What 148 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Nissan Murano Hybrid

I had a frontal crash in which I had a neck sprain and severe head injury due to the airbags not deploying

NHTSA ODI 11744092

In July 2023, at 55,496 miles on the odometer, the original CVT transmission failed and was replaced at Port City Nissan (120 Spaulding Tpke N, Portsmouth, NH 03801), an authorized Nissan dealership, with a Nissan-supplied rebuilt CVT transmission at a cost of approximately $7,000. The rebuilt transmission was warranted for one year. Approximately 2.5 years and only 26,500 miles after installation, the rebuilt CVT transmission has failed again at approximately 82,000 miles. CVT transmission failure while driving presents a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle may lose power unexpectedly, particularly dangerous at highway speeds, during merges, or in intersections. Pattern of Defect: Nissan’s CVT transmissions have been the subject of widespread consumer complaints and multiple class action lawsuits across various model years. Significantly, Nissan recently updated its warranty on rebuilt CVT transmissions from one year to three years with unlimited mileage for replacements performed after July 2024. This warranty extension strongly suggests Nissan is aware of systemic premature failures in its rebuilt CVT units. The failure of a rebuilt transmission at only 26,500 miles indicates a fundamental quality control or design deficiency in the rebuilt units Nissan is supplying to dealerships. Safety Concern: Sudden CVT failure causes immediate loss of propulsion and can result in loss of vehicle control. This is particularly hazardous on highways, in heavy traffic, and during adverse weather conditions. Given the pattern of premature failure in Nissan’s rebuilt CVT units, I believe this constitutes a safety defect affecting a population of vehicles and warrants investigation. I request that NHTSA investigate Nissan’s rebuilt CVT transmission program and the adequacy of Nissan’s response to known premature failures.

NHTSA ODI 11728892

The passenger airbag warning light illuminated and remains on. A Nissan dealer diagnosed the issue as a failure of the Occupant Classification System sensor in the passenger seat. This causes the airbag system to be disabled and could prevent deployment in a crash. I was informed that my 2011 Murano is not included in Nissan’s previous airbag/OCS recalls (such as 16V244), even thought the symptoms appear identical. Repair requires replacement or reprogramming of the seat/OCS components and is very expensive ($2000-$7000). This is a critical safety issue because the passenger airbag may not function at all. Based on similar complaints from other 2011 Murano owners, this my represent a widespread defect that warrants investigation and a recall. Safety needs to be a priority. We were originally told to reset the light by a series of steps involving turning the car on and off. The process worked on a previous incident but now the light remains solid red and reset does not work.

NHTSA ODI 11699814

Hi i see this vehicle had a recall campaign previously under notice P1261/NTB12-003/NTB14-076. This campaign includes the replacement of the links and other items under this campaign. This vehicle is a convertible and the top frame is once again damaged due to the same recall for links. I recently took the vehicle to Lorenzo Nissan as the top is not working. They advised the frame links are bound, and the frame needs to be replaced. As this was covered under previous recall, the recall is obviously not adequate.

NHTSA ODI 11610293

Dashboard light started flashing indicating airbag error. Light indicating passenger airbag inoperative on center stack illuminated. Dealership indicated error code B1018 per ESM diagnostic procedure and recommended replacing entire passenger side seat cushion and retesting. Uncertain if passenger side airbag sensor will prevent driver's airbag from deploying in accident.

NHTSA ODI 11584830

Premature Subframe Corrosion: first noticed a knocking noise coming from under rear driver side area when going over bumps with our 2011 Murano. Then the knocking noise (metal on metal sound) got worse and then the back of our vehicle would sway uncontrollably side to side when pressing a little hard on the brakes. Brought the vehicle to the Nissan dealer and was told that the subframe had excessive corrosion and the vehicle is dangerous to drive. Our vehicle has only 106,800 miles and has been garage kept and serviced every year by the Nissan dealership. Discovered online that 100’s, probably 1000’s including unreported incidents of other Nissan owners having the same excessive subframe rusting problem. People have reported their wheels falling off and losing control of vehicle...easily can cause major accident with deaths. There was a recall in 2006 for the same subframe issue but for unknown reasons doesn’t include my vehicle. Nissan has not corrected the cause of the subframe defect and has allowed this dangerous situation to continue with their vehicles even after the recall ended. The parts & labor cost to replace the subframe is between $3,000-$4,000+ and Nissan Consumer Affairs says since there are no current recalls and the vehicle is out of warranty that they will do nothing for me. This subframe rusting started day 1 when we purchased the vehicle and prematurely got worse each year through the warranty period until it becomes a dangerous situation after the warranty period ends. The prior recall should be extended to cover more vehicles and Nissan should take responsibility for not correcting the premature subframe rusting issues. Nissan should cover the costs to repair the faulty subframe or at the least, Nissan should supply the parts to correct the issue and the owner be responsible for the labor.

