ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2004 Nissan Murano
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 678 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Nissan Murano, most frequently naming the interior & seats, visibility and electrical categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 4 NHTSA investigations name it; and 91 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | 2 | 556 |
| Apr 2015 | 6 | 562 |
| May 2015 | 3 | 565 |
| Jun 2015 | 4 | 569 |
| Jul 2015 | 4 | 573 |
| Aug 2015 | 6 | 579 |
| Sep 2015 | 3 | 582 |
| Nov 2015 | 2 | 584 |
| Dec 2015 | 1 | 585 |
| Feb 2016 | 3 | 588 |
| Mar 2016 | 2 | 590 |
| Apr 2016 | 3 | 593 |
| May 2016 | 7 | 600 |
| Jun 2016 | 2 | 602 |
| Jul 2016 | 3 | 605 |
| Aug 2016 | 3 | 608 |
| Sep 2016 | 1 | 609 |
| Oct 2016 | 1 | 610 |
| Nov 2016 | 2 | 612 |
| Dec 2016 | 3 | 615 |
| Feb 2017 | 1 | 616 |
| Mar 2017 | 2 | 618 |
| Apr 2017 | 4 | 622 |
| Jul 2017 | 1 | 623 |
| Nov 2017 | 2 | 625 |
| Dec 2017 | 1 | 626 |
| Jan 2018 | 1 | 627 |
| Apr 2018 | 1 | 628 |
| May 2018 | 3 | 631 |
| Jun 2018 | 1 | 632 |
| Jul 2018 | 2 | 634 |
| Aug 2018 | 3 | 637 |
| Sep 2018 | 1 | 638 |
| Oct 2018 | 2 | 640 |
| Dec 2018 | 1 | 641 |
| Feb 2019 | 4 | 645 |
| Mar 2019 | 1 | 646 |
| Jun 2019 | 2 | 648 |
| Aug 2019 | 2 | 650 |
| Sep 2019 | 1 | 651 |
| Oct 2019 | 1 | 652 |
| Nov 2019 | 1 | 653 |
| Apr 2020 | 1 | 654 |
| Jun 2020 | 2 | 656 |
| Jul 2020 | 3 | 659 |
| Aug 2020 | 4 | 663 |
| Sep 2020 | 1 | 664 |
| Oct 2020 | 1 | 665 |
| Nov 2020 | 1 | 666 |
| Apr 2021 | 1 | 667 |
| May 2021 | 2 | 669 |
| Nov 2021 | 1 | 670 |
| Dec 2021 | 1 | 671 |
| Jun 2022 | 1 | 672 |
| Dec 2022 | 1 | 673 |
| May 2023 | 1 | 674 |
| Jan 2024 | 1 | 675 |
| Aug 2024 | 1 | 676 |
| Oct 2024 | 1 | 677 |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | 678 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Interior & seats14217.6%
- Visibility13316.5%
- Electrical10913.5%
- Powertrain (other)9111.3%
- Engine8210.2%
- Transmission506.2%
- Driver assistance425.2%
- Fuel system354.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
4 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govSEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
DRIVER SEAT ANCHOR FAILURE
THIS INVESTIGATION CONCERNS STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE ANCHOR/BRACKET ON THE LEFT REAR SIDE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT.THE CONCERN IS THAT SUCH FAILURES MAY ALTER THE DRIVER'S SEATED POSITION SO AS TO REDUCE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEM OR POTENTIALLY COMPROMISE VEHICLE CONTROL.FAILURE OF THE SUBJECT ANCHOR BRACKET RESULTS FROM METAL FATIGUE AND CAUSES REARWARD TILTING OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT.THESE FAILURES USUALLY OCCUR DURING DRIVER INGRESS BUT MAY ALSO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED.THE SAFETY RELATED CONCERNS DURING ACTUAL VEHICLE USE WERE NOT VALIDATED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.WHILE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM IS RELATIVELY HIGH, ONLY THREE VERY MINOR, UNDOCUMENTED INJURIES WERE REPORTED.THE REPORTED INJURIES OCCURRED DURING DRIVER INGRESS, NOT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION.INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE APPARENT RISK OF COMPROMISE TO VEHICLE CONTROL HAS NOT BEEN DEMONSTRATED.INVESTIGATION ALSO DISCLOSED THAT THE APPARENT RISK OF COLLAPSE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT BACK HAS NOT BEEN DEMONSTRATEDA SAFETY RELATED DEFECT TREND WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AND THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.
