2003 Nissan Murano

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE SEAT IN MY MURANO BROKE LOOSE AS I WAS HEADED INTO A CURVE. THE SEAT ACTUALLY THREW ME INTO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND CAUSED ME TO JERK THE WHEEL AND RUN OFF OF THE ROAD. UPON THOROUGH EXAMINATION BY MY SELF AND AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERSHIP, A BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE SEAT SECURE TO THE TRACK SYSTEM HAD BROKEN. THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS A DEFECT AND THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. THIS PARTICULAR SUPPORT BRACKET IS A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE SEAT ASSEMBLY AND WITHOUT THIS PIECE THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO SAFELY DRIVE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, THE PIECE IS MOST LIKELY TO BREAK UNDER TENSION SUCH AS ENTERING A CURVE AS WAS THE SITUATION IN MY CASE, OR SWERVING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IN EITHER EVENT, THE UNEXPECTED MALFUNCTION COULD CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MORE TROUBLING IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE PIECE WOULD BREAK IN A COLLISION, THEREBY THROWING THE DRIVER INTO THE DRIVER DOOR AND THE DRIVER'S HEAD INTO THE GLASS. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH NISSAN AND THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ABOUT THE PART ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THEIR STANCE IS THAT THOUGH THE PART IS DEFECTIVE, THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THEY WILL NEITHER REPAIR MY VEHICLE NOR ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH A RECALL TO AVOID ANY FUTURE ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES. I EVEN OFFERED TO SEND NISSAN PICTURES OF THE BROKEN PART AND THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. THE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO LOG IN THE CORRECT PART WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM. HE LOGGED IT AS A BROKEN SEAT TRACK. WHEN I ADVISED HIM THAT IT WAS NOT THE SEAT TRACK BUT THE ACTUAL SEAT, HE DISMISSED IT BY SAYING THAT WAS THE CATEGORY THAT NISSAN HAD ESTABLISHED FOR SEAT MALFUNCTIONS. *JB

ON MONDAY, 11/13/06 I TOOK MY 2003 NISSAN MURANO IN FOR WINTERIZING & TO HAVE THEM CHECK OUT A HUMMING NOISE TO THE NISSAN DEALER. LATER THAT DAY I WAS CALLED AND TOLD THE NOISE WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSFER CASE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT MY COST, OVER $4000 TO REPAIR. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 89,000 MILES. DECIDED TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND HAD THE VEHICLE MOVED TO ANOTHER NISSAN DEALER. THIS NISSAN DEALER HAS REPAIRED ANOTHER MURANO WITH THE SAME SITUATION AND SO WAS ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THAT IT IS NOT THE TRANSFER CASE, BUT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. UNFORTUNATELY THE COST IS EVEN MORE - OVER $6000. BEING I DID NOT PURCHASE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COSTS. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE "WHY" FOR THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT EITHER THE TRANSFER CASE OR TRANSMISSION WERE FAILING WHEN THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN. I CALLED MY SALESPERSON ABOUT THE SITUATION AND HE INFORMED ME HE HAD A FRIEND THAT HAD HIS TRANSFER CASE FAIL AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MILES. IN MY OPINION, MAJOR COMPONENTS - TRANSMISSIONS OR TRANSFER CASES SHOULD NOT BE FAILING AT THIS MILEAGE AND WOULD LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO PURSUE TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A RECALL SITUATION.*JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON DRY ASPHALT ROADS, THE VEHICLE STALLED COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE IT WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR THE STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER, HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL# 03V455000, PERTAINING TO THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

AFTER DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 55+MPH, FOR MORE THAN A HALF HOUR, IF YOU THEN GET INTO STOP AND GO OR CITY TRAFFIC, AND YOU ARE STOPPED, IF YOU PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR WILL NOT RESPOND FOR 5-10 SECONDS, THEN WILL LUNGE FORWARD. THIS IS NOT ONLY ANNOYING, IT IS SO DANGEROUS. NOW THAT I AM AWARE OF IT, I TRY TO LEAVE LOTS OF SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME (NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE IN THE CITY). IT ONLY SEEMS TO HAPPEN UNDER THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE. I NOTICED THIS HAPPENING A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AFTER PURCHASING MY MURANO. *NM