NHTSA ODI 11574299

35 complaints on the CVT transmission failing for the 2011 Nissan Murano, which could be a major safety issue while driving. We experienced 3 episodes and have not heard back from Nissan nor the NHTSA on recalling this car and having Nissan repair their known defect that could result in injury. We know the CVT transmission is known by Nissan to have reliability issues as they have recalled other years of CVT transmissions. Does someone have to be hurt before a fix is communicated to the owners of this vehicle. What a shame!

NHTSA ODI 11573366

Rear subframe corrosion and break. Front subframe perfectly ok, obviously under the exact same driving conditions. There was a recall for this exact same problem on the Nissan Murano 2007 models but unfortunately no recall on the 2011 model.

NHTSA ODI 11565656

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the transmission made an abnormal sound, and the vehicle shook before moving forward. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine and the transmission warning light had illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer on multiple occasions and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin Number: AT20-005B NTB20-060B CVT Transmission Shake/Shudder (Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11558840

2011 Nissan Murano, While pulling into a parking area the left rear (drivers side) wheel collapsed. Fortunately this happened at a very low speed, (under 10 MPH). Upon inspection it was discovered that the lower control strut had rotted out and separated from the frame causing the wheel to collapse. If this had occurred on a main road at speed it could have caused a very serious accident due to loss of control. In this case it did not happen, as stated it was at low speed and in a parking lot. The deterioration of this strut was never called out by dealer inspite of numerous Multi-point safety inspections during normal periodic vehicle servicing. There was no warning of impending failure, it just occurred! Neither Nissan or the dealer claim any responsibility for the failure of this part(s) Both sides were replaced as both sides had rotted out.

NHTSA ODI 11546755

While driving car several times on the highway, when accelerating all power went out from the CVT transmission (like running out of gas), rendering the car without power on the highway. This was and continues to be a big concern as we were left on a high speed road with no power to move the car. This has occurred several times and we have been fortunate to be in the right hand lane to get off the main road and not cause an accident. This condition is known by Nissan and other repair facilities as the Infiniti dealer in Orlando, Fla conducted a diagnostic test and noted the car needed a transmission replacement at approximately 88,000 miles. This replacement was for $12,220 dollars, which was far more than the car was worth and with a car that should have many more miles left to operate and maintained very well. As this is a major safety issue, one of several with this car, we are submitting another incident report indicating our concern with this car, which there are many (rear subframe rusting, rear passenger door locks). The car got towed approximately 200 miles to our local mechanic who knew of these issues, but after a few days of test driving could not duplicate the issue on local roads. We still operate the car on local roads below highway speeds, but are concerned that at any point power will be lost. Even selling the car is an ethical dilemma for us as we know of several safety issues submitted to the NHTSA and Nissan has not issued any recalls or corrections to this year vehicle. Someone from the NHTSA should take action with Nissan to recall this vehicle for safety issues! As with other incidents, we have all the documentation from these events.

NHTSA ODI 11541094

Transmission failure. Car has been losing power, slowly getting worse with episodes of near stalling when stepping on gas from a stop. No engine warning lights . When pulling out in heavy traffic, car would nearly stall. Scary and dangerous. I finally took car to Nissan dealer where I purchased the car and they immediately diagnosed transmission failure. At that point, I had 143,209 miles after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment.

NHTSA ODI 11528727

The contact's daughter owns a 2011 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, she noticed that the front passenger’s side seat back had completely lowered down and was lying flat. The contact stated that the seat back could not be raised or moved. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11517668

My dashboard is melting. When sitting in the sun it becomes sticky. An offensive odor is emitted also. The dashboard becomes shiny, making it at times hard to see from the reflection from the shine hitting the windshield when driving. Nissan is aware of this problem as they fixed melting dashboards in Florida only.

