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Nissan Murano CVT Transmission

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Comments

  • rjgcparjgcpa Member Posts: 11
    Have an '05 Murano with two issues. I often feel a vibration through the gas pedal. It occurrs intermittently but most often when the car is accelerating (like going up hills); occassionally even at a stand still. The other issue is every time I turn the engine off I hear a sound. The sound is like a car that adjust for a change in load. The old Lincoln's use to have a system that if you added extra weight to the trunk the suspension would compensate. My sound is something like that but in my case I haven't change the weight in the car (other than my removing myself). Any thoughts? Thanks.
  • roses5roses5 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2003 Nissan Murano. I replaced the transfer case in October with 72K. The car went again and this time the transfer case and the transmission went. The car has 87K miles and at first they did not want to pay for the transfer case because the warrenty was up. They are now saying that they will pay if the rear transfer case goes. I thought the transfer case is one piece. I am so done with this car. I will never buy another Nissan again. Does anyone know if there is a class action suit?
  • completecomplete Member Posts: 4
    I'm glad I'm not the only unlucky one with bad transmission on the 2003 Nissan Murano. I have 70K miles and for the last month, I've had the same problem all others have reported, press the gas and the car doesn't move for a few seconds then jerks forward. Could be very dangerous when in traffic and trying to change lanes. In fact, I only discovered this problem when I was in stop and go traffic lately. I took it to the dealer, they charged me $105 to diagnose the problem. Acted like they've never heard of this problem. Called me back the next day saying they advice on replacing the "Valve Body", for $1750. I was upset that only a 5 year old car has transmission problem that requires this expensive repair. I did some research on the internet and found that I'm not alone. In fact, there has been a complaint filed to NHTSA in 2005. And another one filed in 2007. I filed mine today and have spoken to their rep. What she tells me is that not all complaints lead to investigation and not all investigation leads to recall. However, I believe more complaints of the same problem, the better chance that it will get noticed which will lead to investigation and I'm sure once they investigate, they will find that too many Murano owners had been screwed and this issue is a safety hazzard that should be recalled, and all previous owners who had to fork over thousands of dollars for repair should be reimbursed.

    So, please go ahead and file the complaint with NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ) and they will assign you an ODI (Office of Defects Investigation) number. Mine is 10232062.

    The website to file the complaint with NHTSA is

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/complaintsearch.cfm

    Also, other forums where people have posted exact same problems is

    http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/273213

    Nissan has known this problem and they are not owning up to it. We need to all stick together and not let them get away with endangering the motorists and reaping millions of profit from all those costly repairs.
  • completecomplete Member Posts: 4
    Here is another place where people are reporting exact same problems thinking their situation is unique.

    http://nissan.justanswer.com/murano/14zp1-2003-nissan-murano-cvt
  • vanessaesqvanessaesq Member Posts: 10
    I was curious about the "leaky seals" portion of your post. I too have the exact same problems as you (you can go up and look at my post - I am suing Nissan here in NJ). When I took my car to Nissan to be "diagnosed" they also told me that the seals in the transmission were "leaking" and that this would cost an additional $700 to repair. Were you also told this in addition to replacement of the "valve body?" I was also told that the valve body needs replacement ($1700). I filed suit here in NJ and alleged consumer fraud. When I receive a filed copy of my complaint back, I intend to file a complaint with the NHTSA and attach a copy of the filed complaint. I agree with you that the problem is widespread and that Nissan needs to be made to own up. I decided based upon what I read from others who had actually replaced the valve body (only to have the transmission fail anyway) that my lawsuit would not ask for Nissan to pay for the repair of the valve body, but instead I am demanding replacement of the entire transmission or, in the alternative, for the court to compel Nissan to purchase the car back from me. We'll see what happens. Good luck to you.
  • completecomplete Member Posts: 4
    Actually, they didn't say anything about the leaky seals, just that my valve body needs to be replaced. No guarantee that it will fix the problem and no guarantee that I won't need to replace the transmission. Glad to hear you are taking them to court and would be very much interested in hearing the results that you can share with rest of us (don't settle for something where you can't disclose to others).

