Nissan Murano 2003–2007
1st generation (Z50) · Nissan FF-L / Z50
NHTSA data through 12 August 20264,884 complaints, 4,061 with mileageMethod
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 46,600 and 103,000 miles.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 49 complaints (1.2%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 23,500
- 25%
- 46,600
- Median
- 71,000
- 75%
- 103,000
- 90%
- 141,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 149 | 3.7% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 73 | 1.8% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 84 | 2.1% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 55 | 1.4% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 62 | 1.5% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 62 | 1.5% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 113 | 2.8% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 146 | 3.6% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 191 | 4.7% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 166 | 4.1% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 219 | 5.4% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 157 | 3.9% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 242 | 6.0% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 219 | 5.4% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 187 | 4.6% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 177 | 4.4% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 205 | 5.0% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 144 | 3.5% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 144 | 3.5% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 125 | 3.1% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 147 | 3.6% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 99 | 2.4% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 102 | 2.5% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 65 | 1.6% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 120 | 3.0% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 41 | 1.0% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 72 | 1.8% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 63 | 1.6% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 54 | 1.3% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 53 | 1.3% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 62 | 1.5% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 33 | 0.8% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 37 | 0.9% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 38 | 0.9% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 28 | 0.7% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 29 | 0.7% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 16 | 0.4% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 11 | 0.3% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 6 | 0.1% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 16 | 0.4% |
| 200,000+ | 49 | 1.2% |
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 4,884 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003–2007 Nissan Murano, and 4,061 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 46,600 and 103,000 miles. The median is 71,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are seats (26.3% of complaints, typically around 69,000 miles), the transmission and driveline (12.0% of complaints, typically around 85,000 miles), the electrical system (10.8% of complaints, typically around 45,000 miles).
What fails, and when
- Seats69,000median 69,000 miles, middle half 51,000 to 94,000
- Transmission and driveline85,000median 85,000 miles, middle half 65,000 to 110,000
- Electrical system45,000median 45,000 miles, middle half 20,000 to 100,000
- Visibility equipment55,000median 55,000 miles, middle half 41,000 to 73,000
- Latches and locks67,000median 67,115 miles, middle half 50,000 to 80,000
- Engine117,000median 117,000 miles, middle half 87,000 to 153,000
- Engine and its cooling system65,000median 65,000 miles, middle half 39,000 to 86,000
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 1,285 | 26.3% | 69,000 | 51,000–94,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 585 | 12.0% | 85,000 | 65,000–110,000 |
| Electrical system | 528 | 10.8% | 45,000 | 20,000–100,000 |
| Visibility equipment | 488 | 10.0% | 55,000 | 41,000–73,000 |
| Latches and locks | 205 | 4.2% | 67,000 | 50,000–80,000 |
| Engine | 203 | 4.2% | 117,000 | 87,000–153,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 182 | 3.7% | 65,000 | 39,000–86,000 |
| Body structure | 178 | 3.6% | 96,000 | 60,000–138,000 |
| Suspension | 171 | 3.5% | 124,000 | 84,000–152,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 148 | 3.0% | 105,000 | 52,000–135,000 |
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 71,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
Seats account for 26.3% of complaints (1,285 reports, 1,157 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 69,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 51,100 and 94,000 miles.
A single system taking 26.3% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 12.0% of complaints (585 reports, 519 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 85,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 65,312 and 110,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 10.8% of complaints (528 reports, 429 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 45,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 19,860 and 100,000 miles.
Visibility equipment accounts for 10.0% of complaints (488 reports, 409 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 55,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 41,000 and 73,000 miles.
Latches and locks account for 4.2% of complaints (205 reports, 162 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 67,115 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 80,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 4.2% of complaints (203 reports, 171 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 117,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 87,000 and 152,583 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2005 model year drew the most — 1,169 complaints — while 2004 drew the fewest at 850. The median year sits at 916.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
Of the 4,884 complaints filed against this generation, 83 reported a crash; 24 reported a fire; 90 reported an injury; 1 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 1.7% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
What this means if you are buying one
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 46,600 and 103,000 miles, with a median of 71,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, seats and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Seats in particular shows a median failure mileage of 69,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Documented problems
Transmission — Xtronic CVT 2003–2007
Early-generation JATCO CVT failures: judder, delayed or absent engagement, loss of drive. Nissan extended the CVT warranty to 10 years / 120,000 miles on 2003-2010 CVT-equipped vehicles following a class action, which is the clearest public acknowledgment of the defect scope.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,050 | 892 |
| 2004 | 850 | 705 |
| 2005 | 1,169 | 992 |
| 2006 | 916 | 766 |
| 2007 | 899 | 706 |
What owners reported
My 2003 Murano se/sl aawhen i first start the engine it makes a sound like it has no oil or engine is choking but its starts but if engine is idling for 5 mins or so its shut off but i can start it again but after when im driving engine just dies off amd wont start again for about 5 mins. That problems has been going…
2003 · 3 miles · Engine
Nissan Murano has dangerous design defects compounded by unresolved electronics problems. Design flaws: 1) ineffective defroster system , 2) long-armed wipers clog easily, 3) all doors must be unlocked to get gas (inviting carjackers). The defroster-wiper problem was made worse by electronics. While i was…
2003 · 25 miles · Body structure
Built from 4,061 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-12 · open data · reproduce this page