NHTSA ODI 11517001

This is a follow up to my first submission to include the pictures of the defective subframe we had to replace and the cost for the replacement for a new OEM subframe on this 2011 Nissan Murano SUV. As indicated in my first submission on 1/25/2023 for this car, two repair facilities (Nissan or Fort Lauderdale, Fla and Autobahn of Fort Lauderdale, Fla) inspected and wrote quotes to replace the defective rear subframe. Several mechanics we personally talked to told us this will be a safety problem if the rear subframe was not replaced soon - "just don't drive on the highway until replaced". After the Nissan and our local repair shop indicated this, we got the repair on 3/13/2023 at our local garage. My safety concern is that this is a low mileage car for its age (< 87K) that was garaged and bought new by us. It was maintained very well and all repair mechanics noted this as well. We also heard that rear subframe issues are increasingly become more common with Nissan vehicles with cars produced in years similar to ours. Subframes, which are major suspension and safety components, should not be this deteriorated at this point in their car's life. I have included pictures of the old subframe replaced on 3/13/2023 as well as the cost for the repair of our vehicle. Please look in detail at these digital pics and one can see the erosion of the metal is significant and we are very fortunate to not have had an accident. I don't believe the old subframe is still around for inspection as we did not know the NHTSA needed them until now, but I am sure one could interview this repair shop and get plenty of information on these car's subframes from this era of car manufacture. Plus the pictures are very telling of the problems associated with these cars. The only warning we had when driving was a thumping noise in the left rear section of the car. I did write to Nissan North America (Case # 48133943), but like with the NHTSA no response to date from either group.

NHTSA ODI 11511746

Rear sub frame rusted through on passenger side. Allows irregular motion of wheel and bumping of detached parts. Causes vehicle float when brake is applied. Unsafe to drive confirmed by independent and dealership technicians. Braking at medium or high speed could cause severe float, loss of control, accident, further damage. I am not driving the vehicle. Ii is a low-miles, well-maintained vehicle. No accident occurred. I noticed it early and got the diagnosis.

NHTSA ODI 11506432

We experienced a noise in the rear suspension area of the vehicle while driving, which prompted us to take the car to a Nissan repair facility for an inspection. We were informed the rear subframe components were rusted and needed replacing. We bought this car new in 2011 and it has under 85,000 miles. The car was garaged for most of its life and now needs several thousand dollars of rear subframe suspension parts and labor to make it safe to drive. Just a year year earlier we had to replace the front lower control arms also at the cost of several thousand dollars. These suspension component parts should not fail this early in the life of this Nissan Murano SUV, especially a car that has less than 85,000 miles, that was properly maintained and in excellent condition. As this is a safety issue we are wondering why Nissan or the Federal government has not recalled or at least agreed to repair this issue for owners of this vehicle. There have been many Technical Service Bulletins issued on this defect for many years (since 2007 onward), but no response. I guess for the government and Nissan to acknowledge a safety issue with this car in todays marketplace, it appears a crash, fire, injury or death must occur for someone to take action.

NHTSA ODI 11503589

The subframe has completely rusted and broke apart. This is a known issue on the Nissan's. We heard a rattling and upon inspection found a piece of the frame had rusted off. The entire rear subframe is rusted through. The vehicle cannot be driven. Nissan should pay for this repair.

NHTSA ODI 11499762

2011 Nissan Murano, transmission issues. This is the second time I have had to report this problem, please also refer to my first complaint #11474221 on this vehicle for the same problem. When at a stop, and pushing the gas pedal to move forward, there is a hesitation or two before the vehicle moves forward. This is a big problem when trying to enter a highway, after a stop sign. With giving enough distance to merge, having the hesitation issue has almost caused an accident. This hesitation occurs in town driving and hi-way. The dealership Crown Nissan (Greensboro, NC) diagnosis indicated that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced. Our local Nissan shop ordered a new transmission directly from Nissan, and installed into our car, by mechanics that were trained by Nissan. Received Murano back with replaced new transmission, and within two days it was hesitating again. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and it was confirmed that the ‘new’ transmission that was installed, was defective and when driving, also had the hesitation issue. A 2nd new transmission was ordered from Nissan, installed by Nissan trained mechanics, and delivered two weeks later. We received our Murano back on Oct.12, 2022 and when driving it there was a slight hesitation, but then started to buck very hard… I’m surprised that I don’t have whiplash. The 2nd new transmission installed is a ‘lemon’ as it is worse than the original AND the 1st new replacement, by bucking as well as the hesitation. Our Nissan Murano appears to be unfixable, as the company keeps sending transmissions that have serious flaws and will eventually hurt or kill someone. Where do we go from here, especially since we have paid off the loan a year ago.

NHTSA ODI 11489155

The car was taken for inspection in Pennsylvania and the rear subframe has mostly rotted away where it connects to the frame. Had the subframe broken through it could have caused serious injury. It was confirmed by an independent inspection station. There are recalls on other murano model years so it is possible this year is also a problem that has not been exposed yet. The problem is evident on both sides of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11488251

Airbag light comes on indicating a problem. After a quick investigation of this problem it becomes evident that it’s very common and Nissan hasn’t admitted any problem . The cost to fix this is half the value of the car!!

