When we first test-drove the LE, the first impression we have is: wow it is SO QUIET! Finally we picked up our new 09' Murano SL AWD last week. We noticed we can hear considerable wind noise and road noise. Do you guys feel the same way? Is SL louder than LE?? Or it's something related to the tires (18" vs. 20") or roof rails?

Thanks!

I noticed that too. I was thinking maybe the crossbar. I'll try to remove that and observe if it get rid of wind noise.

The stock Goodyears on our 2007 do make some road noise. There's definitely quieter tires on the market.

We've found that our LE is quiter than our 05 Lexus RX was. It's possible that the tires can make a big difference. Our LE is running the OEM 20 Toyo's and they are very quiet.

I guess the tires can explain part of the road noise. How about the wind noise? There shouldn't be any difference between suspension, seal etc. Why the SL is so much noisier? well, actually some owners on edmunds claim their SL is very quiet. Does that mean the quietness really varies vehicle by vehicle???

I have had my 2009 Murano SL FWD equipped with the dual moonroof for one month now and experience significant wind noise when MPH exceeds 40 MPH. I took the vehicle to the dealer last week to have the noise investigated. The service rep said that I was the 4th customer to return to the dealership to report the excessive wind noise on 2009 Muranos equipped with the dual moonroof. He took me for a ride in another new 2009 Murano with the dual moonroof and the wind noise was identical to my vehicle.The service rep said Nissan has no fix for the problem at this time but to call the Nissan Customer Service number and report the problem. If enough customers complain, Nissan may engineer a fix for the problem; most likely a wind deflector that would mount at the leading edge of the moonroof.I have not been able to find an aftermarket supplier of a wind deflector for the 2009 Murano that does not have to be attached to the vehicle with two sided tape. However, Weathertech has a request form on their web site where you can request that they manufacturer a deflector that attaches to the vehicle with clips. Weathertech currently makes deflectors for all other Murano models other than 2009's.Let's hope that either Nissan or an aftermarket supplier like Weathertech will come up with a solution to the excess wind noise problem soon as the noise drives me crazy.

thanks for the information kadit.

That's odd, we have the 09 LE with the dual moonroofs and I will admit to sensing a little (very little) wind noise at about triple digit speeds, which I reached a few times out of pure curiosity (on long falt roads, no traffic). At 60, 70, and 80, it's completly quiet, and my wife and I have marveled that we can carry on a conversation without raising our voices. It's easily as quiet as our Lexus GS and as I said before, quieter than our 05 RX was.

Is it possible that Nissan built the LE's with additional sound deadening, or some type of sound feedback system which negates noise?

Just to add, I do not have cross rails on the roof rack, opted not as we never used them on the three previous SUV's.

Thanks for the info! I wonder if the LE trim makes the difference. I know noise is a very subjective matter, but the LE we test-drove was definitely a LOT quieter! I'm a little pissed about the noise we can hear when driving this SL...

Czarny_Orzel wrote:That's odd, we have the 09 LE with the dual moonroofs and I will admit to sensing a little (very little) wind noise at about triple digit speeds, which I reached a few times out of pure curiosity (on long falt roads, no traffic). At 60, 70, and 80, it's completly quiet, and my wife and I have marveled that we can carry on a conversation without raising our voices. It's easily as quiet as our Lexus GS and as I said before, quieter than our 05 RX was.

Is it possible that Nissan built the LE's with additional sound deadening, or some type of sound feedback system which negates noise?

Just to add, I do not have cross rails on the roof rack, opted not as we never used them on the three previous SUV's.

As a followup to my previous post, I removed the cross rails from the roof rack just to see if the cross rails were contributing to the noise problem. The removal of the cross rails had no impact on the amount of wind noise heard in the cabin. I have left the cross rails off as I think the Murano looks better without them.

As a test, we were heading down I5 yesterday afternoon, virtually no traffic around us, so I turned off the radio, and killed the auto climate control. At 60, no detectable wind noise, same at 70, and when I had it up to 80, noticed just a touch of noise, but could have been tires on coarse pavement. At 90 we started to pick up some wind noise around the mirrors I believe, and at 100, it got a little louder, but not obnoxious. I'm still amazed at just how quiet the LE is.

Oh man, I'm jealous.

Could any other SL owners chime in on this topic? I don't see it mentioned anywhere that LE has better sound dampening or anyting...

Czarny_Orzel wrote:As a test, we were heading down I5 yesterday afternoon, virtually no traffic around us, so I turned off the radio, and killed the auto climate control. At 60, no detectable wind noise, same at 70, and when I had it up to 80, noticed just a touch of noise, but could have been tires on coarse pavement. At 90 we started to pick up some wind noise around the mirrors I believe, and at 100, it got a little louder, but not obnoxious. I'm still amazed at just how quiet the LE is.

