In jan 2010 while traveling on interstate at 65 MPH the engine of my 2003 nissan murano suddenly died leaving me with no power steering or power brakes. It was terrifying, but luckily, I managed to get to shoulder without an accident. Car engine restarted without hesitation. After waiting 5 minutes with engine idling smoothly with no apparent problem, I exited to frontage road at next exit and, 3 miles later, at 30 MPH the engine suddenly died again. Restarted and pulled into nearby parking lot. Car again restarted without problem. After 10 minutes of idling smoothly, engine died while parked. Had car towed to nissan dealer. Nissan shop reported that the "crankshaft position sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced." I found that there was recall issued in 2003 for 2003 model year nissan murano for exactly this issue, but both dealer and nissan USA, when contacted by me, said the recall did not apply to my VIN # (even though the federal safety agency indicated recall affected 600,000 vehicles). I believe the failure of my crankshaft position sensor is directly related to the faulty solder joints in the circuit boards for the crankshaft position sensor as described in this recall. I believe the following recall should be expanded to include all 2003 model year nissan murano vehicles: the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000, nissan recall #: r3022).
2003 Nissan Murano: loss of power steering
11 of the 800 complaints about the 2003 Nissan Murano describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 12,000
- recalls
- 0
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
Steering runs of boost (power assist) when turning quickly. This is noticeable when parallel parking, but also noticeable when evasive maneuvers are required. I can see a crash occurring because of this. Mine has acted like this since new, and I believe this unrelated to a burst high pressure steering hose that my murano encountered at 52,600 miles. Consumer reports noted that 2003-2004 muranos all exhibit the loss of steering boost issue, yet nissan will not acknowledge that is a safety issue. I see several other complaints here on the federal safety agency for the same steering boost assist issue.
This is a copy of the text I sent nissan. To: interested parties nissan USA reference # 5652837. I now own a 2003 murano VIN 3 j. I have a problem that I am not resolved on and details are as follows: I am a reserve navy officer now deployed to iraq, which makes this entire evolution a bit difficult. My son chris wilson age 22 was driving the murano on march 14, 2007 near his college in cullowhee, north carolina when while at highway speed noticed the check engine light illuminated and then experienced an immediate loss of power and engine shutdown. He was able to get the vehicle out of active traffic safely with no power steering or brake assist. Witnesses to the event claimed he was lucky and skilled to maneuver off the highway without endangering himself and others in traffic. We then searched for local dealerships to take the vehicle to contacted them and arranged for the vehicle to be towed there. After an analysis and the part number of a transmission control module TCM. I went to the nissan USA web site and researched recalls that had been issued for 2003 muranos. I was very interested to find one for VIN numbersjn8az08t*3w 100007-100032,jn8az08w* 200005-200071. I realize that my VIN number is not one of these and the nice folks at the call center and the service folks at the dealerships are powerless to do anything unless there is a VIN match. The recall quotes: ''on some 2003 muranos there is a possibility that the engine might stop running while being driven if the crank position sensor fails. This may also result in the ''service engine soon'' light coming on or reduced engine power. It is the same result as what happened to my car. I am a professional mechanical engineer and I feel ethically sound in making the request and maintaining an unresolved position on this matter.
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 the federal safety agency 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.
I was driving down the highway, when the brake and battery lights came on. This 2003, nissan murano had just completed the 30,000 mile check up 6 days before. Suddenly, the car power steering failed, the car's electrical systems went haywire and the car seized up. I was forced to slowly slide over to the shoulder of the freeway, where I had to have the car towed.
Intermittently the steering would become tight when making a quick turn. This caused loss of steering control. The consumer anticipated a vehicle crash if this condition continued. The dealer was notified via phone. *ak the steering would also tighten on quick slow turns and faster highway speeds. The overall handling on this vehicle did not seem safe on highway speeds. The consumer suggested that a recall should be issued. *sc
Loss of power steering when in sharp or sudden turn especially near the end of a turn. Condition is intermittant, but is a major safety risk. Ongoing problem since ownership of car.
I was driving home on a 4 lane road with a center turn lane in the right hand lane when the car in front of me suddenly stopped. I hit the brakes and swerved into the left hand lane to avoid an accident. I was traveling aprox. 25 to 30 MPH. The power steering went out, the steering wheel locked and the car was crossing through the turn lane heading for oncoming traffic. I jerked the wheel hard to the right and the power steering came back at the last possible moment narrowly avoiding a head on collision.
Event is reproducible when turned steering wheel at a fast rate which results in a sudden but temporary loss of steering. Due to this design, when trying to maneuver the car quickly at low speeds make is very dangerous to control the car when the power steering is lost, even lost temporarily.
Complete loss of power steering at low RPM's. Power steering is minimal to non-existant when you need it most, like in parking lot. 15,000 miles.
Complete loss of power steering at low RPM's. While slowing down and going around a turn, the power steering will completely fail. This has almost caused 6 accidents in the last 4 months. Only happens at low RPM's.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Nissan Murano power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2003 Nissan Murano?
11 of 800 owner complaints about the 2003 Nissan Murano (1%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Nissan Murano?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Nissan Murano
Stalling 98Loss of power 67CVT failure 54Transmission failure 53Jerking 48Check engine light 47Hesitation 41Won't start 28Door locks 21Engine failure 11Sudden acceleration 11Grinding brakes 10Fuel pump 9Slipping 9Oil consumption 8ABS 6Adaptive cruise 5Brake failure 5Overheating 5Won't shift 5
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