Problems with 2003 Nissan Murano POWER TRAIN

My murano has a loss of power after sitting in traffic. after stopped in traffic, i press the gas pedal and the car doesn't move for about 6 or 7 seconds. then it takes off quickly. this dangerous because someone may hit me from behind when the light turns green and the murano doesn't go. nissan dealer says the car doesn't show any failure codes, but thinks the transmission needs replacing. 84,000 miles. *tr

2003 nissan murano, car will drive and then when stop at light or traffic car will not move, the car will stall causing to put me and my child in danger. it happens all the time and it happened during rush hour traffic. could have been killed. *tr

Complete transmission failure at 69,000 miles on 2003 nissan murano. fortunately failure occurred in a parking lot. *tr

At about 61,000 miles, my 2003 murano (bought new in 2004) began hesitating when i accelerate from a stop in traffic. this occurs everytime i'm in stop-and-go traffic for about 10 minutes. when i press on the gas, the car doesn't move and then a few seconds later surges. it's very scary, especially when trying to turn left in traffic. very dangerous. i've seen many similar complaints. i have not yet brought it into the dealership. *tr

Engine periodically hesitates, sometimes severely, upon acceleration from a complete stop. usually when engine is warm, after stop and go traffic. had it into dealer while still under warranty but they said they could not identify the problem. car is now out of warranty, problem is worse. now they say it is valve body assembly of nissan cvt transmission. cost is $2100 for repair. *tr

My 2003 murano has been slowing to 35 - 40 mph on the freeway. i took it to the dealership and they say i need a new transmission for $5,500. my car has 61,000 miles on it. i am very disappointed with this vehicle. rather than pay this, i am forced to trade it in for another vehicle which will put me upside down. *tr

2003 nissan murano-stalling out and barely going-took to local mec. and he replaced mass air flow sensor @ approximate 83,227miles. this problem started after the murano was in the gray daniels nissan shop here in jackson,ms for air filter and brake work. no help from them ; just my problem. well i will voice my thoughts to everyone on not buying a nissan. edmonds has many complaints about this problem . just another take your money with no service. wkp *tr

My 17 year old daughter was driving my 03 nissan murano to school when she stopped to pay a toll. when she tried to take off again the car would not move. once the car got to 4000 rpm's it took off again. the problem stopped occurring for a couple of days and then it happened again. after that it started to happen frequently. after taking the car to the dealer i was told they were not sure what was wrong with it because a lot of different codes were coming up. eventually i was told that i needed to get a whole new cvt transmission. this problem is very unsafe and could have caused my child to have a serious accident on a busy highway. this accident could have caused her , her life. the old transmission is not available because the dealership i brought it to told me that they were going to repair it and re sell it! i think that giving the transmission to anyone is a very dangerous idea. *tr

2003 nissan murano is failing at 70,000 miles. the car is jolting when the accelerator is pressed. check engine light comes on. this apparently is happening to tens of thousands of murano owners around the same mileage. it is a wonder that nissan ends the warranty at 60,000 miles. they are neglecting the problem and should be recalling their product! *tr

1. no real "events" leading up to it, it just started happening for no apparent reason. 2. the vehicle (2003 nissan murano) will stall after being driven at random times. you push the accelerator and nothing happens for 5-10 seconds and the it revs up almost giving you whiplash. very dangerous when pulling into oncoming traffic. 3. absolutely nothing was done to solve the problem, nissan doesn't even admit to there being "a problem." *tr

Nissan murano 2003 awd automobile has a faulty transfer case. the mileage is 95,000. nothing led to failure. the parts are not yet repaired because the estimate is very high $3000. the maintenance on the vehicle is very good. *tr

Failure involves loss of power when the gas pedal is depressed. this problem occurs after car is warmed up and then put in a stop and go driving environment (heavy city traffic). car will lurch forward, but only after pedal is depressed close to the half way point. this obviously is a dangerous situation and i have so far avoided accident by allowing distance between myself and the car in front. problem occurs 70-80% of time aforementioned circumstances are present. nissan dealer says problem would be very difficult to diagnose because no warning light appears on dashboard. *tr

