2004 Nissan Murano Problems, Recalls & Reliability
850 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Nissan Murano, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 80/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 85,795 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2004 Nissan Murano sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2011–2014, 2016–2020.
Avoid
Where 2004 sits among all Murano years
What owners report
“Transmission failed without warning at 68k miles. While on highway engine just started free reving. Had to coast to side of road. Nissan will not assist in repair as car is over 10 years old. Dealer worked on transfer case in may; thought they reported all was well.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
“Sun visor droops on its own from desired position all the way down into line of sight creating a dangerous situation for driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
“My alternator for my nissan murano 04' series failed at 13k miles. Known to be a defect on all murano's.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
“Driver seat loose and when you try and adjust the seat it goes sideways. Vehicle was moving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
“My check engine light came on a few weeks ago saying cylinder five is miss firing. I replaced everything that i could and cylinders are still misfiring. It's causing my car to jerk and when i'm at a complete stop and start to go it takes my car a minute or so to start going. And also when i put my…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
“All door locks quit working. This problem happened at once. My family and i can not lock or unlock doors.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Murano
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 696 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,921 miles. Half of those reports fall between 45,000 and 114,993 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 06V003000.
Led to recall campaign 05V319000.
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2004 Nissan Murano. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 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 2004 Nissan Murano reliable?
The 2004 Nissan Murano drew 850 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 80/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2004 Nissan Murano problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Nissan Murano are transmission & drivetrain (147 complaints), visibility & wipers (133), and electrical (124).
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Murano problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Nissan Murano problems around 75,921 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 45,000 and 114,993 miles.
Does the 2004 Nissan Murano have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 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.