2017 Nissan Murano Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the front radar system dropping out and taking cruise control and automatic emergency braking with it, and about the panoramic moonroof glass shattering without an impact. Transmission hesitation when pulling away or accelerating and, on higher-mileage vehicles, no-start or stalling complaints also come up, with many reports filed under 30,000 miles.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Front radar drops out, disabling cruise and AEB

   • 28 complaints (26%)
   • median 25,000 mi at 2.6 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe a "front radar unavailable due to obstruction" message appearing while driving, often with a beep, after which adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking stop working. Some owners report the car slowing noticeably when the system cuts out, and that it resets on its own after several minutes or a restart. Several say the radar unit was replaced once and the problem returned; others were told by dealers that no fix or part was available, or that nothing could be done without a recall. Mostly reported between roughly 12,000 and 40,000 miles, in all weather and at highway or city speeds.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car on the highway with cruise engaged and confirm the radar and forward-braking systems stay active; ask the dealer whether the radar unit has been replaced and whether the related service bulletins were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Front radar obstruction warning comes on and and cruise will turn off and vehicle will start quickly slowing down. This happens in both city and highway driving. After about 5 to 10 minutes the warning light goes off and I can reset the cruise. I believe this is a safety issue and brought it to the attention of the dealer but they said there was nothing they can do unless there is a recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11375424, filed 2020-11, 50,000 miles

   “I purchased a new 2017 Nissan Murano a couple of years ago. After 6 months of ownership, while in motion on any road or highway my car will beep and show front radar unavailable due to obstruction . It then turns off my ability to have cruise control and removes aeb and feb features. After researching this issue, it looks like several Nissan owners have had the same issue because of a faulty radar. Nissan replaced the radar once but that radar is now bad too. The aeb, feb, and cruise control will not work in my car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11245875, filed 2019-08, 70,000 miles
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Panoramic moonroof glass shatters

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • median 17,360 mi at 2.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2023

   Owners describe a loud bang like a gunshot from the roof, then finding the movable glass panel cracked or shattered with glass falling into the cabin. Most say nothing struck the vehicle and there was no overpass or traffic overhead, and in some cases the remaining glass was bowed outward. Dealers reportedly attributed it to a rock strike in some cases, and owners generally paid for the repair through insurance. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 50,000 miles, on highways and city roads, in both cold and warm weather.

   What to check: Inspect the moonroof glass closely for chips, cracks or previous replacement, and ask whether the panel has ever been replaced; check the cabin and headliner for signs of water entry after a break.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving down an open paved county road, driving straight at around 60 mpg. No cars in sight, no trees or building near the road and we heard what sounded like a gunshot inside the vehicle. We looked around and couldn't tell what happened. I looked up and there was a hole in the center of the moonroof then glass started falling. My kids in the backseat had more glass than the front. The glass that was remaining was curved up which seamed strange because no one touched the roof. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11203592, filed 2019-04, 17,362 miles

   “I have a 2017 Nissan Murano. I was driving on a highway at approximately 12 in the afternoon when we heard a loud explosion on the roof of the car. The sunroof glass and headliner were both closed. I slightly opened the headliner and could see the glass was shattered. I immediately pulled over on the side of the highway and looked on top of the car to find the front section of the panoramic sunroof had completely exploded and was shatter. The glass was actually protruding upward so it was obvious nothing had falling from the sky on top of it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11104544, filed 2018-06, 37,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   CVT hesitation and delayed acceleration

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine revving while the car does not pick up speed, most often when pulling out of a turn, from a rolling stop, or when accelerating to pass. Some also note a thunk or whine when shifting between gears, and a few owners say a high-pitched squeal appears under acceleration. Dealers often could not reproduce the problem or found no stored codes, and in some cases a software update was performed without resolving it. Mostly reported under about 20,000 miles, during low-speed pull-away and highway passing maneuvers.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the car from a stop and from a rolling start, and during a highway lane change under acceleration, listening for whine or thunk; ask whether any CVT calibration updates or warranty extension work have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car hesitates when pulling out into traffic! If I come to a rolling stop or a full stop and try to pull out, the car seems like iy may die but eventually kicks in, but seconds could mean a collision. My husband says he does not experience this and its my driving, but my daughter has had ths happen also and I have others witness this also. This is an ongoing problem, makes me afraid of driving my new car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11376423, filed 2020-11, 2,000 miles

