KnownCarProblems2003 Nissan Murano Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 800 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Nissan Murano, most often about the transmission (33% of complaints, typically around 86,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Murano model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2003 Nissan Murano problems
Transmission
265 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, transfer case (4-wheel drive), driveline, manual transmission.
With no warning on a crowded interstate the vehicle lost all power to the drivetrain. Vehicle would rev in park but would do nothing in drive or reverse. Very busy interestate and almost hit in rear as car could not moe out of traffic. Dealer says CVT transmission failed. Dealer can not tell me what was wrong with the…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. While driving 45 MPH, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was pulled over and towed to the dealer, who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 82,000.
Electrical
187 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 34,500 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator, 12v/24v/48v battery, ignition.
(1) two days of driving on and off road in death valley national park, during which this failure would have been beyond catastrophic. (2) the "charge system failure" idiot light illuminated on the way home, just 20-30 miles out of dv on wednesday morning, and miraculously I was able to drive all the way to the nearest…
I was driving my car and the battery and brake service lights came on. I drove it to the local Nissan dealership and they advised the alternator needed to be replaced. I new part is being ordered and the part will be replaced.
Engine
137 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
My 2003 Nissan Murano has been stalling with no warning lights beforehand. Last week, the Nissan dealer told me that I needed a new battery which cost me $189. This week, my Murano is still stalling. Now, they told me that I need a new air flow meter and spark plugs which will cost me $821.64. That's more than $1,000…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle completely shut down due to a faulty camshaft sensor. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 82,765 and failure mileage was 82,750.
Seats
111 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 70,500 miles. Parts named most often: front assembly.
Power driver seat bracket broke in left rear of seat. Nothing other than every day use of getting in and out of car. Seat had been adjusted very little. The dealer said there was nothing they could do to fix it. This is very unsafe, I have bricks underneath to support the seat so I can drive. The car was barely 4…
I have a 2003 Nissan Murano and I have the issue of the front drivers seat rocking because a weld broke. This apparently is becoming a major issue and the dealer reminds you that it is a safety issue when they ask for $900. Fortunately after speaking with another dealer I found there was a replacement part and it…
Speed control
58 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 96,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
During acceleration the vehicle will stall and the motor will rev to around 3 to 4000 RPM. Then instantly grab and jump down the road. It does this every few weeks for a extended amount of time... Recently took a 100 mile trip, half way through the trip the problem started and continued for the remainder of the trip.…
I am driving the car and it wont accelerate in traffic. A warning light goes on then goes off. This vehicle is not safe. I bought this car for my daughter and am scared to let her drive it. ,I am a widow and money is very tight. I bought this car thinking it would be safe. This started happening so I goggled it to see…
Visibility and wipers
44 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 75,500 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, glass, side/rear, defroster/defogger/hvac system, power window devices and controls.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. Approximately one month ago, the contact noticed that the power window motor made an unfamiliar noise. The failure affected how the window raised up and down. She notified Nissan who stated that the motor has failed and would cost $600.00 to replace. There were no recalls on…
At the beginning of march 2008 my sun visor on the driver side suddenly dropped down & obstructed my view & startled me. Luckily I was able to quickly move it to the side s I couldn't see clearly in front of me as the visor dropped down & blocked most of my view. I restowed the visor & it was okay for a few days but…
Fuel system
42 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
2003 Nissan Murano. Damage to gas tank shield installed by mfg recall. Ran over small piece of rubber on the highway & it torn the shield loose from the frame of the car. New cars come with metal molded shields mounted to the gas tank. The plastic shields which Nissan is installing are not sturdy enough to provide the…
On august 17, 2005 at approximately 1:30 p.m. I was driving my 2003 Nissan Murano SUV on I-88 in suburban chicago at about 35-40 MPH. When I ran over a piece of metal debris. This resulted in my vehicle's gas tank being punctured. (the tank has subsequently been replaced) no other damage was incurred. No one was…
Doors and locks
24 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 75,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors.
I have a 2003 Nissan Murano and I'm having problems with the electric door locks. They work intermittently and I've heard from my other people that have the same problem. I'm concerned that in the event of a crash or fire, my wife may not be able to open the doors in a timely manner to escape the car. This is a…
I have a 2003 Nissan Murano and recently started having problems with the door locks. The failure occurs every single time. The driver door won't lock unless I lock it manually and won't unlock unless done manually. The passenger door and rear left door are more sporadic. Sometimes they lock sometimes they don't…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Nissan Murano recalls
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: Engine may stall increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace/repair the appropriate components free of charge. The recall began on september 24, 2009. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling 362,891 my 2003-2007 murano vehicles. The intake air ducts, which are connected to the intermediate resonator in the air intake system of the engine, may separate from the resonator with engine movement. This separation occurs due to the premature aging of the material used in the intake air ducts which causes excessive shrinking.
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: If the webbing is completely separated, it can increase the risk of injury to an occupant in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install protectors over the webbing of the rear seat belts. The recall began on march 20, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On some sport utility vehicles, in certain high speed frontal crashes, the webbing of a rear outboard seat belt may contact the rear seat back hinge where it can be cut by the sharp edge of the metal portion of the hinge.
Fuel system: tank assembly
Risk: A punctured tank could increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install protectors in front of the tank free of charge. The recall began on march 20, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, due to the location of the forward edge of the fuel tank, in the event that a vehicle front tire runs over a small, sharp object in the road, catches it and propels it towards the rear of the vehicle, it may strike and puncture the fuel tank.
Electrical: alternator/generator/regulator
Risk: If this happens, the charger warning and brake warning lamps will immediately come on and the battery will begin to discharge. After a short time, the engine will go into a "fall safe" condition which will limit vehicle speed. The engine will stop running which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the alternator with a new version which has been modified to prevent movement of the coil. The recall began on august 1, 2005. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, there is a possibility that a wire breaking inside the alternator could stop the battery from charging.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
Transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Risk: If the gear displayed is different from the gear engaged, this could result in unexpected vehicle movement and a crash.
Fix: Dealers will check the affected nut in the transmission shift lever linkage, and tighten it if necessary. Owner notification began april 15, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the nut that attaches the transmission gear selector shaft to the control valve lever in the transmission may not be adequately tightened. This could result in the transmission not actually being in the gear indicated by the gear selector lever. In addition, the transmission position display in the instrument panel may not be on or may be incorrect.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Driver seat anchor failure
Summary
This investigation concerns structural failure of the anchor/bracket on the left rear side of the driver's seat.the concern is that such failures may alter the driver's seated position so as to reduce effectiveness of the occupant protection system or potentially compromise vehicle control.failure of the subject anchor bracket results from metal fatigue and causes rearward tilting of the driver's seat.these failures usually occur during driver ingress but may also occur while the vehicle is being operated.the safety related concerns during actual vehicle use were not validated by this investigation.while the number of complaints of this problem is relatively high, only three very minor, undo
Fuel tank punctures from road debris
Summary
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 f
Alternator failure / engine stalling
Summary
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 ro
Alternator failure/ engine stalling
Summary
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 e
Questions about the 2003 Nissan Murano
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Nissan Murano?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (265 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles); electrical (187 complaints, typically around 34,500 miles); engine (137 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Nissan Murano have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 19, 2009 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Nissan Murano?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Murano model year since 2000, with 800 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.