First Generation Muranos...

[jabjab]

Looking at 2003-2007 Nissan Muranos and I'm aware of the CVT failures but are all of them prone to it or is the the luck of the draw? I did find 1 that had lower km's and only 2 owners but hesitate on pulling the trigger.

I will be taking the one I want for inspection but should I go to Nissan to look for transmission failure ? Can they tell if its about to go?

My other options is 2001-2004 pathfinder ( which i like but the gas consumption is very bad) or the Nissan Xtrail.

[colsankey]

Wife had a 2003 Murano with about 200k on it, up until 6 months ago. Needed some steering rack assembly work, when we sold it, but otherwise fairly low maintenance. No issues with the cvt on it.

[mzdspd]

My dad has had a 2004 Murano since 2006. No CVT issues. He has had it go into CVT limp mode once over the years but they just reset the code and never happened again.

He has 240k on it now and he has had to replace both front control arms and 2 alternators (very common on these). Other than that, just maintenance and wear items (brakes and spark plugs).

Check for transfer case leaks (very common).

[jabjab]

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My dad has had a 2004 Murano since 2006. No CVT issues. He has had it go into CVT limp mode once over the years but they just reset the code and never happened again.

He has 240k on it now and he has had to replace both front control arms and 2 alternators (very common on these). Other than that, just maintenance and wear items (brakes and spark plugs).

Check for transfer case leaks (very common).

Would you say that if the transfer case leaks it is a sign of failing transmissions? Would a Nissan dealership be the best place to take for a pre purchase inspection?

[mzdspd]

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Would you say that if the transfer case leaks it is a sign of failing transmissions? Would a Nissan dealership be the best place to take for a pre purchase inspection?

Not necessarily but my dad worked at Nissan in service and he said that they would get lots of first gen muranos in with leaking transfer cases which would lead to the transfer case failing.

I am not sure how you can prematurely check for a failing cvt other than from leaks or CEL. The big thing with the CVT is that they don't really fix them. If they fail, they just replace the whole unit so it is kind of a gamble.

[NissanFanBoy]

As man that is a fan of Nissans, I would not recommend this vehicle unless you're okay with it being disposable. Those first gen CVTs are an absolute gamble, sure there are some that don't break but put it this way, failure rate is so high that Nissan extended warranty to 10 years, 200,000km after a class action law suit. I would even stay away from newer gens as those had overheating problems which lead to limp mode until it cools, CVT sucks! I'm even worried about my wife's Juke as we will be using it on road trips this summer..I noticed even last summer it would be making some high pitched whining in the heat in both the Juke and my 09 Murano, stay away unless you just want a spare, disposable vehicle to use now and then.

Xterras and the older gen Pathfinders never saw the CVT...CVTs are definitely a big problem with Nissans.

[G-ZUS]

Junk

[TomcoPDR]

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As man that is a fan of Nissans

I figured you liked Nissan's from ur user name.

[jabjab]

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As man that is a fan of Nissans, I would not recommend this vehicle unless you're okay with it being disposable. Those first gen CVTs are an absolute gamble, sure there are some that don't break but put it this way, failure rate is so high that Nissan extended warranty to 10 years, 200,000km after a class action law suit. I would even stay away from newer gens as those had overheating problems which lead to limp mode until it cools, CVT sucks! I'm even worried about my wife's Juke as we will be using it on road trips this summer..I noticed even last summer it would be making some high pitched whining in the heat in both the Juke and my 09 Murano, stay away unless you just want a spare, disposable vehicle to use now and then.

Xterras and the older gen Pathfinders never saw the CVT...CVTs are definitely a big problem with Nissans.

Yea, its just not worth the risk I suppose. Did some more reading and I guess they can fail at ANY given KMS so doesn't matter if you get a low kms one. I guess the 01-04 pathfinders are the best bet transmission wise but they guzzle so much gas!

[Mitsu3000gt]

Parents have a 2012 Murano that is daily driven. Zero problems in 6 years so far. My understanding was that the CVTs were improved considerably after the first generation(s).