   “In 9000 miles, I've had this occur 3 times. Immediately after turning - straightening out, acceleration will not kick in. I see the rpms going up as I am hitting the gas, but the vehicle is not getting any power to the wheels - I was actually slowing down from my turn inertia. I had my car up to 5000 rpms, but I was still only going ~25-35 MPH. Very dangerous if I pull into traffic. I had my vehicle looked at by the dealership, however since there were no codes, they could not find anything wrong. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11084328, filed 2018-04, 3,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   No-start, stalling and electrical faults

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • median 44,600 mi at 3.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2025

   Owners report the vehicle sometimes refusing to start, or shutting off while driving and not restarting, including one case at highway speed. Complaints describe dealer diagnosis of electrical faults with replacement of modules and battery or alternator components, and in some cases the problem returned after repair. A few reports mention several warning lights coming on together intermittently. Reported from roughly 19,000 up to about 104,000 miles, both at start-up and while driving.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the car several times from cold, watch for warning lights staying on, and ask for any service records showing module, battery, alternator or key-related repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Murano starts sometimes, and sometimes it won't start at all.Nissan diagnostic was eletrical issues, they changed the ipdm, changed the eletrical dashboard, it worked for 11/2 weeks, and won't start again. This car is less than 50,000 miles. Apparently Nissan can't fix this problem. I'm desperate for help, cause I'm still paying for this car. It's currently in my garage, it has stopped me three times on the road, and twice, in my garage couldn't start”

   NHTSA complaint #11269491, filed 2019-10, 49,200 miles

   “On january 22, 2020 around 5:30 am I discovered that my backup camera was not functioning. I turned my car off and on at least three times to try and get it to work but that did not resolve the issue. The backup camera is showing the red, green and yellow guide lines but the screen is black. It is not returning any images from behind the vehicle. The vehicle was at home in a parking spot when this occurred. One week later to today, january 28,2020, the backup camera is still not functioning properly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11302433, filed 2020-01, 36,099 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes to floor, airbags not deploying

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • median 28,200 mi at 2.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2025

   A small number of owners describe pressing the brake pedal and it going to the floor with the vehicle failing to stop, in two cases resulting in a collision where the airbags did not deploy. One owner links the experience to the ABS actuator recall and notes their vehicle was not covered. Others report the automatic emergency braking system applying the brakes or warning with nothing ahead, and ABS, traction and crash-sensor lights coming on together. Reported between roughly 14,000 and 50,000 miles, during normal braking in traffic.

   Recall 19V807000Recall 18V6010002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ABS actuator recalls (18V601 and 19V807) were completed on this vehicle, and have a mechanic check pedal feel and the ABS warning light at start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Anti lock brake pump can leak break fluid onto circuit board causing an electrical short and cause a fire risk. Nissan recommends parking vehicles (in my case a Murano platinum 2017) outside. If drivers see anti-lock brake warning for more than 10 sec after engine start, do not drive vehicle. Problem- my car VIN did not come up on the recall so I never received the warning. I experienced an electrical fire under hood (passenger side) when car was off and parked inside my garage. We happen to be home and smell smoke. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11193179, filed 2019-04, 19,600 miles

   “The forward emergency braking is getting false triggers and disables itself after such incident. Many times triggers without anything in front of vehicle. Has also applied brakes on one occasion when there was no vehicle or pedestrian in front of vehicle. The feb sensor was updated in 2019 with a new part that does not send false triggers. This is a common problem with muranos from 2015-2018. This safety feature is one of the reasons we bought this car and now that feature is not reliable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361987, filed 2020-09, 250,000 miles

Buying note. Check that the ABS actuator recalls and any radar or CVT service bulletins were applied, then test the cruise and forward-braking systems on the highway and the transmission from a stop. A pre-purchase inspection that reads stored codes is worthwhile, given how often owners were told nothing could be found.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.