Please keep this in mind: The main and possibly only reason anyone is on the board is because they have or had problems with the Murano and is looking for help and advice.

With that being said, you cannot possibly base anything about the Muranos reliability by asking that here! Unfortunately, thousands of people that haven't had problems are not stopping by and letting us know. Hope this makes sense...

 

From my experience in the last 15 months with a 2007 Nissan Murano S with 60k miles,I would advise to stay away from murano. Feel like everything needs replacement as they just break


Had to change below so far and worried what else might come

Lower control arms
Rear shocks
Front wheel bearings
Now recently power steering hose

Stay away

 

You didn't!
Was it abused before you acquired it??

 

Tomorrow morning I am going to look at trading in my 350z for a 2007 AWD Murano with 46,711 miles for $15,480.

I wouldn't, unless you're in a very tight financial spot and need an SUV so badly you need to give up one of the great cars made today.

They're two totally different vehicles. I have my 280ZX Turbo safely stored in the garage and I drive the Murano as my daily driver. I suggest you keep yours, too.

 

My advice is for you to research the problems and ask yourself do you want to or can you afford to deal with the problems that are most commonly mentioned that seems to affect many Murano owners.

Every car make has it trouble spots that appear after some time of ownership, some more than others, however I would play close attention to the Murano, because I also have had most of the common problems happen to me with my 2006 model, all before 90k miles and I baby my cars. So, I have learned the hard way that when more than ten people complain about the same problem on a forum, beware!!!
I got burned once with a 2002 Mercedes E55 AMG, which had a horrible reliability record and many DIY forum fixes for alot of problems on the Mercedes forums, and with the Murano. Therefore, I have learned that car makes that have a lot of fix it yourself forums and angry owners are usually the ones to avoid, unless you like to DIY often.

 

I have had my 06 SE AWD for just over a year, 83k now and I love the way it handles, the ride, the AWD, especially with the Goodyear TripleTred tires, and all the great options but like you, I doubt I would buy another one.

I am aware that all cars have their problems but the cost, particularly for the repair of the transfer case, which I understand could be more than the car is worth. While the CVT is covered by warranty, I have read that if it goes, it frequently takes the tc with it and the tc is not covered under those circumstances.

I have also read that Nissan may be phasing out the Murano in favor of other models. I see ads for the Rogue regularly, but seldom for the Murano.

As carguy suggests, do some research. Had I done that I probably would have kept my Ford 150. Not nearly as much fun but...

Rky

 

I have had my 03 Mo for 10 years and it now has 201000 Km on it. I have had very few problems with it, (generator failure/recall in 2005, lower ball joints, CVT leaking oil into xfer case warranty). All in all a great car that I tow a tent trailer all over BC and Washington state. I f I neededa new car I would not hesitate in getting another Mo.

 

Same here, although my 04SE, that I bought new 10/04, has a few less miles (109K). Probably since I don't tow with mine - something I'd NEVER do regularly with a modified Altima - I've had even fewer problems than Stoker.

My Mo is the best car I've ever owned. The problem with buying used is that tons of the used ones out here were treated as if they were trucks - ie abused!

 

I am not knocking the guys that have trouble-free Muranos, but I remember researching about the Murano before I bought it and was thinking that the negative comments about the car was bull**** and bought my wife one anyway because I looked at what two or three owners was saying about how reliable the Murano is, and how that the other owners have gotten the "rare" lemons.

Well I guess I am one of the proud "rare " owners that have gotten a bad deal when it come to buying a car that should be able to make it to 100K miles before it needs wheel bearings,seat frame, power steering hose,gas door latch mechanism, squeaky brakes when reversing only "no matter how many times I changed the rear pads", and soon a new transfer case seal"mine is weeping", my Murano still have less than 100K miles on it, so yes I feel burned and apparently I am not alone.

The funny thing is that I read that owners was having these problems before I bought the Murano, however I listened to the minority of owners that reported not to have problems because I liked how it looked and handled on the road, big mistake on my part.

