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. We'll known issue by Nissan USA. Many reports from owners to NTSB of this part failing while vehicle is traveling, part breaks in half, the rear wheels collapse inward, and the vehicle looses control.
NTSB refuses to demand that Nissan recall effected units. Thus, putting people's lives in danger. Buyer, or current owners, please be aware!
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Well known issue and well documented, complete failure, due to rusting from the inside out and breaking in half. We'll known issue by Nissan USA. Many reports from owners to NTSB of this part failing while vehicle is traveling, part breaks in half, the rear wheels collapse inward, and the vehicle looses control.
NTSB refuses to demand that Nissan recall effected units. Thus, putting people's lives in danger. Buyer, or current owners, please be aware!
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The front subframe can also corrode away in a similar fashion, like mine...
www.nissanmurano.org
Severe front crossmember rust
I have seen many reports of severely rusted rear sub-frame members, but haven't found any reports about severe front sub-frame cross-member rust like I just discovered on my 2003(called front suspension member, FSM FSU-7). I noticed some rust on the front passenger side of the front cross-member...
www.nissanmurano.org
I understand these are serious failures, but how long (16 years? Forever?) do you think a manufacturer's rust warranty should last?
If you are driving a car older than 10 years, especially in the salt belt, you should have it inspected annually. This is a good case for mandated inspections like they have in Japan. I am seriously concerned about the dangerous junk cars that people are allowed to drive on public roads.
If you are driving a car older than 10 years, especially in the salt belt, you should have it inspected annually. This is a good case for mandated inspections like they have in Japan. I am seriously concerned about the dangerous junk cars that people are allowed to drive on public roads.
My car passed the MA state safety inspection with the extensive rust in my photos the month I traded it... Had I not caught it myself, it would have led to an accident.
Frames should NEVER rust this badly... There are many cars out there that are far older car in the northeast with only surface rust.
Frames should NEVER rust this badly... There are many cars out there that are far older car in the northeast with only surface rust.
This is NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. This is a huge structural design issue. All this more government in your life crap for mandatory inspections? How about licensing people that actually have the skill set for driving, and not hitting the gas pedal and thinking it is the brake? How long should the manufacture be responsible? I hope Boeing is off the hook if one of their 16 year old planes goes down then.I understand these are serious failures, but how long (16 years? Forever?) do you think a manufacturer's rust warranty should last?
If you are driving a car older than 10 years, especially in the salt belt, you should have it inspected annually. This is a good case for mandated inspections like they have in Japan. I am seriously concerned about the dangerous junk cars that people are allowed to drive on public roads.
I say the manufacture should be gone after for not designing and properly treating the part to prevent rust out. And that goes for the whole vehicle. Maybe you can afford a new car every 3 to 5 years, some of us can not. And besides an inspection I wouldn't want some idiot that knows nothing like most shop mechanics, taking a pry bar and crumpling sheet metal and knocking paint off that will end up rusting, while doing said inspection.
@chidog so you believe that if the frame on your 1948 Ford rusts out that Ford Motor Company is responsible?
I agree with @MuranoSL2003 that this should not happen. But it did, and here we are.
I have been living in Detroit and have owned rusty cars since 1970. I had a 1973 Ford E200 camper van conversion on which, in 1987, at the age of 15, the steering box basically fell off the unibody box section onto which it was bolted due to rust. (It was interesting driving it with about 1/3 turn of play in the steering, but it would drive.) I sold it with full disclosure. It could have killed me but it was a 15 year old vehicle from the salt belt.
My 2009 Subaru Forester was subject to a recall where the subframes were inspected for rust, and I think yet another recall where they inspected and then sprayed rustproofing goop on the metal brake lines. Given the complexity of a car and the variety of suppliers, it's not easy to anticipate if a certain part might have corrosion problems. I don't think Nissan has a lot of capital to go really benevolent here and old Muranos don't kill enough people to be newsworthy.
My Nissan service schedule requires an inspection of steering and suspension parts every 20k miles or every 24 months, whichever comes first.
I agree with @MuranoSL2003 that this should not happen. But it did, and here we are.
I have been living in Detroit and have owned rusty cars since 1970. I had a 1973 Ford E200 camper van conversion on which, in 1987, at the age of 15, the steering box basically fell off the unibody box section onto which it was bolted due to rust. (It was interesting driving it with about 1/3 turn of play in the steering, but it would drive.) I sold it with full disclosure. It could have killed me but it was a 15 year old vehicle from the salt belt.
