Love my Murano but.....

[Mymurano09]

I purchased a 2009 Nissan Murano....the top of the line model with all of the bells and whistles in April of 2008, and love it but.....I have had so many problems with it....

Sun Roof motor had to be replaced.All 4 rims are being replace due to peeling around the center cap.Screws and Washers on the rack are rusting....they are also replacing. The biggest problem of all is that 2 months after purchasing it I noticed an antifreeze smell and made mention of it when I went for my oil chance. They could find nothing wrong. I have complained every oil change to my dealer about this antifreeze smell and they never seem to be able to find where it is coming from. Well finally after 1 1/2 years of complaining they find out that it is either the intake or the head gasket. They put dye in and had me drive it until the new rims and parts for the rack came in. They checked it this week and found that the head gasket needs to be replaced.

Has anyone out there had these problems with their 2009 Murano? Also, what damage if any will there be to my vehicle now that they have allowed this head gasket problem to go on so long?

Love my Murano but sick of dealing with these problems. Isn't that why we buy a new vehicle so we don't have to deal with them????

[Desert Rat]

wow....keep track of how long the dealer has your vehicle. Seems to me you should be getting close to lemon law protection.

[Mymurano09]

That is exactly what I was wondering. I sent a one page letter to Nissan about the issues and am waiting to see what they have to say. The dealership I go to said they have had the peeling rims issue with one other vehicle and never the other issues. So we will see what they have to say.

[kerrton]

Definately not normal, not even close. And yeah, you're right to be concerned about the time you spent driving around with a bad head gasket, the whole time antifreeze may have been seeping in to the engine oil, but it must've been only a very small amount because if it was significant, the tech would see it immediately in the form of a milky white substance in the oil. So, since they never saw any evidence of this you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

[GT-RMurano]

Welcome to the forum, after all those issues, it would seem you should have been on here a long time ago.

[KJSmitty]

My wifes 09LE has had the antifreeze smell since new as well. Took it to the dealer at 3000 miles and they could not find any leaks via a pressure/leak down test. Her Mo now has 13K miles and the coolent level has yet to drop but a millimeter yet continues to smell at times.

I am glad to hear your dealerships find yet am not happy to know its a manifold/head gasket issue. Your/my worry is definitely NOT how long its been driven with the minor seep yet how good the repair is when they start pulling everything to include the head to fix. My dealership completely dismissed my concerns but being a former Nissan/Datsun tech I knew/know there is a leak yet could not find/see it myself either.

Please keep us posted on your repairs. I will most likely need your info etc to convince my dealership to take this seriously.

Your rim and rack corrosion have been mentioned many times on Mo forums including this one. Glad to hear your dealer is taking care of those for you. I had all 4 rims replaced as well yet for other "stains" within the clear-coat. I believe the corrosion issue has more to do with where you live than the rims themselves - I could be wrong however.

Again, let ,keep us posted and let me know as much as you can on where they found the leak - front or rear head etc., and the status of your repair.

Welcome and thanks for sharing!

Cheers

Smitty

[Mymurano09]

GT-RMurano...Thanks.....I am just glad I finally found this forum. KJSmitty.... I was very persistant and complained about the smell everytime I was in for an oil change, even though it did take this long to convince them that there was really a problem. This last time I left the car running outside the dealership and had the service manager come out and smell while the car was warm and then he finally agreed that he smelled it. I am very concerned with this repair and if it will ever be right. I will definately keep you posted. As of tonight, I still do not have my car back. It has been two full days thus far and it didn't sound like they would have it done by tomorrow either. Very inconvenient to say the least!! Thanks for all the input thus far.

[Phantomteg]

Have an 09 S model with 28K miles on it, this week the trans went out, it was making a banging noise of sorts and when they took off the trans they found the leaking head gasket, and come to think of it I smelt some coolant before bringing it in. Fluid levels where fine but the head gasket is bad.

[Mymurano09]

Phantomteg - Were you having problems with the transmission before it went out?

Well here we go....still no car!!! Called the dealership and they sent out the head to make sure it isn't warped!!! Ok here we go....they are telling me I probably won't get my car back until Monday. It has now been two days since I sent yet another complaint to Nissan and still no response.

Whewwww...do I feel better that I just vented. Thanks for listening!!!

[KJSmitty]

The transmission issues I could understand but Nissan has had very little issues with their V6 line for literally 20+ years. Just the fact that those mentioned here have this head gasket leak / antifreeze issue statistically tells me this issue will only get found even more. Hopefully this is a gasket issue and not a warping or machining - head or block issue.

Phantom / Mymurano keep us advised on your progress. It will probably be two weeks before I get the Mo to the dealer.