FUEL TANK PUNCTURES FROM ROAD DEBRIS
ODI OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION BASED ON FOUR VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES (VOQ'S) INDICATING THAT THE FUEL TANKS WEREPUNCTURED BY ROAD DEBRIS UNDER NORMAL, NON OFF-ROAD DRIVING CONDITIONS.AS OF NOVEMBER 30, 2005, THE COMPLAINT TOTAL INCREASED TO 12.NISSAN SUPPLIED ODI WITH 31 COMPLAINTS OF FUEL TANK PUNCTURES, INCLUDING 26 NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN TO ODI FROM THE VOQ RECORDS. IN A LETTER DATED JANUARY 9, 2006, NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. NOTIFIED ODI OF ITS PLAN TO RECALL APPROXIMATELY 209,000 MODEL YEAR 2003 - 2006 NISSAN MURANO VEHICLES BUILT FROM APRIL 24, 2002 (START OF PRODUCTION OF MY 2003) THROUGH NOVEMBER 24, 2005 (INCLUDING A PORTION OF MY 2006 VEHICLES) TO CORRECT A DEFICIENCY IN FUEL TANK SHIELDING FROM ROAD DEBRIS.THIS RECALL HAS BEEN DESIGNATED NHTSA NO. 06V-003.RECALLED VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH PROTECTIVE SHIELDING FOR THE FRONTAL PORTION OF THE FUEL TANK TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF PUNCTURE BY PROJECTILES FROM THE FRONT WHEELS.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.
ALTERNATOR FAILURE / ENGINE STALLING
ODI RECEIVED 14 REPORTS OF ALLEGED ENGINE STALLING DUE TO ALTERNATOR FAILURE ON MY 2003-2004 MURANO (SUBJECT) VEHICLES.ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED AFTER THE STALL OCCURRED.BASED ON THESE COMPLAINTS, ODI OPENED PE04-077 AND LATER UPGRADED TO EA05-006 FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.DURING EA05-006, ADDITIONAL FAILURE DATA WERE IDENTIFIED AS NOTED IN THE FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY ABOVE.ON JULY 12, 2005, NISSAN NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A SAFETY DEFECT ON MY 2003-2005 MURANO VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM APRIL 8, 2002 AND SEPTEMBER 24, 2004 (RECALL 05V-319).THE NOTIFICATION STATED THAT AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE ALTERNATOR CAN OCCUR DUE TO WIRE FATIGUE CAUSED BY MOVEMENT OF THE ROTOR COIL DURING RAPID CHANGES IN ENGINE SPEED IN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT).HIGHER ENGINE COMPARTMENT TEMPERATURE IN THE MURANO COMPARED TO OTHER NISSAN MODELS MAY ALSO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE WIRE FATIGUE.NISSAN ALSO REPORTED THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CHARGE WARNING AND BRAKE WARNING LAMPS WILL ILLUMINATE AND THE BATTERY WILL BEGIN TO DISCHARGE.AFTER A SHORT TIME, THE ENGINE WILL THEN ENTER A FAIL SAFE MODE THAT LIMITS VEHICLE SPEED.VERY SHORTLY AFTER REACHING THIS CONDITION, THE ENGINE WILL STOP.NHTSA'S TESTING, HOWEVER, SHOWED THAT ALTHOUGH THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATE, THE VEHICLE SPEED IS LIMITED TO ONLY 4-7 MPH RATHER THAN WHAT NHTSA CONSIDERS A FAIL SAFE MODE. NISSAN WILL INSTRUCT OWNERS TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO ANY NISSAN DEALER FOR AN ALTERNATOR INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT, IF REQUIRED.NOTE:SOME VEHICLES MAY HAVE HAD THE NEWLY DESIGNED ALTERNATOR PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED UNDER WARRANTY.CONSEQUENTLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.ODI WILL MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REMEDY AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.
