Thinking about buying a used Nissan Murano? No surprise why, they’re attractive, reliable, and feature-packed. However, not all Muranos are created equal. Some model years have developed a reputation for mechanical issues, expensive repairs, or frustrating performance quirks that even die-hard Nissan fans recommend steering clear of.
In this guide, we will walk you through the years of the Nissan Murano that you may wish to avoid, describe the most common problems owners have faced, and help you make a well-informed buying decision. If you’re looking to buy a used SUV or simply curious about your own Murano’s past, this data may save you time, money, and a huge headache down the road.
Buying a used SUV is a smart financial move if you know which model years to steer clear of. While the Nissan Murano is wonderful on many levels for comfort and looks, some model years have been worse than others. Here’s a closer look at the Murano years that you might want to avoid based on common complaints, mechanical issues, and cost of ownership.
| Model year | Verdict | Main issue owners report | Typical repair |
| 2003 | Avoid | Early CVT failure, stalling, surging | CVT rebuild or replace, $3,000 to $5,000 |
| 2004 | Avoid | Most complaints of any year, CVT plus broken door handles and seat | CVT $3,000 to $5,000, door handle around $200 |
| 2005 | Avoid | Power steering loss, stalling, CVT | Stalling and engine repairs around $3,500 |
| 2006 | Caution | CVT trouble, power steering hose leaks, transfer case | Transfer case up to $3,000, hose around $420 |
| 2007 | Caution | CVT slipping and failure | CVT rebuild or replace, $3,000 to $5,000 |
| 2009 | Avoid | Soft brake pedal and ABS defect (federal recall), electrical faults | Brake and ABS work, $1,680 to $2,400 |
| 2010 | Caution | Soft brake pedal, lingering CVT hesitation | Brake repairs vary, CVT rebuild if failed |
| 2015 | Avoid | Early CVT judder and failure, ABS actuator fire recall | CVT rebuild or replace, $4,000 to $5,000 |
Note: there is no 2008 Nissan Murano. Nissan paused the model for one year between the first and second generations, so 2008 is a non-issue by default.
The 2003 Murano was the first model year, and it launched with the first version of Nissan’s Xtronic CVT. That is the catch. Owners report the transmission surging on light throttle, struggling to grab first gear, then failing outright, often between 100,000 and 160,000 miles. Every 2003 is now well past warranty, so a CVT failure here is a several-thousand-dollar decision on a car that may be worth little more than the repair.
The 2004 Murano also receives a mention from many as having one of the worst model years. One of the biggest complaints? The CVT (continuously variable transmission). Owners mention frequent failing, slipping, and jerking through gears, all without warning, sometimes. A lot of people had to replace or rebuild the transmission many years before their time, and that’s not exactly a cheap process.
Apart from that, this model also experienced engine problems like excessive oil consumption and occasional stalling. Topping off oil was more than topping off gas tanks for other drivers. On top of worn-out parts, this model year simply doesn’t hold up over the years.
On the data side, the 2004 carries the most complaints of any Murano year on CarComplaints (2025), and the smaller faults add up too, from door handles that snap off (about $200 to fix) to a driver seat frame that can break (a weld repair averages around $1,150).
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Even though Nissan did have some corrections following 2004, the 2005 Murano performed no better. Power steering loss is the most common complaint among all issues. There are even drivers who lost all power-steering assistance at the most critical of moments. Clearly, a serious safety problem.
Transmission issues also continued, like slipping and lagging shifting. And the suspension? Bulky and problematic, in need of repair far too soon in life. With too high repair costs and a poor resale, this year is generally considered a money pit. Engine mount failure is another known 2005 fault, and stalling repairs have run around $3,500 for some owners.
The 2006 Murano is a mixed bag, which is why it sits on caution rather than hard avoid. Plenty of owners do fine with it, but CVT trouble and power steering hose leaks are common, and the hose repair runs around $420. The bigger wallet risk is the transfer case, which can fail from bad seals, get misdiagnosed as a transmission fault, and cost upward of $3,000 to replace.
The 2007 model closed out the first generation and inherited the same weak CVT as the years before it. Slipping and outright failure are the recurring theme. If you are cross-shopping first-generation Muranos, inspect this one carefully and budget for a possible CVT replacement in the $3,000 to $5,000 range.
The 2009 Murano marked the start of the second generation, but the upgrade came with a new series of problems. Malfunctions in the electrical system were common, from broken sunroofs and faulty climate control to dashboard warning lights that wouldn’t go out.
Drivers also complained of uneven acceleration and even stalling on the road, a serious issue. Although it might appear sleek and contemporary, this year can be filled with a lot of hidden annoyances if you are not watchful.
The data backs the caution. The soft brake pedal is CarComplaints’ worst-rated Murano problem across every year, with a 9.2 out of 10 severity, showing up around 90,950 miles and costing more than $2,000 to fix (CarComplaints, 2025). NHTSA opened a brake investigation in April 2018, and Nissan recalled 86,265 units of the 2009 Murano in early 2019 under recall 18V-916, because an ABS part reacted with brake fluid and let the pedal sink toward the floor.