    Come on, people. Please file you complaint to NHTSA.
  • oompah1003oompah1003 Member Posts: 6
    Just filed my complaint! Hopefully everyone else does as well, the more complaints the quicker we may get resolution.
  • completecomplete Member Posts: 4
    That's the idea. I can't believe there were only 2 before me, even though so many people have complained about it here. Keep it coming.
  • murano2murano2 Member Posts: 1
    Where do you stand with this issue? I just found out today that i will need at least a valve body @ roughly $1500. This is best case scenario, worst being a new transmission which will run around $5500. If Nissan knew about this, it should have been a recall. I have a 2003 Nissan Murano with 95K miles on it. My problems started in March, and this past Sunday, i pressed the accelerator all the way to the bottom, only with no response almost causing me an accident, once it eventually lurched forward. I will email you separately with my info once i hear back on this post.

    regards...
  • vanessaesqvanessaesq Member Posts: 10
    I just filed my complaint in the Monmouth County Superior Court here in NJ. I will serve it and begin the discovery process with Nissan. I totally agree with you; the situation with this car is reprehensible. I was just talking to a family friend who had an '03 Murano with the same problem. It is so widespread that it is unbelievable. I made Nissan very well aware that I was a litigation attorney when I filed my complaint with their customer service problem, and I am in the same boat as anyone else - they refused to contribute one dime toward the repair of the car and don't seem to care that I intended to sue them. For them, a large corporation, it is a matter of economics - some bean counter somewhere figured out that it would be cheaper to let the warranties run out and to take the gamble that the people it affected would not take legal action. If some do, it's cheaper to pay them off than to do a recall on a transmission problem. They will not voluntarily do that. I am disgusted with the whole thing, but I intend to prosecute my suit and see where it takes me. You can e-mail me your information if you'd like (vanessaesq@aol.com).
  • amgibbsamgibbs Member Posts: 2
    Wow I am so glad I found this forumn. Back in May I had this horrible squealing sound that started after we had the brakes changed. We took and had a diagnostic run and was told it was the transmission, I about died. We had only had the car less than 3 years. It is a 2005 That I had bought at the end of June of 2005. So I took the car to Nissan, they charged me $100+ to tell me the exact same thing and then told me they would not cover it under warranty and it would cost me $4,500 to replace the transmission. It has "Internal transmission failure". So I contacted Nissan headquarters whatever it is and finally going back and forth for 2 months they told me a week ago that they were NOT going to cover or help pay for the replacement.

    Their reason: I don't get my car serviced by Nissan. WTH? I'm sorry I don't pay $60 for you to change my oil, but yet I have all my receipts. They could care less about their customers. So I have filed complaints on BBB and now the website listed at the start of this post which I am hoping can make someone open their eyes and realize what is wrong here.

    They need to suck it up and take ownership, this is obviously a huge issue and instead of just dismissing their customer's off they should be trying to determine the problem.

    So now we have 1 car because who can afford to drop $5,000 on the spot on a car that is still a baby and we paid over $30k for in the first place.

    I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER NISSAN. :mad:
  • amgibbsamgibbs Member Posts: 2
    May I also add that on this website: www.safercar.gov. There are complaints on JUST the powertrain/auto transmission:

    51 complaints on 2003 models
    18 on 2004 models
    7 on 2005 models
    3 on 2006 models
    4 on 2007 models

    I also emailed that Office of defects investigation directly and asked them how many complaints it takes in order for them to Officially investigate. Everything I read is the same issues..

    I would continue to spread the word at how big of an issue this is and hopefully we can all get some resolution. :confuse:
  • m0mzillam0mzilla Member Posts: 10
    OMG - I have been sick to my stomach all week thinking I was the most unlucky person in the world and my Murano was the only one with this problem! Without ANY warning or dash lights, my car just lurched forward pulling into my driveway and then I couldn't drive it again. Towed it to my mechanic who said it was the transmission and no one can work on this model other than the dealership. I even called a transmission specialist who said Nissan won't release any repair details so no one else can work on it. No one even gave me an option for valve replacement. They can't even tell me what's wrong or why my tranmission failed! Just "We think it's your transmission" and it's a $5k repair. Ugh. I JUST bought this car last year and 30k miles ago. I still have a $400 per month payment and when I inquired about a trade-in/upgrade, I was offered $9,500 for it. I could really just cry. I have literally no options. I guess I'm just going to repair it and then get rid of it. Should have bought the Lexus version. Had I found this forum when I was buying it, I would have at least purchased the extended warrantee!
  • daveciidavecii Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 Murano SL AWD transfer case completely failed at 72,000 miles. I took the car in a few weeks prior to the failure, and Regal Nissan in Huntsville, AL said it was "tire noise", and not to worry unless the CVT lights came on. When the transfer case completely failed, they finally discovered a cracked housing resulting in a $3,300 repair. Both Regal and Nissan's customer service refused to do anything about it.