ALTERNATOR FAILURE/ ENGINE STALLING
ODI OPENED PE04-077 BASED ON 14 REPORTS OF ALLEGED ENGINE STALLING DUE TO ALTERNATOR FAILURE.ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED AFTER THE STALL OCCURRED.DURING PE04-077, ADDITIONAL FAILURE DATA WAS IDENTIFIED AS NOTED IN THE FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY ABOVE . DURING THE INVESTIGATION, NISSAN IDENTIFIED THAT THERE HAD BEEN ALTERNATOR WARRANTY REPLACEMENTS DUE TO AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE ROTOR COIL CAUSED BY WIRE FATIGUE. ODI?S ANALYSIS SHOWS FAILURE RATES THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO ODI AND INDICATES THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS CONTINUING TO OCCUR IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWS THAT NEARLY ALL OF THE ALTERNATOR WARRANTY CLAIMS SUBMITTED RESULTED IN ENGINE STALLS AND AT LEAST 25% OF THE ENGINE STALLS RESULTED IN A NO RESTART CONDITION.HOWEVER, IN 71% OF THE WARRANTY DATA SUBMITTED, ODI HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE CONSUMER COULD RESTART THE VEHICLE.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS CONCERN, TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES, AND TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE AFFECTED POPULATION.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Braking locked looses power then accelerates smell like gas is leaking
- NHTSA ID
- 11674581
- Incident
- Jul 2, 2025
Driver seat front left side has a rocking motion to it. I’ve read a lot of others have found this issue was supposed to be fixed from 2003-2004 and the parts have been updated to address the issue. I am worried my seat movement will create an unsafe driving condition.
- NHTSA ID
- 11621803
- Incident
- Oct 24, 2024
Rear subframe where it connects to shock mounts is completely rusted through at both sides of the car. Causes the tops of the wheels to bow in and is undrivable
- NHTSA ID
- 11607734
- Incident
- Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted on the first attempt occasionally; however, several attempts were needed to start the vehicle on other occasions. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. An unknown dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the accelerator pedal had been discontinued. The contact stated that the independent mechanic replaced the accelerator pedal with a part purchased from a junkyard; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11563249
- Incident
- Jun 3, 2020
- Mileage
- 65,000 mi
I’ve changed the timing belt, brakes, batteries, fuel injectors and all and still after thirty minutes of me driving Nissan Murano 2004 I have to continuously push on the gas to get the car to move . My car always has a smell of burning rubber after a long period of time driving it . I then pull over for 20/25 minutes to let the car reset or cool down I guess and then when I turn it on it drives ok until the next 25/30 minutes go by. I’ve gotten two alternators brand new and I’m still having the same issues . When I slow down to come to a full stop it feels like my car is jerking on a chain slowly. When I put the car in neutral to come to a stop it doesn’t make the car tremble . I hope and pray I can get some answers or help to guide me in the right direction . I’ve spent over $2000 in labor to this car to still have the same problem.
- NHTSA ID
- 11521592
- Incident
- May 1, 2022
The rear k frame rusted out ,all of a sudden the vehicle started swaying out of control on gravel or wet roads, no rust on the vehicle except the rear k frame, I parked the vehicle because it's unsafe to drive , I understand that this is a problem that effects more than just mine and I hope it's recalled or something is done about it, thank you for looking into it
- NHTSA ID
- 11495875
- Incident
- Dec 3, 2022
Rear subframe broke Confirmed by a mechanic
- NHTSA ID
- 11470143
- Incident
- May 30, 2022
Alternator went out this is the third one. I looked up the recalls on my car and there happened to be one on the alternator and I’ve reached out to Nissan dealership of Bakersfield and havnt received a response
- NHTSA ID
- 11444753
- Incident
- Nov 4, 2021
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
STRUCTURE:BODY
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).
STRUCTURE:BODY
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 60.0 |
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 42.9 |
| 2020 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 51.8 |
| 2019 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 44.9 |
| 2018 | 113 | 2 | 0 | 49.2 |
| 2017 | 107 | 3 | 0 | 55.0 |
| 2016 | 107 | 5 | 0 | 52.8 |
| 2015 | 202 | 5 | 0 | 52.1 |
| 2014 | 144 | 1 | 0 | 43.5 |
| 2013 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 36.2 |
| 2012 | 134 | 1 | 0 | 40.4 |
| 2011 | 148 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 |
| 2010 | 189 | 0 | 0 | 38.3 |
| 2009 | 635 | 4 | 2 | 55.0 |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 676 | 2 | 1 | 47.0 |
| 2006 | 803 | 4 | 2 | 53.8 |
| 2005 | 986 | 6 | 2 | 54.8 |
| 2004Viewing | 678 | 4 | 4 | 55.0 |
| 2003 | 800 | 6 | 4 | 55.2 |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.