My 2009 Subaru Forester was subject to a recall where the subframes were inspected for rust, and I think yet another recall where they inspected and then sprayed rustproofing goop on the metal brake lines. Given the complexity of a car and the variety of suppliers, it's not easy to anticipate if a certain part might have corrosion problems. I don't think Nissan has a lot of capital to go really benevolent here and old Muranos don't kill enough people to be newsworthy.
My Nissan service schedule requires an inspection of steering and suspension parts every 20k miles or every 24 months, whichever comes first.
1948 ha ha that frame is likely thick enough you don't have to worry. Actually starting as early as the mid 50's GMC proudly posted a photo in their brochures showing a guy with a mask spraying rust inhibitor in the door of one of the trucks. The manufacturers know how to stop rust, they choose not to. They always seem to brag that they dip the body's and such but I guess its all false advertising and yes they should be held responsible especially if they bragged about their anti rust treatments.
Its to me similar to having your neighbors tree fall on your house when you tell him he should do something about it. This day and age there is the science and technical information there is no excuse to have major suspension parts rusting and causing wrecks. The parts simply where not built correctly and treated correctly. It is so their fault. I could have done a 1000 times better job than nissan did. My part would not rust out. And I'm not a multimillion dollar outfit. So yeah the correct part can be made. Who's at fault for not doing so?
Its to me similar to having your neighbors tree fall on your house when you tell him he should do something about it. This day and age there is the science and technical information there is no excuse to have major suspension parts rusting and causing wrecks. The parts simply where not built correctly and treated correctly. It is so their fault. I could have done a 1000 times better job than nissan did. My part would not rust out. And I'm not a multimillion dollar outfit. So yeah the correct part can be made. Who's at fault for not doing so?
Opinion:
I think it has been established on this forum that a major rear suspension part in the Muranos is more prone to failure from rust than the comparable parts in other cars. However, it's something that can be detected by inspection, and the part can be ordered and replaced.
There is nothing unique in this. Many cars have typical failure points that can be expected to have high failure rates. A rear suspension part is kind of a weird one, but not that unusual.
I think it has been established on this forum that a major rear suspension part in the Muranos is more prone to failure from rust than the comparable parts in other cars. However, it's something that can be detected by inspection, and the part can be ordered and replaced.
There is nothing unique in this. Many cars have typical failure points that can be expected to have high failure rates. A rear suspension part is kind of a weird one, but not that unusual.
I should mention only one side of my front subframe corroded away, the cause was air conditioner condensate dripping into it along with road salt being used in winder. The other parts of the front subframe and the rear suspension were nearly pristine with only surface rust in some areas.My car passed the MA state safety inspection with the extensive rust in my photos the month I traded it... Had I not caught it myself, it would have led to an accident.
Frames should NEVER rust this badly... There are many cars out there that are far older car in the northeast with only surface rust.
I consider mine to have been defective. Nissan updated the front subframe for the following model years... There have been very few reports of other Murano front subframes rotting away, I think I'm the only one who has posted of it in this forum. An internet search only turned up a few reports...
I’m in Upstate NY where we love our road salt. I’ve been good about regularly washing my MO, including the underbody. Despite all my best efforts my rear subframe started to succumb to this problem recently at about 280k miles.
It’s frustrating but to be expected sometimes. If the rest of your car is in good shape a used subframe is about $600-$700 and some of those have already been returned and rustproofed. Finding an independent shop to do the work could also save some $. Good luck.
It’s frustrating but to be expected sometimes. If the rest of your car is in good shape a used subframe is about $600-$700 and some of those have already been returned and rustproofed. Finding an independent shop to do the work could also save some $. Good luck.
All this talk of inspection and more government over reach and control - costs, and another stinking hassle to have to deal with, to miss work for, to keep a schedule for, to pay for, when the odds are very low of a wreck from rust. When the real issue of chemically addicted drivers on the roads causing way more wrecks than rust buckets is ignored, especially in states that legalized a certain plant for consumption. And as I mentioned above a huge ignored issue is allowing people that lack the skill set to handle a vehicle on the roads. We have also had instances of people using a car as a weapon. I never hear of a car wreck caused by rust. I've seen cases of wheels falling off from bad mechanics, and bad wheel bearings. I would bet the data would show way more deaths in vehicles caused by fires than rust.