Transmission failure with 2004 nissan murano. the car would not accelerate at a stop and stalled. long delay and finally slowly picked up again. also making loud noises that appeared to come from the front. *tr

When driving home from work one day in stop and go traffic, car will hesitate a few seconds before accelerate slowly forward. this increase the risk of getting hit from the vehicle behind because the murano simply would stand still for a few seconds when traffic light turns green and driver behind me expect the car to be moving. car has only 95k miles, this is similar to the transmission issues other drivers have that nissan wouldn't address or recall. i hope nissan would stand behind their products and address this. *tr

2003 nissan murano with 3.5l engine and cvt transmission. vehicle hesitates, then suddenly surges forward in slow traffic after being driven on highway. very dangerous problem with vehicle. frequency: problem occurring about every day lately. dealer will not mention this problem yet. *tr

1.i was stuck in rush hour traffic 2. it occurs when i'm in stop and go traffic 3. deal said i needed a new transmission i feel the cvt transmission was exp. model i have read other murano owner (same problem). *tr

I drive a 2003 nissan murano. i had exited off the interstate right to a red stoplight. the light turned green and i pushed on the accelerator to only drift into the intersection. i floored the pedal and the vehicle finally jerked into motion after my light had turned red again and traffic was waiting on me. perhaps it was a computer problem? restart a computer and things clear up. that's what i did with the murano. the problem seemed to have corrected itself. i was wrong. the next time it happened i was leaving a drive-thru and once again was slowly coasting through a busy intersection until the murano jerked into action. in all of these situations i have been lucky enough that the other drivers were observant and didn't hit me. i have now noticed this problem occurs at any type of stop and go traffic situation. this problem seems to come and go. it won't happen for days or weeks. then it'll do the slow and jerk every day at every stop even if i do turn it off and restart. i don't live near a dealership, so i took it to the local dependable shop. not one of their mechanics could reproduce the condition. i thought it was possibly an acceleration issue. my murano is a high-mileage vehicle. my friend had mentioned having the transmission in his high-mileage car rebuilt and how it felt like it was new again. while researching on the internet, i didn't find information on a re-build kit, but i did find many forums from other murano owners with the same "slow and jerk" problem that i have been experiencing. right now, i'm pretty much waiting for my transmission to fail. i have inquired about the price of removing and replacing the transmission: $4500 was a conservative estimate. *tr

My 2003 nissan murano is unsafe due to the fact you press the gas pedal and it does not move, then you press again to the floor and it lunges forward. nissan is aware of this problem with several complaints. it is very unsafe. i will not drive my children in the car. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan murano with 76k miles. during stop and go traffic anywhere between 0 and 30 mph, i step on the gas pedal and the car does not move for a few seconds then suddenly it lurches forward. this is happening intermittently over the past three month. i am very scared to push the throttle because in a few secs, it just suddenly lurches forward and could cause a accident in front of me. i am not the only one, as there seems to be many people with this problem. i think this should be a recall from nissan. please don't let this become an accident with injuries before action is taken. thank you. *tr

I have a nissan murano. ever since i purchased the car it is used, i have nothing but trouble with it. the place i got it from replaced the transmission and the new one is slipping everytime i drive it. *tr

Purchased used nissan murano in november 2007 with 61k miles. while driving vehicle at 55 mph the car suddenly shift to a lower gear. would not accelerate at a safe rate and the transmission never shift to higher gear. gear indicator light went out as well. *tr

2003 murano purchased new and well maintained. we didn't have any problems until one afternoon on our way for vacation the car went from 60 mph to 30 mph the rpm were in the redline. turned motor off and waited a few minutes then started off again with no problem. months went by and everything was fine. the next occurrence happened on my way home from a meeting and it was the same thing. i took the vehicle to a nissian dealership and had it looked at, they found nothing. about 6 months later the car did the same thing and i took it back to same dealer. they said they are not sure but thought it was the transmission. i have noticed a trend with 03 muranos and they have had countless complaints about my same issue. there needs to be a recall before some gets killed. *tt

