I have a problem with my 2003 Murano Transmission

[Timmbo]

Just to let everyone know I ended up here because I thought my transmission was going out. It would start bucking and "slipping" when I would accellerate. The harder I would accellerate the worse it acted up.I read in a one of the posts a guy fixed his problem by tightening up the rubber boot that connects the air filter chamber to the rest of the intake (easily accessible and easy to check). This was the fix to all my "transmission" worries and I believe that many more could have saved themselves a major mechanics bill with the gentlemans advice. I hope by reposting this advice many more people will once more feel good about their murano and their bank account.

Happy New Year from NICOclub! Greetings from the Murano Forum, glad to have you here. Thanks a bunch for the heads up, we really appreciate your feedback!

[Deons]

Great!!! 51,500 miles and mine seems to be close to dead too. I was just told it would cost me $8K!!! #$@^!

I don't buy that stuff about regular maintenance as being a cause since I have been servicing regularly including the CVT transmission fluid which is worth it's weight in gold!

[NoMoreNissan]

I have a problem w/ my transmission... Nissan didn't tell me... I had to find out from a local repair shop. Nissan will lie about a problem until you are out of warranty and then suddenly be able to figure out why the car is sluggish or jerky at times... the lies they tel have to come from the top down. I go to 3 different Nissan dealerships and they tell the same lies, the same way.

[unhappyincanada]

New engine at 119,000 k. Cracked Manifold, two catalytic converters replaced at the same time. Warranty expired at 125,000 K when the transfer case needed to be replaced at $3,500.00. Now waiting to replace the transmission. Catalytic converter number three caused us to be stranded at the side of the road. New Catalytic converter at $1,000. Picked it up and drove home from the dealer with some sort of fluid spraying all over the engine. Might not be able to drive it back to the dealership. All I want to do is to be able to drive it somewhere to trade it in. Never, never, never will I buy a Nissan product again.

[BBISHOPPCM]

I'm sorry to hear you've had so many problems with your Murano. The 2003 Murano definitely had an unusually high failure rate for a Nissan product. I've owned several Nissan vehicles, and I've loved every single one of them. The Murano's problems were largely worked out by mid-2005 for the 2006 model year, which doesn't help anyone who owns a 2003-2004 model. I feel for you, and don't blame you for bashing Nissan. They screwed up.

[nafddur]

I've owned several Nissan vehicles, and I've loved every single one of them.

Same here. My last two Maximas were both first year models (85 and 95) and were both great. The 95 is still going strong at 204K miles.

I skipped the first year with the Mo this time, though. Our 04 has been problem free to date, as I'm sure most others have been as well.

[kolkata]

My 2004 Murano with less than 40k miles on it has a unique problem - as I see so far. Sometimes when driving and I am at a light I will put it on Neutral such that I don't have to keep the brakes pressed. Other day I came home and discovered the car cannot be put into Reverse or Park. I can only put it on Neutral and Drive. Took my car to the dealer and there it worked fine! Today unfortunately it is again acting up. Any suggestions?

[billymalone]

If you are having a strange acceleration issue with your murano, before you have the CVT replaced you should check one thing. Open your hood and check to make sure your air intake tube has not seperated. I have had many complaints about lack of acceleration and "shifting" issues which I traced back to an intake leak after the mass airflow sensor. This repair takes 2 minutes to fix and can be done with only a screwdriver.

Worked like a charm, saved me $1000.00 HOW CAN NISSAN LET IT"S DEALERS GET AWAY WITH THIS???? They quoted me just under $1000.00 to fix the problem

[JHolloway1025]

My 2003 Murano AWD has 134K miles and I was told I need a new transmission. It actually runs and will drive well...then out of no where, the transmission "shuts off". No response, however, the engine is still running. I have to turn it off and then it will work fine for a while (fun in city traffic or highway speeds!). This may be a few hours or a couple of days. I can not afford the 6K dollar price tag to fix it. I expected to run it for another 100K. I am waiting to see if Nissan will help out. The dealer said (grain of salt) that Nissan might provide the transmission and I'd be left with labor. I'm not holding my breath. As with others, I am dissapointed. Otherwise it runs great.Any other experiences out there?