I will make this simple, I believe that the first generation Murano as a whole is not very reliable, with exception of a small percentage of owners that have gotten trouble-free ones. We should do a poll on this forum about who have had problems, and who had not to settle this debate

 

We should do a poll on this forum about who have had problems, and who had not to settle this debate

How could that 'poll' have any validity at all? As stated above, just about ALL the people on the board are here because they've had problems. How could you possibly get people on here that have no problems and love their muranos? It's human nature to voice our opinions and b i t ch and moan when things don't go our way.

Example, how many of you have called your fast food joint when the food was great? Probably.0001% But I bet you won't hesitate to call when it sucked or they forgot something... Just think about it.

The only true way to know the vehicles reliability is if the manufacturer releases the information containing how many sold and how many have been repaired under warranty. After a warranty period we will never know the true numbers.

 

Well a few months into ownership of my 07 and i now have the busted seat bracket XD. I guess i should expect the ps hose, motor mount and tc or cvt to go out sometime. Im still under 120k so i should be covered for the cvt and tc. I also have a thump in the front/right side somewhere. I replaced the sway bar links but still have the thump. Im guessing its a bad strut. The ride is not as smooth as i think it should be too.

This car seems to be on the delicate side and i dont think a car of this type should be.

 

This car seems to be on the delicate side and i dont think a car of this type should be.

You might have hit the proverbial nail on the head with this statement - especially the `car of this type' part. The Murano is indeed a CAR - an Altima with a modified drive train, and a more utilitarian body, and a plushier interior. Muranos are NOT trucks or even SUV's, though some would argue that a CUV is indeed a type of SUV. I always get a kick out of seeing someone here complain about something breaking on their truck.

That said, no vehicle of any type should have some of the problems reported by a few people here - things like power steering hose failures, droopy visors, or broken seat brackets. As one of the semi-regulars here, maybe I'm just lucky that my Mo - now going on 110K miles - has had NONE of these problems. But, as the original owner (and yes, I realize that a few other original owners have reported problems here), I also know how my car has been treated for the past 9+ years.

We've also discussed here before that forums such as this one are hardly representative of all owners of any one type of car.

 

I had my 04 MO since it had less than 30K on it, purchased it in 2007 timeframe just before the bumper/bumper warranty expired. I replaced a whole slew of things and even did some modifications to add OEM navigation.

Overall, with hindsight being 20/20, if I were to go to my past self and give advice, I would have told myself to stay away from the Murano. My CVT gave out just shy of 110K miles, then shortly after that, I had to replace the transfer case. The reseal the dealership did on the transfer case didn't last 15K before they declared they had to completely rebuild it as the output shaft was warped. On top of that, the CVT was acting up again. So a brand new transmission didn't last 35K miles. All of this tells me the design wasn't Nissan's best.

My VQ engine was also starting to consume oil for no reason, and others in the forum had it worse than me. I used Castol Edge 5w30 full synthetic and it used about 1-2qts of oil every 5K miles. Which isn't bad, but not good for a newer generation motor. When Honda motors can go 10K miles between oil changes, Nissan has some catching up to do.

If you do get the MO, make sure you have the CVT extended warranty paperwork handy just in case anything happens. If it starts to go, trust me, you'll know.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for all the insight, it is much appreciated. I'm a member of many other car forums, so I do understand the inherent bias regarding reliability on a forum. That being said, it looks like I am going to have to avoid the Murano, which is a shame because this car is everything I am looking for in a vehicle. If I were in a better financial situation, I would easily assume the risk with purchasing a used Murano, but unfortunately, I am not. As a lifelong Nissan fan, it is a sad day when I am looking into purchasing a Ford or Jeep over a Nissan.

Thanks again for all the help, but it seems like the risk is simply too high for this guy.

 

As a lifelong Nissan fan, it is a sad day when I am looking into purchasing a Ford or Jeep over a Nissan.

You can buy the new (or recent) Grand Cherokee with a clear conscience. The current version was designed when Mercedes owned Jeep and it's a real winner.

This is also likely to be my last Nissan for a while - my next vehicle will not have either a CVT or a transversely mounted front engine. This is my first vehicle with both these characteristics, and I don't really want another version of either one. I can't say the Murano has required excessive maintenance or repair up to the 100K mark (other than the silly transfer case seal which happens often) but I find that I'm no longer thrilled with the CVT or trying to work on a transversely mounted engine.