If you believed that the CVT issues were resolved by 2010, think again. Several owners of this model year had similar transmission issues, jerky takeoff, hesitation, and premature failure. Even normal driving could be unpredictable.
Also, there were more noticeable brake problems in 2010. Some reported premature brake wear, and that the brake pedal would feel slow or soft to push. Some repairs cost a lot, especially after the warranty. It is better than 2009, but it still lands on the caution list.
This one caught us off guard, as it introduced a new third-gen look that showed promise. But appearance is just skin-deep. The 2015 Murano was plagued with a variety of tech woes. The infotainment center would freeze, the navigation would get stuck, and the backup camera occasionally just wouldn’t budge.
To rub salt in the wound, the defective sensors illuminated warning lights unnecessarily or failed to do so when something was indeed wrong. Transmission hesitation and jerky shifts also made a comeback, leaving many owners questioning the model’s reliability.
CarComplaints rates the 2015 the worst Murano overall, not for the volume of complaints but for how severe and costly they are (CarComplaints, 2025). CVT failures have hit at low mileage, averaging around 21,465 miles, with a rebuild or replacement running $4,000 to $5,000. The 2015 also falls inside a safety recall covering 2015 to 2018 Muranos, where the ABS actuator can leak brake fluid onto a circuit board and, in rare cases, cause a fire.
Not every Murano is a gamble. Once Nissan worked through the early CVT growing pains, several model years turned into genuinely solid used buys. If you want the styling and comfort without the repair anxiety, start here.
The through-line is simple. Once you get past the 2003 to 2007 first generation and skip 2009, 2010, and 2015, the Murano becomes a comfortable, reasonably reliable crossover.
A well-maintained Nissan Murano commonly reaches around 200,000 miles, which is roughly 13 to 15 years for an average driver. The catch is the CVT. On the Murano, the transmission is almost always the part that decides whether the car makes it to 200,000 or gets scrapped at 120,000.
That makes fluid maintenance the single most important habit for a Murano owner. Changing the CVT fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles, rather than treating it as lifetime fluid, is the cheapest insurance you can buy against a four-figure failure. If you want the full picture on why these transmissions fail and how to protect one, we cover it in our guide on Nissan CVT transmission problems.
If you’re thinking of a used Murano or already own one and want to know what to expect, it’s useful to know the most common complaints made by owners. Some issues are model-year-specific, while others reappear repeatedly. Below is what to look out for:
One of the most notorious problems with the Nissan Murano is its CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). Owners for many years have been complaining:
Unfortunately, CVT replacements or rebuilds can cost thousands. Although newer Muranos are better, numerous early models (especially 2004 to 2010 and 2015) continue to be marred by these issues. For the mechanics of why these transmissions fail, see our guide on why CVT transmissions fail.
If your Nissan Murano has been repaired multiple times for the same transmission problem and the issue keeps coming back, you may have rights under your state’s lemon law. Know how the process works in our guide on How Does a Lemon Law Work.
From dashboard malfunctions to faulty sensors, the Murano is no stranger to electrical antics. Owners have reported:
These electrical quirks aren’t always expensive to fix, but they’re very maddening, especially when they impact features you use frequently.
The Murano’s panoramic roof is a stylish nicety, but for some, it’s a headache rather than a luxury. Some of the most frequent problems include:
This mainly becomes a problem in older models, and repairing the issue can be costly depending on how bad the damage is.
Braking is one situation where safety should never ever be sacrificed, but some Muranos have experienced problems such as:
If you’re noticing slower stops or squealing noises, it’s worth having the braking system checked out ASAP.
A comfortable ride is one aspect of the Murano’s allure, but when the suspension or steering parts begin to malfunction, things can quickly take a turn for the worse:
These issues arise more often in older models and vehicles that have not been maintained on a regular basis, and the 2005 in particular is known for power steering failure.
The Murano’s CVT trouble has been in front of the courts, not just the forums. A class action, Travis Beaver v. Nissan North America, argued that the CVT in 2015 to 2018 Muranos (and 2016 to 2018 Maximas) was defective and prone to hesitating, jerking, juddering, and failing early. The case was filed in October 2022 and received final court approval on July 21, 2025.
The settlement covered roughly 520,000 vehicles and extended the transmission and control-unit warranty to 84 months or 84,000 miles, with reimbursement for qualifying past repairs and a voucher toward a new Nissan (Murano Maxima CVT settlement, 2025). The formal claim deadline has already passed, so if you own an affected 2015 to 2018 Murano and paid out of pocket for a CVT repair, your remaining leverage now runs through warranty records, goodwill, or a lemon law claim rather than the settlement itself.
This is where a lot of blogs get it wrong, so here is the honest answer. There is no NHTSA safety recall for the Murano’s CVT judder. That issue was handled through technical service bulletins and the class action settlement above, not a federal recall.
When a Murano throws a P17F0 or P17F1 judder code, Nissan’s fix has come through TSBs (control-module reprogramming, valve body or CVT inspection, and replacement when needed) and, for eligible 2015 to 2018 cars, the warranty extension from the settlement. Calling that a recall is not accurate, and it matters, because a recall is a free safety fix while a warranty extension has time and mileage limits that many cars have already blown past.