    If your MO starts making noise in the front end, watch out.

    I will never buy another Nissan. There is no excuse for their failure to take responsibility.
  • wkp0000wkp0000 Member Posts: 6
    On Friday July 25, 2008, my 2003 Nissan Murano suddenly would not go forward at stop lights before a 10 to 20 second delay. Even while on the interstate pumping the accelerator would not increase spead without a delay of a few seconds. I thought I was going to have to have the car towed, but was able to get my crippled car to a mechanic; who later that day informed me the cost would be approximately $800 to make the repairs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks,
    WK Perry
  • sleepyheadtriosleepyheadtrio Member Posts: 2
    The only "help" I can give you is to tell you that you are lucky in the fact that you only have to pay half of what we had to pay to get the stupid car fixed!

    Its been a while, so I don't remember exactly what they had to fix...sorry I am not much help! :confuse:
  • whansenwhansen Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Murano, and as soon as I drove it across the border into Mexico where I now live, the warranty died. In 2005 I had to buy a new alternator for about $400 USD and now it's in the shop again for a new transmission. The car died on the way home, and just wouldn't move. The technician tried to pull it apart, but after two days, he told me that it would be cheaper to replace the whole transmission. The good news for me is that Nissan has a transmission factory here in Mexico, and the whole thing will cost $2,100 USD. The install cost is another $400.
    Not bad when compared to what some of you are paying. Oh, did I mention that I only have 40,000 miles on this car? Or that my next car would be a Honda?

    wayne hansen
    Puerto Vallarta
  • usedmuranousedmurano Member Posts: 7
    WK Perry

    I posted a while back about this "delayed acceleration problem" that lots of people seem to be having (Post #4). I also posted a while back that I got my transmission fluid changed and that seemed to help (Post #74).

    Well, I was wrong. Several weeks ago, the problem returned and I was able to limp it over to the dealer who was able to diagnose it as a throttle body chamber issue. Keep in mind that I told them about this issue before, when I got my transmission fluid changed, and they acted like they had never heard of such a problem. But as soon as I brought it in and they took it for a spin around the lot, they knew exactly what it was! Like they were experts at fixing it! Go figure! Fortunately, for me, it was still under warranty and I only paid the $50 deductible.

    So far, the Murano's problem hasn't returned, and I've driven it around LA traffic many times. I will keep the news group updated if the Murano problem returns.
  • cde1cde1 Member Posts: 2
    All, I am 1.5 years in to a 3 year lease. I will greatly exceed the mileage limit and plan on purchasing the lease out. For at least the past 10k miles (vehicle has 30k miles currently) I have heard a clicking noise that I attributed to either the transmission or suspension. When accelerating or taking my foot off of the accelerator, that shift in momentum, or shift in weight dispersement, (or changing gears) creates a "click-click". I have not had any issues with acceleration and am not aware of any leaks. With no change in vehicle performance and only a clicking noise I have not contacted Nissan. Are any of you familiar with this clicking noise? Is it possible that it will lead to larger issues? Will Nissan address a clicking noise as an issue?

    Thanks,

    Chad
  • amatistaamatista Member Posts: 15
    I've had more than my share of issues with my six month old 2007 Murano (crank sensor failure at 1,000 miles, valve body replacement and subsequent crank sensor failure at 7,000 miles) that I've whipped up one doozy of a letter to send off to someone in Nissan. Any suggestions on who I should address it and mail it to? Its purpose is to basically "address" some of their atrocious customer service practices (awakening me at 11 pm AND midnight to provide updates on my vehicle, and refusing to get my vehicle and I off of the freeway) and to tell them basically that they stink and I'll take all future business elsewhere....
    Thanks in advance!
    :lemon:
  • rpotts44rpotts44 Member Posts: 2
    Component requiring replacement: POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

    Confirmation number for this site: ODI # 10238102.

