Nissan Murano Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Nissan Murano model year from 2003 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 7,474 federal complaints, 26 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2003–2007, 2009. These years top the Murano's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2011–2014, 2016–2020 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Murano's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Seats & interior tops the Nissan Murano file with 1,297 complaints, concentrated in the 2005–2006 model years, most often reported around 70,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 2 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 39 | 2 | Driver assistance | 5 |
| 2024 | Few reports | 5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | Few reports | 10 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 2022 | Few reports | 6 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 2021 | Few reports | 22 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 2020 | Better year | 60 | 2 | Driver assistance | 6 |
| 2019 | Better year | 57 | 1 | Driver assistance | 5 |
| 2018 | Better year | 172 | 2 | Other | 17 |
| 2017 | Better year | 155 | 3 | Other | 19 |
| 2016 | Better year | 141 | 5 | Other | 13 |
| 2015 | Typical | 267 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 26 |
| 2014 | Better year | 173 | 1 | Other | 18 |
| 2013 | Better year | 90 | 1 | Electrical | 9 |
| 2012 | Better year | 167 | 1 | Transmission & drivetrain | 15 |
| 2011 | Better year | 190 | 0 | Brakes & stability | 18 |
| 2010 | Typical | 222 | 0 | Brakes & stability | 21 |
| 2009 | Avoid | 805 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 75 |
| 2008 | Few reports | 7 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2007 | Avoid | 899 | 2 | Seats & interior | 74 |
| 2006 | Avoid | 916 | 4 | Seats & interior | 78 |
| 2005 | Avoid | 1,169 | 6 | Seats & interior | 100 |
| 2004 | Avoid | 850 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 80 |
| 2003 | Avoid | 1,050 | 6 | Transmission & drivetrain | 88 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 2,679 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Nissan Murano. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Nissan Murano TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Nissan Murano years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2003–2007, 2009 as the Nissan Murano years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Nissan Murano problem?
Seats & interior tops the Nissan Murano file with 1,297 complaints, concentrated in the 2005–2006 model years, most often reported around 70,000 miles.
What are the best Nissan Murano years to buy used?
The quietest Nissan Murano years in federal records are 2011–2014, 2016–2020 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Nissan Murano only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.