The Murano does have genuine NHTSA recalls, and the safety-critical ones are about brakes, not the CVT:
A recall does not automatically make a vehicle a lemon, but repeated repair attempts tied to a defect can strengthen a claim. If your Murano keeps going back for the same fix, our guide on how many repair attempts it takes walks through the thresholds.
Transmission repairs might be expensive, but who actually pays for it? It depends on your model year and what coverage still applies.
Back in 2009 and 2010, after class action pressure and heavy complaints, Nissan doubled the CVT coverage on 2003 to 2010 vehicles from 5 years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 120,000 miles, and made it transferable to later owners (Nissan Customer Satisfaction Program, 2010). That was real help at the time, but every one of those cars is now past the 10-year and 120,000-mile limit, so this coverage no longer applies to a used first-generation Murano today. In some situations, recurring transmission failures may qualify for a manufacturer buyback. You can estimate potential compensation using our Lemon Law Buyback Calculator.
For 2015 to 2018 Muranos, the Beaver settlement extended transmission coverage to 84 months or 84,000 miles. Like the older program, many of these cars have aged out of that window, and the claim deadline has closed. Check your in-service date and repair records before assuming you are covered.
If your warranty has expired, a CVT replacement typically runs $3,000 to $5,000 and up, and some owners have been quoted around $6,000. Dealerships sometimes offer goodwill support, especially for problems that have been widely reported, so it is worth asking.
If your Murano has an active recall, Nissan must repair that specific defect for free, so always check your VIN on the NHTSA site. And in certain cases, if the problem is brought about by an accident or covered incident, your vehicle insurance will cover the expense.
Here is the part most reliability articles skip. If you bought a Murano and it will not stop breaking, you may not have to just eat the cost. A vehicle can qualify as a lemon when a defect that affects its use, value, or safety is not fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts, and that CVT-failure pattern is exactly the kind of recurring defect that qualifies.
Every state draws the line a little differently, but the common signals are:
A Murano with repeated CVT failures, or the 2009’s brake defect, fits that profile well. If that sounds like your situation, start with our overview of lemon laws for used cars, and drivers in New York can check what is covered under the New York lemon law. You do not pay us out of pocket, and we will tell you honestly whether you have a case.
Avoid the 2003 to 2007, 2009, and 2015 Muranos. The first-generation cars (2003 to 2007) share the weakest version of the CVT, the 2009 adds a recalled soft brake pedal defect, and the 2015 pairs early CVT failure with an ABS fire recall. Note there was no 2008 Murano.
CVT transmission issues have plagued numerous Murano models, particularly between 2003 and 2010 and again from 2015 to 2018. Slipping, jerking, hesitation, and even total transmission failure, usually before reaching 100,000 miles, have been reported by drivers.
The biggest problem with the Nissan Murano has been its Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). It has given owners juddering on acceleration, overheating, laggy response, and abrupt failure, which can cost them a fortune in repairs or replacement.
Yes, the 2014 Murano is typically considered one of the more reliable model years. It logged only about 180 complaints and one recall on CarComplaints, has fewer transmission and electrical reports than the earlier or later models, and benefits from improvements made in previous years.
The strongest picks are 2013, 2011 to 2014, 2016 to 2019, and 2021 and newer. The 2013 in particular earned an 88 out of 100 owner rating from J.D. Power with very few complaints, and these years generally provide better reliability, fewer technical service bulletins (TSBs), and better CVT performance.
With regular maintenance, a Murano commonly reaches around 200,000 miles, or 13 to 15 years. The CVT is the limiting factor, so changing the transmission fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles is the best way to get there.
No. There is no federal safety recall for the Murano CVT. The judder and failure issues were addressed through service bulletins and a class action settlement for 2015 to 2018 models. The Murano’s actual NHTSA recalls involve the brakes, not the transmission.
They are close, since both use Nissan CVTs, but the Murano’s V6 pairing has generally held up better than the smaller four-cylinder CVT setups. Reliability still comes down to the specific year and maintenance history for either one. If you are cross-shopping, see our coverage of the Nissan Rogue and its known issues.
When buying a used Nissan Murano, investigating is worth the effort. Model years like 2003 to 2007, 2009, and 2015 have acquired a bad rap for having some serious and costly issues, namely with the CVT transmission, plus the 2009 brake defect and the 2015 ABS recall. Avoiding these problematic model years can save you thousands of dollars in repairs and a lot of stress down the road.
If you’re driving one of these models today or are in the market to purchase one, knowing is your own protection. Always review recall history, service bulletins, and real owner reports before you buy. If you already own a Murano that simply will not stop malfunctioning, you may have more options than you know.
If your Nissan Murano continues experiencing transmission failures, electrical problems, or repeated warranty repairs, you may qualify for relief under your state’s lemon law. That is where Lemon My Vehicle can assist. We’ve helped over 3,915 people across the U.S. get the compensation they deserve, at no cost to them. We’re here to stand up for your rights and help you move forward with confidence, and you can start with our guide on what lemon law attorneys cost.
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