    Nissan Murano, 2003 with approximately 75,400 miles. August 9, 2008, my daughter and wife were driving the car and called me on my cell phone very excited and unset stating, “THE CAR WON’T ACCELERATE AND IT IS JERKING,, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” I instructed them to park the car until I arrive to check it out I didn’t want them to get onto the major highway in the heavy traffic. I arrived and drove the car home. I parked the car in our garage and didn’t drive it until Monday for work. Had no problems that day and drove it to work, both wife and I commute to the same location. After work on this very heavily traveled interstate on our way home I experienced the car hesitating and the RPM gage rived up over 4000 rpms and the car started to lurch and hesitate and had no response from the accelerator. Vehicle started to lose momentum so I exited at the nearest exit. I nursed the car to a parking lot off the main interstate and stop. I called the Nissan dealer where I just had the car serviced the week before and explained the problem I was having. I informed the service rep the car would be delivered by a Wreaker service to have the car dropped off; read codes and would get back later the next day. I called the next day and was informed the codes were many and they were waiting for the Nissan headquarters to give them some instruction. Was informed to replace the transmission, cost $5400. This problem seems to be a very well known problem with this vehicle and Nissan is well aware of it. I blogged the internet, Nissan Murano Forum and to my amazement uncovered many individuals experiencing the very problem with my car, transmission. I strongly feel Nissan should have a recall on the problem and individuals should have their monies refunded and Nissan should be fined heavily for their neglect and not accepting responsible for the defective product. I’ve reported this major catastrophic defect to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration: www.nhtsa.gov, but am assured they will only be a bureaucratic arm of the US Government. I’ve called this government agency and they are mind dead, no clue, just the cooperate line. Confirmation number for this site: ODI # 10238102 :lemon:
  • rpotts44rpotts44 Member Posts: 2
    My CVT transmission also displayed the same Symptoms and at 74K had to have the CVT transmission replaced. Still in the dealer and was informed the motor mounts, 4 ea, need to be replaced also. That will be another $500 with the cost of the trany, $5400. I’m a retired aircraft mechanic and inspector. This would be considered in my trade, a major failure of many components. Also, this has to be considered by The Federal Trade Commission, a Government agency. The trade in valve of the car is only $8000-9000 and doubt if I could get that amount. Just the week before I had work done to the car, totaled $2,110.00. They had to replace both dropping visors, which I understand is a problem with many of the Lemons Nissan sold. This isn’t just isolated with Muranos but any car Nissan manufactured in that year up to about 2005, example the Altima, are having CVT transmissions fail and Nissan North America when I’ve talked to them point out they have no responsibility for the car because it is out of warranty and me as the owner have to take responsibility for repairs. They are taking no responsibility for their defective product. My wife and daughter were driving this car when it started to fail and were on a very busy highway but were able to get off the interstate without getting themselves hurt or killed or causing injury to anyone else. I support your desire to consult a lawyer. Have you talked to one yet because you blog was in January of this year. Again, my car is still in the dealers for repair and I strongly believe Nissan should stand up to the plate and take responsibility for this defective product they installed in these cars. I paid over $32,000 for this car and haven’t gotten my monies worth out of it. !! :lemon:
  • wkp0000wkp0000 Member Posts: 6
    Took to my local mech . after reading theses blogs.

    Ended up being an oxygen sensor @ $800 -bad enough but problem has not re-accured after 3 weeks.

    WKP :mad: :sick:
  • muranomtlmuranomtl Member Posts: 1
    Hello there :-)

    I have read over 100 posts from different websites and you seem to be the only "lucky" one who didn't have to pay the whole $6000 to fix this problem.

    I was going to buy a new transmission this coming Friday.
    Would it be possible for you to tell us exactly what your dealer changed to fix the problem? This could save thousands to a lot of people like us.

    Thanking you in advance!!!
  • wkp0000wkp0000 Member Posts: 6
    I will get all the information from my mech . next week Sept.4 and will replay back to you.
    Good Luck
  • mainer3mainer3 Member Posts: 1
    I just signed papers on a 05 murano.Dealing with the bank tomorrow . In reading
    I am a litttle concerned. should I be is there still problems with tran. should i have them change fluid now it has 32000 mile would that save me from problems?
    looking for some input. help
  • usedmuranousedmurano Member Posts: 7
    I apologize. I've been on vacation and recently got back into the swing of things.

    My description is non-technical, so please forgive me:

    The throttle body chamber regulates how much air goes into the engine. For my Murano, something was wrong with the sensor on the throttle body. It didn't recognize that I was pressing on the accelerator until much later (3-4K RPM) and then it would open up and cause my Murano to lurch forward. I asked the dealer mechanic how much it would cause to just get the throttle body replaced, and she said about $800, including labor. There are other posts out there that talk about the TPS (throttle position sensor, or something similar) failures and replacements. I believe this TPS is the sensor controlling the throttle body valve.
  • prince0609prince0609 Member Posts: 1
    this is my 4 times to go dealer for the same think ACCELERATION probleme
    they dont know what to do ,last time left my car for 31 days to NISSAN HOUSE
    i cant bieleve ,if the house of nissan yyuuuiii have probleme to fixe
    STAFFORD NISSAN DEALER
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    If you would describe the problem in a little more detail perhaps someone here could provide some advice.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • bigsuckerbigsucker Member Posts: 4
    In the last year, my pampered 03 Murano has fallen apart:

    transmission valve body failed
    both front struts leaked and failed
    catalytic converter failed
    oxygen sensor failed
    exhast manifold CRACKED IN HALF! (while idling)
    TRANSFER CASE CRACKED IN HALF! (leaving my driveway at 4 mph)