 

I'm late to the party but I don't think I could recommend the Murano any more. Yes, every car specific forum will have it's higher percentage of failures vs the general driving public but the failures on the Murano are quite serious ones. The AWD system is both fragile and expensive, the CVT once out of warranty is a non-repairable piece and the overall suspension design seems under-spec for a vehicle of it's size resulting in bushing, tie rod and ball joint wear at an above normal rate.

I'm seriously looking at the Mazda CX-9 as a replacement and have been spending some time on a popular CX-9 forum. It also seems to suffer from a weak transfer case but the cost to replace is it about 1/3 of the cost of the Murano and the design was changed so that once you swap it the problem doesn't seem to come back. Other than that there seem to be very few complaints about the same problem (unlike our axle seals, CVT failures etc).

This will be my last Nissan vehicle for a while.

 

Well, I have owned two Nissan vehicles, a small pickup sold at 150+K miles and the 2005 Murano presently at 95K. Both very good vehicles. In fact the Murano is the best vehicle I have ever owned and has cost me about $100 in unscheduled repairs- of course on my own labor. Check with consumer reports, for the most part it is an above average vehicle(statistically). Even my brakes are original but the rears need replacing w/in 10K

When people have problems with a vehicle they are generally vocal with the aggravation. Those who do not have problems do not always report "no problems" as it is not a nagging issue on the mind. I have a close friend that liked their 2003 Murano so much they bought a 2011 two years ago.

Looking forward, I am eagerly awaiting the next gen. but I do have concerns about buying a first year upstart from Canton Miss.

 

After 9 years and 80,000 miles I would have to say YES.... and NO.

:29:Yes, because the njjoe-MO has been relatively problem-free throughout it's life. :28:No, because the handling of the CVT repair/replacement policy was most definitely not consumer-friendly.

The next time there is a reliability issue with a major component will Nissan react in a similar fashion and not quickly and adequately support the consumer??

I have loved my MO, but it most definitely will be my last.:crying:

-njjoe

 

Murano is the most mechanic unfriendly car I know. I was repairing cars for about 20 years.
Valve adjustment requires engine removal and engine can only be removed with transmission and subframe. That means valve adjustment is about $2000. Same about water pump replacement, I think.
Call dealer and ask.
Used engines go for 1500-2000.
Maxima is much better, it alloys timing chain replacement w/o engine removal.
Sooner or later all cars break.
Murano is Altima with higher roof.

 

Murano is the most mechanic unfriendly car I know. I was repairing cars for about 20 years.
Valve adjustment is requires engine removal and engine can only be removed with transmission and subframe. That means valve adjustment is about $2000. Same about water pump replacement, I think.
Call dealer and ask.
Used engines go for 1500-2000.
Maxima is much better, it alloys timing chain replacement w/o engine removal.
Sooner or later all cars break.
Murano is Altima with higher roof.

I've had several Nissans with VQ (same as in our Mos) engines in my family, and have never heard of one requiring a valve adjustment. That includes the 95 Maxima I drove for 17 years and 220K miles, that was running perfectly when I traded it in. Has anyone here ever had a `valve adjustment' on their Murano?

I'll admit that water pumps, because they are internal to the engine, are a bit pricey. The one on my Max started weeping at 147K miles, and cost me just under $600 at the dealer. But that was back in 2003, so the price is likely higher now. Fortunately, they last a LONG time! As for timing chains, theoretically they will last the lifetime of your car - especially if you use decent oil and change it regularly (ie full synthetic at 7-8K intervals - YMMV!)

 

I'm not sure what "valve adjustment" means. Modern engines don't normally need them, because (other than extremely high performance engines) they don't have mechanical lifters or valvetrain designs that require manual adjustment. That term may mean something else.

 

3.5 engine has solid lifters. Older cars had shims and could be adjusted w/o cam removal. Domestic cars usually have hydraulic lifters.
Yesterday I checked valve clearances in rear head. All were fine except one, it was 3 times bigger. .043, should be .015 max.
I'll try to remove chain cover w/o removing engine, it is not what manual says.
If I remove cover w/o removing engine I will not hate Murano so much. Unfortunately I didn't check valve clearances before replacing engine, it will cost me about 2 days work.
If you have service manual, read about valve adjustment.

 

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I removed chain cover.:2:
Some more info:In the morning I broke camshaft with pry bar, trying to remove lifter from 5th cyl. I have old engine, so I have all parts. Hopefully I'll find right size lifter or at least bigger one, I can file it.

 

The question is though, how much more do you want the Murano than your current 350Z?

 

valve adjustment would be in the cylinder head... no reason to remove the entire drivetrain, just (yea i know "just") disassemble the top end and pull the heads.

valve adjustment is likely more of a valve seat and seal replacement, unless the springs need replacing or the stems got jacked.

And yea the murano is a tall Altima with "AWD" but is still an SUV. Just like 99% of SUVs these days, it's based on a car and is unibody construction. There are very few body-on-frame true SUVs any more, especially in the small to midsize category. Hell most of them are FWD.

On to the matter of the thread, All cars have trouble spots, luckily most of the Murano's issues are non-life threatening, and can limp along for quite a while without sidelining your driving pleasure.
The problem is, when buying used, you need to be able to spot if the example you're buying is exhibiting any of those cues. Working against you is a short test drive and general unfamiliarity with the example. That makes it hard to make the best decision.

If you have the wherewith-all to do the research, I'd negotiate to have some of the issues dealt with as part of the sale. PS line, TC seals, ball joints, tires, brakes spark plugs, all fluids flushed, and alignment.

Get even a couple of those done and you'll be pretty good to go.

while mine's had it's issues, I find it unfair to expect any vehicle to be maintenance free for 100k miles. I've had all the items above done to mine (plus a mount, VC gasket), through a mix of dealer and DIY to the tune of $1500, but don't expect to need to redo it for the remaining life of the vehicle. $0.015 per mile on the vehicle? I'll take that all day long.

 

I own a 2005 and I bought another Mo (a 2012) about six months ago. I've enjoyed good service from both... so far. The 2005 is at 119,000 miles. Both were purchased used from an "enterprising" auto rental fleet, and I've used full synthetic oil in both and will continue to do so.

 

My '03 just "wore out" after 10 1/2 years. I never looked at anything else except an '07 MO. Bought an SE with 57000 miles without hesitation... I am happy with it, as I was with my '03...

 

Sounds like a lot of people are complaining about issues that almost every car would need to have replaced around 100,000 miles anyway. Be lucky it doesn't have a timing belt that needs replaced at 100k like a lot of other cars.

By the way, if you're going to write off an entire model because of transfer case problems why not just opt for the front wheel drive? What's the need for AWD in a Murano anyway?

And to the person who said they don't want to deal with a Murano because of the maintenance issues so they're going to get a Jeep instead... GOOD LUCK with that. I've heard many things about Jeep's electrical problems and wouldn't touch one of those with a 10 foot poll.

Either way, I know the Murano isn't a luxury car but if you own a $10,000-$20,000 car and a few hundred dollars here and there for maintenance is too expensive for you... You obviously can't afford that car!! If you want something with super low maintenance costs get a Honda Civic or a Chevy Cobalt.

Just as a reference point since it's the only other car I have, when I bought my '04 Acura TL a few years ago I put close to $1400 into it right away with replacing timing belt, spark plugs, air filters, tires, battery, water pimp, etc. these are all normal maintenance items. You guys that expect to drive your car 200,000 with nothing but oil changes in between crack me up. And also if you aren't the first owner and don't know how the previous owner(s) drove the car or cared for it, you really shouldn't be commenting at all. You have no idea what conditions that car was put through.

Again the bottom line- if you don't have two nickels to rub together don't take out a car loan for a car you can't afford and then complain about maintenance costs. This isn't meant to be mean in any way but some people's priorities and expectations are 100% RIDICULOUS!

