10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
95,786 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Nissan Murano engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Nissan Murano Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #35

Jul 042013

Murano

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle became hesitant to acceleration attempts. The vehicle then rapidly accelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where the mechanic determined the catalytic converter and accelerator pedal wiring needed to be replaced. The failure continued after the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #34

Sep 202012

Murano 6-cyl

  • 155,000 miles
I was in stop/go traffic during rush hour. When I pressed the gas pedal to accelerate from a stop, nothing happened. I pumped the gas pedal to the floor 3 or 4 times and suddenly the car lurched forward and then started moving. The next time I came to a stop, I had to repeat the pumping of the gas pedal to move again. I did this several times and each time the car would lurch forward. When I could safely pull over, I turned off the engine and waited a couple of minutes. When I restarted the engine and pressed the gas pedal, everything was normal. I can go several months with everything being fine and then all of a sudden it will happen again. I haven't taken it to a dealer because there is nothing to indicate when it will happen and since everything is fine after the engine is turned off and then started again, how do I recreate the issue for a mechanic" this has the potential to be very dangerous because I never know when it's going to happen and the lurching forward has almost caused me to hit the vehicle in front of me on several occasions. I have seen numerous complaints about this problem on various blogs and on this website. In the qualifier above it asks if there has been a crash, fire or fatality. Please tell me why one of these horrific things has to happen before there is a recall on a very dangerous issue with a vehicle" a car not accelerating in traffic and then suddenly lurching forward should not be the owner's responsibility or cost to repair. It should be the responsibility and cost of the manufacturer to make sure they are selling a safe vehicle.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #33

Apr 212013

Murano 6-cyl

  • 142,410 miles
I was driving down a hill road, I decided to turn back, I performed a legal U turn and when I tried to reverse the accelerator would not perform its duty. I was going downhill and hit the dirt curb and almost went off the cliff if I had not pressed the emergency brakes. This is not the only incident. As I go on the freeway I am not able to accelerate from time to time because the step motor cannot perform its duty in making sure gears switch at a proper time. I went to a transmission expert and was told it was the step motor which affects the transmission. This part is in charge in making sure gears switch properly. I went online and I have seen that many people have issues with this same problem. I called a Nissan dealership and was told that since I had passed the 120K mileage mark they could no longer service my transmission within the warranty limits. This means I will have to pay out of pocket $2,140 for a new transmission not including labor.

- Cudahy, CA, USA

problem #32

Aug 112004

Murano 6-cyl

  • 34,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Initially, this car would stop in the middle of intersection and on the highway due to a faulty alternator. I almost got in an accident. The car would loss power and then take off and finally the car would stop on a busy highway. I almost got killed 3 times due the car stalling out on me. The transmission died on me 3 times. The first two times, I had only 20-30,000 miles. ( I purchased the car brand new). The very last time they replaced the transmission (costing me $6, 000) I had about 160,000 miles. Even after having Nissan replace the transmission 3 times, the car still stalls or shuts off while in motion. About a year ago, I had new cat converters installed, a new manifold and exhaust installed. It ran for about 6 months and now it is still stalling out and stopping (while in motion) me. This is very dangerous. Now Nissan thinks the crank shaft positioning is the cause of the problem but refuse to do it for free because the VIN# to my car is not listed with the rest of the 2003 Murano's (recall list). This I think is ridiculous. It seems to me that Nissan has alot problems with their older Murano's with regards to stalling, stopping suddenly while in motion. They seem to care less if the owners life is at risk. I have been dealing with these issues, since I first purchased the car. It is a piece of junk and it is an extreme hazard to drive on the highway.

- Cromwell, CT, USA

problem #31

Sep 242012

Murano 6-cyl

  • 140,724 miles
When you push on the gas the car does not go for a few seconds then when it goes it lunges forward. This makes it very hard to make a left turn in front of traffic, you do not know if the car is going to move at first or not. And when you are in stop and go traffic and go to move up just a little bit the car does not go then when it does you almost hit the car in front of you. My understanding is this is the cvt vavle body. My car is giving error code P1722 per the dealer. The paperwork they gave me says estem spd. Sig.

- La Vergne, TN, USA

problem #30

Sep 042012

Murano 6-cyl

  • 131,000 miles
First incident: While turning into a parking lot car shut off all warning lights on dash lit up. Since no power to car I was not able to turn or use my brakes effectively. I was stopped in the oncoming traffic lane. I was able to use my four way lights. Car had to be towed as we were unable to restart the car. Second incident: While driving on a city street at 35 miles an hour once again car turned off and I was unable to use gas or brakes related to no power. I barely was able to get about halfway into the turn lane to get out of traffic. Almost causing an accident. This te I was able to wait a few minutes and after a few unsuccessful attempts to start my car it finally began running again.

