2003 Nissan Murano Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,050 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Nissan Murano, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 88/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 87,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2003 Nissan Murano sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2011–2014, 2016–2020.
Avoid
Where 2003 sits among all Murano years
What owners report
“Dt: the contact owns a 2003 nissan morano. The vehicle intermediatley will not accelerate. Its like you have to pump the gas pedal to get it to go. Took to dealer 5 or 6 times. They reset the computer and moved time to the transmission. After that they keep saying it was fixed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
“Alernator failure at 28,000 miles, the battery light and brake light came on. No other symptoms. Took it to dealer. Dealer replaced it under warranty”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
“In the middle of driving to work, vehicle just shut off without warning. New battery and cam sensor replaced very recently. No service engine light on, nothing...it just shut off. After 2 tries it started right back up. Very scary!!!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
“Driver seat rear metal support frame broken. I noticed when making a left turn that the seat was shifting. Upon inspection i notice that the driver seat left rear seat support frame broken.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
“Abs stays on then the (brake warning lamps will immediately come after a short time, the engine will go into a "fall safe" condition which will limit vehicle speed. The engine will stop running and turn off on me. Also my subframe is rotten and is now disconnected the mechanic quoted me $2,600 to…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
“Driver side sunvisor fails to stay in raised position. Can drop unexpectedly, causing loss of view of the road.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Murano
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 862 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 39,900 and 102,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
NISSAN IS RECALLING 362,891 MY 2003-2007 MURANO VEHICLES. THE INTAKE AIR DUCTS, WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE INTERMEDIATE RESONATOR IN THE AIR INTAKE SYSTEM OF THE ENGINE, MAY SEPARATE FROM THE RESONATOR WITH ENGINE MOVEMENT. THIS SEPARATION OCCURS DUE TO THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE/REPAIR THE APPROPRIATE COMPONENTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON SOME SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IN CERTAIN HIGH SPEED FRONTAL CRASHES, THE WEBBING OF A REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELT MAY CONTACT THE REAR SEAT BACK HINGE WHERE IT CAN BE CUT BY THE SHARP EDGE OF THE METAL PORTION OF THE HINGE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTORS OVER THE WEBBING OF THE REAR SEAT BELTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE FUEL TANK, IN THE EVENT THAT A VEHICLE FRONT TIRE RUNS OVER A SMALL, SHARP OBJECT IN THE ROAD, CATCHES IT AND PROPELS IT TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, IT MAY STRIKE AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTORS IN FRONT OF THE TANK FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A WIRE BREAKING INSIDE THE ALTERNATOR COULD STOP THE BATTERY FROM CHARGING.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR WITH A NEW VERSION WHICH HAS BEEN MODIFIED TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF THE COIL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 1, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE NUT THAT ATTACHES THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR SHAFT TO THE CONTROL VALVE LEVER IN THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY TIGHTENED. THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TRANSMISSION NOT ACTUALLY BEING IN THE GEAR INDICATED BY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL CHECK THE AFFECTED NUT IN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER LINKAGE, AND TIGHTEN IT IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 15, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 06V003000.
Led to recall campaign 05V319000.
Technical service bulletins
109 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2003 Nissan Murano. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 Murano TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Nissan Murano reliable?
The 2003 Nissan Murano drew 1,050 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 88/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2003 Nissan Murano problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Nissan Murano are transmission & drivetrain (271 complaints), electrical (236), and engine (143).
At what mileage do 2003 Nissan Murano problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Nissan Murano problems around 75,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 39,900 and 102,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Nissan Murano have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Nissan Murano. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.