NHTSA Defect Investigation #EA05006

ALTERNATOR FAILURE / ENGINE STALLING: Electrical System**

RECALL »

Recall #05V319000

** This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.
2003 NISSAN MURANO -- ODI received 14 reports of alleged engine stalling due to alternator failure on MY 2003-2004 murano (subject) vehicles.all of the complaints reported that the vehicle could not be restarted after the stall occurred.based on these complaints, ODI opened PE04-077 and later upgraded to EA05-006 for the subject vehicles.during EA05-006, additional failure data were identified as noted in the failure report summary above.on July 12, 2005, Nissan notified NHTSA of a safety defect on MY 2003-2005 murano vehicles produced from April 8, 2002 and September 24, 2004 (recall 05V-319).the notification stated that "an open circuit in the alternator can occur due to wire fatigue caused by movement of the rotor coil during rapid changes in engine speed in vehicles equipped with a continuously variable transmission (cvt).higher engine compartment temperature in the murano compared to other Nissan models may also be a contributing factor to the wire fatigue."Nissan also reported that when this happens, the charge warning and brake warning lamps will illuminate and the battery will begin to discharge.after a short time, the engine will then enter a "fail safe" mode that limits vehicle speed.very shortly after reaching this condition, the engine will stop.NHTSA's testing, however, showed that although the warning lamps illuminate, the vehicle speed is limited to only 4-7 mph rather than what NHTSA considers a "fail safe" mode. Nissan will instruct owners to return their vehicles to any Nissan dealer for an alternator inspection and replacement, if required.note:some vehicles may have had the newly designed alternator previously installed under warranty.consequently, this investigation is closed.ODI will monitor the effectiveness of the remedy and take further action if warranted. Investigation was initiated on March 25 2005. Closed on August 17 2005. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #EA05006 »

NHTSA Defect Investigation #PE04077

ALTERNATOR FAILURE/ ENGINE STALLING: Electrical System**

CLOSED

no recall issued

** This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.
2003 NISSAN MURANO -- ODI opened PE04-077 based on 14 reports of alleged engine stalling due to alternator failure.all of the complaints reported that the vehicle could not be restarted after the stall occurred.during PE04-077, additional failure data was identified as noted in the failure report summary above . during the investigation, Nissan identified that there had been alternator warranty replacements due to an open circuit in the rotor coil caused by wire fatigue. ODI¿S analysis shows failure rates that are of concern to ODI and indicates that the alleged defect is continuing to occur in the subject vehicles.ODI's analysis also shows that nearly all of the alternator warranty claims submitted resulted in engine stalls and at least 25% of the engine stalls resulted in a no restart condition.however, in 71% of the warranty data submitted, ODI has not been able to determine if the consumer could restart the vehicle.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further investigate this concern, to assess the potential safety-related consequences, and to determine the scope of the affected population. Investigation was initiated on November 19 2004. Closed on March 25 2005. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #PE04077 »

NHTSA Defect Investigation #PE05050

FUEL TANK PUNCTURES FROM ROAD DEBRIS: Fuel System, Other:Storage:Tank Assembly**

RECALL »

Recall #06V003000

** This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.
2003 NISSAN MURANO -- ODI opened a preliminary evaluation based on four vehicle owner questionnaires (voq's) indicating that the fuel tanks werepunctured by road debris under normal, "non" off-road driving conditions.as of November 30, 2005, the complaint total increased to 12.Nissan supplied ODI with 31 complaints of fuel tank punctures, including 26 not previously known to ODI from the voq records. In a letter dated January 9, 2006, Nissan North america, Inc. Notified ODI of its plan to recall approximately 209,000 model year 2003 - 2006 Nissan murano vehicles built from April 24, 2002 (start of production of MY 2003) through November 24, 2005 (including a portion of MY 2006 vehicles) to correct a deficiency in fuel tank shielding from road debris.this recall has been designated NHTSA no. 06V-003.recalled vehicles will be fitted with protective shielding for the frontal portion of the fuel tank to reduce the possibility of puncture by projectiles from the front wheels.accordingly, this investigation has been closed. Investigation was initiated on September 13 2005. Closed on January 31 2006. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #PE05050 »