Most common 2004 Nissan Murano problems
Share of the 678 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Murano complaints by model year
Best Murano years: 2022, 2023, 2021. Years to avoid: 2015, 2025, 2005, 2003, 2006. Compare all years →
2004 Nissan Murano recalls (4)
Engine and engine cooling
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.
Remedy: 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.
Seat belts › Rear/other
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.
Remedy: 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.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
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 puncture the fuel tank.
Remedy: 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.
Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
On certain sport utility vehicles, there is a possibility that a wire breaking inside the alternator could stop the battery from charging.
Remedy: 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 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2004 Nissan Murano:
Driver seat anchor failure
This investigation concerns structural failure of the anchor/bracket on the left rear side of the driver's seat.the concern is that such failures May alter the driver's seated position so as to reduce effectiveness of the occupant protection system or potentially compromise vehicle control.failure of the subject anchor bracket results from metal fatigue and causes rearward tilting of the driver's seat.these failures…
Fuel tank punctures from road debris
Odi opened a preliminary evaluation based on four vehicle owner questionnaires (voq's) indicating that the fuel tanks werepunctured by road debris under normal, non off-road driving conditions.as of November 30, 2005, the complaint total increased to 12.Nissan supplied odi with 31 complaints of fuel tank punctures, including 26 not previously known to odi from the voq records.
Alternator failure/ engine stalling
Odi opened pe04-077 based on 14 reports of alleged engine stalling due to alternator failure.all of the complaints reported that the vehicle could not be restarted after the stall occurred.during pe04-077, additional failure data was identified as noted in the failure report summary above .
Alternator failure / engine stalling
Odi received 14 reports of alleged engine stalling due to alternator failure on my 2003-2004 murano (subject) vehicles.all of the complaints reported that the vehicle could not be restarted after the stall occurred.based on these complaints, odi opened pe04-077 and later upgraded to ea05-006 for the subject vehicles.during ea05-006, additional failure data were identified as noted in the failure report summary…
What 2004 Nissan Murano owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 143 →
Bought the car used at about 110K in December 2015, had no issues at all. Flash forward to May 2nd 2016. After sitting in start/stop traffic for 20-30 minutes, the traffic finally started to flow, I attempted to accelerate and had a horrible, shaking, jerking from the vehicle. About 2 miles later after arriving to work and trying to turn a corner and applying gas after the corner, it did it again, this time though it caused me to clip a bumper around a concrete barrier, then the car lost all power and the check engine light came on. Could not get it to move at all. After having it towed to an authorized Nissan dealership, I found out the CVT had went out. I guess I can be glad it went out in a parking garage, because if it went out where the initial hesitation happened, I would have been in a wreck. …
Tl* - the contact states that on 12/20/06 around 10:00 am the contact drove her 2004 Nissan Murano out of her driveway and proceeded to drive down an alley at about 2 MPH. After making a left hand turn onto the main road of a residential area, the vehicle accelerated to about 50 MPH without the contact touching the accelerator. The contact tried continuously applying the brakes, but vehicle never came to a stop. The contact states that the brakes went down to the floor. She had a hard time steering the vehicle while trying to get vehicle to come to a stop. The contact then hit a parked flat bed trailer, and the front tires of her vehicle drove up on the flat bed and the vehicle the rolled over on its side landing on the passenger side. The contact was dazed and witnesses climbed up onto the vehicle to get her out. …
Windows, wipers & sunroof all 132 →
The drivers side sun visor is defective. Every time I go over a bump it falls down into my field of view. When I put the visor down to block the sun from being in my eyes it falls to a straight down position and blocks my view. There is no position that works on this visor now. Its either being held up by one hand as I drive down the road or its straight down in my view. These need to be recalled and replaced for a new model. I just purchased a new visor for my 2004 Murano and it was $200 that I should not have had to spend. There have been many complaints about this and nothing is being done. I will be sure not to purchase another Nissan as I dont feel they care to much for the safety of their consumers.
My Nissan Murano has a defective driver side visor. It constantly falls from the "up position" into drivers vision. This caused an accident!!! I was traveling downhill on a snow/ice covered road, I hit a bump and the visor fell into my vision I reached to put the visor back into the up position. Pushed it into place and it immediately fell again I pushed it back up(distracting my attention from the road in front of me) and noticed a car stopped in the middle of the road, I swerved to miss the stalled car, I avoided hitting the car but as I swerved I ran over black ice the car got sideways and hit a concrete barricade.
Electrical system all 110 →
Alternator went out this is the third one. I looked up the recalls on my car and there happened to be one on the alternator and I've reached out to Nissan dealership of Bakersfield and havnt received a response
Takata recall report date: May 19, 2009 NHTSA campaign number: 09V169000 engine and engine cooling it was me an family drive home on hwy 55 an my intake resonator started then car speed limits first then car crank cam position senor CVT transmission internal temperature sensors circuit. Board for crank position sensors. Report receipt date: July 14, 2005 NHTSA campaign number:05V319000 component:electrical system alternator stop the battery from charging then battery begin to discharge only stay charge five mins having sensor defuat.. That can case my family to have a crash need help with this. Thank you have paperwork showing default on my 2004 Nissan Murano sl FWD.
2004 Nissan Murano engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | CVT | FWD | 18 / 23 / 20 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | CVT | 4WD/AWD | 18 / 23 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Nissan Murano a good car?
Based on 678 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Murano rates avoid: 4.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the Murano at the same age. It is one of the Murano years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Nissan Murano?
The transmission & drivetrain — 143 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the windows, wipers & sunroof (132) and electrical system (110).
How many recalls does the 2004 Nissan Murano have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2004 Nissan Murano, the most recent from May 19, 2009 (engine and engine cooling). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Murano?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2022, 2023 and 2021. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2015, 2025, 2005, 2003 and 2006. See the full Nissan Murano years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Murano problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 30% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.