2004 Nissan Murano problems & reliability
678 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Murano, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
18 complaints report injuries (23 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Nissan Murano vehicles were involved in 23 fatal crashes with 18 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 143 | 21% |
| Visibility | 124 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 110 | 16% |
| Seats | 94 | 14% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 48 | 7% |
| Engine | 44 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 38 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 35 | 5% |
| Structure | 29 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 29 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 73,000 miles (middle 50% between 45,000 and 106,849 miles), based on 559 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Driver seat front left side has a rocking motion to it. I’ve read a lot of others have found this issue was supposed to be fixed from 2003-2004 and the parts have been updated to address the issue. I am worried my seat movement will create an unsafe driving condition.”
Seats · filed Oct 24, 2024
“Rear subframe where it connects to shock mounts is completely rusted through at both sides of the car. Causes the tops of the wheels to bow in and is undrivable”
Suspension · filed Aug 10, 2024
“The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted on the first attempt occasionally; however, several…”
Engine · filed Jan 3, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- DRIVER SEAT ANCHOR FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE08065 · opened Nov 18, 2008 · closed Jul 2, 2009
- FUEL TANK PUNCTURES FROM ROAD DEBRIS
Preliminary Evaluation PE05050 · opened Sep 13, 2005 · closed Jan 31, 2006 · led to recall 06V003000
- ALTERNATOR FAILURE / ENGINE STALLING
Engineering Analysis EA05006 · opened Mar 25, 2005 · closed Aug 17, 2005 · led to recall 05V319000
- ALTERNATOR FAILURE/ ENGINE STALLING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04077 · opened Nov 19, 2004 · closed Mar 25, 2005
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Murano. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or…
NTB23-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These…
NTB23-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 27, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Nissan Murano has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Nissan Murano?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 73,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.