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Is it common to have some burned smell for a brand new Nissan Murano?

freefishfreefish Member Posts: 5
in Nissan
I am planning to buy a new 2010 Murano SL. Last weekend, before we close the deal with the dealer, we had a test drive with the new car we would like to buy which only has 3 miles on it. But we smelled really strong burned smell once we are in the car since dealer had started the engine and AC to get the car warm. On the way, we still kept on smelling that from the AC vent, especially after we stopped and drived again. The dealer told us it was because Nissan put some coating on the break, and the smell will disappear after 50 miles. Actually, it is not the first time we find this smell with Murano. About one month ago, when we tested drive another 09 Murano SL, we found the same smell, but not as strong as this one. That dealer told us it was some coating on the engine and it will be gone after 100 miles. So we are wondering this smell is really a problem or not. Where does it come from? Is it a common thing happen to all new Muranos? When you guys bought your new Muranos, do you have the same experience? Thanks a lot!!
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Comments

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My memory is vague on the smell on my '99 Quest when it was new, but it's common for the underside to be sprayed with various coatings. And it's common for the plastic parts to out gas.

    So some of the smell could be "Cosmoline" especially around the hot muffler or some of it could be the wiring insulation "baking" a bit.

    I think the Murano is made in Japan, so I bet the smell is mostly stuff they spray on for shipping to keep the rust at bay.

    It should fade and go away in a few weeks.
  • freefishfreefish Member Posts: 5
    Thank you, Steve.
    Is there any other new Murano owner would share your experience?
    Really appreciate your help!
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    My murano is 14 months old and I still get a burning smell every month when the payment gets withdrawn from by bank account. :cry:
  • freefishfreefish Member Posts: 5
    jayrider, thank you for your opinion. But it does not help my case. :confuse:
  • cutco760cutco760 Member Posts: 63
    Sorry for the delay, Yes this is normal. I test drove 3 of them and they all had the smell it will go away after 100 miles I was told not by the dealer but by an owner of a 2010.
  • subdensubden Member Posts: 40
    Agree. Just test drove 2 brand new no mile 2010's and both had the smell.
  • tmorgan2512tmorgan2512 Member Posts: 4
    I just bought a 2010. the burning smell was pretty strong. its gone now.
  • johndough_100johndough_100 Member Posts: 1
    I just inherited my wife's 2003 Murano, she got a 2010 RX 350. I noticed the burning smell on it when she drove it and now that it's mine it is still there. It has always been dealer maintained so I don't think it's any malfunction.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That's an awfully long time to have a burning smell.

    When my older cars have an smell like that, I check the brakes for a dragging caliper. Could be an exhaust issue too. Dunno if I'd just ignore it. On a new one yeah, but not after a couple of months.
  • dsaenzdsaenz Member Posts: 1
    I just bought my 2010 AWD LE 4 days ago and noticed the smell on both vehicles I test drove. I wish I had seen this post first because I just dropped off the car at the dealership's maintenance department. The after hours technician had not heard of any smell issues but I certainly noticed it. :confuse: It's at 150 miles now and I hope there are no issues. The dealerships should be aware of the smell issue.

    I will follow up with the forum after the techs check it tomorrow and I get my Murano back!
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    edited March 2010
    this is normal for all cars that are brand new, such as yours; my 2010 Maxima had that burning odor for the first 1-2k miles I think, I can't remember since I'm at about 5k now but is has been several months since I've smelt it; I think it is the smell of the chemicals they put on the engine and other engine components burning themselves off as the car is broken in and used!!!