I purchased a 2003 nissan murano. since purchasing it, i've had ongoing problems. it has been at multiple shops every two months trying to determine what the problem is. problem - delayed start and hesitation. i took it to a transmission specialist and there were no codes in the system when he ran the diagnostic. he couldn't tell exactly what it was. in the mornings when i drive, it stalls. when i'm in traffic, there's hesitation. it normally takes a few seconds to kick in, and then i take the risk of hitting the person in front of me. in reviewing websites regarding nissan muranos, there have been many complaints regarding the cvt, pressure sensors, etc. nissan doesn't want to own up to the defect. there are thousands of complaints, but still no recalls. the only way i can fix the problem is by restarting my car and then suddenly i'm fine. this needs to be addressed asap. why is it not? the problem doesn't occur on a daily basis so when i get it to the shop they don't recognize it. it won't show them the same symptoms i deal with. my car is at nissan now for the air intake recall. they just called me and told me it is still attached which tells them it's not that that's causing my problems. *tr

My 2003 nissan murano sl awd had a transfer case completely fail after the dealer failed to identify the problem. they claimed it was tire noise. *tr

While sitting at stop lights or in traffic, the vehicle fails to move for 20-30 seconds, then lurches forward at a high rate of speed. this has been occurring since i reached 70k miles and according to all other 2003 nissan owners on numerous websites, they are experiencing the same issues. does someone have to be seriously injured or killed for someone to take notice? nissan refuses to recognize the issue. this vehicle should be recalled right away! *tr

I have a 2003 nissan murano. it's been a great car since i purchased it new. i have recently heard a whining noise. the dealership and another source tell me i need a new transmission for about $5000. the car has 68k miles. the dealership told me it will just die one of these days. my fear is where will i be or what will i be doing when that happens. nissan just says, "too bad" its out of warranty. *tr

Car while in stop and go traffic and also from a stop will hesitate and the engine and transmission will engage a few seconds later while the car lurches forward. this problem has been occurring for over a year with no resolution presented. i have been in too many close calls while trying to make turns in traffic and it is a nightmare to drive in stop and go traffic. a fix or resolution to this problem would be greatly appreciated. *tr

Transmission shudders and slow acceleration from a stop. vehicle slowed on freeway from over 65 mph to under 40 mph and unable to go any faster. dealer says it was due to the computer needing to be reset and now says it is due to a faulty transfer case. i am not confident the issue will be resolved without replacement of both the transmission and transfer case with a new design. *tr

I was driving on rt 80 and my 2003 nissan murano, the "check engine light" went on, and shortly thereafter my car started losing power. as i accelerated, the car would not regain speed and started bucking. i had to slow down, pull over and turn off the engine. i restarted it a few mins later and the power returned. i took the car to nissan to investigate and ended up needing a new transmission. the car is less than 4 years old (i purchased it new in august 2004) and has 68,000 miles on it. i filed a claim with nissan and they informed me there was nothing they could do. i had to replace it at my cost. in searching the internet, i have discovered hundreds of similar cases to mine as well as other complaints to the nhtsa. this seems to be a chronic issue with the make and model car i own and i think nissan needs to be investigated as im guessing there needs to be some sort of recall for this. if it was worse, i could have caused a very serious accident on a major highway. *tr

When in traffic under appx 10 mph, you accelerate and it does nothing, then suddenly takes off. you don't know when it is going to happen. it is very random and once it starts doing it, it keeps doing it until you stop the engine and restart the car. i have to pull out on a busy street in the afternoon, and have almost been hit. i have taken it to two nissan dealerships and all they do is say it is a vacuum line. they said i needed new motor mounts to keep the engine stable so that they won't get loose. i had them replaced and it did not fix the problem. the problem does not throw an error code, so no one, including a very reputable auto repair garage, can fix it. we have even started guessing what the problem might be, ie, fuel injectors - had them cleaned - no change. i have now spent almost $3k and i still have the same problem. nissan tells me that there is a recall,but not for my serial number. i have been dealing with this since about may. *tr

nissan muarano 2003. when hot and stop and go, acceleration can lag by 10 to 30 seconds after stepping on accelerator pedal. very dangerous. seems to be a pressure sensor in the transmission and they want $3000 to $5000 to fix.