- Coloma, MI, USA

problem #29

Sep 082010

Murano

  • 107,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph and stopped for a traffic stop. As the contact attempted to accelerate from the stop, there was a delayed response from the vehicle. The vehicle violently lunged froward after several seconds. The engine was turned off and the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was being driven for over a one hour period. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

- Oklahoma City , OK, USA

problem #28

Jun 262010

Murano 6-cyl

  • 71,147 miles
I continue to have episodic loss of power with my 03 Murano. All instances occur after driving at interstate speed for more than 30 minutes at a rate of between 65 -80 mph during times of high heat (100 degrees+). the first incident occurred in June 2010 while driving from phoenix to flagstaff. Going up a long incline, I noticed that my speed was declining (I was using cruise control). Pushing on the accelerator - no response. The car continued to decelerate on it's own as I struggled to both change lines to get to the nonexistent shoulder of the road and avoid getting hit by the semitrucks. Turned off the car for 30 minutes and waited. Turned it back on and the car ran. I have since not used cruise control. They could find nothing wrong; car did same thing immediately after, drove it back to the shop - they could not replicate it! June 2011 - driving from la to phoenix, 105 degrees and 2 hours in to the trip, the car does the same thing. Pulled off the road, waited. Tried again; could go 10 miles before the car began losing power. Towed to a dealer - who could not reproduce the incident. April 2012 - driving from tucson to phoenix; 105 degrees and 72 miles into the trip. Loss of power on the interstate; 1 hr of waiting, and power returns, but I did not trust this car to get me home (nor did I want to be stalled in the middle of an AZ desert waiting for a tow truck.) towed to a different Nissan dealer. I have had this car in and had many things done and replaced - the cam sensor, transmission fluid, etc. No one can figure this out and more frustrating is that not one mechanic can replicate this loss of power/lack of response to the accelerator.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #27

Apr 022012

Murano

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle then jerked, hesitated, and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who ran a diagnostic test and informed the contact that the speed sensor failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 170,000.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #26

Apr 012011

Murano 6-cyl

  • 10,100 miles
After driving in stop and go traffic accelerator does not respond for 3-4 seconds then lunges forward and is very dangerous.

- Lafayette, IN, USA

problem #25

Sep 012011

Murano

  • 98,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When you come to a complete stop and then press the accelerator down the car does not move initially. If you hold the accelerator down after a few seconds the car will start to move. This has happened 4 times in the last 8 months after driving the car for about 20 mins. I have called Nissan dealership in warner robins, ga but no assistance because the warranty ran out...I just purchased this vehicle Jan 2011, they had to put in a brand new transmission a week after I purchased it but I was told months later the warranty ran out so I would have to pay for diagnostic check and this particular Murano was not under the recall for cvt. I find that hard to believe because all the posts I've read regarding this exact same problem received some form of mail regarding a recall of some sort. Today 3/25/12 my car hesitates to start.

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

problem #24

Aug 292011

Murano

  • 110,731 miles
As I am driving, our vehicle will auto brake, bow up and lose acceleration causing traffic following behind me to either brake or get into the other lane to keep from hitting me. This happens at low levels of speed and at high levels of speed. This will also happen should I be trying to cross traffic as well. I am in fear for the safety of my family and kids as well as the safety of other drivers on the road for they may not be able to get stopped in time. This is a major safety issue which will or could be the cause of 1 or more fatalities.

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #23

Apr 142011

Murano 6-cyl

  • miles
The Murano seat frames are known to have a weak spot where the weld will break -causing your drivers seat to rock back and forth - or lean badly to one side. This cause sometime an unintentional sudden move which cause changing the steering wheel direction. That might cause an accident in some cases. Another major problem. Is the car get into sudden power loss after a while of driving after making a full stop. For example on traffic light or stop sign. It will take very very slow taking off and then will get the power back after few seconds. This delay may cause an accident in example of making left turn on a traffic intersection. You will not have any power to move the car for about 2-4 seconds. Thanks