UPDATE: Just read others post...guess I'm "lucky" I lasted 134K especially since I often put the Murano through its paces...suppose to be a performance SUV. I research and see if any suit shave been filed and see what Nissan might do... I was warned not to buy the first model year...
Modified by JHolloway1025 at 10:56 PM 7/25/2009

[nafddur]

UPDATE:I often put the Murano through its paces...suppose to be a performance SUV.Modified by JHolloway1025 at 10:56 PM 7/25/2009

I suspect that's the crux of most Mo transmission failures. Of course there may be a few exceptions.

I certainly knew that I was buying an Altima with a slightly modified (i.e. AWD) drive train and a more comfortable as well as utilitarian body. Certainly NOT a `performance' car!

[zogy]

If you have “bucking” or “lack of power” hopefully this will provide a solution.I just wanted to state my appreciation for your efforts on this forum. My 2004 Murano has been running poorly for the last several weeks; primarily bucking (sometimes violently), and a severe lack of power. It was particularly bad when cold, but still quite bad even when warm. I had assumed it was some type of drivability issue (e.g a bad sensor) , although it did not trigger the Check Engine Light. I was prepared to take it to a dealer; when prompted by a friend I did a Google search for “murano bucking” and ended up reading this thread. The Bottom line is that based on a post on this thread I checked the intake hose for possible leaks… and mine was not only loose, it was partially disconnected. I slipped it back on and the problems was solved!! I am not suggesting that everyone on this thread has this issue, I suspect that there may indeed be other more serious issues… and you have my condolences. But, I just wanted to suggest that anyone with a “bucking” or “lack of power” issue at least check their intake connections before taking it in to the dealer. My thanks go out to those that took the time to post their comments about this issue.The intake connections are basically a source of air leakage between the Mass Air Flow sensor (attached to the air cleaner assembly), and the intake manifold. There are two rubber flex hoses that attach to a plastic housing using hose clamps, they appear to be the most likely areas for leakage; or in my case separation. But any air leak would have the same effect to some extent. Hope this helps some solve their problem.

[billymalone]

If you have “bucking” or “lack of power” hopefully this will provide a solution.I just wanted to state my appreciation for your efforts on this forum. My 2004 Murano has been running poorly for the last several weeks; primarily bucking (sometimes violently), and a severe lack of power. It was particularly bad when cold, but still quite bad even when warm. I had assumed it was some type of drivability issue (e.g a bad sensor) , although it did not trigger the Check Engine Light. I was prepared to take it to a dealer; when prompted by a friend I did a Google search for “murano bucking” and ended up reading this thread. The Bottom line is that based on a post on this thread I checked the intake hose for possible leaks… and mine was not only loose, it was partially disconnected. I slipped it back on and the problems was solved!! I am not suggesting that everyone on this thread has this issue, I suspect that there may indeed be other more serious issues… and you have my condolences. But, I just wanted to suggest that anyone with a “bucking” or “lack of power” issue at least check their intake connections before taking it in to the dealer. My thanks go out to those that took the time to post their comments about this issue.The intake connections are basically a source of air leakage between the Mass Air Flow sensor (attached to the air cleaner assembly), and the intake manifold. There are two rubber flex hoses that attach to a plastic housing using hose clamps, they appear to be the most likely areas for leakage; or in my case separation. But any air leak would have the same effect to some extent. Hope this helps some solve their problem.

I think this fix was posted by a honest Nissan dealer a while back and I can only hope that everybody tried this before getting ripped off by all the shysters in the business. Still can't understand why Nissan is allowing this to happen. The fix is simple and if it works you will still love your Nissan.

[bjack69]

I have the same problem with my 03 Murano. It has 98k on it and this hesitation started at around 65k. Once it warms up, everytime I come to a stop the car hesitates for about 5 to 8 sec. then accelerates all of a sudden. I have to pull over, turn the car off and wait about 20 to 30 sec. to let the system reset. After that the car runs fine for awhile. There is no indication light or code that comes up so dealer has nothing to go by nor do they have any idea what it could be. This is my 3rd Nissan and I've had no trouble with the other two. I'm very disappointed in Nissan for not having a fix or a solution to this dangerous problem. Nissan is off my list of future vehicle purchases.

[jetwrench]

Question: I recently bought a 2003 MO, then later found out the CVT in 03' was a lemon. I never would have bought it if I had discovered this ahead of time. I called Nissan North America & had them tell me all warranty & recall work that had been done on it. Low & behold, the CVT failed @ 27,000mi in Feb 07' (low mileage for a 4 y/o vehicle) & was changed. I now have 46,000miles on the replacement CVT. I called the Nissan parts dept @ the dealership that changed it & had them tell me the Part# of the new CVT. It is a different Part# & ends in "RE", that's right, you guessed it "Remanufactured".

