the federal safety agency Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2018 Nissan Murano Submitted by: [XXX] Vehicle: 2018 Nissan Murano VIN: [XXX] Mileage at time of issue: Approx. 93,500 miles Location: Albuquerque, NM Date of issue onset: [XXX] Summary of the Problem: Shortly after my vehicle was serviced at a Nissan dealership, it began exhibiting serious mechanical and electrical issues. These include: - Transmission jerking and slipping between gears - Uncommanded RPM surging while accelerating - Occasional loss of power, particularly at highway speeds - Dashboard flickering, resetting, and other electrical irregularities - Brake caliper drag and significantly reduced gas mileage Third-Party Diagnosis: A certified independent repair shop reported the following: - Transmission malfunction (needs full replacement) - Dragging brake caliper - Engine overfilled with oil - Erratic RPM behavior Despite these findings, the dealership dismissed all concerns and returned the vehicle unrepaired, with no adequate documentation of the work performed. Additional Concerns: I believe the vehicle was accessed and tampered with while at the dealership. After their service: - My dashboard and door panels were visibly unsealed or repositioned - The vehicle was held for extended periods (multiple weeks) - No paperwork was provided showing any actual mechanical repairs I have before-and-after photographs and text messages confirming this timeline and change in condition. Safety Impact: The transmission failure, RPM spikes, and braking inconsistencies make the vehicle unsafe to drive. These problems pose a significant crash risk, especially in highway traffic or while merging. I’m submitting this report to the federal safety agency to contribute to any ongoing investigations related to this vehicle make/model and to help prevent further consumer risk. Additional Observation – Abnormal Heat After Driving After driving the vehicle, extreme heat can be felt rising from underneath the dr INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Nissan Murano slipping problems
53 of the 5,970 owner complaints about the Nissan Murano describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 53
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,299
- typical mileage
- 96,000
By model year
Often reported together
CVT failure 18Transmission failure 14Jerking 9Loss of power 7Check engine light 5Stalling 3Won't start 2Won't shift 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P1778 3P0840 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission started slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 216,000.
My transmission is on recall the CVT transmission is malfunctioning The transmission flutters and shudders loses power in slow motion when starting to pull off from lights or going up heels, there’s a slipping, feel to the transmission very unsafe to drive during wet, rainy days and snowy days some days absolute power loss this has been a problem since I purchased a vehicle in 2021 until current and it’s getting worse every day I was told about a Nissan Dealership this is just how the transmission shift. I know this information is incorrect because it’s very unsafe to drive.
On [XXX] I was driving back down [XXX] , stopped at red light and when light changed to green, I proceeded to take off and as I got under the interstate overpass my vehicle abruptly started slowing down as if it was going to shut completely down and the panel in the dash turned red with a symbol of a car. There was a vehicle coming directly behind me and I am thankful they were not following me closely because it may have caused them to hit me from behind. A few seconds later the vehicle picked up speed and the red warning light disappeared quickly. 11/11/24 I made a call to Nissan Consumer Affairs to create a case (case#[XXX]) and representative opened and closed the case without escalating to a specialist for review. On 11/13/24 I took the Vehicle into a Nissan Dealership to perform a diagnostic on the vehicle and no code was found. I was told to bring the vehicle back in for a full day to troubleshoot. With all of the safety features this vehicle has, I thought issues like this would be recorded. I asked the service advisor if anyone else has reported this issue and he stated not on the 23 Murano but have received reports of other Nissan vehicles just shutting down. This could have been a very bad situation and Nissan Consumer Affairs did not seem to care when this issue was brought to their attention. Also have reported issue with brake pedal squeaking and wheel slipping when making short turn on driver's side. Issues are never found by the dealership in most cases, until the warranty runs out which is very short (3yrs 36,000). I attempted to upload document to support my trip to dealership, but received message that file is too large. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
CVT transmission gears slipping. OBD II code states stepper motor malfunction. This has caused the vehicle to go from 75 mph to 45 so quickly it almost caused an accident on the freeway. The most recent incident happened today. The transmission started whining and RPMs went high. This looks to be an issue for more Muranos than necessary and should be considered a recall problem.
I bought this Nissan Murano after the owner of Suncoast Quality Cars gives me the NADA - Consumers Report, which states the car was scored as an 82, in "Good Condition" with major repairs needed. After picking the Murano up 1-week after I made the purchase, when driven more than a couple of miles, you could feel the transmission slipping. While the owner of Suncoast said that his mechanic had done a full diagnostic test and had confirmed NADA's scoring, just to make sure I took it to Courtesy Nissan of Tampa and paid for their Certified Nissan Mechanics to do a full diagnostic test. Courtesy Nissan's Diagnostic test revealed that the transmission would need to be replaced, which while I did purchase a used car warranty from Suncoast, the car has been out of commission since roughly a week after receiving delivery from Suncoast. When I contacted [XXX] (Owner) by email on 4-separate occasions, from 2-separate email addresses, and text, he states he never received them. Given the owner's approach, and refusing to own up to his lies, or take any kind of responsibility here, I would like a full refund, as I would have never purchased the car, if I knew it had a major safety issue and would have to have the transmission replaced immediately after delivery, and I most certainly wouldn't have paid the price of a car that NADA stated was in "Good Condition", as the cost of the transmission is actually 65% of the price I paid for the car. With the transmission needing to be replaced, the same measuring tool (NADA) that Suncoast used to sell me the car, actually states the car is worth thousands-less. Attached, you will also find a copy of the results from the Certified Nissan Mechanic at Courtesy Nissan of Tampa. Warm regards, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The CVT unit shutters, lurches, and slips out of gear ratios when acceleration. There is violent jerking when pondering at low speeds and it even causes the engine to stall when coming to a halt in drive mode. Nissan knows the problem and others have served Nissan with a Class action lawsuit to remediate the issue with the CVT unit. The check engine warning light illuminates when the issue arises. Nissan has not submitted a recall request.
Problems with Nissan Murano CVT transmission - Transmission slips with loss of power/acceleration while in traffic, then jerks or lurches forward. No codes (DTC) registered for the symptoms. Dangerous for myself and other drivers as this occurs without warning. Fortunate not to end up in an accident. Nissan manuals do not recommend precautions or service for this. Now faced with all repair costs.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping in and out of gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed, the camshaft position sensor, and the power train system also had failed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.
The CVT translation is slipping and jerking at 1000 rpms. I took it Nissan and even though they increased the warranty on their cvt transmission, this one they do not want to cover,and don’t say why.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the gear displayed is different from the gear engaged, this could result in unexpected vehicle movement and a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 03V123000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Murano slipping
Which Nissan Murano years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (9 complaints), 2004 (7 complaints) and 2006 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix transmission slipping on the Nissan Murano?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,299 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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