NHTSA ODI 11479190

The contact's husband owns a 2011 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at approximately 35 degrees and making a sharp left turn, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact then stated that he attempted to apply more pressure but the vehicle failed to accelerate and moved at a slow pace. The contact then stated that after he was in the driveway, he placed the shifter in park and then back in drive position but the vehicle hesitated then failed to accelerate. No warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478855

Our 2011 Nissan Murano is garaged & serviced (not at dealer as their rates for labor & parts is crazy high) & has been a great SUV, until it had problems monthswith the acceleration in certain situations. This would happen when stopping at a red light or stop sign in town. We’d push on the acceleration~gas & the Murano wouldn’t respond…would do a slow count of 4 to 5, & the Murano would then accelerate slowly until reaching the posted speed limit. This act is dangerous as if merging or passing with a loss of acceleration in a crowded road would be a perfect storm of multiple accidents & injuries. On the highway, we would be driving & pressing the gas pedal like normal when all of a sudden the car wouldn’t respond & seemed like it was coasting or put in neutral, it would come back after a slow count of 4 to 5 seconds, & would slowly get to the speed limit. This has happened several times on the highway with speed limit listed @70mph. Imaging that you are driving along with traffic at 70mph when all of sudden the SUV stopped accelerating, & there is a big truck right behind you, & it’s continuing at the speed limit. Because of the acceleration issue, we were almost rear ended by a semi & could have killed us both. On the highway this has only happened a few times, compared to starting from a stop sign or red light which happens frequently each week. There is no warning or lights that this is going to happen, which makes it worse. The mechanic and shop that I have been using for over 35 years, has had several Murano’s with the same problem, & suggested the transmission might be failing, they also said to research this issue & ask Nissan. With living in a small town, the % of Murano’s having the same problem should trigger a paid recall, no matter the mileage or age if serviced regularly. This has been happening for months, & also with other years of the Murano design. Please read all of the owner’s comments about this issue, of not accelerating when needed.

NHTSA ODI 11474221

For over a year, I have experienced hesitations of movement when needed to have acceleration from a complete or rolling stop. When driving, I’ve pushed on the gas pedal to accelerate & there was a long two second hesitation (lack of propulsion) before the Murano resumed forward movement. There was also a loss of acceleration (speed/movement) while merging into very heavy traffic on a busy main road, & that could have caused an accident. Every time there was a hesitation of movement when pushing on the gas pedal, it could have been a disaster. I have been having this ‘hesitations of movement’ for over a year. I have insisted that mechanics need to drive it, so they too can experience this problem. They have driven the Murano many times, but haven’t been able to experienced it. After bringing the Murano into my service station for months about this problem, today after an oil change at Oakview Auto Service, the head mechanic took my Nissan Murano for a test drive & the ‘hesitation’ happened to him. So if needed Chris at Oakview Auto can confirm that this problem has been happening, that we have asked about diagnosing this problem, & he experienced as well. This Service Station has been in business for over 40 years, and they have had many other customers bring their Nissan Murano to them, with the complaint of ‘hesitation of movement. While there has been problems documented (& recalled) with Nissan’s transmissions in the past, they have yet to include the 2011 Murano. Nissan needs to address this hesitation issue now.

NHTSA ODI 11454154

driving vehicle on regular road not a highway approx 35mph clear sunny day temp in the 50's. With no warning a huge bang and a sound like the whole roof slid off the back of my car i couldn't stop immediately so I slid the shade cover for the sunroof back about an inch, saw that the whole sunroof had exploded took pictures of it. It is totally clear that the glass blew up from the inside out as all lg pcs around the gaping hole were all curved outward Not one m ark on the thin shade cover so nothing fell on the roof, I tried contacting everyone from the local Nissan dealer to the Nissan consumer affairs in TN I was laughed at, they completely denied that this could happen and did not offer to pay for any of it. I am disabled and on a fixed income and I cannot afford to repair it, I have no vehicle to use now and have a medical crisis in my family one member is on hospice and is expected to pass very soon. I need my vehicle desperately. This could have been a deadly tragedy if my 2yr old grandson was in the back seat and the shade cover was open or if a vehicle right behind me was hit by the flying glass and they swerved and got into a terrible accident or killed I need help and dont know where to turn

NHTSA ODI 11453562