I've read hundreds of posts but have not read 2 very important questions;

1) Has anyone had a SECOND replacement CVT fail?2) Does anyone know if Nissan upgraded the components that were failing prematurely and put them in the REMANNED CVT's? (I've read of several components failing, pressure solenoids A&B, valve bodies, etc).

Thanks all for sharing your knowledge on this forum!..
Modified by jetwrench at 9:34 AM 8/19/2009

[billymalone]

Question: I recently bought a 2003 MO, then later found out the CVT in 03' was a lemon. I never would have bought it if I had discovered this ahead of time. I called Nissan North America & had them tell me all warranty & recall work that had been done on it. Low & behold, the CVT failed @ 27,000mi in Feb 07' (low mileage for a 4 y/o vehicle) & was changed. I now have 46,000miles on the replacement CVT. I called the Nissan parts dept @ the dealership that changed it & had them tell me the Part# of the new CVT. It is a different Part# & ends in "RE", that's right, you guessed it "Remanufactured".

I've read hundreds of posts but have not read 2 very important questions;

1) Has anyone had a SECOND replacement CVT fail?2) Does anyone know if Nissan upgraded the components that were failing prematurely and put them in the REMANNED CVT's? (I've read of several components failing, pressure solenoids A&B, valve bodies, etc).

Thanks all for sharing your knowledge on this forum!..

Modified by jetwrench at 9:34 AM 8/19/2009

Has to be a reason why it failed as most don't. If those ducts going to the mass air flow sensor come loose and cause jerking, it is really hard on the chain in the CVT. A simple fix but most of the time Nissan just ripps the poor customer off with a sensor sweep, a TCM, or in some cases a CVT for 6 grand.

[billymalone]

I have the same problem with my 03 Murano. It has 98k on it and this hesitation started at around 65k. Once it warms up, everytime I come to a stop the car hesitates for about 5 to 8 sec. then accelerates all of a sudden. I have to pull over, turn the car off and wait about 20 to 30 sec. to let the system reset. After that the car runs fine for awhile. There is no indication light or code that comes up so dealer has nothing to go by nor do they have any idea what it could be. This is my 3rd Nissan and I've had no trouble with the other two. I'm very disappointed in Nissan for not having a fix or a solution to this dangerous problem. Nissan is off my list of future vehicle purchases.

Again check those ducts going to the mass air flow sensor. A common problem but Nissan just won't do the simple 5 minute fix. They would rather ripp you off for several hundred or even a few thousand dollars. Their vehicles are great but the support sucks.

[MoZo]

My 06 4WD murano failed to shift to the 4th gear after replacing the battery, dealer checked it with the CONSULT II and gave us two codes: P0744 and P1778. which means replacing the whole CVT. I don't believe this, I think it's electrical not mechanical, and the dealer said that the cvt can not re-programed.

I checked the air intakes and it's fine.

do you have any ideas, guys?

[kerrton]

Mozo, you're off topic, this thread is only for 2003 owners, their CVT is much different than yours, and there's no need to post the same message in several threads. But don't worry, people here will help you out.

[billymalone]

[QUOTE=MoZo] My 06 4WD murano failed to shift to the 4th gear after replacing the battery, dealer checked it with the CONSULT II and gave us two codes: P0744 and P1778. which means replacing the whole CVT. I don't believe this, I think it's electrical not mechanical, and the dealer said that the cvt can not re-programed.

I checked the air intakes and it's fine.

do you have any ideas, guys? [/QUOTE

The 744 is the TCC (torque converter clutch) which you can live without but the 1778 is the CVT and that is big money. I have seen the TCM's go bad but not often and they ain't cheap either (close to a grand). You got o find an honest shop that can at least check out the CVT to make sure it is getting the right signal to go into high. (the CVT doesn't have gears but it does go from low to high via the TCM)

[robmartins]

I bought a 2004 Murano with only 43k miles on it from a Lexus dealer (first problem?).

After 6 months and three thousand miles of city driving during summer (and a short trip to Michigan), the transmission breaks. Breaks as in - needs to be replaced (which is what Nissan wants to do every time it breaks) - or Aamco can rebuild it for around $3,500.

There you have it. My Murano has 47k miles and I am off $4 grand. Ahh, the powertrain warranty expired in February (5 years) but I am well below the 60k miles limit. Called Nissan, they said since I didn't buy it from them, and that I am not the only owner, and blah blah blah, they could do nothing for me.