    Full quoted cost for these repairs at dealers = $8000.00+

    Just Goggle the web under Murano drive train, transmission, transfer case failures and read thousands of postings both low and high milage, I read nothing but posts on similar failures for 4 HOURS after mine failed.

    This is obviously a known problem, have yours checked while in warranty, and don't let dealer tell you that a whirring noise is just coming from your tires! I trusted them, big mistake! Thank God I wasn't in traffic when this occurred, it could have caused a serious accident.

    PLEASE if you have experienced the drivetrain/transmission/transfer case trouble, REPORT IT TO THE NHTSA so they can force Nissan to recall and repair this defect. They need to hear from the victims of this defect to investigate it.

    These are also unacceptable repair costs, shop for your parts yourself. I found the transfer case, an original new OEM part, from another Nissan dealer online for $1200.00 less (delivered) than our dealership was going to charge us. OUTRAGEOUS! Gouging for the parts, on a known problem!

    This is not just sour grapes, I have two 90's era Dodge pickup trucks with over 200,000 miles on each (one is approaching 300,000), an '83 Jaguar with 170,000, a '99 BMW with 105,000, a '96 minivan with 140,000, the '87 minivan I sold 6 years ago is still on the road. I take good care of my cars. Never had a problem car like the Murano.
  • ziywayziyway Member Posts: 1
    Your complaint must be about safety and the endangerment of lives in order for NHTSA to pay attention to your complaint and proceed with a recall. See the complaint I am going to communicate:

    I drive a 2003 Nissan Murano SL AWD. The vehicle periodically does not safely accelerate while in busy traffic. I had my wife, 1 year old son, 6 year old daughter, and 7 year old daughter in the car at the time of making a left turn at a major intersection. The vehicle sluggishly stalled in the middle of the left turn at the intersection and temporarily stalled and could have caused us to be hit by oncoming traffic. The engine reved up to about 4000 rpm's then proceeding to accelerate. I see this problem as a major safety and health issue and can be the root cause of a major accident resulting in death to involved parties. Please be proactive as opposed to reactive and start the process for a recall of this defective vehicle.

    I also tried to file an online complaint but the website is not functionining properly. You may have to call

    Contact ODI
    (888) 327-4236
    TTY: (800) 424-9153

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
  • oompah1003oompah1003 Member Posts: 6
    I have tried the same as above and nothing has been done since last year.
  • light9light9 Member Posts: 5
    I read a lot about 2003 and 2004 tranny failures. How reliable is 2005? does anyone know if Nissan fixed the valve/tranny issues for the 2005 model?

    Any help is really appreciated!!!
  • light9light9 Member Posts: 5
    any news on your litigation?

    Did you come across any issues for the 2005 AWD SE model?

    Any help is appreciated!!
  • wkp0000wkp0000 Member Posts: 6
    My 2003 Nissan Murano had same symptoms as the others but I took to my local mechanic and he replaced Mass Air Flow sensor. Been 1000 miles since; no problems so far other than being out $ 700 for a Nisan problem. No more Nissan vehicles of any type for me and I will tell everyone not to purchase any of them.

    WKP
  • computerbillcomputerbill Member Posts: 1
    Again, the service bulletin issued by Nissan covers all Murano's from 2003 - 2007. AT05-009a.
  • m0mzillam0mzilla Member Posts: 10
    Yep - it's the 2005's too. I had to replace my tranny at 68k miles. It was a $6k bid, but after complaining and mentioning this blog, the dealership said they/Nissan would cover half but I was still out $3k. Just make sure you buy the extended warantee!!
  • MADatNISSANMADatNISSAN Member Posts: 3
    I have had my 2003 Murano since Oct. '03. I have had this lurching/sluggish starts I have read in other posts. The most recent thing I have seen is that it is a pressure sensor problem with the trans. A long while back, I read how you can reset the mass flow sensor by doing a system of turning the car on, pumping the gas a bunch of times and some other things and that resets that sensor. Anyone know how to reset the pressure sensor in the trans? I am so frustrated with this because I almost got in an accident recently and more importantly, I don't want to buy a new car because there is nothing on the market worth buying right now (for my money). I would like to either keep my murano for 4 more years or blow it up!
  • MADatNISSANMADatNISSAN Member Posts: 3
    So my trans is pretty much gone. I have read everything I can get my hands on and this is what I know. It seams to be a computer or sensor problem or both. The problem is that Nissan says the trans is non-serviceable. So they don't sell parts to rebuild a trans. Has anyone found rebuilt one from a transmission shop or did everyone get stuck going back to the dealer?

