2006 Nissan Murano

SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, I HEARD A LOUD POP. I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING JUST SITTING THERE. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER, MAKING A TURN FROM A STOP SIGN, AS THE TIRES HIT THE DRAINAGE RUT IN THE ROAD, I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING THROWN FROM MY SEAT. THE LOUD POP WAS THE SHEARING OF A METAL STRUCTURAL COMPONENT ON THE SEAT TRACK UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE MOVEMENT IN THE SEAT WAS SO MUCH THAT, HAD I BEEN REAR ENDED, MY HEAD WOULD HIT THE FRAME ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD OR THE WINDSHIELD ITSELF. NISSAN CHARGED ME $1700 FOR THE REPAIR, CLAIMING I SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, NISSAN CORPORATION REFUSES TO COVER ANY COST OF THE REPAIR. WHEN CONTACTED, THEY TELL ME THEY ARE UNABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMPONENT. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN MURANO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. THE SEAT BELT ALSO BECAME ABNORMALLY TIGHT AROUND HER CHILD. AS A RESULT, THE SEAT BELT HAD TO BE CUT IN ORDER TO RELEASE THE CHILD AND AVOID SUFFOCATION. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE CHILD HAD BRUISES ON HIS STOMACH BUT WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE IT WAS NOTICED THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS FLASHING ON THE CONSOLE. ON 12/8/2010 CONTACTED NISSAN DEALERSHIP, WRIGHT AUTOMOTIVE - WEXFORD, PA, AND SERVICE AGENT ADVISED THE EARLIEST THEY COULD SEE THE VEHICLE WAS12/13/2010 AND THAT THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY WHILE THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS FLASHING. UPON TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE AGENT ADVISED HE HAS NOT SEEN THIS ISSUE IN THE 2 YEARS HE'S BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP AND ADVISED THERE IS NO RECALL OR KNOWN TSB. SERVICE ORDER INDICATED A CODE OF B1054 WHICH MEANS 'DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG OPEN'. THUS, THEY RECOMMENDED 'REPLACE SPIRAL CABLE' FOR A TOTAL COST OF $371.88. I PAID $69.95 DIAGNOSTIC FEE, $197 SPIRAL CABLE, AND $18.69 TAX AND PENDING PAYMENT OF $104.93 LABOR COST TO REPLACE PART. UPON RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE WEB THE FOLLOWING WAS UNCOVERED: SEVERAL MURANO OWNERS, CROSSING MODEL YEARS, HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AND TWO SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS. THE FIRST SOLUTION STATES TO PERFORM A RESET BY TURNING THE VEHICLE FROM 'OFF' TO 'ON' THREE TIMES WHILE COUNTING TO 5 DURING THE 'OFF' TIME. THIS SOLUTION WORKED FOR SEVERAL OWNERS. THE SECOND SOLUTION IDENTIFIED BY ONE OWNER SAID REPLACEMENT OF THE 'SEAT BELT PRE TENSIONER', WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY COVERED UNDER A RECALL FOR A 2005 MURANO, SOLVED THE IDENTIFIED ISSUE. WE CHOOSE TO PERFORM A SELF 'RESET' ON 12/13/2010 WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENT TO DEALERSHIP ANALYSIS PAYMENT OF $266.95 (DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND SPECIAL PART ORDER). UPON DISCUSSING THE 'RESET' WITH NISSAN SERVICE AGENT, HE SUGGESTED EITHER RETURN SPECIAL ORDER PART AND PAY RESTOCKING FEE OR KEEP THE PART SINCE HE BELIEVES THE LIGHT WILL BEGIN FLASHING AGAIN. SINCE PERFORMING THE 'RESET' THE FLASHING AIRBAG LIGHT HAS NOT RETURNED. NISSAN NEEDS TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND ISSUE A RECALL OR IF THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE THEN NISSAN SHOULD DOCUMENT A TSB SOLUTION.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN MURANO. WHEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT REAR SHOULDER SEAT BELTS WERE PULLED TO RESTRAIN AN OCCUPANT, THE SEAT BELT BECAME STUCK IN THE WEBBING. THE SEAT BELT WAS THEN CUT IN HALF. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V048000 (SEAT BELTS:REAR). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 14,146.

WHILE ON A THREE HOUR ROAD TRIP, MY 11 YEAR OLD SON WAS RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT (BEHIND) DRIVER OF MY RECENTLY PURCHASED 2006 NISSAN MURANO. HE WAS PLAYING WITH THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT WHICH RETRACTS FROM THE CEILING AND SOMEHOW WRAPPED THE SEAT BELT AND KNOTTED AROUND HIS NECK. MY 19 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE BACK ALSO AND TRIED TO UNSUCCESSFULLY LOOSEN THE SEAT BELT. WE PULLED OVER ON THE HIGHWAY, MY SON STARTED TO PANIC AND EACH TIME HE MOVED THE SEAT BELT GOT TIGHTER AND TIGHTER. ME AND MY FIANCE TRIED TO GET THE SEAT BELT OFF OR AT LEAST LOOSEN. AT THIS POINT MY SON COULD NOT BREATHE AND HIS FACE WAS RED AND LIPS STARTING TO TURN PURPLE. LUCKILY MY FIANCE HAD A POCKET KNIFE AND WE WERE ABLE TO CUT THE SEAT BELT. IF WE DID NOT HAVE A KNIFE, I AM SURE MY SON WOULD HAVE DIED. IF THERE WERE A SAFETY MECHANISM THAT COULD RELEASE THE SEAT BELT WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS TERRIBLE ORDEAL. *NM