Noise evaluation can be really subjective, but, I'm comparing our LE with our former 05 Lexus RX, and my wife's 06 Lexus GS. I'll admit to not having ever driven an S or SL so I cannot use those as a baseline, however, at speed, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (aka the Redhead) and I can speak in normal tones with no problem. We keep the Bose system down on the 3rd or 4th bar and it's plenty loud for us to hear and discern the music (Smooth Jazz typically). If Nissan did something different to the LE as far as sound suppression, I cannot find any corroboration in any of the literature.

Alternatively, we just got real lucky and have one of the superbly screwed together Murano's - hey it's possible!

As referenced in my previous post, I reported the wind noise issue to Nissan Customer Service the day after I took my Murano to the dealership to have the noise investigated. I received a followup call from Shannon with Nissan Customer Service on 8/13/09. She confirmed the information in my report and indicated that Nissan does track such reports to determine if the problem needs to be corrected. She said at this time there is no fix for the problem and that the wind noise is "characteristic for this vehicle". The next thought in my mind was-well why don't you disclose this characteristic to potential buyers when they test drive the vehicle-but I figured that I would be wasting my time with her. I'm disappointed that Nissan builds a vehicle with this kind of problem as it seems to me that it shouldn't be that hard to remedy by redesign or by modification with an accessory. I encourage all owners with this wind noise issue to contact Nissan Customer Service and report the problem. Also, fill out the request form on Weathertech's website to have a sunroof deflector manufactured just in case Nissan doesn't do anything to address this problem.

Hi, kadit, the dual-panel moonroof doesn't appear to be the root cause. Similar to what Czarny_Orzel described, we heard virtually NO noise when we test-drove the LE, which was equipped with moonroof/roof rails and everything.

The service guy at our dealership told me the LE has better stuffing blah blah but I could not find it mentioned anywhere on Nissan's web site. I also emailed Nissan support. As expected, they didn't give any useful info, and just asked me to go to my local dealership to have the vehicle checked out.

I'd like to ask all SL owners please write/call Nissan and push them to provide a solution. The noise level is simply too high considering how much we paid!

Thanks everyone for the inputs!

kadit wrote:As referenced in my previous post, I reported the wind noise issue to Nissan Customer Service the day after I took my Murano to the dealership to have the noise investigated. I received a followup call from Shannon with Nissan Customer Service on 8/13/09. She confirmed the information in my report and indicated that Nissan does track such reports to determine if the problem needs to be corrected. She said at this time there is no fix for the problem and that the wind noise is "characteristic for this vehicle". The next thought in my mind was-well why don't you disclose this characteristic to potential buyers when they test drive the vehicle-but I figured that I would be wasting my time with her. I'm disappointed that Nissan builds a vehicle with this kind of problem as it seems to me that it shouldn't be that hard to remedy by redesign or by modification with an accessory. I encourage all owners with this wind noise issue to contact Nissan Customer Service and report the problem. Also, fill out the request form on Weathertech's website to have a sunroof deflector manufactured just in case Nissan doesn't do anything to address this problem.

Thanks for sharing

I have an '09 SL with the moonroof and rails. It's silent as far as wind noise is concerned. For those that are experiencing wind noise I would recommend that you verify that all the door seals are seated properly.

I do not believe that the LE has any additional sound proofing. I cannot find anything that says it does.

Thanks for the input!

I went to the dealership the other day. They guy who drove our Mo said the noise level is normal. He said he also got a Murano and he couldn't tell any difference... Don't know what to do now...

brainguyus wrote:I have an '09 SL with the moonroof and rails. It's silent as far as wind noise is concerned. For those that are experiencing wind noise I would recommend that you verify that all the door seals are seated properly.

I do not believe that the LE has any additional sound proofing. I cannot find anything that says it does.

Hi Mo2009.If you haven't already done so, call the 1-800 Nissan Customer Service number and report the wind noise problem. Maybe if enough buyers report the problem, Nissan will look into it and provide a solution. I know it is a long shot, but it might have an impact.I have checked all of my door seals and I am convinced my wind noise problem is related to the dual moonroof (this was confirmed by the service rep at the dealer when I had the dealer investigate the noise). It is a total mystery to me why the SL models would experience the noise but the LE models apparently do not.As soon as a sunroof deflector is available for the 2009 Muranos, I am going to buy one and install it. If it works-great; if it doesn't it is only about $70 down the drain.

I just purchased an LE last weekend in Santa Barbara. As I drove the 80 miles or so to my home the main thing I noticed was how quiet it was. Today I drove it 10 miles to work and and still absolutely quiet. As I was showing the vehicle to my co-workers they asked me to demonstrate the moon roof. After opening and closing it twice, I now experience horrible wind noise and whistling on the freeway. I am so upset! After reading all the posts on this, I know exactly what the dealer will tell me. "Sorry about that". I will still make an attempt. I will be calling Nissan on Monday to report this. I loved everything about this vehicle but I am really disappointed now.

Kadit and cantwin4losin,

Although I can't rule out the dual-moon roof being the culprit, there seems to be wind noise coming from the windshield as well.

Also, what do you guys think about the road noise?

