8th Jun 2004, 07:58

I'm looking to buy a new car that has AWD, lots of space, V6, fun-to-drive characteristic, power, safety, RELIABILITY, moderately affordable, and style. Usually, in my price range, you can't get reliability AND style! The Murano is one of my top choices, however, I'm concerned about the reliability. First off, buying any new car in its first or second year of production is risky enough since I'm sure the manufacturer has defects, etc, to iron out. I wanted to ask, is that rattle still present? I've read many Murano forums and I can't believe how many people have problems with the window rattles, alternators (which I understand is a defect now), getting locked out, and transmission failures! It scares me and has pushed me away from being very sure about buying this car. I'm thinking about waiting yet another year to see if Nissan's ironed out the problems OR I'm thinking of buying a CPO 2004 model, hoping that problems like these would've been fixed before I would have to deal with it. My other options include going with a more lackluster Toyota where I wouldn't have to worry about failures as much... Does anyone have advice? Thanks!

7th Jul 2004, 10:47

I have an '03 Murano as well, and my alternator just went out and I had it replaced. I'd had the car for just over a year when it happened. So I see by a previous comment that this is a defect in the Murano. Any knowledge on if subsequent alternators will deteriorate quickly as well???

13th Sep 2004, 17:19

I also have an 03 Murano. Between my family and I we have had about 15 Nissan's in the past twenty years for obvious reasons, they run great. I love the Murano and the great comments I get from people about it's looks and style.

I am disappointed about the alternator problem. I have had this vehicle for twelve months and have had to replace the alternator twice. I have put 50 plus thousand miles on it, but my last Nissan was a 98 Pathfinder with 270,000 miles and is still in use by my son with over 300,000 miles to date.

I feel Nissan should have a recall to correct the problem. I have copies of too many comments from these site that have also had the same problem that there is too much electronics for the alternator capacity.

I travel extensively and have been asking other Murano owners I encounter about their's and get the same comment, I love it, but have already had to replace the alternator.

My dealer has been very helpful, but at the amount of miles I put on I anticipate replacing this part at least twice a year. I buy Nissans because I like to keep them for extended periods of time and they hold up with proper maintenance. I do not see that happening with this model.

26th Aug 2008, 12:18

RE: Murano alternator and tranny problems. Yeah, add my voice to the long list of owners disgusted with a formerly solid auto badge joining the ranks of "build it cheaper" manufacturers. I'm on my second alternator... but have been having problems with the electrical system since about 1 day after the warranty ran out! Let's face it, many of us bought this car because it was the best-looking crossover out there. Now that others have joined the parade, I'll buy something else next time.