Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Nissan Murano owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, without warning the ABS and batteries warning light illuminated. The contact lost power the vehicle failed to accelerate forward. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the wires to the alternator had melted and the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was contacted however, there was no response from the technician. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Nissan Murano. While driving various speeds, the battery and the ABS indicators illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the alternator failed and replaced the part three different times. The contact stated that the alternator caught fire without warning. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. An independent mechanic extinguished the fire. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 146,000.
I had the exact symptoms appear in my make/model as described in recall id #36089. This was a recall put out by Nissan many years back on similar vehicles. "an open circuit in the alternator can occur during wire fatigue caused by movement of the rotor coil during rapid changes in engine speed in vehicles equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Higher engine compartment temperature in the Murano compared to other Nissan models May also be a contributing factor to the wire fatigue. When an open circuit occurs in the alternator, the charge warning and brake warning lamps come on. If a driver does not seek repair of the vehicle immediately as instructed in the owners manual and continues to drive the vehicle in this condition, the vehicle will operate normally for about one hour. …
All occurrences took place when vehicle was stationary. I bought the vehicle less than two weeks ago, used, from the previous owner who had it for nine years. She supposedly kept up with all the maintenance and appears to have taken real good care of it. Everything was fine until about three days ago when on a couple of occasions I parked and locked the vehicle and came back hours later to discover the front windows were down about 3 inches...weird. So when I got to work this morning I engaged the window lock button. Then this afternoon I came out after work to discover the windows were both all the way down. I drove home and parked in the garage and rolled up the windows and left the key in the console. An hour later, got ready to leave and the windows were back down, and doors were locked. I reached in and unlocked the door, and when I opened it the alarm went off! …
August 18, 2018 bout 9:50 pm, after passing threw new albany on my way back to memphis after leaving starkville, ms. When it felt like my Nissan Murano was losing power on highway 78 with one vehicle in left lane bout car length behind and another bout three car length behind me in the right lane. I pulled off on right side of the road bout 100 yards from exit to glenfield and oxford, ms. The vehicle would only move about 5 or 7 miles hour allowing me to make it to glenfield/ oxford turnoff then just stopped would not move any farther. Cutting on the hazardous blinkers was draining the battery power. A lady stopped and gave me a bus off but battery died shortly after she left. Being on the other side of new albany I could only text allowing me to text my son who was on his way from starkville after he got off work at 10:30 pm. …
My vehicle was in motion on the highway going about 50mph, when suddenly traffic came to a halt, when I pushed on the accelerator, there seem to be loss power and acceleration which is very dangerous, I had my 3 kids and grandchild in the vehicle with me. As I pushed the accelerator to the floor nothing happened the car wouldn't move, good thing a semi-truck wasn't behind me, we all would have been dead. This is scared me and my family. After waiting about 2 or more minutes the car junked and lunged at a high speed I could have ran into the back of another vehicle. This is beginning to happen more frequent now maybe 3-4 days or more out the week. Stalling and loss of power (no response) while in traffic; is in deed a big factor to have this matter looked into. I've seen numerous complaints regarding the same incident my family and I experienced. …
The front passenger side window would go down when I tried to close the window. The remote quit working, replaced the battery in the remote, did not solve the problem. Drove about 75 miles. Parked & shut off the car & took the keys out of the ignition, locked the car manually, closed the doors, the driver side & passenger side windows rolled down. Unlocked the driver side door with the key, the alarm went off. Could not get the alarm to go off, since the remote does not work. It stopped all by itself about 1 minute later. Rolled the windows back up & closed the door & windows rolled down again. The alarm went off again. I had to disconnect the +battery cable to get it to stop. I reconnected the battery cable & the alarm started going off again. I had to lock the drivers side door, reconnect the +battery cable & unlock the drivers side door with the key. …
My 2004 Murano had a lot of stalling and stopping, problems with accelerating the car. It stop on multiple occasions. Fluid leaking, from engine and fuel tank, and steering column. Power steering is rigid,and locks, and car stops when turning.the windows went up and down uncontrollable. Power control panel , did not function. Nissan insisted that vehicle is old. I think the car is possessed. All of theses things occurred while I was in motion driving the car on highway, the roads, stationery, and especially turning, and trying to accelerate the car, and it would then completely turn off, Nissan refuses to acknowledge any thing is wrong. They stated what do you expect after buying a car this old. I just want to make sure my car is safe by your standards not theirs. …
Related recalls
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 investigations
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…
Electrical complaints in other Murano years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Nissan Murano?
NHTSA has 110 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Nissan Murano, 16% of the model year's 678 complaints. The component named most often is alternator/generator/regulator (48 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Nissan Murano electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-319 (alternator/generator/regulator, Jul 14, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Murano electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 3 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.