Nissan Murano Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

7,436 NHTSA complaints (2003–2026).Complaint rate: 60.5 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.

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Should I buy a Nissan Murano?

Quick answer from 7,436 NHTSA complaints · 2003–2026

Nissan Murano reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is seat-related issues. Pick the right year and this Murano can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.

Best years to buy
Years to avoid
Most common Nissan Murano problem: Seat-Related Issues1,306 complaints (0.5% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Why these years are worse

The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:

  • seat-related issues1,306 complaints (0.5% involved a crash)
  • transmission / drivetrain595 complaints (2.4% involved a crash)
  • electrical faults525 complaints (1.9% involved a crash)
  • visibility484 complaints (0.6% involved a crash)
  • brakes478 complaints (6.5% involved a crash)
Severity Score
86.6
Complaints
7,436
US Units Sold
1,228,122
Crash Rate
2.8%
Fire Rate
0.8%
Injuries
215
Fatalities
3

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".

Bottom line: Avoid the 2003–2007 Nissan Murano (83 crash-related complaints). The 2008 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Seats.

Avoid These Years

2003–2007
77.5 complaints per 10K sold · 83 crashes
232,174 total units sold
2009–2011
76.3 complaints per 10K sold · 55 crashes
160,171 total units sold
2014–2015
38.5 complaints per 10K sold · 22 crashes
110,208 total units sold

Average

2012–2013
24.7 complaints per 10K sold
101,404 total units sold
2016–2018
18.9 complaints per 10K sold
247,232 total units sold

Better Years

2008
1.0 complaints per 10K sold
71,401 units sold
2019–2023
5.4 complaints per 10K sold
233,944 total units sold

Too New

2024–2026
36 complaints so far
71,588 total units sold

Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.

Looking at a specific Nissan Murano?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold

Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales

Show raw complaint counts

Common Nissan Murano Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Seat-Related Issues1,3060.5%
Transmission / Drivetrain5952.4%
Electrical Faults5251.9%
Visibility4840.6%
Brakes4786.5%
Engine Problems3191.6%
Airbags31513.7%
Automatic Transmission2490.0%
Unintended Acceleration2245.8%
Latches / Locks2170.5%

When Each Problem Spiked

Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.

Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (7,436 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 92% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 1,228,122.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Nissan Muranoaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Nissan Murano?

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