 

I have a 2019 platinum. It bothers me so much that I kinda want to sell. But these are the known things that go wrong with the Murano is the engine mounts and the CVT.. this particular problem is some sort of electrical engine mount that shuts off during this rpm which causes the vibration.

 

Your vacuum theory is growing on me. This, along with the recent post mentioning the engine mount got me thinking...

Nissan has the algorithm try to maintain 1000 rpms as much as possible for fuel economy. However, lower rpms result in less vacuum produced. If one of more of the vacuum controlled active engine mounts is out of spec, it may not perform properly with the diminished vacuum available at ~1000 rpms... It could also be there is a small vacuum leak somewhere in the system which manifests itself as engine mount vibration at very low rpms.

This may explain why a few people have the low rpm vibration, but most don't seem to...

The active vacuum engine mounts seem to be the most suspect to me. We need to find a way to monitor and test the vacuum controlled engine mounts. I looked into this awhile ago, but I was unable to find a way to monitor the PID that controls the active engine mounts.

Hopefully someone will come up with something...

 

I forgot to mention that the steering wheel turns extra-super smooth and fluid now that the rumble is gone. And now whenever my foot just ever-so-barely touches the gas pedal, the car instantly accelerates smoothly and it doesn't feel as though something is at odds with acceleration. With the rumble issue active, it feels like I have to depress the gas pedal a half an inch through a "zone of sloppiness" while the engine grumpily accelerates. Without the rumble, the gas pedal feels dialed in and acceleration demands are effortless and instantaneous.

I don't know if the throttle position sensor function is tied to the gas pedal or if it's a setting triggered by any act of the car demanding acceleration, such as using the steering wheel controls under cruise control to accelerate. Since I use fixed cruise a lot, I also noticed that using the steering wheel control toggle to accelerate is more responsive and smoother.

It stands to reason that if the car is operating at higher RPMs things will probably respond faster. But that doesn't explain why at 1000 RPMs things seems much better when the rumble issue is gone - the RPMs haven't increased - so that might point to a vacuum issue. I didn't realize certain motor mounts were vacuumed operated until @MuranoSL2003 mentioned it above. With the mounts working correctly (when the rumble isn't there) it might make the engine and drivetrain sit a little differently and make things feel and run more smoohtly because of the differences in orientation to other things. I would think that raising or lowering the height of the motor mounts changes the pitch/angle of things like the CV axles and forward propellor shaft, perhaps creating less friction within the carrier bearings and AWD transfer case housing, etc. Maybe the vibration is a combination of a less pumped up motor mount (that's allowing more vibrations to be transmitted) and a realignment of drive components that are "rubbing" off-center from where they should optimally be by design.

 

Here are two threads where the vacuum controlled engine mounts are discussed:

https://www.nissanmurano.org/threads/strong-noise-vibration-from-ac-through-steering-wheel.226228/#replies

https://www.nissanmurano.org/threads/vibration-during-mid-power-acceleration.227202/#post-774058

 

The possibility of a vacuum problem seems likely to me. Without getting into detail, the symptoms really seem to line up.

 

I have the same issue with my 2020 SV. It makes me crazy. Dealer said it is ok. Have anyone tried throttle controllers to make rpm higher? Also Cvtz50 has feature to test different modes of vacuum engine mounts while running, but I didn’t notice too much difference between idle mode and drive mode. While not driving and changing mode at approximately 1000 rpm I can hear that there is less booming in drive mode, but it still exists.

 

It is really annoying...

I have a throttle controller. It provides a slight improvement because the throttle response curve can be adjusted to be more sensitive allowing you to tickle it to get it above 1000 rpms at times. But to be honest, the improvement may be just wishful thinking, the placebo effect...

I didn't know the developer added the vacuum mounts to CVTz50, I need to try it out. It's something I always wanted to experiment with. I had mentioned it to the developer awhile ago. Thank you for mentioning that it has now been added to CVTz50!

 

I have a new to me 2020 Murano SL with 32,000 miles. I also get an annoying rumble at 1000 to 1100 rpm while adding a slight amount of gas. It will do it going up hill or down hill. Of course going down hill and adding a slight amount of gas speeds up the car. The dealer says there should be no noise. The heat shield mounts are now tight. They found one bold missing and replaced it. The sound volume lessened But didn’t resolve entirely. Adding gas is what makes the sound/vibration initiate while at 1000 rpm.

Has anybody found the solution?

 

Once again, after frustratingly performing an evasive maneuver from a car seemingly about to rear-end me, my 2021 then felt as if it was sitting higher on its struts and there was no contact with the road (zero vibrations) while driving. The rumble-vibration that had been there before that event was gone for the rest of the day, even when RPMs were resting at 1000. Acceleration demands were fast and smooth, and braking and steering seemed smoother.

So, hard/fast turn to the left with near-floored acceleration followed by an immediate slow-down (not a stop). During the quick slow-down there's usually a noticeable "clunk" sensation (not a noise) of something shifting. Not sure if it's a motor mount, the torque converter unlocking or the propeller shaft or transfer case being jolted.

Engine mounts, a vacuum issue and the pulley system are what I'm focused on as the possible cause.

The poll I started makes it look as though it happens largely on AWD Muranos, but there are FWD-only owners who don't appear to have participated in the poll, and I see that Juke and Altima owners have also experienced the rumble. So that should 100% rule out the transfer case, propeller shafts, carrier bearings and rear differential as the cause of the problem.