I have emailed Nissan a couple times. They said they will assign a regional specialist for individual assistance. I haven't heard from any "specialist" so far. I guess I will call sometime next week. We need to let them hear our complaint!

Thanks again for everyone's inputs! Please report back to this thread if you have this issue solved. I'll do the same too.

cantwin4losin wrote:I just purchased an LE last weekend in Santa Barbara. As I drove the 80 miles or so to my home the main thing I noticed was how quiet it was. Today I drove it 10 miles to work and and still absolutely quiet. As I was showing the vehicle to my co-workers they asked me to demonstrate the moon roof. After opening and closing it twice, I now experience horrible wind noise and whistling on the freeway. I am so upset! After reading all the posts on this, I know exactly what the dealer will tell me. "Sorry about that". I will still make an attempt. I will be calling Nissan on Monday to report this. I loved everything about this vehicle but I am really disappointed now.

agree with you, it's hard to say that the moonroof is the culprit. I used to think that it was the crossbar but i think i'm wrong. there are times that it's so quite inside and there are times that it's not. I take the same route to office every day and it's not windy. Does the noise produced depends on how tight did the moonroof close?

just my two cents.

I owned a 2008 Lexus RX 350 before my 2009 Murano SL and I think the road noise level (except for the wind noise problem) is equal and very satisfactory on both vehicles.Mo2009 might have a point with the windshield perhaps contributing to the wind noise issue and I would be interested to hear from other Murano owners (both S, SL, and LE models) if they have any comments on this windshield matter.I do not get any whistling sounds from my moonroof; the wind noise I hear is a whoosing sound similar to having a window open about 1/8 inch. I have noticed also that when driving downwind the noise is significantly less than when driving into the direction of the wind. I have had others who are riding with me say the same thing about intensity of the wind noise.Thanks to everyone for their comments; let's see if we can get a solution to the wind noise.

This is a follow up to my original post. I discovered that one of my friends inadvertantly pressed the passenger window button long enough to barely lower the passenger window. It was so slight that you couldn't see it visually. Once I discovered it and raised it fully, the wind noise went away. I would have bet money that the noise was coming from the moonroof. That proves to me that you can't really tell WHERE the noise is coming from. I am so grateful my LE is now quiet again. I will continue to follow this thread in case I develop moonroof wind noise later. I'm almost afraid to open it now. I'll be pulling for all of you with the problem...

Had the exact same thing happen yesterday. Used my Murano for business luncheon, one of the passengers (back seat) managed to tweak the window down button just enough to slightly, so very slightly lower the window. Caused a heck of a noise at freeway speeds - thought that I'd inherited the dreaded wind noise by osmosis - hanging around this forum! As soon as I hit the up switchs (tried all the windows) the noise was gone. This comes back to either window seals or door seals for those that are experiencing the wind noise issues. I'm betting that there is a connection.

I know noise or quietness is hard to quantify, but when you guys (the LE owners apparently ) say quiet, what kind of quiet level are you referring to?

At least when we first test-drove the LE, we literally heard "nothing". It's pretty much silent. For the SL we have now, even though I complain about the noise, we don't have any problem speaking at normal volume. It's probably still quieter than many SUVs...

Strange...I have a 09 LE with dual moonroof and all the bells/whistles...always commented that it's by far its one of the quietest vehicles I've ever owned. I've taken it over 100+mph before too and never noticed excessive noises...although I wasn't specifically listening for any wind noises. That being said, I am also very picky about noises...therefore I would have to say if there were any wind noises, I would've known about them and complained by now. In the absence of that, I'd have to say my LE...which I've owned for going on a year and a half...is very quiet.

Of note too...I did remove my roof rail crossbars shortly after I brought the car home from the dealer. Didn't want them, didn't ask for them, didn't pay for them, but they were on there.

Modified by Musky300 at 6:40 AM 8/29/2009
Modified by Musky300 at 6:40 AM 8/29/2009

I quite agree, quantifying noise levels is difficult, and we all may have slightly differing opinions of what constitutes objectionable v. acceptable levels. For me, I can only compare to vehicles that I’ve recently had. In our case, it is a 05 RX330, which we traded for the Murano LE, and the Lexus GS which we still have. The Murano is at least as quiet, and, subjectively, I think a bit quieter than our RX was. Our GS suffers a bit from tire noise as we are still running the OEM type Dunlop run-flats, which are very noisy. The Murano is also a bit quieter than the GS overall, and far quieter when you compare road noise from tires. Again, I have never had the pleasure of driving or riding in the S or SL variant so I cannot make any valid comparisons there. We’re enjoying our Murano, is it the be-all and end-all in vehicles, certainly not, as it has a few glitches (my seat memory decided not to work recently – arrrgghhhhh) but we find it quiet and serene for long hauls, and fun to drive.

Just picked up a 09 SL AWD tonight and no wind noise to report. Had her up to 65. I must admit this is one quiet vehicle. Alot quieter than my 06 Maxima I traded in. I will be sure to report back any noise I detect.

Did any of you guys talk to Nissan lately? Any updates on this issue?

Thanks!