2011 Nissan Murano Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: June 11, 2026 · Filed: June 15, 2026

I had a frontal crash in which I had a neck sprain and severe head injury due to the airbags not deploying

Incident: February 1, 2026 · Filed: April 2, 2026

In July 2023, at 55,496 miles on the odometer, the original CVT transmission failed and was replaced at Port City Nissan (120 Spaulding Tpke N, Portsmouth, NH 03801), an authorized Nissan dealership, with a Nissan-supplied rebuilt CVT transmission at a cost of approximately $7,000. The rebuilt transmission was warranted for one year. Approximately 2.5 years and only 26,500 miles after installation, the rebuilt CVT transmission has failed again at approximately 82,000 miles. CVT transmission failure while driving presents a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle may lose power unexpectedly, particularly dangerous at highway speeds, during merges, or in intersections. Pattern of Defect: Nissan’s CVT transmissions have been the subject of widespread consumer complaints and multiple class action lawsuits across various model years. Significantly, Nissan recently updated its warranty on rebuilt CVT transmissions from one year to three years with unlimited mileage for replacements performed after July 2024. This warranty extension strongly suggests Nissan is aware of systemic premature failures in its rebuilt CVT units. The failure of a rebuilt transmission at only 26,500 miles indicates a fundamental quality control or design deficiency in the rebuilt units Nissan is supplying to dealerships. Safety Concern: Sudden CVT failure causes immediate loss of propulsion and can result in loss of vehicle control. This is particularly hazardous on highways, in heavy traffic, and during adverse weather conditions. Given the pattern of premature failure in Nissan’s rebuilt CVT units, I believe this constitutes a safety defect affecting a population of vehicles and warrants investigation. I request that NHTSA investigate Nissan’s rebuilt CVT transmission program and the adequacy of Nissan’s response to known premature failures.

Incident: September 15, 2025 · Filed: November 17, 2025

The passenger airbag warning light illuminated and remains on. A Nissan dealer diagnosed the issue as a failure of the Occupant Classification System sensor in the passenger seat. This causes the airbag system to be disabled and could prevent deployment in a crash. I was informed that my 2011 Murano is not included in Nissan’s previous airbag/OCS recalls (such as 16V244), even thought the symptoms appear identical. Repair requires replacement or reprogramming of the seat/OCS components and is very expensive ($2000-$7000). This is a critical safety issue because the passenger airbag may not function at all. Based on similar complaints from other 2011 Murano owners, this my represent a widespread defect that warrants investigation and a recall. Safety needs to be a priority. We were originally told to reset the light by a series of steps involving turning the car on and off. The process worked on a previous incident but now the light remains solid red and reset does not work.

Incident: August 12, 2024 · Filed: August 22, 2024

Hi i see this vehicle had a recall campaign previously under notice P1261/NTB12-003/NTB14-076. This campaign includes the replacement of the links and other items under this campaign. This vehicle is a convertible and the top frame is once again damaged due to the same recall for links. I recently took the vehicle to Lorenzo Nissan as the top is not working. They advised the frame links are bound, and the frame needs to be replaced. As this was covered under previous recall, the recall is obviously not adequate.

Incident: April 17, 2024 · Filed: April 23, 2024

Dashboard light started flashing indicating airbag error. Light indicating passenger airbag inoperative on center stack illuminated. Dealership indicated error code B1018 per ESM diagnostic procedure and recommended replacing entire passenger side seat cushion and retesting. Uncertain if passenger side airbag sensor will prevent driver's airbag from deploying in accident.

Incident: February 4, 2024 · Filed: February 27, 2024

Premature Subframe Corrosion: first noticed a knocking noise coming from under rear driver side area when going over bumps with our 2011 Murano. Then the knocking noise (metal on metal sound) got worse and then the back of our vehicle would sway uncontrollably side to side when pressing a little hard on the brakes. Brought the vehicle to the Nissan dealer and was told that the subframe had excessive corrosion and the vehicle is dangerous to drive. Our vehicle has only 106,800 miles and has been garage kept and serviced every year by the Nissan dealership. Discovered online that 100’s, probably 1000’s including unreported incidents of other Nissan owners having the same excessive subframe rusting problem. People have reported their wheels falling off and losing control of vehicle...easily can cause major accident with deaths. There was a recall in 2006 for the same subframe issue but for unknown reasons doesn’t include my vehicle. Nissan has not corrected the cause of the subframe defect and has allowed this dangerous situation to continue with their vehicles even after the recall ended. The parts & labor cost to replace the subframe is between $3,000-$4,000+ and Nissan Consumer Affairs says since there are no current recalls and the vehicle is out of warranty that they will do nothing for me. This subframe rusting started day 1 when we purchased the vehicle and prematurely got worse each year through the warranty period until it becomes a dangerous situation after the warranty period ends. The prior recall should be extended to cover more vehicles and Nissan should take responsibility for not correcting the premature subframe rusting issues. Nissan should cover the costs to repair the faulty subframe or at the least, Nissan should supply the parts to correct the issue and the owner be responsible for the labor.

Incident: August 13, 2023 · Filed: February 22, 2024

35 complaints on the CVT transmission failing for the 2011 Nissan Murano, which could be a major safety issue while driving. We experienced 3 episodes and have not heard back from Nissan nor the NHTSA on recalling this car and having Nissan repair their known defect that could result in injury. We know the CVT transmission is known by Nissan to have reliability issues as they have recalled other years of CVT transmissions. Does someone have to be hurt before a fix is communicated to the owners of this vehicle. What a shame!

Incident: December 10, 2023 · Filed: January 15, 2024

Rear subframe corrosion and break. Front subframe perfectly ok, obviously under the exact same driving conditions. There was a recall for this exact same problem on the Nissan Murano 2007 models but unfortunately no recall on the 2011 model.

Incident: November 9, 2011 · Filed: December 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the transmission made an abnormal sound, and the vehicle shook before moving forward. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine and the transmission warning light had illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer on multiple occasions and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin Number: AT20-005B NTB20-060B CVT Transmission Shake/Shudder (Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Incident: July 5, 2023 · Filed: September 27, 2023

2011 Nissan Murano, While pulling into a parking area the left rear (drivers side) wheel collapsed. Fortunately this happened at a very low speed, (under 10 MPH). Upon inspection it was discovered that the lower control strut had rotted out and separated from the frame causing the wheel to collapse. If this had occurred on a main road at speed it could have caused a very serious accident due to loss of control. In this case it did not happen, as stated it was at low speed and in a parking lot. The deterioration of this strut was never called out by dealer inspite of numerous Multi-point safety inspections during normal periodic vehicle servicing. There was no warning of impending failure, it just occurred! Neither Nissan or the dealer claim any responsibility for the failure of this part(s) Both sides were replaced as both sides had rotted out.