I have experienced several time when my readmission would slip and not engage on my 2003 nissan murano. now while driving down the highway with my carpool from work with me, a small beep from under the dash goes off and my transmission goes completely out. now i find out that nissan has had this problem for several years and has done nothing to recall or fix this problem. i was going to buy another murano but now i am looking at a $5,000.00 bill just to get it running. i am very upset with nissan as this car should not have lost a transmission so fast. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan murano with 70k miles. during stop and go traffic, i step on the gas pedal and the car does not move for a few seconds then suddenly the car jerks forward. this happens intermittently over the past month. i took it to the dealer and they charged $105 to diagnose it and said i need to replace the "valve body" for almost $1700. doing a search on internet shows a lot of other 2003 murano owners having the exact same problem. in fact, there are 2 other complaints of the same problem on here, one dated 2005, but currently there is no formal investigation. i would like this issue to be investigated and recalled, as this is a big safety concern for all 2003 nissan murano owners and it's not right for the dealers to make hefty profit on their mistake. *tr

Faulty transfer case. *tr

I brought my nissan into the dealer the beginning of april 2008 because the "service engine soon" light was on...and i was told my car's computer needed to "re-learn" something. that cost me $100. then, about two weeks later, i was on the interstate, my engine started making a straining noise, and i began to lose power. of course, my "service engine soon" light popped on. no matter how hard i pressed the gas pedal, my car would not speed up... and the rpm seemed to be stuck on 4,000. my speed steadily decreased, and i had to finally stop my car in the breakdown lane. i left it sit for about 15 minutes, restarted it, and it miraculously fixed itself. i made it off the interstate, but it eventually started acting up again. i pulled into a parking lot and let it sit for about 2 hours. that was long enough for it to fix itself again and make it to the nissan dealer. it didn't give me any trouble on the way to the dealer, so i was completely shocked when they told me that i needed a new transmission!!! that absolutely never even occurred to me that something that major could be wrong! my murano has just over 70,000 miles on it.... unbelievable! it ended up sitting at the dealer for more than a week because they had to order the transmission. the total cost would've been $5,700, but my extended warranty covered it. that's a big relief, but now i've lost faith in my murano. i've had minor problems before, and it even completely died on me and had to be towed (i guess i need to lookup that problem and report it too)... but i just thought "these things happen no matter how new a car is." it is comforting to know that so many other people have had the same problem... thanks to this website. nissan really needs to do something. this is a huge mistake on their part, and to keep bragging about how awesome their nissan transmissions are... is very wrong. nissan needs to stand behind their product. *tr

We began experiencing transmission problems approximately 1 year ago. the first indication of trouble was the inability of keeping a set speed while vehicle was set in cruise control. we could hear the transmission struggling to get to the set speed and could see the rpm shoot up at the same time. the other common problem occurs while veh is at a complete stop and then the accelerator is pressed in order to proceed (i.e. through an intersection), the veh will not move for several seconds while continuing to press the accel pedal. then, very abruptly the veh will shoot into the intersection at a high rate of speed. *** this seems to be a continuing but intermittent problem. it occurs without warning-sometimes at high speeds on a freeway, often at low speeds in stop and go traffic. recently, while on a very busy and dangerous roadway in lexington,ky during rush hour, i experienced the inability to reach the speed limit of 55 mph. while attempting to reach the speed, the tachometer (rpm) would increase to near warning (red zone) levels. i felt as a driver that i was completely helpless and in possible danger from the heavy traffic and my distraction. the town we live in has a high number of 4-way stop intersections. we have 2 school-aged children and do a lot of in-town driving. if there is a hesitation by me as a driver due to a mechanical problem, the other 3 drivers may not realize that i have established an intent to move into the 4-way intersection. in the past, a driver of one of the other 3 cars has entered the int and i have had to make an emergency type stop to avoid a collision. our nissan dealership (glenn nissan-lexington,ky) examined our vehicle on 5/6/2008. they have advised us that our cvt transmission needs to be replaced. estimated cost $5,030.00. the codes given are "dtc po868, p1778. mileage 97148. we did purchase the extended warranty, and are past the 72 month point (although still under the 100k mileage point). *tr

