2003 Nissan Murano

A ROAD OBJECT WHICH WENT UNDER THE CAR NOT OVER ANY TIRE STRUCK THE GAS TANK AND PUNCTURED. THE INSTALLED RECALLED ADDED TANK PROTECTOR DID NOT KEEP THE TANK FROM BEING STRUCK AND CAUSING A LEAK. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AT THE MAKERS DEALERSHIP WITHOUT ANY RECOURSE FROM THE PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE RECALL ADDED DEVICE DID NOT PERFORM AS DESCRIBED IN RECALL ?NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06V003000 *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH, SUDDENLY WE HEARD VERY LOUD 'BUM, BUM, BUM' LIKE NOISE. WE STOPPED AT NEAR GAS STATION, AND THE OIL APPEARED BENEATH THE REAR OF THE CAR. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL UNIT IS SPLIT OPEN IN HALF. WE WERE TOLD THAT IF THAT WOULD HAPPEN AT HIGH SPEED THE FLYING REAR DIFFERENTIAL DEBRIS COULD PUNCTURE THE NEARBY GAS TANK.

UPON NORMAL ACCELERATION FROM A STOP SIGN ONTO A MAJOR ROAD WITH A 35 MPH SPEED LIMIT, THERE WAS A LOUD "POP" AND THE CAR LOST POWER AND COULD ONLY MOVE AT A SLOW CRAWL TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THE CAR COULD REV, BUT VERY LITTLE POWER WAS GETTING TO THE WHEELS. THERE WAS A SMALL OIL SPILL UNDER THE REAR AXLE OF THE CAR. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC (WE DID NOT TAKE IT TO A NISSAN DEALER BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY) AND THE POLICE DEMANDED SPEEDY DRY TO BE PUT DOWN TO COVER THE SMALL OIL SPILL, WHICH COST 45 DOLLARS AND WAS NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) AND ITS CASING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF $4922. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, WE LEARNED THAT NISSAN AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FROM 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES TO 10 YEARS AND 120,000 MILES, HOWEVER, WE RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION FROM NISSAN THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED, NOR DID WE HEAR FROM THEM THAT CVT FAILURE WAS COMMON AMONGST THIS MODEL YEAR, AS IS APPARENT FROM THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO OURS. WE PERFORMED ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR, INCLUDING REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERY 30,000 MILES. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO NISSAN TO SEE IF THEY WILL REIMBURSE US FOR THE REPAIR COSTS AS PART OF THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM.

THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK IS NOT LOCKING OR UNLOCKING COMPLETELY WHEN USING THE REMOTE OR KEY. IT APPEARS TO BE LOCKED, BUT THE DOOR CAN BE OPENED FROM OUTSIDE THE CAR AND VISA VERSA. STARTING IN MAY 2011, THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK IS DOING THE SAME THING. I'M ALSO UNABLE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE THROUGH NEITHER OF THE FRONT DOORS AND HAVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE BACK DOORS TO UNLOCK THE FRONT DOORS MANUALLY FROM THE INSIDE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I OR A PASSENGER CAN GET LOCKED OUT OF THE CAR OR THINK THE DOOR IS LOCKED WHILE IN THE CAR AND SOMEONE FROM THE OUTSIDE COULD GAIN ACCESS. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, I MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET INTO OR OUT OF THE CAR. STARTING IN NOVEMBER 2010 WHILE RAISING THE WINDOW ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WITH THE POWER WINDOW BUTTON, IT AUTOMATICALLY LOWERS ON IT'S OWN ON OCCASION. IT STOPS WHEN HALF OPEN. TO KEEP IT CLOSED, I HAVE TO INCH IT UP SLOWLY. AGAIN THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE LOCK TO THE GAS CAP FAILED TO OPEN AROUND 40,000 MILES.

I JUST PURCHASED A NISSAN MURANO YESTERDAY AND AFTER JUST 10 MINUTES OR SO OF DRIVING I NOTICED THAT THE ACCELERATION IS NOT EXACTLY IN SYNC WITH MY PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. THE PREVIOUS OWNER ALSO COMPLAINED OF THIS TO THE NISSAN DEALER HE BOUGHT IT FROM. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE AIR INTAKE AND REPLACED IT AT NO CHARGE. SHORTLY AFTER MY INITIAL DRIVE IT DID NOT ACCELERATE EVEN WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS TO THE FLOOR. TODAY I ENTERED A BUSY INTERSECTION TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN AND AFTER THE ON COMING TRAFFIC I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT NO RESPONSE RPMS WERE STUDY BELOW 1000 LIKE IT WAS STILL IDLING. AFTER SEVERAL FUTILE ATTEMPTS PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL I PUT THE CAR IN PARK THEN BACK TO DRIVE HIT THE GAS BUT AGAIN NO ACCELERATION. AT THIS TIME I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION UNDER THE RED LIGHT. THERE IS ANOTHER CAR BEHIND ME THAT IS STUCK IN THE INTERSECTION AS WELL WHICH MAKES A HARD LEFT TO GET AROUND AND BARELY AVOIDS AN ACCIDENT. NOW WITH CARS ALL AROUND ME I BECOME ALMOST FRANTIC AND I AM A 52 YEAR OLD MAN WITH PLENTY OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND RARELY PANIC. I DECIDED TO SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT (YES IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION UNDER A RED LIGHT BLOCKING TRAFFIC I TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT). IT TOOK OFF IMMEDIATELY. TONIGHT I READ A NISSAN FORUM WITH MANY OTHER NISSAN MURANO OWNERS DESCRIBING SIMILAR INCIDENTS. THIS IS A VERY VERY SERIOUS FLAW IN THE ENGINEERING UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD AN AUTOMOBILE NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE PEDAL IS PRESSED WITHOUT SOME PRECURSOR EVENT TO WARN THE OPERATOR. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. I WILL CONTACT MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND ISSUE A COMPLAINT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN MURANO. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A LOUD, DRAGGING METAL NOISE FROM THE FRONT END. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TRANSMISSION TRANSFER CASE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLE AGE AND MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

