Re: Transfer Case Problems

If so many are having problems then this should be a recall.

This is just not true (though I'd be upset like you are if my transfer case went south).

 

This should be a recall...

The poll should not even be considered as an indicator. Think of how many that are not on this board that do not know about the problem. Ask a mechanic who's worked at a Nissan dealer for more than 10 years who knows the "ins and outs" of each vehicle. I can tell you from the reaction of one of my friends who has been a Nissan mechanic for over 15 years that the seals are a problem with the Murano and that Nissan knows about it, they just won't tell you about it unless you ask.

Ask me about the Ford plastic intake class action suit. The same was said about that problem, it took Ford almost 10 years to make it right, at least they did.

So to those that keep saying "This is just not true"... I was like you in my Mustang until my intake blew while driving at 65 mph, it's not fun...so, don't spite yourself, because having your seals / transfer case fail won't be fun either!

 

Transfer Case & Cat Converter problems

My '04 Murano with 103k miles started making a horrible noise a few days ago and I thought it was because I had hit some ice under the car and knocked something loose.

Well I finaly got under there and couldn't find anything loose that would be causing such as a noise, and the noice got worse the next day.

I took it to the dealer and they said that I need to replace the transfer case for $2800 including labor.

My check engine light was on and they said that I also needed to replace the Catalytic Converter - $1200 including labor.

All in all, a $4,000 day 4 days before Christmas. Merry Christmas Nissan!

I also had to get 2 alternators replaced, thank god they were under warranty.

Does anyone know a way to speed up the failure of the CVT so that I can get that taken care of for free before I hit 120k miles? I would really hate to be on the hook for that in a year.

 

Does anyone know a way to speed up the failure of the CVT so that I can get that taken care of for free before I hit 120k miles? I would really hate to be on the hook for that in a year.

LOL....sorry to hear about the problems, and yes I do know a way but I am not sharing because with your luck and mine it will fail at 120,001 miles.......

 

replacement costs

do these sound like the good rates for these services ?

i'm using a Nissan dealer in Southern NH

$2800 for transfer case replacement including labor
$1200 for catalytic converter replacement including labor

 

another transfer case issue

Just got word that my 2004 Murano (87k miles) needs a new transfer case and CVT. Apparently the seals on the transfer case caused fluid to leak into the CVT. Total estimate... $5500. Nissan won't cover the CVT cause it was caused by the transfer case leaking.... doesn't make sense to me, but what recourse do I really have?

Merry xmas to me.

 

Re: another transfer case issue

Just got word that my 2004 Murano (87k miles) needs a new transfer case and CVT. Apparently the seals on the transfer case caused fluid to leak into the CVT. Total estimate... $5500. Nissan won't cover the CVT cause it was caused by the transfer case leaking.... doesn't make sense to me, but what recourse do I really have?

Merry xmas to me.

The CVT and transfer case share the SAME seal - its just as much part of the CVT as it is the transfer case. I'd escalate this up to Nissan corporate (call the consumer affairs number in the owners manual).

 

Re: another transfer case issue

Nissan won't cover the CVT cause it was caused by the transfer case leaking.... doesn't make sense to me, but what recourse do I really have?

That sounds like a lame excuse to me.

I suggest contacting Nissan's CVT Customer Assistance Center at 888-388-0318. They will have a better handle on the situation than your local dealership.

-njjoe

 

Guys,
Reading this almost convinced me to return the car (06 Murano AWD) ... I have a few more months left from my lease... I was thinking of keeping it.... but... wow... and I have a humming/vibr. noise with an unidentified reason (5 mechanics tried) that sounds like transfer case issue...
D.

 

RE: another transfer case issue

Heard back from Nissan today. Bad news. "Nissan is not in a position to help out." Very disappointing. I will never buy another Nissan product and will be sure to spread this message to all my friends and family.

 

Re: RE: another transfer case issue

Heard back from Nissan today. Bad news. "Nissan is not in a position to help out." Very disappointing. I will never buy another Nissan product and will be sure to spread this message to all my friends and family.

Did you buy your 04 new or used?

 

RE: another transfer case issue

Bought it used in October, 2006 with 57,000 miles on it. It now has 87,500. Hopefully it makes it to the dealership so I can trade it in.

 

Re: RE: another transfer case issue

Bought it used in October, 2006 with 57,000 miles on it. It now has 87,500.

Yep, just what I suspected. You're not alone - lots of the used Mos on the market out here were driven pretty hard (ie abused) by the original owners. It's a sad fact of life with cars viewed by many, and more importantly driven as if they were trucks.

 

Re: Re: RE: another transfer case issue

Yep, just what I suspected. You're not alone - lots of the used Mos on the market out here were driven pretty hard (ie abused) by the original owners. It's a sad fact of life with cars viewed by many, and more importantly driven as if they were trucks.

Abused? You are kidding, right? A failure of a shaft seal, which will lead to a loss of oil and eventually catastrophic failure, is not caused by driver abuse.

The transfer case has always been the Achilles Heel of the MO's AWD system. A failure does not necessarily mean it was abused.

-njjoe

 

Re: Re: Re: RE: another transfer case issue

A failure does not necessarily mean it was abused.

Of course not always. But I still say it's more than a coincidence that the majority (again, not ALL, but most) of the MO drive system failures are on used cars. And many of the used ones were previous rentals. God knows how those were driven.

