Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Nissan Murano problems

Owners filed 135 complaints about the 2012 Nissan Murano with NHTSA between Aug 2012 and Aug 2026. The most-cited component is power train (30).

Complaints
135
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train30
  2. Air bags26
  3. Electrical system13
  4. Engine13
  5. Service brakes12
  6. Visibility10
  7. Visibility/wiper10
  8. Structure6
  9. Suspension5
  10. Steering5
  11. Fuel/propulsion system4
  12. Seats3
  13. Wheels2
  14. Equipment2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20123
20135
201411
20157
201610
201715
201821
201919
202013
20213
202211
20237
20243
20254
20263

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

30 reports2 crashes
“This car I purchased two months ago has the Cvt transmission in it and has proven unsafe for regular traffic let alone highway driving. It randomly “lurches” , has a loss of power and hesitates when accelerating or lane changing .”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 25, 2023Power train, Unknown or otherODI 11534342

Air bags

26 reports2 crashes
“I purchased 2012 Nissan Murano in Jul 2012. Recently the Airbag light is on and keeps flashing when start the car. It happened since 6 months ago. I sent my car to the local Nissan Dealer, they charged me $149 diagnostic fee + $1500 to replace the Airbag DIAG unit under the center console. After the replacement, the airbag light is still on and flashing. My car cannot pass the annual inspection because of the airbag light. It's a big safety concern. The dealer told me I need to get the passenger seat bottom sensor replaced, the pars has been discontinued. I am very surprised the airbag is related safety issue, Why Nissan discontinued the parts? And I google this issue, many Nissan car owners have the same airbag light issue. This is the most common issue and related to the customer safety. Nissan should recall it. I paid more than $1500 dollar, cannot get my problem fixed. It's unacceptable!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 15, 2024Air bagsODI 11583188

Electrical system

13 reports
“The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the contact and the front seat passenger attempted to exit the vehicle, but all the doors failed to unlock. Additionally, the steering wheel was locked upside down. The contact stated that the engine started to overheat, and the front seat passenger had a panic attack. The contact called 911. The Fire Department arrived but was unable to forcefully open the doors. The Fire Department broke the rear passenger's side window and was able to unlock the doors. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the main fuse box was blown and melted. The mechanic determined that the Intelligent Power Distribution Module (IPDM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred the following morning. The contact was able to open and enter the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was able to restart. The dealer determined that a fuse in the steering column might have been blown. The dealer informed the contact that…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 4, 2026Electrical systemODI 11742137

Engine

13 reports1 fire
“POWER LOSS ON TAKE OFF. ISSUE HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR OVER A YEAR AND IS INTERMITTENT. WHEN STARTING OFF FROM A STOPPED POSITION, IE STOP SIGN, RED LIGHT, OR HIGHWAY ONRAMP, THE VEHICLE WILL ENGAGE, BUT IMMEDIATELY LOOSE ACCELERATION. THE GAS PEDDLE CAN BE FULLY PRESSED, WITH NO REACTION. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE POWER GETS RESTORED AND VEHICLE TAKES OFF AS IF ENGAGING A JET BOOSTER. A VISIT AND DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AT A NISSAN DEALER, DID NOT REVEAL AND FAULTS OR CODES, AND ISSUE COULD NOT BE RECREATED. THIS ISSUES IS RANDOM, AND BASED ON A NISSAN OWNER FORUM, I LEARNED IT HAS PLAGUED THE MURANO AND IS LEXIS COUNTER PART FOR DIFFERENT MODEL YEARS. NO FORUM ENTRIES AS TO KNOWN CAUSE OR CORRECTIVE FINDINGS BY THE DEALERSHIPS OR MECHANICS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 16, 2020Unknown or other, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11374892

Service brakes

12 reports
“Could be an issue with ABS component. Car driving normally then when attempting to brake car slows but does not stop and driver needs to almost pin brake to floor to fully stop car. Car braking not acting as normal potentially putting driver at risk. No warning message. Car was brought to independent mechanic and they replaced rotors, pads and did system flush. Reason for report is in researching this issue I noticed there was a 2009 recall for the Murano with a similar issue. Not sure if this is just a part that is worn due to service or something similar to the 2009 issue. Issue happened again after the service described above but seems to de driving normally at this time.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 9, 2022Service brakesODI 11446761

Visibility

10 reports
“Driver sunroof exploded while driving. Nothing impacted the glass to my knowledge. Occurred on 1/21/23, 54xxx miles on the vehicle, no previous accidents. Gloomy day approx 30F, heat on and drivers window opened about an inch. No injuries.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 23, 2023Unknown or other, VisibilityODI 11503122
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.