Best of luck - and thanks

PS - Did either of you tend to tend to think the odor was worse on the drivers side - as if emanating from out of the drivers wheel-well?Smitty

[Mymurano09]

KJSmitty - Thank you and I will definately keep you updated. Yes, definately much stronger on the driver's side. That is exactly what I told the mechanic over and over. They pretty much looked at me like I was crazy. lol

I called Nissan this afternoon (after not receiving any response to my email complaint that I sent to them 2 days ago) and spoke to a lady in customer service. She tells me at this time that they have no complaint with regard to the head gasket. She however had me on the phone for about 30 minutes. She assured me that they will take my complaints and problems with my car seriously and that a Regional Specialist will be contacting me within 24 hours. Hopefully we get this issue resolved and there aren't ongoing problems with this car.

To be continued......

[Phantomteg]

Phantomteg - Were you having problems with the transmission before it went out?

No up untill Monday when my wife said she heard a noise there had been ZERO problems with the car asides from the anti freeze odor that came and went.

Also the only way they discovered the head gasket was because it was visable once the transmission was removed. And I had been in just 2 weeks before for an oil change.

Today I'm supposedly going to get the car back but have to wait and see. I was also told that Nissan has a regional office with engineers and that they supposedly send my dealer the trouble cars, well I believe the engineers have been down to look at my head gasket issue.

[Mymurano09]

I hope all goes well with your car. That is doesn't make any sense why they would send trouble cars to any dealer!!

I still don't have my car. Nissan called me today. They wanted to talk to me about my car. They also called the dealer to get a copy of all of the repairs and service record from my car. The rep asked me what I expected from Nissan and I told them. They will call me Tuesday with an update about my request. Hopefully they make this right. They still don't show any complaints about the antifreeze problem on record.

[Phantomteg]

Well I didn't get my car back today, instead I was told NNA did not authorize use of a replacement head gasket yet and that another Murano came in with the exact same problem today. NNA has since got me a rental car (Xterra) for use untill my car is fixed and its on there tab of course. I was now told next week sometime hopefully

[Mymurano09]

Wow....sounds like Nissan has some issues. I am hoping to get my car back next week as well. At least you got something nice as a loaner vehicle.....I am driving a Dodge Caliber!! UGH!!!!!

[Mymurano09]

Phantomteg....Did you get your car back yet?

My car is still at the dealer. They told me yesterday that the head is at the machine shop. Might I ask why a new one isn't being put on??? This can't be the best fix for this car.

[Phantomteg]

At the machine shop??? YIKES I called my dealer today and they told me thursday probably, they said they were waiting on one more gasket to come in. But my question is how many head gaskets or what ever does the engine or transmission need? Now you've got me nervous that they are machineing mine to and not telling me?

It just doesn't seem right for such a new car to need the head machined or for that to be the best solution. I know for a normal car out of warranty that might be the best solution, but once the head is machined you need a thicker head gasket etc or the compression ratio will be raised

[Mymurano09]

EXACTLY!!!! Nissan called to check in with me today and in addition to again complaining that I still don't have my car I also made a point of talking about this issue of sending this part to the machine shop. She seemed confused that this part was being sent to the machine shop. She is calling me back on Friday. To be honest I am tired of talking. She said the review process that I have requested to try and get rid of this vehicle now and replace it with a new one will take up to 10 days!!! Gee what are a few more days....right?

[KJSmitty]

Definitely not what one expected from a Nissan engine...

I doubt Nissan would consider swapping your vehicle - that would be quite the leap considering Nissan's typical customer relations profile/history.

At best I would really hope for a complete long block/engine swap. The last thing I want is some dirty shop at min wages R&Ring heads and intakes on my wifes car. As anyone, my fear is the engine being sound for the rest of the time of our ownership etc.

As for machining one head on a V engine,,, I seriously have never seen nor heard of anyone doing that - with or without a "thicker" head gasket. A new head should be the only option.

If we are really talking a head/block and or head gasket problem, I seriously think this is going to be a big issue for Nissan. I find it hard to believe this is just a few isolated engines. And most folks will be paying for a huge repair well after their warranty has expired....

I hope I am wrong.

Thanks men for keeping us up to speed on your warranty adventures. I'm not far behind ya..

[nafddur]

Definitely not what one expected from a Nissan engine...

If we are really talking a head/block and or head gasket problem, I seriously think this is going to be a big issue for Nissan. I find it hard to believe this is just a few isolated engines. And most folks will be paying for a huge repair well after their warranty has expired....

I hope I am wrong.(

Not to worry, KJ, you are definitely wrong on this one. While I feel for you and the handful of others who may have a head sealing problem, this has never been a big (or recurring) problem with Nissan's VQ engine. And this same design has been used for many years on many different Nissan models. If this was a design problem, it surely would have surfaced long before now.

That's not to say a bad batch of heads and/or gaskets didn't somehow find there way into the 09 Mo engine assembly shop. Or possibly the 09's have some sort of cooling or lubrication problem outside the engine which could possibly lead to a head sealing situation.

But as to it being a VQ design flaw - no way.

Keep us informed. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it.

