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I have enjoyed reading your post and opinons( not happy about all the trumoil with this vehicle, However if nothing else this forum and posting will help someone ( AS IT HAS DONE FOR US ) and hopefully it will send a strong message to NISSAN !
Also If there is anyone who knows a Lawyer willing to file a class action suit I am all for it! Nissan needs to be held responsible for this!!!!!!
I recently bought a 2003 MO, then later found out the 03' CVT was a lemon. I never would have bought it if I had discovered this ahead of time. I called Nissan North America & had them tell me all warranty & recall work that had been done on it. Low & behold, the CVT failed @ 27,000mi in Feb 07' (low mileage for a 4 y/o vehicle) & was changed. I now have 46,000miles on the replacement CVT. I called the Nissan parts dept @ the dealership that changed it & had them tell me the Part# of the new CVT. It is a different Part# & ends in "RE", that's right, you guessed it "Remanufactured".
I've read hundreds of posts but have not read 2 very important questions;
1) Has anyone had a SECOND replacement CVT
fail?
2) Does anyone know if Nissan upgraded the
components that were failing prematurely and
put them in the REMANNED CVT's? (I've
read of several components failing, pressure
solenoids A&B, valve bodies, etc).
I'm trying to make an informed decision whether to keep it & hope the "Remanned CVT" is new & improved or unload this thing soon..
Thanks all for sharing your knowledge on this forum!..
Has a Lexus 300, and was going to buy a 330 until I discovered that it had the same problems that the 300 had-----bad turning radius (turn a tight circle before you buy one), no range on a tank of fuel (can't drive a week on a tank), wind noise, front strut hammering noise on bumps, uncomfortable seats, falling sun visors, and lately found out that all 300/330's have a common transmission problem that is expensive to repait (friend of ours bought one and learned the hard way). I had gotten rid of our Lexus because it was such a pain in the A## before the tranny gave out.
Edmunds.com is "the source" for this kind of exchange and I see people already spreading their dissatisfaction directly on the "Customer review" sections for the car.
Nissan will be really stupid to let the complaints of what is now 100+ people to define the image of the nearly 500.000 CVT-equipped vehicles it plans to sell on US and abroad every year.
The reality is that, statistically, the number of reported incidents per number of 03-04-05 models out there (200.000+) is dismal. Nissan should fork $1 million dollars to end this mess instead of risking its multi-billion dollar reputation and business.
I am keeping my 04 Murano (41K on it,) but if it happens to me, there will be a website, a facebook account, a twitter account, photos of the bill, links to the forums, copies of the letters sent to Nissan, you name it, and all available to whoever wants to hear about it.
Nissan will be lucky to lose only 100x the amount it will cost me.
I have been doing a lot of research as to how I can get Nissan to recall their defective CVT. As I have stated earlier, I encourage everyone to flood the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration with complaints. You just need to go to their website and file a safety complaint on-line. Also I have come across a recall campaign document that states that we can petition the NHTSA to open and investigation. As it stands, they are currently just collecting data on our complaints.
I am willing to start this petition. please e-mail me at: nsudduth@mrcscs.aspirail.org if any one is interested. I will forward you a petition that I have written for you to add your name and some form of contact information to it.
fail?
2) Does anyone know if Nissan upgraded the
components that were failing prematurely and
put them in the REMANNED CVT's? (I've
read of several components failing, pressure
solenoids A&B, valve bodies, etc).
But i'm replacing it with a used one ($2500) and I'll get rid of the car, never back to it again.
A friend called me last week wants to buy a 09 murano I told him to run away from it because of ....etc. unless if he has what it takes.
There's gotta be an easier fix to this than replacing the whole damn transmission. Is there a defective temperature sensor that can be replaced or something? I wonder if the people having this problem are the ones that never replaced the CVT transmission fluid. I don't think the previous owners ever replaced the CVT fluid on my Murano. I should have bought Toyota or Honda or maybe domestic would have been better. Nissan, you have lost a customer for life. I will never buy Nissan ever again. :lemon:
Please be sure to file a safety complaint with the NHTSA. The more complaints the better.
Sorry to hear about your 03' MO. I wish I had discovered this problem when I was researching my 03' MO before I bought it. As for the CVT fluid, it does not require changing like Dexron fluid, it's a completely different animal. You only need to have the fluid tested using a special tester for metal particles exceeding a specific parts-per-million at the Nissan recommended intervals.
I've learned a lot from reading all of these 225 posts along with other Murano forums.
File a complaint with NHTSA.
I'm going to change the CVT fluid myself this weekend. Both Nissan dealerships I went to recommended change every 60k, and wanted $400+. Again BS!!
I would rather spend $200 changing the fluid, then find out in 3 months or 1 yr the transmission completely fails. This would be a $6-7k repair job I cannot afford. :lemon:
The MO repair manual states to have a CVT Fluid Deterioration Check done & that as long as it passes it doesn't have to be changed until it has 210,000 miles on it.
Use only genuine Nissan CVT NS-2 fluid, it's about $20 a quart.
Good luck..
Your problem sounds related to the brake system; a sensor going bad or something with the brake components.
I own a 2003 Nissan Murano SL with about 101,000 miles. After about 20 minutes driving I get the lagging issue where I step on the gas pedal after a complete stop and nothing happens, then all of sudden after 5 seconds the car accelerates dangerously! My wife drives this car and she’s also pregnant. I’m afraid that one day this problem will happen, and she would accelerate after the lagging issue only to hit someone in front of her and cause a major accident. I’m also afraid when she tries to make a left turn during the lag someone might hit her causing an accident. This manufacture need to recognize this is a safety issue, and they need to have a safety recall on these vehicles.
This Murano seem to be the exception since they decided to experiment with the CVT. After further research Nissan didn't even invent this CVT transmission. They used JATCO who manufactures CVT for Nissan and other manufacturers. Nissan must be confident that this "Acceleration Delay" is only happening to a very small number of Muranos not to recall it and to continue putting them in on newer Muranos, Maximas, and other Nissan lineups today. Is it really only about 200+ of us Murano owners out of 1 millionz+ :lemon: affected by this??
I am not sure if you have been doing your research, like many upset 2003 Murano Owners, but most of these transmissions are failing well before the 100k line. Some have report failures at 25,000 miles, but they were still covered under warrenty.
Furthermore, Nissan has indeed changed the transmission in the Murano. the newer models do not have the same CVT that was in the 2003-2005 Muranos.
Do it yourself don't let the dealer crocks flush it they'll charge you $400-500.
The service manual doesn't even mention a fluid change, but every Nissan recommends change every 60k miles. I've even heard the CVT is almost a lifetime fluid up to 210k. CVT trannys have less moving parts vs traditional tranny, but I do not believe in lifetime fluid. If fluid is required for a moving part at some point it will get old and needs changing. :lemon:
I'm bigeasy who's posted on this site and others about the failing 2003 Murano CVT trans. Recently - after a lot of back-and-forth between me and Nissan Customer Service - I was lucky enough to have a Nissan VP pick up my letter to Carlos Ghosn (CEO) and decide to help me. To that end Nissan replaced my CVT trans with me paying for the labor, So instead of costing me an estimated $5000, it cost a little over $1000 for labor.
Like you I loved the Murano the first time I drove it - EASILY the most comfortable car I've ever driven! (Almost 6'5"!)
Don't be afraid of the Murano but have the dealer you're buying from extend you some sort of warranty on the trans. DON"T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER - Or, don't take the deal!
BTW, I'm almost positive that the Lexus 330 and the Nissan Murano are built on side-by-side production lines, but someone else is going to have to verify that.
Good luck!
Bigeay
Do you by any chance have a mailing address for Carlos Ghosn? Also, just out of curiousity do you reside in New Orleans?
I agree. That's why they have 5 years or 60K miles warranty. Even though, the transmission can be last longer but it's not a guaranty.
To answer your first question, I did have my second CVT fail. I did read through all the postings and had similar experiences with Nissan consumer affairs. What baffles me the most is at the time of the first replacement the Nissan dealer gave me the option to upgrade the button on the console that locks the Murano in AWD. This upgraded button has a safety feature that doesn't allow the user to accidently put the Murano in AWD while on drive pavement. (This is deemed to be the cause of the transfer case failure). I declined this upgrade as my $4000 bill was enough without the $600 switch upgrade. Also, if engaging the button caused the transfer case to fail I will not let that happen again as the first repair was a lesson.
Well, my Murano is back in the shop with transfer case that is failing again. The dealership originally said it was covered under warranty and then later called back stating it wasn't going to be covered under warranty because I didn't replace the switch on my console. The dealership noted the Service bulletin Nissan issued regarding this issue. The bulletin number is NTB04-129 and can be found at the link below. The dealership went on to state that Nissan recommends this upgrade of the switch. To me it seems like Nissan has realized the fault part and want the consumer to pay for the "upgraded" or correct switch that is apparently make the transfer case fail. The truck is still in the dealership. The dealership is working with Nissan to see what the results will be. I can't imagine having to stick another $4,000 in a truck that I only paid $16000, which brings my total repairs of $8000 to half the cost of the vehicle. I am contemplation getting an attorney to see if I can at least get my money back for what appears to me as a defective product.
I had my second CVT failure and at the current moment it looks like Nissan will not warranty this one because I didnt' upgrade the colsole button as they recommended. I am seriously considering getting an Lawyer to make this situation right. Not to sure where to start but I will keep researching.
From my own experiences, the air duct issue is not related to the acceleration lag issue. I first noticed the air duct issue after changing the air filter myself. After I finished, I started up the suv, tried to drive out the garage, and the engine would sputter out and die. Tried it again a couple of times and same issue.
I must have knocked the air duct loose when I changed the filter, but after tightening it, everything was a-ok. I have noticed that the air duct on my Murano comes loose every so often, and I have to tightened it, which is really quite difficult. There's a small notch for alignment purposes, but when I feel around on the opposite side of the notch, the duct is barely on, and I pretty much have to man-handle it in, but it's not a great fit. I think the recall will take care of this issue, though I have not called Nissan just yet to set up an appointment.
For the acceleration lag, I've done the fluid flush, I've had my throttle body chamber replaced, but the problem still happens on my Murano, typically on a hot day in stop-n-go traffic. The easiest fix is to shut off the engine and turn it back on, but it'll come back after 5-10 minutes if I'm still driving in the same traffic. It once occurred after waiting in the drive through for McDonald's.
I don't have faith in Nissan to do what's right. I also don't have faith in my '03 Murano to last for another 4 years without a big repair job. And from reading messages on this group, I don't have faith that I rebuilt transmission will ultimately solve the problem. Thus, I think we'll probably trade-in the Murano instead of trying to keep it around. Never again will I buy a Nissan.
Like you my wife drives an 04 Murano. I am on my second transfer case and Nissan is stating they won't warranty the second transfer case because I didn't upgrade the AWD lock button on the console. Is this the "shift position indicator upgrade you're mentioning in your post? If so was your VIN to new or to old? Reason I ask is because I can't understand why the dealership didn't state this button HAD to be upgrade if Nissan is to cover the warranty. I am still on the phone with Nissan. I will post my conclusion. Not sure it will be any different than the rest who have posted. Thanks in advance for the help.
The service line at Nissan was terrible. It literally took an hour of complaining (politely at first) before they would even create a case file. The operator flat out lied to me telling me there was no one else that could help me at Nissan besides him. I had to get his name before he would enter me into the system. They are clearly trained to not answer the questions you ask. The disgusted sighs that came from the Nissan employee after each question I asked made the whole experience that much more enjoyable.