 

How long are you planning on keeping the car? I love my 05 with 94,000 miles. I expect some repairs at this point, but I'm planning on parting with it because the even the above average car person can struggle to work on this car themselves. You can't change the spark plugs, and pray that your HID headlight never goes out. Parts and repair costs are more expensive, compared to other less decked out cars. I really have loved this car, and don't mind driving an older car if I can work on it myself, but I'm struggling to justify holding on to this one. Just my thoughts, and what I'm planning for my '05. Best of luck to you, it's never an easy decision!

 

I am in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which has a harsh winter where AWD can be very useful. I bought my loaded 2003 Murano brand new in July, 2003. I paid cash for it, with the intention of keeping it until it wears out to the point it is no longer worth fixing. Itt has been really well maintained with the intention of keeping it going as long as possible.

When new the "chrome" on the plastic front grill wrinkled up, was replaced twice under warranty, then once more b y me out of warranty, current plastic front grill has the "chrome" all wrinkled up, looks like crap.

the drivers side sun visor failed and drooped, I have replaced it, twice, it is drooping again.

drivers seat frame broke (while on a long trip), when I got home I took the seat out, took it apart, welded it up solid myself with added bracing, has not failed since, but still....

front wheel bearings failed, changing them required replacing the entire pair of front hubs and destroying both front ABS sensors and replacing them as well

whenever I do the brakes, I do all four corners, new high quality discs with new high quality pads, as the original front brake rotors warped, badly, and warped a second time when replaced with OEM, no further problems with quality aftermarket parts.

Bose stereo quit working on the entire right side, haven't fixed it

have replaced the entire front suspension, steering, etc., including replacing the lower A arms, twice, when the liquid filled mounting bushings have failed, twice, then finally replaced a third time with "cheap" Chineses made aftermarket A arms that use solid bushings, they are working fine, way better than the Nissan parts. They dio transmit more road noise, but at least they don't fail.

rear hatch power lock mechanism has failed, twice so far, replaced with OEM Nissan parts both times, is presently barely working yet again.

rear seat cup holder that comes out from the center stack broke early on, won't stay retracted, was replaced three separate time under warranty, gave up on replacing it when warranty ran out.

I am on my 9th windshield, cracked and chipped yet again, the Murano is rusting above the windshield on the leading edge of the roof. Also rusting on the drivers side rear fender lip, and passenger side rear door arch. The driving lights in the lower front bumper keep breaking from rocks on the road, there are cheap OEM replacements available through eBay at roughly $80 the pair for exactly the same lights in exactly the same packaging the Nissan dealer wants $360 for, I have replaced them as a pair six or seven times, they are presently broken yet again

The Murano now has 205,000 kms on it, is using oil, the transfer case is whining, and I am going to drive it until it dies, but I suspect it won't be much longer until either the CVT or transfer case lets go, at which point the Murano is going to go for scrap.

it has been decent to drive, interior has held up well, but gets crappy fuel mileage, no where near advertised fuel mileage ratings. I have done all the mechanical work personally other than the initial warranty items. Changing the 6 spark plugs is about a 5 hour job, minimum, requires dis assembling and re programming the fuel injection system among other things.

I am presently looking for my next vehicle as I suspect the 2003 Murano is not going to last much longer, and I am NOT looking at new or used Murano's....

 

I have a 2010 AWD Murano with 130,000 Km (80,000 miles) on it and it has been bullet-proof. Consumer Reports rates the first generation Murano below average in reliability, but rates the second generation as above average, except for the 2009 and 2010 which were average.

Also, Nissan is not phasing out the Murano. The next generation is to preview at next week's New York Auto Show.

 

l have no complaints, l love this car. at 200,000k l have spent about 3000. over 8 years, it's a 2003, that is including tires and brakes. l dive it hard everyday and in harsh canaidian winters. no-one l know has a repair proof car. if l came into some money l think, "what car would l buy ?" none l would just fix up my murano, that's right, this is the best used car value right now with all the negative press. knock on wood that my cvt or trans case dosen't die tomorrow, l have no regrets this has been the best 8 years of my 37 years of driving, and l had many so called good cars, the best 74 trans am, and 1970 240z.
one mans opinion.