    just give it time; if after a few thousand miles your still having the odor then there might be something wrong and you'll have to take it in!
  • ron118ron118 Member Posts: 3
    I have 2010 murano LE with a burnt oil smell. The transfer case is leaking on the exhaust pipe. My Murano is less than 1 month old with 7 days in the shop and waiting . After long runs it will leak on the driveway and leave a spot.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    this is definitely not the same thing that I had or what others were talking about! if there is visible leaking going on then there is definitely something wrong; hope Nissan makes it right for you! best of luck!
  • taggs1taggs1 Member Posts: 5
    I am having the same problem! In the last 30 days, my car has been in the service dept for 26 days. They cannot stop the leak. I bought a 2010 LE Murano on 7/28/10.
    Any advice?
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    You definitely qualify now for lemon law in your state. I suggest you begin the application and filing process immediately. Also, you'll have to send Nissan Consumer Affairs a letter stating that your filing for lemon law. Sorry to hear your having such problems on a brand new vehicle. It definitely sounds like you got a lemon.
  • taggs1taggs1 Member Posts: 5
    Just got word that Nissan is replacing the car. I only hope the next one doesn't have the same problems.
    Thanks for your advice!
  • dwhip1966dwhip1966 Member Posts: 5
    We are having the same problem with our 2010 Murano purchased August 7th. We noticed some oil mixed with some liquid on our garage floor within days of the purchase. The car also smelled of hot oil every time we drove it. We took it in a few days later for the undercoating and mentioned it to the service writer. He told us there was no way it was oil, that it was cosmoline but I had touched it and smelled it and it was oil. The car started leaking at least two to three drops of oil every night. We took it back with the evidence. The shop claimed it was the axle seal which they replaced and we picked it up and brought it home. We barely pulled into the driveway we still had the smell and had a larger leak of oil underneath. We took a phone pic and called the service and told them we would be right back there. They told us they couldn't believe that it was still leaking. Long story short, after replacing the right front axle seal twice, the entre axle once, they told us that Nissan corp is saying that the transfer case on some Muranos has a bad cast and they won't be able to get the part until October 24th. Needless to say, we are not happy. They have our car, we have a Cube with Nissan advertisting...and so far they have given us a case number but no satisfaction with this problem. We are not excited about having a "new" car that has already had so many problems...OR being without our car for up to a month. So far it has been ten days in a row. Any advice???
  • taggs1taggs1 Member Posts: 5
    Stick with it and get your car replaced! Let Nissan know you've lost all confidence in the car. Check the lemon laws in your state. After 30 days or 4 attempts at repair, it should be deemed a lemon. I sympathize with you. It took us 6 weeks but we are finally driving a new Murano. It still smells (hopefully cosmoline) but no leaks. We check it everyday though! Best of luck.
  • dwhip1966dwhip1966 Member Posts: 5
    Ours is a 2010 Murano LE as well. We apparently have the same problem (see my post yesterday). Did you get this problem repaired? They are telling us they can't even get the part until Oct. 24th. They told us the transfer case was "cast" wrong and that caused the problem. Have you pursued a lemon law case or has Nissan International helped you out at all?? I am getting more disappointed every day.
  • mnmurano2010mnmurano2010 Member Posts: 1
    We are also having the same problem with our 2010 Murano that we purchased in July. Noticed the leak on a piece of cardboard on the garage floor and brought it in with the first oil change at 3,000 miles last Saturday. They said it is a leak in the transfer case and that it will be ok to continue to drive until the part comes in the next Tuesday or Wednesday (today). When I called today on the status of the part, they said the part was not in and that it wont be in now until Monday. They again said it would be ok to drive through the weekend and to call Monday to verify that the part is in and schedule the repair. You said that they gave you a rental car until your part comes in. I am worried that I may be causing damage driving it this way. Any advise?
  • taggs1taggs1 Member Posts: 5
    We insisted they keep the car until it was fixed and in return they gave us a rental. At that time, they were not sure where the leak was coming from so I don't think they wanted us driving the car. You might want to check with a mechanic (independent from Nissan) to see if it is ok to drive a car with a transfer case leak.
    I can relate to how you are feeling. When you buy a new car, you expect a perfect car. If they cannot stop the leak, demand a new, replacement car.
    I check for leaks daily on my replacement. So far, so good.
    Good luck!
  • taggs1taggs1 Member Posts: 5
    I truly can't believe it. After just posting the previous message, we took another look and the replacement Murano is leaking too. I am so disgusted.
    I would NOT recommend an AWD Nissan Murano to anyone.
  • dwhip1966dwhip1966 Member Posts: 5
    They also told us it would be okay for us to drive our Murano while the transfer case was leaking but we insisted on having a loaner. We told them we weren't going to take the car back until it was repaired proof positive. They gave us one of their loaner cars from the dealership. We kept telling them we were going to pursue a lemon law case against them if they took the month they had told us it would take to get the part and miraculously, they were able to secure the part and fix the car within two weeks. (We had a Nissan assigned case number during this time and spoke to Nissan No. America customer service in Manila and the regional customer service rep in Niagra Falls, NY). We were very vocal about our disappointment and kept on them about the repair...after all, like taggs said, it is a new vehicle and we expected it to be perfect. We insisted that the undercarriage be steamed cleaned and re-undercoated after the repair and they also paid our car payment for the nearly one month we were without our car. We've only driven the car for about a week with no leaking and just now got back from being out of town (without the car) for a week. We got a call yesterday from the service manager at our dealer to find out how the car is doing. There were no leaks under the car while we were out of town. Still, we check for oil spots every time we drive it. I'm still not confident we are out of the woods on this. How are things coming along with your repairs?
  • denver5357denver5357 Member Posts: 319
    We test drove a 2010 SL AWD today and noticed a burning oil smell about 10 minutes into the drive. My wife thought it might be "new car engine smell" - the car had 15 miles on it - but I knew that wasn't right. The scent was different than that, and got worse and stronger. So I came here and saw all these posts. Wow. We didn't buy. Best of luck to everyone else.
  • tdorwaytdorway Member Posts: 2
    I purchased a 2011 Murano in December. I noticed the smell immediately but the sales rep said that the smell would subside after 3 or 400 miles. Well, I have almost 1,000 miles on the car now and the smell is still bad. My fiance' can't ride in the car because of the smell. It seems to get worse when it is hot and I notice the smell is more intense when I open the windows to get fresh air only to get a stronger smell. At first I thought it could be the cosmolene, then I thought there must be undercoating on the exhaust but after reading these posts I'm taking into the dealership to investigate.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    You shouldn't be smelling something in the cabin when your driving it. I and others had experienced a burning odor when we got out of the vehicles and walked by the engine but that went away after about 3-4k miles. If there is a smell in the cabin that is actually making passengers feel ill then something is definitely wrong. Continue to take it in to your Nissan dealer until they do something. Harass them if you have to. Also, I'd report it to Nissan consumer affairs as well and tell them it better be resolved.
  • dwhip1966dwhip1966 Member Posts: 5
    Believe me, unlike the last post to this thread, we could smell the oil from inside the car. See my other posts to see how this all played out. Now that the problem has been corrected there is absolutely NO oil smell and we are very satisfied with the car. It took awhile to get to this place and at the time I thought I would NEVER be able to say that!
  • tdorwaytdorway Member Posts: 2
    I took the 2011 into the dealer at 1700 miles with the same smell. Of course no one could smell it (imagine that) but they put it on the hoist and said they couldn't find any leaks. They said the parts, exhaust, manifolds etc were coated with a material to keep them from rusting and that it would just take time to disappear. My fiance' bought a 2011 Lexus RX350 and it has NEVER had a smell. I did contact Nissan customer care and have a case number.
  • dwhip1966dwhip1966 Member Posts: 5
    That's what they told us at first, and they told us that the tiny spot of fluid that was leaking onto the garage floor each night was that coating burning off...but eventually we got tired of the leak not going away...and they leak was getting a little bit bigger too. Finally, after seeing a post about the transfer case on this forum we were very concerned. As you can tell by my previous posts, it was quite an ordeal. Luckily, they should have the parts for the car now, but we had to wait a few weeks for them to get the part since it didn't even have a parts number assigned to it yet. I have to say that after all that happened, I am now very satisfied with my Murano. Make sure you that they make you happy with your vehicle. Good luck.
  • bob225bob225 Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2011
    Most likley a seal leaking. If they can't repair after a third time apply for lemon law with an attorney. Do Not Use the form in the owners manual. I am glad I didn't i would have given up my full rights. You have specific rights under your state that the Nissan rep. will not tell you about.
  • adelmoadelmo Member Posts: 2
    I bought recently a Murano 2011 and we have noticed a burned smell that comes out from the vents. As we are using the heater, we are located in Minnesota and is cold, the entire situation is completely annoying and the most critical one: we are breathing chemical with unknown health effect.