I agree with whomever said below that all dealers/makes are the same, but a car has to last at least 100,000 miles before you spend that kind of money on a broken transmission. That's what my Hondas did every time (I've had a Civic, an Accord and a Fit - with the CVT, by the way)...

[billymalone]

I don't understand why Nissan puts such faith in the CVT as it is sure to lose a lot more customers than it gains. Honda has had a lot of problems with it's CVT too and Saturn got rid of it years ago. No, just not worth the risk in my book and when the warranty runs out the vehicle will be gone in my case. anyhow. Again, Nissan's CVT is no doubt the best on the road but it can't be fixed, only replaced. Their net generation looks like it may be even better but still, it can't be fixed. Now if they could be made for around $1500 they would replace every automatic on the road but not at $4K. Audi has big problems with theirs too.

[p986driver]

at 113000 miles had to add 2 qts of cvt fluid. 1500miles later 2 more qts. However everything seems to be working fine and no evidence of any fluid leakage. After a couple hundred miles seems to ok. Any ideas? its an 03.

[tackie33]

I have a 2006 Murano and when I was driving it down the highway tonight it sprayed Transmission fluid all over...then when I stopped it the rest of the transmission fluid poured on the ground. When I put it in Drive it barely goes. I just had to park it ...and will have it towed it tomorrow...does anyone have any ideas what it could be???

[tackie33]

have a 2006 Murano and when I was driving it down the highway tonight it sprayed Transmission fluid all over...then when I stopped it the rest of the transmission fluid poured on the ground. When I put it in Drive it barely goes. I just had to park it and will have it towed tomorrow...does anyone have any ideas what it could be???

[nafddur]

have a 2006 Murano and when I was driving it down the highway tonight it sprayed Transmission fluid all over...then when I stopped it the rest of the transmission fluid poured on the ground. When I put it in Drive it barely goes. I just had to park it and will have it towed tomorrow...does anyone have any ideas what it could be???

Just curious - how many miles on this car and did you buy it new?

[billymalone]

have a 2006 Murano and when I was driving it down the highway tonight it sprayed Transmission fluid all over...then when I stopped it the rest of the transmission fluid poured on the ground. When I put it in Drive it barely goes. I just had to park it and will have it towed tomorrow...does anyone have any ideas what it could be???

Without the fluid it isn't going anyplace. Now all you need is an honest transmission shop to replace the seal or maybe even the cooling line if that's what broke.

[kerrton]

have a 2006 Murano and when I was driving it down the highway tonight it sprayed Transmission fluid all over...then when I stopped it the rest of the transmission fluid poured on the ground. When I put it in Drive it barely goes. I just had to park it and will have it towed tomorrow...does anyone have any ideas what it could be???

First, you're in the wrong thread, this is for 2003 CVT problems.

But to answer your question, you obviously blew a seal, nothing subtle about this problem, and I sure hope you didn't even attempt to drive it after you realized all the fluid leaked out, if you did I can't say I have a lot of sympathy for you, and it could be an expensive fix at 5000 dollars or more to replace the CVT, hopefully you still have powertrain warranty left.

[hugh1dl]

Second transmission failed today after only 30K. I feel like a barrel and ky should be an include accessory. Their going to talk to Nissan and see what they can do. I'm holding my breath. The remanufactured transmission comes with basically no warranty. Sell it now and tell everyone you know to run from this model.....

[kerrton]

On Oct 30th, Nissan announced that it is giving all owners from 2003 onward a 10-year, 200,000 km CVT warranty. You will be getting documentation in the mail soon.

I think this is big news, it doesn't help problems with inaction on the part of the dealer, but if you do have a CVT problem after the original 5 year warranty, you'll be covered. I think this really significant and I'm really happy as a CVT owner, and this shows Nissan's confidence in the current CVT models, and their willingness to now support owners of the early models. If nothing else, this should give peace of mind and allow us to relax and enjoy the ride rather than worrying about possible CVT noises/problems etc..

[JGartner]

May I ask how you found out about this information? I'd like to follow up with my dealership to get more information.

So what does that mean for all of us owners that had to pay to replace our transmissions because Nissian wouldn't support relpacing them at a discounted rate or cover them anyways because they know there were so many problems. It's great for new owners but it really sucks for the rest of us that have stuck with our vehicles and dealt with multiple issues!!