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However, I do have a few niggly little things I'm going to ask them about - including the constant rattle from the undercarriage, every time you go over a slightly uneven road surface, it rattles away. With the windows down you can hear it perfectly, but with them up the sound insulation on this car is too good and you cant hear anything. Also over the last few weeks I have noticed a squeak from the drivers rear side when you get in or out of the car. And the last 2 days something in the general vicinity of the wheels has started squealing. I'm guessing the brakes, but I thought they would last more than 30k? Maybe not. It was also, up until a week or so ago, squealing when you would reverse, but for some bizarre reason that seems to have subsided.
Also, a random rust spot appeared on one of the doors a few weeks ago, just a tiny little spot, but its in such a position that I know it hasnt been banged, there is no indentation or any other scratches around it. Not so good.
I shall let you know how everything works out after tomorrow. I have 6k left under warranty, I think when it gets down to the wire I'm going to purchase the extended warranty, I'm afraid I just dont have enough faith in it!
However, I do still love it, and after driving many many other SUVs, I wouldnt swap it. Well, maybe a straight swap with a range rover or cayenne, but thats about it!
Now, three days later, I am waiting for the check engine to turn off and the vehicle is perfect.
This is like a computer crash, a DISH TV crash or a phone left off the hook...you turn them off, wait, and they reset.
Really don't want a dealer fooling around with a non-recalled alternator...but if they plug in the diagnostic computer, it might tell them something they can replace and make a fortune from Nissan. On the other hand, it may never happen again. On the other hand, my wife is driving it...and is ready to pull over and restart.
Anybody out there heard of this neat way to get killed in a Murano? And doesn't everyone agree the lights and junk make these cars a dealer's dream...particularly when on warranty......
Thanks for any input. John B in California...otherwise, love the darned thing.
Like they say darned if you do and darned if you dont. Scary situation.
Anyone else have a similar problem?
I also had problems if I stop the car after driving for about 10 minutes or so. When I restart the engine, it starts up but immediately shuts off. Its not like a stall though b/c you don't even realize that it shut off until you try to move the car.
Sooooooo glad I got the extended warrenty. I figure I've had at least $7000 worth of repairs after the initial 36,000 miles (though some problems were documented before the warrenty expired)
Leaps and bounds better then the 2000 Quest I had. That car
would turn on the heater when it was 90 degrees outside and
wouldn't work otherwise for at least 20 minutes. Had it replaced
3 times and gave up.
hope you got yours fixed.
Fortunately I have not had all of the problems you list, but a month or so ago I had to have the fuse(es) replaced for the power outlets. The dealer told me that I could not plug/unplug anything into the outlets while the engine was running. :confuse:
Basically, plug it in when the vehicle is off, then start the engine. Stop the engine before unplugging it.
This sounds like a design flaw to me. I have never had any car that was this finicky with their power outlets.
What are you hearing from your dealer?
In all other respects, the car has been great since I bought it (May '05, SL 2WD Touring Package).
Steve, Host
Looks like an inherent manufacturing flaw here seeing so many exact same symptoms.
Dropped the car to the dealer today...awaiting diagnostic results.
BTW, my '05 car has only 3000 miles on it and is two months old.
We had to short it out to close the windows and lock the car so I could leave it, will try to get the dealer to pick it up on Monday morning. But it makes you wonder, what would have happened if I had been moving fast, or on the highway - suddenly no power brakes, no power steering, nothing ...... its a pity, because otherwise, its been a great car .. so far!
top of the tailgate over the hinges that attach the gate to the door are arching.
Sometimes, usually during warm weather, they arch enough so as to hit the roof line of the Murano when the tail gate is open. If I push down on the plastic arch, I can successfully create enough space to open the tailgate -- but this requires a bit of dexterity.
I suspect that some epoxy over the hinges has released -- due to hot/cold expansion contraction or due to constant pressure of the airstream coming over the roof of the car and creating turbulence in the gaps above the hinges of the tailgate. I live in western Connecticut, so there are significant seasonal temperature changes.
I have taken the Murano to auto body shops -- and they, naturally, recommend replacing the entire tailgate door. This, with the labor, comes to about $3,000 US. So, I am looking for other ways to correct the problem. The Nissan dealer, while friendly, is pretty clueless about what to do. I do not see any technical service bulletins from Nissan on this subject -- so I do not know if this is a wide spread problem -- or just an odd problem that a few Muranos are having.