    The dealer has mentioned that the smell is due to a factory coating and should go away with four to six weeks. How preposterous is the latter. A brand new car should be free of defect and Nissan should not expect that customer should endure a faulty product.
  • adelmoadelmo Member Posts: 2
    I am so disgusted after taking the car to Walser Nissan in Burnsville MN and receiving a call from Nissan Consumer Affairs. The basic message from both: nothing wrong with the car, so they will do nothing.
    Thus, the only resource I may have is to take the car to a third party for evaluation and get help from the Attorney General of Minnesota. My wife and I concluded that there was not a sincere intent by the dealer to look into the problem and the dealer where we bought the Car, Miller Autoplaza in St. Cloud Both dealers, Walser Nissan and Miller Autoplaza are sticking to the same talking points “the smell is completely normal and will subside”
    Curiously, the Nissan Affair representative, has never heard of a complaint in regard to burn smell in bran new Murano. What a convenience. I directed her to check this site. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
  • plc1021plc1021 Member Posts: 1
    I test drove a 2013 Nissan Murano SL on Saturday and after only ten minutes we noticed the odor that everyone in these posts described. We asked the salesman about it and he said he would check into it and call me back. I got a call today from him saying that it was just coatings used and that it would burn off after a few hundred miles. I started doing research on line and found this series of posts. I have owned 6 brand new cars in my lifetime, and my husband has purchased two new vehicles in the last three years - we have never experienced a smell like this and it was pretty sickening. I really like the car and would love to know whether anyone who posted here has anything to report as a follow up, since it's been over a year and apparently Nissan hasn't gotten any better at this!
  • sierraksierrak Member Posts: 1
    I have a new 2012 Nissan Murano LE AWD.(my 3rd Murano) It appears to be leaking oil, isn't this unusual for a new car? Does anyone have any feedback on what I can expect from the company?
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