[Phantomteg]

I really don't understand what is taking so long. I know dealers will tell you they are waiting on parts but seriously its been 8 days now which seems like a long time when they told me 2 days initially

[Mymurano09]

I agree...I am without my car for 9 days now!! HMMMMM I had to make my car payment yet I don't have my car!!!

I call the dealer every day...and yes I am sure I am getting under their skin but at this point I really don't give a care.

I believe this is just the beginning of many more Muranos that will be coming to the dealers for repairs for the same problems.

[Mymurano09]

Well I got the car back tonight and they handed me 3 pages of items that were done to the car. Well let me tell you ......I smell antifreeze.....and much stonger than before. Hmmmm is this due to someone spilling it or is the problem still there??? Time will tell but in the meantime I am still in communication with Nissan. So here we go!!

[Phantomteg]

Not that I want to give you extra work to do, but can you tell me if there was anything new you didn't expect in the repair? I look forward to getting mine back today

[KJSmitty]

My guess is that like most dealership mechanics trying to make a buck they did not take the time to drain the antifreeze prior to pulling the manifold/head. Thus what you very likely had is antifreeze all over/in the exhaust, on the engine block and trans etc..

Check to see if they changed your oil as well? I'm not sure with the 3.5VQ yet on many engines pulling a head can easily result in antifreeze in the oil etc.. If you don't see it on the work order just check your oil to ensure proper level and no "milky/hazy" color.

What is completely disturbing yet "typical" given this repair is they did not have the thought to thoroughly pressure wash the engine/engine compartment let lone run the vehicle long enough to burn off any residual antifreeze/smell. After all,,, that was the reason for the complaint...... Dealerships never cease to amaze me at their ignorance, stupidity and near always some form of unprofessionalism. Hopefully they at least informed you of the very likely case that you would smell residual for a period of time?

Sorry for my rant, yet due to my past-working at a "great" Nissan dealership and being a "very good" Nissan" tech for 8+ years, I have yet to find a dealership (of any make vehicle) in the last 20 yrs that remotely meets my "minimum" expectations. Warranty issues will arise but having something significant like this and having to put up with crappy Service on your new $30-$40K vehicle is definitely trying for any auto owner.

I'm ticked off just reading your issues and I haven't even started my adventure... :-)

All said however, hopefully the three pages of repairs have fixed your Mo's issues.But like you stated: "time will tell."

Thanks for the updates.

[Mymurano09]

Phantomteg....I didn't know what to expect. But what I will say is that the entire repair was unexpected and feel I have had to deal with stuff that you should not have to deal with when purchasing a new car. Including leaving work to take the car in and mess around on the phone making sure I am up to date on all pertaining to the repair and when I would get my car back. I really think because I was a woman complaining at 3,000 miles and every oil change to followed....that sometimes the mechanics/service sort of blows you off. Well let me tell you....maybe they should have listened to me. Not that it would have made a difference....the problem was there and needed attention. Still not finished with Nissan!!! I will call them daily to get them to understand that this car should NEVER have had this problem.

[Mymurano09]

KJSmitty.... That was my guess but then again who knows. I do know I am sick of smelling antifreeze and have called to complain about it again. Yes, they should have cleaned it up or tried not to get it everywhere....especially since it was the original complain anyway.

The oil was changed.

Oh the other thing is that when I went to the dealership my car was clean. Well they decided to give it one of their wash jobs before I picked it up....Wow.....why bother....what a mess. Could hardly see out of the windows due to the hard water/ soap scum....not sure and the water spots on the vehicle were everywhere. Also sprayed tire shine on the tires and left it drip off. Not sure about how others wash a car but when I do it I wash the car....dry it and also the door jams. When putting tire shine on the tires you spray it and then wipe it to avoid it flinging all over your car. Some might think I am too picky .....well I feel if you spend this kind of money on something you should take care of it!!!

Ok so now that I have ranted a bit I think I am feeling a bit better but won't give up on bugging Nissan about this issue.

Thanks everyone for listening and giving your advise and good luck with your Murano problems.

[Phantomteg]

The dead line came and went again for my MO I had to call them as usuall to find anything out and I'm told that everything is done, the head gaskets and trans are all replaced and new but the tech made a mistake and somehow lowered the car onto the transmission jack they use F'ing up my oil pan, so a new one is now being over nighted to them to get me my car tomorrow.

I went ahead and asked them for a free all weather trunk mat for the inconvenience. So if its in there when i get it is to be determined.
Modified by Phantomteg at 2:26 PM 10/22/2009

[Mymurano09]

Phantomteg.... It is never ending isn't it!!!! My car is on it's way back tomorrow. They want to check it out since the antifreeze smell is so strong and there is a girgiling sound. On the way home this evening there is a strong burning rubber smell in the inside. So who knows!!!!

[Timmbo]

That is bad luck! I have had a few minor issues with my Armada, but all in all, I certainly can't complain, and I am pretty anal, my Altima, knock on wood, has not had any issues at all.