    As we all know, the gears/belts work fine, we just don't get the correct power when we step on the gas. Frustrating.
  • bigsuckerbigsucker Member Posts: 4
    I feel so sorry for you, two weeks after we spent a fortune on the transfer case, our tranny went out completely, been looking for one under $2800.00 for 3 months now. Nissan strung us along for 2 of those months elluding to some help ( I never believed it anyway since we had the car in under warranty and they never fixed the tranny problem), then called us with the old "too bad-too sad" what a worthless company. You can get a brand new Nissan part from Nissan West in North Carolina for $3500.00 plus shipping (about $1000.00 less than our Nissan dealership quoted for the part). We found a local mechanic to put it in for $600.00 ($900 less than our wonderful nissan dealer quoted us). We may do that, but the minute that piece of Nissan %$!@ is rolling again, it's going straight to the nearest dealer that will take it on trade for a real car from a DECENT company. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN AND NEITHER WILL ANY OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY! So far, about 16 solid potential sales Nissan has lost over their treatment of us, if they think they got over on us and it won't cost them, they are way wrong, I kept the parts that just cracked in half, and I will be publishing them along with the repair costs on the internet soon.
  • dsfingerdsfinger Member Posts: 11
    I, also, am having problems with my Nissan Murano Transmission. I have been talking to my technician for the past year about all of the road noise in my car. We thought I needed new tires, so I bought new tires. This didn't seem to fix the problem so we replaced both front hub assemblies. When the noise was still there he looked at the transmission to determine that the transfer case is going bad. I'm in sales and put about 30,000 miles a year on my car. So I'm now up to 132,000 miles on my car. I went to Nissan and asked them if they might do anything to help me out with the car and was offered $4500 on a trade in on a new car. I spent just under $30,000 on the car 3 years ago. This is quite a depreciation - it told me they wanted nothing to do with it. Claimed they had never heard of this type of problem before - must have been somethign I'd done to the car - continuing to talk about the reliability of Nissan cars in general. I'm not quite seeing it!!!! I havent' decided what to do yet. The dealer told me I'd be best to unload the car as quickly as possible since it will depreciate down to $2000 if it doesn't drive at all. I have never been so disappointed in my life!! How could I ever purchase another Nissan in my life?
  • bigsuckerbigsucker Member Posts: 4
    Dsfinger, I am sorry to hear that you are another Murano rip off victim. We were told the same thing, that it was just road noise, the smell they said was "road tar", until the warranty expired. Then they suddenly diagnosed the problems exactly. Even when we had replaced the transfer case with a new part, and they said our Murano was good as new, they wouldn't take it in on trade at all. The transmission immediately failed (funny they said they had checked that out completely). Since your apparently stuck with it, buy your parts yourself from Nissan West in N.C.. We bought the same brand new Nissan parts from them for less than half the price shipping included than our "friendly" Nissan dealership was trying to charge us. We are putting in a warrantied (6 month) used transmission tomorrow, and hope we can find a dealer that will take it on trade for an honestly good vehicle from an honest company. If Nissan won't stand behind this known defective vehicle under warranty, the least they can do is offer the victims a decent trade, but they know that none of us would sell these cars privately and thus victimize others, so they have us just where they want us. Well, I have shown these cracked in half parts, and these inflated dealership repair bills and estimates to a couple dozen Nissan shoppers the past few months and am proud to say that 100% of them have selected NOT TO BUY ANY NISSAN VEHICLES EVER. I think if we all did this, Nissan will find it would have been cheaper to do the right thing and finally recall these vehicles for repairs. Keep your cracked in half transfer cases folks, you don't have to say a thing, just show them off and see the jaws drop on perspective Nissan buyers. They all say the same thing too "that piece of junk came out of your Murano?"
  • avoidnissanavoidnissan Member Posts: 1