When (hopefully, if) mine goes, I'll change my tune. until then, I still say it's buyer beware with buying any used car. Particularly cars like ours that many people treat as if they were trucks.

 

Re: Re: Re: RE: another transfer case issue

So I sent an email to kevin.martin@nissan-usa.com describing my situation and expressing my disappointment. I received a call yesterday from someone representing him saying that the case is now being taken over by them and no longer by the Regional Rep (who never returns calls). She reviewed my case with me and again stated that Nissan would not be able to assist with the repairs since a non-warrantied part failure (transfer case seal) caused the CVT failure. However, she went on to say that Nissan would be able to assist with the purchase of a new Nissan. Basically, I would have to go through a normal purchase and trade-in, then send the purchase contract in and they would send me $750. Wow, thanks. Ridiculous!!! Why the hell would I buy another Nissan product?!?!?

On another note, I took the car to a third-party transmission shop (the car is still driveable). After their inspection, they don't think the transmission is about to fail. They recommend removing the transfer case and replacing the seals (which Nissan says can't be done, yet they sell the transfer case seal as a part??). That work would be $1200. They also recommended flushing and replacing the CVT fluid to the cost of $600. All of this work would only come with a 90 day guarantee of their work... if the transmission did die, I'd still be on the hook for another $5500. Also interesting, they said there is a "weep hole" between the transfer case and CVT that shows no sign of transfer case fluid leaking into the CVT. I gave them the codes the dealer found during their original inspection that lead to the failed transmission diagnosis, and the shop didn't see how any of the codes pointed to a potential transmission failure.

So at this point, we've made the decision to trade the car in. I'm done with it. Too many uncertainties. It's too bad, cause we really like the car.

Good luck to others with this problem!

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: another transfer case issue

Particularly cars like ours that many people treat as if they were trucks.

Where in the heck do you come up with this stuff? How do you treat a vehicle like a truck? As an SUV / Crossover, you expect a little more durability, do you not?

Even if a vehicle is remotely abused, if that's what you want to use as an excuse, this vehicle should not encounter as many problems as it does. I joke about it but as a loyal Ford customer, I've never had so many annoying problems such as I've had with our Murano, AND IT'S BEEN BABIED SINCE NEW! It's obvious to me that this vehicle was NOT designed for duarbility.

For now, as told to me by fellow members, it is a "love hate" vehicle...

Brion8...sorry you got screwed!!!

 

Transfer Case Failure

My transfer case failed at only 42,000 miles. I would expect that Nissan would honor the warranty but they are not. This care has had a really good life - it drive about 8 miles to work each day and that's about it. This issue is obviously a design issue and Nissan should issue an extened warrantee and honor it.

 

Re: Transfer Case Failure

My transfer case failed at only 42,000 miles. I would expect that Nissan would honor the warranty but they are not. This care has had a really good life - it drive about 8 miles to work each day and that's about it. This issue is obviously a design issue and Nissan should issue an extened warrantee and honor it.

What year is this car, and did you buy it new or used?

 

Transfer Case Failure

I bought my car new at the end of 2004. It's 60 month or 60K miles power train warranty ran out in late September, but given all the issues posted here, this looks like a known issue. I'm really disappointed. The is my second Nissan and I would not expect this type of issue.

 

Re: Transfer Case Failure

My transfer case failed at only 42,000 miles. I would expect that Nissan would honor the warranty but they are not.

What reason did Nissan give for not honoring the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty?

-njjoe

 

Re: Re: Transfer Case Failure

What reason did Nissan give for not honoring the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty?

-njjoe

Well since my 60 month ended in September they did not need to give reason. The power train is covered for 60 months or 60K miles, but given all that this is a known issue - - - I'm surprised and disappointed that they would not honor the warrantee. Very disappointing. Until now I've had nothing but wonderful things to say about my Murano.

 

Re: Re: Re: Transfer Case Failure

Well since my 60 month ended in September they did not need to give reason. The power train is covered for 60 months or 60K miles, but given all that this is a known issue - - - I'm surprised and disappointed that they would not honor the warrantee. Very disappointing. Until now I've had nothing but wonderful things to say about my Murano.

The Dealer mechanic asked for a good will, but Nissan said "No".

 

Re: Re: Re: Transfer Case Failure

Well since my 60 month ended in September they did not need to give reason.

Well, to be fair to Nissan they did not fail to honor your warranty. They lived up to their responsibility. It was just bad luck that the transfer case failed just outside the warranty period.

Have you contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs directly? Their number is 800-647-7261.

-njoe

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Transfer Case Failure

Well, to be fair to Nissan they did not fail to honor your warranty. They lived up to their responsibility. It was just bad luck that the transfer case failed just outside the warranty period.

Have you contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs directly? Their number is 800-647-7261.

-njoe

I think I am being fair to Nissan. I indicated that the 60 months had passed, but as a known issue, I would have expected them to provide the good will replacement. They are within their legal right to deny the claim, but it seems clear that this is an design flaw, and that is where my disappointment originates. I do not expect a vehicle of this type to have a major failure at 42 miles. It has never been off road, is driven very kindly, well maintained, and garaged at night.

The fact that they replaced the "switch" that turns off the AWD lock at 20mph to a switch that turns off the AWD lock at 6 MPH because anything over that speed (6 mph) will ruin the transfer case seems like a design flaw.