I OWN A 2003 NISSAN MURANO. LAST AUGUST IT BEGAN LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING. IT IS LIKE THE CAR IS BEING THROWN INTO 1ST GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED 12-18 TIMES OVER THE LAST 4 MONTHS. THE CRAZY THING ABOUT THESE INCIDENTS IS THAT NO WARNING LIGHTS SHOW UP ON THE DASH NOR DOES THE CAR GIVE YOU ANY CODES INDICATING THAT ANYTHING WENT WRONG. TWO MONTHS AGO I TOOK IT TO RICK HILL NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS HAPPENING. HE HAD THE CAR A WEEK AND DROVE IT 66 MILES AND COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO DUPLICATE WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WONT WORK ON THE CAR UNLESS IS HAS A CODE SHOWING UP TELLING THEM WHAT IS WRONG. THIS PAST WEEK, I ALMOST RAN OVER MY FAMILY AS I WAS WAITING ON THEM TO COME OUT OF A STORE. I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE UP TO THE STORE TO PICK THEM UP WHEN THE CAR SURGED AND THE ENGINE STARTED RACING. I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES AND THROW THE CAR IN PARK TO GET IT TO STOP. THE ENGINE AND RPM'S WERE STILL RACING AND 4,000 RPMS. NO CODES WERE THROWN AND NO LIGHTS ON THE DASH AGAIN. 20 MINUTES LATER AS WE WERE COMING HOME, THE CAR LOST POWER AS IF THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO FIRST GEAR AND WE CREEPED ALL THE HOME AT 5 MPH, WITH ME HAVING THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THIS TIME THERE WERE CODES, BUT WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF IT WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE IPDM. 825 DOLLARS FOR THE FIX. 51 MILES LATER THE CAR SLIPS AGAIN AND ACTS LIKE IT IS THROWN INTO FIRST GEAR. NO LIGHTS, NO CODES. AFTER READING MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE CVT TRANSMISSION IN THE 2003 MURANO I HAVE NO DOUBT THIS IS THE PROBLEM. THIS DEFECT HAS PUT MY FAMILY IN MANY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IN THE PAST YEAR. NISSAN INCREASED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS TRANSMISSION TO 120,000 MILES. THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I TOOK MINE IN WITH 118,500 BUT THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG,BECAUSE THEY HAD NO CODES SHOWING A PROBLEM. NOW WITH 128,000 I AM SCREWED. THIS NEEDS TO BE A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT OR A RECALL ON THE CVT TRANSMISSION. *TR

FEBRUARY 2010 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 MURANO DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN AS I WAS PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL AND IT WASN'T RESPONDING PROPERLY BEGAN TO HESITATE BUT I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE NISSAN DEALER FOR REPAIR AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS A SENSOR MALFUNCTION SO IT WAS REPLACED (AT MY EXPENSE $1100). THEN IN APRIL 2010 DRIVING DOWN THE STREET I HEARD A THUMP AND AS I PUSHED THE GAS AND THEN THE CAR BEGAN TO DRAG AND HESITATE. I MADE IT SAFELY TO A BANK PARKING LOT WHERE I CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TOW IT TO THE NISSAN DEALER AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY SAY IT WAS SOME SENSOR THAT DEALT WITH THE THROTTLE AND A CASE. AGAIN AT MY EXPENSE ($3200). SO IN 2 MONTHS I SPENT $4500 AND AT THAT TIME I WAS TOLD I SHOULD BE OK. WELL IT IS NOW APRIL 2011 AND I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT STOPPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. NOW I HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE WHICH ISS WERE IT SITS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD SINE I WENT MORE THAN 12K MILES IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. SO I NOW HAVE A CAR THAT IS USELESS UNLESS I SPEND ANOTHER $4500 TO FIX IT. UNEXCEPTABLE!!!!!!! I AM LUCKY I WAS NOT INJURED BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT SOON OR SOMEONE CAN BE SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR