Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Nissan Murano owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving with the speed of 25 MPH the car started loosing control. I was able to stop and observed that the right front wheel started separating from the frame. This was because engine cradle got rusted an cracked. The lower arm separated. The defect is documented by the dealer. This is a serious safety issues as that could happen on the highways at high speed chasing serious accident. I am the fist owner of the car. I bought it brand new and the was garaged.
Nissan Murano has dangerous design defects compounded by unresolved electronics problems. Design flaws: 1) ineffective defroster system , 2) long-armed wipers clog easily, 3) all doors must be unlocked to get gas (inviting carjackers). The defroster-wiper problem was made worse by electronics. While I was clearing windows the car locked in 13 degree weather. The car: 1) locks doors at random intervals , 2) puts the windows down without warning (the service manager says, "don't not leave valuables in this car!"), 3) the remote entry system often does not beep requiring that I check all doors (especially given the other problems with locks), 4) now the car sometimes tells me that the driver's door is open (when it is not). The car is virtually new (less than 6,000 miles). Nissan knows they have this problem. There is an internal service memo it. …
During a routine service of my 2003 Nissan Murano, which has 33,293 miles on the odometer, the service technician noticed radiator fluid leaking from a hose that is located behind a fan-belt tension pulley. Upon closer inspection it was discovered that the bracket on which the pulley is mounted had failed causing the pulley to be pushed out of alignment and subsequently damaging the hose and belt, resulting in a repair cost of $450.27. The repair consisted of replacing all the effected components at my expense. As far as I know, the "defective bracket" was replaced with an identical item sharing the same defective qualities. Nissan will not divulge the reason for the brackets failure. …
While driving the vehicle the driver noticed that the vehicle became shaky and was difficult to control nearly causing the driver to go off the road. Driver took the vehicle to a local mechanic who, upon further inspection, discovered that the rear subframe had nearly rusted completely through. The vehicle is a 2003 with around 130,000 miles. The vehicle is used primarily to drive to and from work on paved highways. When researching the issue further, I noticed that there were multiple other owners of first generation Nissan muranos who experienced similar issues, including one whose frame actually broke in half while driving (thankfully that did not happen in our case). The issue appears to relate to the frame and/or sealant on the frame corroding due to the salt used on the roads during the winter time in the northern us. Our vehicle is driven in michigan. …
No one particular event LED to failure. The specific failure is the driver's side sun visor frequently and unexpectedly pivots down into line of sight of driver while driving. This hinders immediate line of sight. Visor has no visible default but feels "spongy" when trying to secure it back up. Numerous forums online indicate the visor pivot point is of flimsy manufacture and there are numerous online forums referring to this problem. My visor falls into my line of sight frequently and does block my view for a moment until I push it back up. I see this as a potential safety issue. I attempted to order a new part on my own and was informed it was over $300.00 for a new visor. This seems outrageous since it obviously should not have been "broken" due to moving it up and down like any other visor would be moved.
Over 20 different rattle, squeak, tap, creak noises coming from inside and outside the car. Noises coming from window areas, door panels, b-pillar (rear seat area), ceiling, floorboards, cargo area, dash board, underneat the front end of the car (front wheels), tailgate area, front seats, rear seat belt area, and more every day. Vehicle has been in the shop more than three times (total of 21 days in the service bay) to attempt repair, but no results....the noises keep coming. Noises occur when hitting bumps or any slight imperfection in the road, also occurs when the car is flexing or whn the temperature drops below 40 degrees.....it gets even worse! Dealer can't fix it.
I have a Nissan Murano 2003 & have had the following problems with it. I was on an online forum & there was a link to this site to list the problems I have had with this vehicle. My car was purchased in jan. 2003. Since then I have had the following problems: defective alternator defective bose cd player defective battery defective cupholder all the items were fixed or replaced by Nissan under warranty. However I have read that many people have had problems with their alternators but have not reported to a governent agency.
To date, we have had numerous problems with our 2003 Murano. We have replaced the throttle body, motor mount, battery, TCM and transmission. On July 21, 2006 our Murano made a loud noise then quit moving. We had it towed to the dealership where they stated it needed a new TCM. That did not fix the problem so they said we needed a new transmission. We had 64,000 miles. Since then we had the car for one day and took it back for yet a new problem with the rear axle.
Recall 2003 Murano, repairs were made, two months later repairs had to be done at owners expense. The fuel tank protector was replaced on 3/22/06, per recall 06V003000. It was replaced again on 5/22/06 at the consumer's expense. The air bag light illuminated. The vehicle had been in water up to the wheels. The tech determined that water got in the floor board area and caused corrosion of in the air bag harness.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that a loud banging noise emitted from the front while driving. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and an inspection was performed. The front subframe was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 116,000.
Body complaints in other Murano years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Nissan Murano?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Nissan Murano, 3% of the model year's 800 complaints. The component named most often is body (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Nissan Murano body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2003 Nissan Murano, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Nissan Murano body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.