Nissan murano has a design flaw with its transfer case. it cracks in half on cars with low mileage. if it happens on a highway, car stops in the middle of the highway with potential massive fatal accidents. my car broke at 44k and nissan refused to replace the part as it was a month after the warranty expired. i found out on www.nissanmurano.org forum that many, many cars has this problem which is evidently an engineering design issue, but nissan refuses to acknowledge the problem. one car broke down in canada in the middle of nowhere with a small baby in the car in winter time. it a miracle that baby survived . *tr

2003 murano has faulty transfer case, leaks fluid and has burning oil smell. *tr

Nissan murano 2003 stalls periodically during stop and go in traffic. stopped accelerating while driving on the highway. dealership insisted there was nothing wrong for several months and kept making repairs to other components of the car. happened again yesterday and now they say the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of almost $6,000.00. vehicle has cvt transmission and has 94,000 miles on it.

While driving down the road, it would not go forward, the engine would rev but the car wouldn't move. on 3-31-08 it was towed to a reputable transmission shop. they ran a diagnosis and said the transmission control module (tcm) was faulty and that they couldn't fix it. on 4-1-08 the car was towed to jack ingram nissan in montgomery, al. i described all of the symptoms to the service rep and left it. on 4-2-08 they called and said the trans and tcm were fine but that one of the motor mounts was broken. i asked them if this would create the problems i was having and i was told yes, so i told them to replace the mount. a few hours later they called back and said the other mount was cracked and needed to be replaced so i told them to replace that one also. the total bill was $686 and we picked the car up the next morning, 4-3-08, my daughter returned to fl on 4-7. on 4-10, while returning to alabama from florida the car did the exact same thing. my daughter tried to make a turn and the car wouldn't move. she coasted into a parking lot and called me. luckily she was in andalusia, al so i called massey automotive and they towed the vehicle to their shop. the next day, 4-11, a rep from massey called and said the tcm and trans were both bad and needed to be replaced. also, they mentioned when they entered the vin into the nissan database (?) it showed where the trans had already been replaced twice at dealerships in ga. they also said they felt the faulty tcm caused the previous two trans to go bad. luckily, the trans was still under warranty from the dealer in ga so it's being replaced at no cost to us. however, the tcm must be replaced and that's going to cost me approx. $900. why didn't jack ingram tell us about the previous trans problems? i've tried to call them twice and the service manager has yet to return my calls. additionally, i've had two individuals look at the old mounts and they said they couldn't see where they needed to be replaced. *tr

Nissan murano 2003 - fails to accelerate when gas pedal is pushed. *tr

For the last 10,000 miles, i would step on the gas after being in stop and go traffic and nothing would happen for a few seconds. then, it would suddenly go. i found out that if you restart the car, you have instant power again. this problem would happen infrequently, but always when i had been driving the car for a while or while i was in stopped traffic for 10-15 minutes. apparently the problem is not the cvt. it is a pressure sensor located either on the cvt or inside the cvt. i called nissan consumer affairs to complain, but i got nowhere. my guess is that anyone with a 2003 murano (and possibly later models) could experience this problem. *tr