- Glendora, CA, USA

problem #22

Sep 152011

Murano 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Second owner, purchased with 63000 miles. First occurrence was driving on the highway a short distance (45min) started to notice the speed pulsing on flat stretches of road with the cruise control being set at 60 mph. I would manually take over the gas pedal just to have to constantly give it more gas then less gas to maintain 60 on flat ground. To the point of nailing it to maintain 60 then out of no where it would start to go accelerate suddenly up and I would let off the gas to stay @ 60mph and hold the pedal there for about 20 secs just to lose power on flat ground again and would just repeat over and over. When I got off the exit ramp it was sputtering really bad and had a hard time just getting it home w/O hurting myself or others. Next day nothing. Then over time (1 month) it happened 4 other times but is seeming to get worse. Then today I stopped in town at a red light. When it came time to go the care jus sat there and the RPM gauge moved up but the car didn't move forward. I immediately put on hazards, put car in park, shut it off, then restarted it to luckily be able to pull off. Went on highway home going 60mph and the surging back and forth with power to weakness to sudden power was the worst its ever been. Car isn't under warranty due to being 2nd owner but come on Nissan really? I'm a student/new father and the $ is crunched like most families now in this economy. I bought a Nissan B/C its reputation of quality and endurance/resilience. I would be sick if this injured my baby B/C this car wasn't in the "original recall range". it is very dangerous and could lead to both my tires locking up on the highway going 60 or even faster leaving not only us in jeopardy but everyone around me on the road also.

- Cleveland, TN, USA

problem #21

Oct 062011

Murano 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
I was driving on the highway at 50mph and all of a sudden Murano lost acceleration, gas pedal wasn't working at all. Some how I pulled over and turn ignition off and back on and it worked fine. Now when is a stop and go situation it does the same thing won't accelerate until like 5 seconds later and in a very dangerous way. I heard lots of people having the same problems and it's life treating situation.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #20

Sep 262007

Murano

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. The contact was driving 65 mph when the vehicle decelerated abnormally. While at a traffic stop, the vehicle would lunge forward without any warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who ran a diagnostic test but they could not duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 38,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

- Deer Park, NY, USA

problem #19

Sep 242008

Murano

  • 780,000 miles
When the car first started acting up I was on the interstate on my way to work. It all of a sudded started stalling. I had to press the driving peddal all the way down and then it would take off with a very hard jolt. This would happen off and on especially if I was in stop and go traffic or came to a stop sign or stop light. The car would stall before taking off. I took it to the delearship and they kept it for three days and said they could find nothing. This is when the transmission was under warranty up to 120,000 miles. They said the car would have to do it while in ther shop or they could do nothing. I just found it so hard to believe that the car showed no signes of doing anything that I described while they had it and drove it for three days. Well of course I got the car back and it was still doing the same thing. I took it back to them and they told me that it was the transmission and the repair on it alone was going to cost me $3600 all by itself. The car was doing the very same thing when I took it in to them the first time but surprisingly after the warranty was off they all of a sudden found the problem. Somebody really needs to look into all of these complaints and get these situations under warranty so that these cars can be fixed properly. Its not fair to take the car to the dealership about a problem that could have been fixed under warranty to take it back to them for the exact same thing and they tell you that the repair is no longer under warranty and you now have to pay for it.

- Pinson, AL, USA

problem #18

May 122009

Murano

  • 64,000 miles
Had had this vehicle little less than a month when noticed having accelaration hesitation problem once you slow down or stop to make turns or at traffic lights. Never involved in a collision but have had too many close calls especially when trying to make a left turn against on-coming traffic or with a car behind me; car just wont go and when it does, it is fast enough to knock your head off. Took it back to Nissan dealerships multiple times over the next couple of years without a resolution; they say they cant find anything wrong. Did everything they asked including using a high grade gas consistently and still having problems to this day when the vehicle is no longer under warranty.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #17

Jan 282011

Murano

  • 119,550 miles
First incident: "slip", "vdc off", and "service engine soon" lights all came on simultaneously as car jerked/hesitated in hov lane of westbound I-66. Car remained running with "slip", "vdc off", and "service engine soon" lights remaining on the rest of the trip home. Second incident (01/30/2011): "service engine soon" light already on. As stop light turned green and began to accelerate from complete stop, "slip" and "vdc off" lights came on and car stalled in the road way. Was able to restart car with some difficulty in middle of the road and continued on. Third incident: "service engine soon" light already on. Car stalled turning into owner driveway, with "slip" and "vdc off" lights coming on. Was able to restart car with some difficulty and pull into driveway. Nissan dealer service department found code P0340: "B1 cam sensor failure". fp-number: 23731-69J0B. Sensor assembly replaced 02/03/2011. 2nd code P1564: "replace cruise control"

- Gainesville, VA, USA

problem #16

Jan 012010

Murano 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
My 2003 Nissan Murano when in stop and go traffic does not accelerate when given gas. You can hold the peddle to the floor and the car rolls forward for a couple of seconds and then kicks in. It is extremely dangerous when trying to turn or crossing a street. I have been dealing with the problem for about a year and Nissan keeps telling me different things. It seems to be a big problem from posts I have found on the internet with the same exact symptoms.

- Land O Lakes, FL, USA

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