CRASH WAS FATAL HEAD-ON COLLISION INVOLVING POWER STEERING PROBLEM IN 2003 AND 2004 MURANOS. MURANO DRIVER WAS ROUNDING SWEEPING RIGHT-HAND CURVE ON FAMILIAR ROAD AND ENDED UP IN ONCOMING LANE. DRIVER APPARENTLY TRIED TO STEER BACK INTO PROPER LANE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO, APPARENTLY BECAUSE STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME VERY STIFF AND HARD TO TURN WHEN TRYING TO TURN QUICKLY TO AVOID CRASH. CRASH KILLED MURANO DRIVER INSTANTLY, AND INJURED DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS OF ONCOMING PICK-UP TRUCK. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IN PUBLIC SOURCES HAS FOUND THAT CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS ACCIDENT MIRROR PROBLEMS WITH SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING-ASSIST EXPERIENCED BY NUMEROUS MURANO DRIVERS IN ACCIDENTS AND NEAR-ACCIDENTS AT NORMAL DRIVING SPEEDS, AS IN OTHER COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA WEBSITE AND NISSAN OWNER WEBSITES, AND AS FOUND BY CONSUMERS REPORTS ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE MANEUVER TESTING. THIS IS A DESIGN ISSUE,WITH STEERING PUMP BASED ON LIGHTER ALTIMA UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH QUICK STEERING INPUTS. INTERPLAY OF CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION AND DRIVE-BY-WIRE THROTTLE MAY ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO PROBLEM BY CREATING POSSIBILITY OF RAPID DROP IN RPM WHEN DRIVER QUICKLY TAKES FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR, AS IN EMERGENCY. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER OTHER PROBLEMS WITH CAR'S STEERING PERFORMANCE ALSO LED TO INITIAL CROSSING INTO ONCOMING LANE. NISSAN CHANGED STEERING PUMP IN 2005 AND LATER MODELS TO DEAL WITH PROBLEM. DRIVERS OF 2003 AND 2004 MODELS ARE STILL AT RISK FOR LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHEN THEY MOST NEED IT. WHEN LOSS OCCURS IN PARALLEL PARKING IT IS AN INCONVENIENCE; WHEN IT HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, IT IS LIFE-THREATENING, AS IN THIS CASE. BECAUSE IT IS A DESIGN FEATURE, ALL 2003 AND 2004 MURANOS ARE SUBJECT TO THIS PROBLEM. MURANO OWNERS (AND DEALERS) SHOULD BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY OF THIS DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT. THERE SHOULD BE SAFETY RECALL FOR REPLACEMENT OF INADEQUATE STEERING PUMP SYSTEM BEFORE THERE ARE MORE FATALITIES AND INJURIES.*NM

2003 NISSAN MURANO, AT 2500 MILES TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO SKIP OR DISENGAGE FOR A SECOND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE PROBLEM. AT 12000 MILES VEHICLE STARTED TO ACT UP AND SAME THING HAPPEN, THIS TIME VEHICLE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL GEAR. VEHICLE RECALLED FOR ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT, SAME WEEK AND I INFORMED THE DEALER OF THE ISSUE, THEY SEEMED NOT TOO CONCERNED. AT 35000 MILES WHEN DRIVING IN REVERSE, TRANSMISSION CLINK NOISE. AT 58000 TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER WITH A COMPLAINT THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS ACTING UP. DEALER INSTALLED A GAS TANK SHIED, AND DID NOT CARE TO INVESTIGATE THE TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND SAID ALL ARE OK. 64000 MILES, AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD, ACCELERATION PEDAL PUSHED ALL THE WAY. VEHICLE WILL THEN SUDDENLY PICKUP SPEED AND LUNG FORWARD. VEHICLE RPM WILL KICK UP AND DOWN WHILE DRIVING AT STEADY AND CRUISING SPEEDS GIVING THE VEHICLE A FEELING OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. SITUATION IS GETTING WORSE AND NO HELP FROM DEALER SINCE HE RECENTLY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. *NM

03 NISSAN MURANO---TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND CAR ONLY HAS 46,000 MILES. IT IS IN THE SHOP BEING REPAIRED BUT IT WILL TAKE UP 2 TWO WEEKS SINCE TRANSMISSION IS COMING FROM CALIFORNIA. THIS IS AN ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING TO TOO MANY MURANO'S AT LOW MILEAGE. NISSAN MUST LOOK INTO THIS AND DO SOMETHING SOON. I DID NOT GET HURT SINCE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ON THE SHOULDER WITH THE HELP OF A TRACTOR TRAILER STOPPING TRAFFIC. SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY. PLEASE DO SOMETHING NOW!!!! *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY LOCKED AND WOULD NOT RELEASE WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE CONTACT MANAGED TO UNLOCK THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 10/20/2006 - THE DEALER'S TECH DETERMINED IT WAS A FAULTY SEAT BELT RELEASE BELT TONGUE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE FUEL BEGAN LEAKING FROM A HOLE IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. THIS REPAIR OCCURRED IN JUNE OF 2003. IN 2006, A RECALL LETTER #06V003000 WAS RECEIVED FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY. IN JUNE OF 2006, A LETTER FOR REIMBURSEMENT WAS SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER. A CASE #5357874 WAS PROVIDED BUT NO REIMBURSEMENT CHECK WAS RECEIVED.