I have thought of putting some steel reinforcement above the hinge and using some
pop rivet or screw to attach the top of the plastic tailgate to this metal that
I would put into the top area of the interior tailgate. I am a bit worried that
while such an approach would flatten out the arches -- that over time cracks in
the plastic would develop outward from the drill holes through the top of the tailgate. There does not seem to be an aftermarket spoiler (like Lund Windjammer) that could cover up things either.
Alternately, I could use some epoxy and clamp the whole top of the tailgate down
(or apply weight to across the whole upper lip of the tailgate). But, what epoxy
is best?? Was there a change to the epoxy used since 2003?
The tailgate is made by:
Quadrant Plastic Composites AG
Hardstrasse 5, P.O. Box
CH-5600 Lenzburg, Switzerland
and is a glass mat thermoplastic.
I have seen other Muranos on the highway, and at speed, have seen these arches above the tailgate hinges.
I would prefer getting advice from someone who is not shade tree mechanic or a profit motivated auto body collision shop owner... Any advice appreciated in advance!!!!
also, has anyone had luck getting the drivers seat fixed so that it stays fixed. it seems that some owners have had several repairs, and are no better off than before the first repair.
by the way, on the tire issue, a pull to the left or right could indicate radial tire pull. the best way to verify is to swap the front tires and see if the pull is now on the other side. if it is, its not the alignment. i have never seen stacked stick on weights and a good computer balancing machine withh tight tolerances should give a really good balance. i had a bad tire and it was replaced by goodyear and the re-balance was perfect. no stacking.
Is this a trend with the car?
Are there any others out there with the same issues?
Thanks
I have no static from 2 other vehicles I own but the Murano has jus a touch of static...enough to be annoying.....is anybody else experiencing this...I called the service dept. and they said it's probably due to the satellites in my area......
You could tell he was brushing me off....no other vehicle I own has this problem.
My last trip to the dealer was pretty good actually, got the alternator recall done, a new cd player is on order, 30k service, stopped the squealing wheels, plus, they mentioned something in passing which I later thought about and tried something, and have discovered the source of the rattling undercarriage!!!!
Apparently the technician couldnt hear the rattling (quel surprise), so they just tightened up a few things anyway (why are they loose in the first place?!?!). The service manager mentioned they tightened up the parking brake mechanism, as that has been known to rattle a little, and there isnt much that can be done about it. When I drove it, the rattle was still there, but less pronounced. The next day i just put the parking brake on a couple of notches while driving through the pothole infested roads of philly, and the rattle completely disappeared! So it is the parking brake mechanism. I'll mention it to them next time and maybe they can tighten it some more?!
Anway, after the service, I had to do some long trips, and I put 2100 miles on it in 10 days. Not a single problem, running as smooth as a brand new vehicle, and in those 10 days I averaged 21.9mpg.
We may complain about our muranos, but other cars have problems aswell - other company car i drive is an 04 Envoy. Apart from the fact its built from cheap plasticcy bits and the interior fit and finish leaves a lot to be desired (I cut myself when opening the door once) I took it in for a service today, and there were 2 recalls out for it regarding turn signals which randomly stop working and/or stick on permanantly (which mine were doing), plus some circuit board that was shorting out and may cause the rear stop lights to fail. Now thats dangerous in my mind! Oh, it also drives like a truck, literally. Oh, and it averages 17.5mpg. Potential buyers, dont be put off. Every car has issues. The more gadgets in a car, the more there is to go wrong.
The Nissan Dealer towed the car (luckily I was only 1/2 mile from the dealership) and had it in diagnostics for 4 days.
The end result was "Electronic Throttle Control" failure. They replaced the Electronic Throttle Control and then everything was fine UNTIL this morning.
I had my 15k service last week -- they replaced alternator from recall. That was 5 days ago -- this morning on the way to work going 65 on the highway, suddenly I had no acceleration (like before) but no warning lights came on. Pulled over to the shoulder (or should I say coasted?) and when I put the car in neutral, the engine revved up - I put back into drive and the car was fine -- but still no warning lights.
Have an appt in the morning to bring to Nissan service -- if this problem happens again, I'd say Nissan would be in for a good law suit if I have an accident over this.
In reality, the alternator's sole purpose is to charge the battery and keep the charge going- the battery is then THE MAIN power source, sending power to the electrical devices in the vehicle. When the alternator fails, the car will run (albeit with the battery indicator illuminated) until the battery can no longer power the transmission or coils, etc.
I've had an alternator go bad on my Acura at about 112K miles, pretty straight forward swap out, the dealer will refund a portion of the new alternator for the old core- just make sure while you're at it, you may want to change the serpentine belt as well... In this instance, Nissan should pay for parts and labor, and since they need to take off the belt to get to the alternator, you should only be charged for parts....
tidester, host