    Just signed over $790 to Nissan service in Central NY ( Rapp Nisan).VDC and slip light came on.. On icy roads I felt that it was not handling well so I gripped the wheel and drove carefully. Took it in. They said it was caused by an alignment problem. They could do an alignment. They came back to say that the lower rear control arm was bent and that had caused the mis-alignment which caused the VDC slip light to come on. They did not have the part-they could overnight it for extra (it was Friday)-so, I had to pay for a 3 day rental car. I had paid about $2000 extra for the so-called wrap service contract (on the certified low milage used car) which was supposed to cover nearly everything (and the control arms are listed as covered on their brochure). They told me that the control arm is not covered because it is bent. They said it could have been bent in an accident or pot hole. Since I have owned the car, it has not been in an accident and I have not driven over anything beyond what is usual-mostly highway driving. The 1-800 Nissan warranty place says the final word on coverage comes from the service place. The area that may be bent (subtle) was clearly bent for a long time since there is rust on the spots. The car now drives as it had been a day before the light came on. The day the light came on was icy so it seemed not to be handling well. Now I wonder if they replaced the control arm for no reason-that the bend, if it is such, had nothing to do with the slip and VDC lights and I wonder if I was taken for a ride.
  • dsfingerdsfinger Member Posts: 11
    I'm sorry. I know that feeling in the pit of your stomach after the work has been done while you question the big bill that goes along with it. I know three different mechanics that have come from the corporate environment and have left because of the pressure to encourage people to do more work on people's cars then is really necessary. I don't know what to say. I'm staring at a $4800-$5000 bill to get my transmission replaced, I just spent $700 on new hub assemblies, I need a new set of tires and now I'm hearing a huge creaking sound on the right front of my car - sounds like bending metal. Who knows what this new problem is. I guess I'll have to stop by the mechanic today. And on top of it all, my leather seats are cracking in about 8 different places. It's hard thinking about the fact that a $30,000 car is only good for 130,000 miles! I've never had this experience before! So I feel your pain!
  • bigsuckerbigsucker Member Posts: 4
    Unfortunately I think I know exactly what it is, the transfer case, they can crack in half like eggs in a grocery sack, $3500.00+ for repair at least. IF YOUR CAR IS IN RUNNING CONDITION IMMEDIATELY TRY TO GET RID OF IT!!!!! I didn't have time my car is back in again. The Nissan dealer gave me a written estimate saying the transmission had failed (it hasn't run right since 55,000 miles just getting worse[see my other posts]) so I found a certified used transmission and had it put in at a transmission shop $3750.00, AND GUESS WHAT??? IT STILL DIDN'T FIX WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS CAR!!!! Besides not admitting a obvious known and customer/independant mechanics (and even former Nissan mechanics I have spoken with) documented design flaw, and charging outlandish amounts to customers for repairs, their own techs apparently can't even diagnose what is wrong with their own vehicles. I HAVE HAD IT! Bought a Mercury SUV today (of course I had no trade, because I still have $12,000 to pay on that rotten Murano piece of ______ (insert what you've named yours here) and no dealer was even interested), also spoke with two more people today that were considering Nissan purchases and inquired about my satifaction with my Murano experience, they noticed I haven't been driving it FOR SIX MONTHS. Proud to say that I showed them the repair bills (that I carry with me now) and they will never buy ANY NISSAN product. Does Nissan really think that ignoring this isn't going to cost them more than what it has cost all of us? Please, these failures are extremely dangerous in traffic as well as a financial nightmare for owners, please file your complaints with the NHTSA so they will help us all. I'm not spending another nickel on that Murano (beside my $400.00 a month in payments and insurance for the next three and a half years) until the Nissan techs actually follow the recommended NISSAN procedures for accurately diagnosing a problem. Yeah, got my hands on an official Nissan Murano shop repair manual and I :mad: read it, don't think they have yet.
  • 03victim03victim Member Posts: 3
    Where do I start? I purchased my used 2003 Nissan Murano in August 2005. It was my first vehicle to purchase on my own. I was so proud. I did a lot of research on the vehicle before purchasing and had no reservations when I finally found a Murano in my price range. I had only minor issues with the vehicle - nothing my trusty warranty didn't cover. Warranty expired several months ago once I hit the 100,000 mile marker. That's when the first real problem occurred. Problem No. 1 -On the way home in my normal heavily congested commute, the car wouldn't accelerate and lurched several times until I "LURCHED" into my garage safe and sound. Started the car the next morning - no problems. Occurred again on my way home while in traffic. The problem was consistant with each commute home. Problem no. 2 - Turned my car on to go to work and was awakened by a screaming/whining noise coming from the engine. The noise whined louder with every touch to the accelerator and finally dissipated after about 10 - 15 minutes on the highway. The RPM's were all over the