NHTSA would classify a crash caused by a corroded subframe as a mechanical failure (suspension/steering). For crashes traced to mechanical failures, suspension/steering is far less common than tires (#1) and brakes (#2).All this talk of inspection and more government over reach and control - costs, and another stinking hassle to have to deal with, to miss work for, to keep a schedule for, to pay for, when the odds are very low of a wreck from rust. When the real issue of chemically addicted drivers on the roads causing way more wrecks than rust buckets is ignored, especially in states that legalized a certain plant for consumption. And as I mentioned above a huge ignored issue is allowing people that lack the skill set to handle a vehicle on the roads. We have also had instances of people using a car as a weapon. I never hear of a car wreck caused by rust. I've seen cases of wheels falling off from bad mechanics, and bad wheel bearings. I would bet the data would show way more deaths in vehicles caused by fires than rust.
If you live in the Rust Belt, you're going to have corrosion problems. Taking proactive measures (e.g. rinsing salt off, Fluid Film etc.) helps, but it will still happen.
I wonder if a class action suit against Nissan would assist with rotting rear subframes?
If you've read the entire thread, then you should realize that the answer is a big NO.I wonder if a class action suit against Nissan would assist with rotting rear subframes?
A quick search shows the only successful class action automotive rust lawsuits always involve rusting on the main unibody itself. None have been successful that has involved a bolted-on part. Sub-frame is bolted on.
ALL auto manufactures consider ANY bolt on part to be consumable and up to the consumer to monitor and replace.
This is one of the main reasons why it is very important to trust your mechanic to inform you any developing issues on your car that you can't see unless getting under the car and then taking corrective action when informed of an issue.
Have a good day.
Thank you for your response.If you've read the entire thread, then you should realize that the answer is a big NO.
A quick search shows the only successful class action automotive rust lawsuits always involve rusting on the main unibody itself. None have been successful that has involved a bolted-on part. Sub-frame is bolted on.
ALL auto manufactures consider ANY bolt on part to be consumable and up to the consumer to monitor and replace.
This is one of the main reasons why it is very important to trust your mechanic to inform you any developing issues on your car that you can't see unless getting under the car and then taking corrective action when informed of an issue.
Have a good day.
The same dealer where I have had my vehicle serviced for the last 13 years is the same dealer who has worked on my car. The car was aligned by this same dealer two weeks prior to this incident. No on has EVER mentioned excessive rust! When I inquired why no one noticed I was advised if they had to inform people of rust they would have to tell everyone that comes through the door as all cars have rust & they are not able to tell if it is rusted on the inside...I call BS!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
You're absolutely right! Per Nissan corp, every car that comes and goes on a lift must have their 27? point safety check list performed. One of the items that the assigned mechanic is supposed to inspect and check on the list is "Excessive rust on the underside and suspension". If checked, the associated note should describe where and the extent of the rust.I call BS!
Seems that this was not done. Trying to prove this though takes hiring a lawyer to start a lawsuit for discovery purposes to obtain service records proving that the inspections weren't performed properly, leading to product failure because you weren't notified of the developing issue to correct it in a timely manner before total failure.
You can always check your paperwork, which usually includes a copy of the inspection report to see if there were ever any rusting notes.
IF there is excessive rust that can cause an immediate safety hazard while driving, then the garage can prevent the owner from "Driving" off the lot. The owner can have it towed, but not driven.
Good luck.
Have a good day.
I have every service paper given to me by the dealer & I reviewed them prior to reaching out to everyone I could think of! No mention of excessive or even minimal rust mentioned. Maybe I need to revisit Nissan America.....& let them know that. I think I am just frustrated that I have taken such good care of this car & thought it would be safe to pass to my Grands for a first car. I know it won't last forever....oh well
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
It is BS. A screwdriver would tell the tech if it's just surface rust or if it's corroded all the way through the metal.When I inquired why no one noticed I was advised if they had to inform people of rust they would have to tell everyone that comes through the door as all cars have rust & they are not able to tell if it is rusted on the inside...I call BS!
Dealership techs don't do comprehensive inspections (if at all) because the more time they spend on a car the more money they lose. They're just interested in getting the job done and the car out so they can get the next car in. If they are doing any inspecting it's to suggest more (easy) work for them to do while they're already working on the car so they get paid more labor hours per vehicle they work on.
Agree! And it is BS that Nissan does not demand more from their dealerships! And not one but two people called me from Nissan and basically told me to kick rocks.....
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