Engine cutoff in mid-drive

[uneasy]

I own a 2007 Murano SL with 14k miles. I have been an avid reader of this forum for a very long time and have a tale to tell.

I was driving home from work this past Monday on a 6-lane road (3 in each direction) and going around the speed limit of 40mph. I was about 1 mile into my drive when I went to hit the gas in mid-drive and there was nothing there...no response whatsoever. Luckily I was in the middle lane so getting over to the right was not much of a problem but there was no shoulder. I immediately put on my flashers. I kept trying to restart the car. It would start but the tach would steadily go down, the car would shake and shut off. Finally, once I started it again I revved it really high and then put it into drive and was able to lurch and get off onto a side road. I should add here that in the time I was disabled 4 different "strangers" offered to help which restored my faith in mankind.

Back to my story. I looked under the hood to see if the air intake duct was secured and it was. Oil was fine and I had plenty of gas. I tried to start the car every few minutes and it would just sputter, shake and stall out. I then let it sit for 10 minutes and started it. Everything was fine...a perfect little angel. I made it home, made it to and from work the next day and then brought it into Nissan for a checkup the following day.

They could find no codes and, of course, the car would not fail for them. I told them to hold the car as long as they needed because I considered this a "major" issue. Had I been on the interstate and this happened I could have been killed.

On day two of their having my car, they called to say they checked with tech support and they advised them to check the battery voltage. They found a dead cell. They said the battery powers all the computer systems in the vehicle even if the alternator is operating properly and this caused the problem. Sounds like they were desperate for some kind of resolution to the problem. They put in a new battery and now time will tell.

I have read all the horror stories about the transmissions on this car with early failures. It's human nature to say "this won't happen to me" but as it was happening I was thinking "this can't be true".

No warning lights came on. I have never read of this happening. I usually see where people have been in stop and go driving and go to hit the gas and there is no power.

I now do not trust this car even though I love it. I feel it's flawed and wonder when it will happen again.

Sorry for the length of this but any feedback would be appreciated.

[Macsleuth]

Wow, hoping it was the battery that caused the issue. Almost sounded like a module was overheated, but 10 minutes is not usually enough time to cool off, then again, I'd also suspect that it would have happened again. Anything you do different the week before? Lots of rain, washed the engine, changed filters etc.Electrical can be a b1tch to figure out.Good luck.

[BBISHOPPCM]

There is a recall on the intake boot for this very problem... the rubber was prematurely deteriorating; it's a relatively recent recall, my '06 was one of the affected models. I'd check on this.

[pm_page6776]

Sometimes debris will get sucked into the MAF sensor and cause this issue. It will throw the air/fuel mixture off to the point of stalling the car. Have you noticed any difference in acceleration or spark knock? Your mechanic should be able to determine if this is the issue by looking at the airflow alpha. Specification is %90-%110. If it is bad it will likely read around %80 or %130.

[uneasy]

Thanks for all the replies to my issue concerning the engine shutting off in mid-drive.

I am happy to report that everything has been normal since that day (2 weeks ago).

I had been under the hood a little bit previously. It's possible I could have done something at that time but I don't think so.

As for the intake boot, I had my car into Nissan about 2 weeks before this happened for the recall which they took care of. When I was off to the side of the road this is the first thing I checked to make sure it was secure and it was.

I'm not familiar with the MAF sensor but I would hope Nissan would have checked this considering the problem I described to them. I will bring it to their attention next time I'm there.

Just hoping it's not the beginning of transmission problems.

Thanks guys for all the helpful info.

[nlewerke]

PLEASE HELP!

I bought a 2009 Murano SL just last week...it has 350 miles on it and twice now it has shut-off in mid drive. The first time I was stopped at a red light. The dealer said it was a faulty gas/o2 sensor and they promptly replaced it.

This time, however, I was going 70mph on the freeway. It was a very disturbing experience when I had to coast across 5 lanes of LA rush hour traffic. Not happy with this purchase!!!

The car is at the dealer now, but does anyone have any suggestions???

[uneasy]

Sorry to hear about your problem. My biggest concern is that it might happen on the highway like it did to you.

When I brought my '07 Murano in for my problem they said they had no other incidents of this nature when they checked their database. They contacted Nissan tech support and they told the dealership to check the battery. They found a dead cell which they said could cause the problem. They gave me a new battery and I have had no problems since (6 weeks).

Bottom line, I have had my Murano roughly 1,000 days now and just that one day it was very, very sick.

Engine cutoff in mid-drive is a serious problem. You don't know if you can ever trust your car again.

If they don't find the root of the problem you might consider having them take it back. I'm going to roll the dice with mine and hope for the best.

Good luck!!

[Desert Rat]

The battery in my 2007 has already died.

Nissan factory batteries are garbage. I've owned several new Nissans over the years and have yet to see an OEM battery last 2 years.

[nafddur]

The battery in my 2007 has already died.

Nissan factory batteries are garbage. I've owned several new Nissans over the years and have yet to see an OEM battery last 2 years.

Strange, I've had a number of Nissans since 85, and I've never seen an OEM battery last less than 3 years.

[2tigers]

My 09 battery went out last week at 18 months and 20K. Worst partit was on a weekend and couldn't find a replacement till the Dealeropened up Monday morning, $ 45.00 prorated.