Feb 13 2008 - took my 2003 nissan murano in for recall. also asked them to check the transmission oil, since the cap says to be checked only by dealer and i've been having the problem of hesitation, while trying to accelerate from a stop. alternator. the other recall on some sort of protector, was re-scheduled, they had to order parts. he advised that the transmission oil was okay, but will probably need to do an oil change. feb 27 2008 - parts arrived, dropped off car to do the recall on protector and fix sun visor. later in the day, i was advised that not all the parts for the recall came in. and the part for the sun visor was a different part. rescheduled for mar 12, 2008. i also asked about changing the transmission fluid, he quoted me approx. $150.00. agreed to schedule an appointment next time i was in. mar 1, 2008 - first trip of the day, from a stop at intersection, accelerated to get onto main highway, we go approx 5 feet and the car slips out of gear and unable to go any further. press the gas pedal and no rev. called for a tow, and took my murano to nissan service. i was advised that no technician available until monday. mar 3, 2008 - monday noon, called nissan to check on my vehicle. advised that they were trying to get in touch with nissan on the mainland for advice on how to fix. the transmission might need to be replaced. they will let me know tomorrow. mar 4, 2008 - tuesday noon, called to check on my vehicle. they have yet to get in touch with nissan on the mainland. they will have more information for me tomorrow. mar 6, 2008 - the nissan service supervisor called to advise that my transaxle needs to be replaced for approx. $4485. 00 transaxle, $850.00 labor. no explanation on what nissan on the mainland had suggested. he said he would get in touch with them and let me know tomorrow. *tr

I own an '03 nissan murano. since 114k miles, i have experienced stalling following idle. the problem usually occurs when the vehicle is very warm (not overheating). after sitting idle for a few minutes (i.e. at a redlight or stop and go traffic) when i press the accelerator, nothing happens for a few seconds. the rpm's do not indicate any change. and then all of a sudden, the vehicle "realizes" i am pressing the accelerator and takes off at excessive speed/rpms. the problem has put me in very dangerous situations such as when i am trying to make a left hand turn across traffic and suddenly stalls. or like the first time i experienced the failure, i was trying to pull onto a major highway. by the time my vehicle decided to go, another vehicle was approaching in the lane i was trying to turn onto and i had to slam on my brakes to avoid pulling out in front of the oncoming vehicle and causing a wreck. several vehicles were behind me waiting to get onto the same highway and were very aggravated i was holding up traffic since my vehicle was stalling. the problems occurs as regularly as i sit idle in traffic or get into a congested traffic area. every single time. after reading hundreds of early year murano owners are having the same problem, i feel nissan should recognize this as a defect and take responsibility for this costly danger. i have read that many have had to replace the entire cvt transmission and that nissan is often misdiagnosing the problem. a code reader indicated my tps sensor was bad. i changed it with barely any noticeable changes. later a dealer's code reader said i should replace the cadillac converter. after that pricey repair, i still have the same problem. extremely dangerous. *tr

When in heavy stop and go traffic the car fails to accelerate after about 5 seconds it jerks so you basically drive with one foot on the brakes and the other on the gas very dangerous especially when making a left hand turn this happens about 3-5 time daily. *tr

After my transmission fluid heats up there is a hesitation in my acceleration of about 4 second. when the transmission does engage there is a jump forward. this has caused some problems when entering traffic or from a stop in traffic. *tr

Transmission failure started when the car would experience a loss in power in heavy traffic then will suddenly lunge forward. we lost the transmission last week, the murano couldn't even make it up to the driveway. we need to turn off the engine then turn it back on again in order to have the transmission working. the car is currently at the dealers waiting for a new transmission estimated at $4800. ~lb *tr

I own a 2003 murano and have had problems with transmission that the dealer lied to me about. as i was pulling into traffic the car jerked after pressing the accelerator and jumped in the road which proved to be very dangerous. this is a common problem with this vehicle and nissan should recall it. i spent over $4500.00 to repair this. it is a factory defect that never was addressed. the poor consumer thinking they are buying a decent car at over 36k dollars is buying a piece of crap. this is a safety issue that should be addressed by the company or the federal agency that governs the quality of a product being sold in this country. *tr

I won a 2003 nissan murano. for the past few years, i have noticed a severe problem with my vehicle. after i am in stop and go traffic for about 5-10 minutes, the accelerator no longer responds properly. when i press down on the peddle, nothing happens for a few seconds. or, i need to press down very hard on the peddle to get any acceleration. unfortunately, this cause the vehicle to 'surge' forward. the only way to (temporarily) fix this is to shut off power to the car and restart the engine. however, the problem returns after a few minutes as long as i am in stop and go traffic. *tr

Have yet to attempt to fix the problem, due to information relating to this specific problem. 2003 nissan murano which over the past year has experience significant delays in acceleration when in stop/go traffic. *tr