board and the car acted as if it was gripping on to its last bit of life. VERY SCARY!! How could this all of a sudden happen after having this vehicle with no major issues for a little over 3 years? Fearing the worst I took it to the Nissan Dealership where I purchased the vehicle. So the nissan mechanic calls and says, (drum roll please) "It is an Internal Transmission Issue and we've done a lot of searching and we've found a new transmission for a little over $5,000. I'm sorry I don't have a better explanation for the problem. Nissan doesn't sale parts in order to offer any repairs for failed transmissions. Unfortunately the only option is to replace the transmission." I obviously cannot front $5000 for a new transmission. I owe a little under $9000 and not having a whole lot of "car buying" experience, I am searching for any advice and help on this issue. Oh by the way, service repair agent explained they were placing the variable transmission in most - if not ALL - future nissan vehicles. Sound a little fishy to anyone else? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. :sick:
  • dsfingerdsfinger Member Posts: 11
    I, also, find it strange that the problems with these transmissions were never reported by Consumer Reports. How can it be that so many people have had problems with this transmission and Consumer Reports would never have reported it? How has Nissan been able to avoid "AVOIDING" the problem for so long. In the meantime, this hidden problem has cost consumer many thousands of dollars. I am fortunate. I need to have my transmission replaced but my car is just really noisy. I'm not having the lunging problems that you are. My car is extremely loud, does not drive smoothly at all, and now needs to have the front axel replaced (after just spending $650 on both front hub assemblies). This cost of the part alone is around $700. This cost is iin addition to the $5,000 that the mechanic quoted me on the cost of the new transmission that I need. My mechanic has recommended that I just dump the car. He doesn't want me to spend any more money on it because it is just turning into a "Money Pit". It's virtually falling apart around me and it's got 130,000 miles on it. The funny thing is that I don't consider 130k to be such a huge number. Certainly it's a lot of miles but not for all of the extensive problems that I've been having. I've been told by my mechanic and I've been told by the sales manager at a local Nissan Dealership that I should just get rid of the car. I don't really have a recommendation. My mechanic said that the problem is this: for Nissan to admit the problem is for Nissan to have to replace the transmissions in every car sold between 2003 and 2005 - irregardless of the mileage. It would cost them a lot of money. Can we find someone to initiate a class action suit? I don't know anything about all of this but it would seem like there was something that could be done. It just seems so unfair. I will probably lose $7-8000 on this car. I've never had car problems with another car like this before. It's just ridiculous.
  • carguy8532carguy8532 Member Posts: 7
    Ok I'm hoping someone can help me with this problem I'm having with our 04 Murano SL FWD...In cold weather the car hesitates while accelerating. It only does it for 5-10 min. then everything is ok...I took it to the dealer cuz it's still in it's powertrain warranty. Well after paying $112 for a diagnostic test (which I don't think they should be charging if the car is under warranty) they told me I needed a mass airflow sensor which I don't understand as no check engine light as ever came on. Also the car lurches if u don't take off smoothly from a stop...What should I do about this? No one seems to want to do anything but charge useless diag fees and I don't want a $5000 tranny replacement when the warranty ends. Thanks in advance for any help with this guys.
  • mastertech5mastertech5 Member Posts: 1
    An alignment issue definately could cause a problem with the vdc system. That system uses input from the steering angle sensor to determine what the driver wants the vehicle to do. If the system sees that the steering wheel is turned all the time due to the alignment being out of specification it will go into a failsafe condition and disable the vdc system. That is why you get the light on the dash. Control arms do not bend on their own. Something caused it to bend. Most likely a large pot hole. It is very common in the central new york area. As far as your extended warranty coverages, damaged parts are not covered. You should have called your insurance company. Insurance is for damage. As far as rust on the part. The control arm on the murano is painted so a bend would cause the paint to crack and fall off. Bare metal on salt covered roads rusts very quickly

    As far as being taken for a ride. Are the lights still off? You stated that the vehicle drives as it did before the lights came on. It sounds like they did their job.
  • oompah1003oompah1003 Member Posts: 6
    Anything on the litigation of this? Let us know of any updates. Thanks
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