2018 Nissan Murano Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the front radar system: a message saying the radar is obstructed appears even with nothing in front of the car, which disables adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, and in some cases the vehicle brakes or slows on its own. Sunroof glass shattering on the highway and doors unlocking by themselves with occasional electrical dropouts are the other repeated themes. Many of these complaints were filed at low mileage, often within the first year of ownership.

1. 1
   Forward collision avoidance

   Front radar 'unavailable — obstruction' warning

   • 33 complaints (29%)
   • median 18,500 mi at 2.0 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2022

   Drivers describe a chime and a dash message such as "front radar unavailable due to obstruction" appearing repeatedly even though nothing is blocking the sensor. While the message is shown, adaptive cruise control drops out and automatic emergency braking is disabled; some owners say cruise control cannot be re-engaged for several minutes. Complaints mention dealers cleaning or replacing the radar/distance sensor unit, "desensitizing" the radar, or telling owners the behavior was normal or that no fix was available. Mostly reported between a few hundred and about 25,000 miles, though some appear near 40,000-50,000 miles; often at highway speeds and in clear weather.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any radar or distance sensor unit has been replaced and whether the related service bulletin was applied. During a test drive, set the cruise control on a highway and watch for the obstruction message or the system switching off.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Warning comes on unavailable front radar , happens no matter what the outside conditions. Disables the cruise control. Sometimes I can recycle and the cruise will start to work again and sometimes I have to wait several minutes to be able to reactivate. Automatic braking is also disabled during this time. Happens at any speed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11268254, filed 2019-10, 35,007 miles

   “I own a 2018 Nissan Murano sl. There is a front senor issue that I have been experiencing ever since I purchased the vehicle, in november 12, 2019. Every time I drive it, without fail. Seemingly random, I get an error message: front radar obstructed warning appears on panel. The collision warning system inactive icon light comes on. After a few minutes, the warning message goes off; the collision warning system light goes off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11311585, filed 2020-02, 40,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Unexpected automatic braking or deceleration

   • 26 complaints (23%)
   • median 19,000 mi at 2.0 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2023

   Several complaints describe the car braking hard on its own or slowing abruptly with nothing in front of it, sometimes with an audible alert, and a few describe the emergency braking warning light flashing repeatedly for no apparent reason. Others report the cruise control cutting out and the vehicle decelerating unexpectedly in traffic. Owners who raised it with dealers were often told the system could not be duplicated or were quoted a repair cost for the sensor unit. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 45,000 miles, at both low parking-lot speeds and highway speeds.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask if the automatic emergency braking warning light has ever blinked or if the brakes have engaged without an obstacle. Confirm whether the radar-related bulletins were applied and get any sensor replacement documented.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car brakes hard all the sudden, almost cause me a accident, I clean the sensor thinking it qas dirt is doing the same thing. Also when that happens the center screen goes off I lose the radio. I have to turn off the car and on again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11291659, filed 2019-12, 6,000 miles

   “While driving with cruise control set at 80, I passed a vehicle and as I began to return to the driving lane from the passing lane, the control panel beeped and a warning front radar unavailable due to obstruction appeared and the vehicle immediately decelerated drastically and the cruise control was disengaged and disabled. I had to react quickly to avoid a rear collision by accelerating rapidly. There were no vehicles in front of me or on either side.the cruise was disabled for about 4-5 minutes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11325386, filed 2020-05, 36,000 miles
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Sunroof glass shatters while driving

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • median 14,156 mi at 2.4 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2025

   Owners report a loud bang followed by the sunroof glass breaking and glass falling into the cabin, usually while driving at highway speed with no overpass, debris or impact involved. Several say the failure happened without warning and left them with a large opening in the roof; complaints do not describe a consistent dealer resolution. Reported from roughly 4,500 to about 52,000 miles, most under 20,000 miles, typically at highway speed in clear weather.

   What to check: Look closely at the sunroof glass and its surround for chips, stress marks or previous replacement, and ask whether the panel has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving along approximately 5 MPH along a city street approaching a traffic light ready to stop, I heard this really loud noise sounding like a gunshot or similar loud noise. The sunroof was closed, however, it exploded the front sliding glass of the sunroof, and I was very surprised. At first I had no idea what h ad taken place, I then heard loud air noises coming in the car. I checked to make sure all the doors and windows were closed tightly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11217507, filed 2019-06, 4,600 miles

   “I was driving around 50 miles an hour, heard a small pop sound then my sunroof exploded. Glass rained down on me causing me to swerve and almost wreck. I was on the highway at the time with no vehicle in front of me.”

   NHTSA complaint #11218626, filed 2019-06, 18,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Doors unlock and electrical dropouts

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • median 4,500 mi at 2.8 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2025

   Complaints describe all four doors unlocking by themselves while driving, often in turns, with a door-ajar message and chime. Others report the vehicle going completely dark for a few minutes with the ignition unresponsive and doors locked, or the centre display and rearview camera image jumping or going black while driving. Owners say dealers either could not reproduce the problem or could not identify a cause. Spread from about 3,000 to roughly 50,000 miles, with several reports under 20,000 miles.

   Recall 19V6540003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the backup camera image is steady when reversing and that door locks behave during turns. Ask whether the vehicle has had the backup camera recall work or any infotainment software update performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “About 2 months ago, the display window showing audio selections, rearview camera, navigation, etc. Began rapidly jumping back and forth from screen to screen. Nothing I did, affected it, thus I wasn't able to change channels or get full view when backing up. When in reverse, 2 lines of text were displayed, blocking the camera view. One said, display settings , but when I pressed it, nothing happened. Upon starting the car, the time varies as to when the irregularities begin. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11387111, filed 2021-01, 52,000 miles

   “This morning at about 0630 am while parked in my driveway,my car went totally dark. All lights went off,ignition switch was inoperative, doors locked and could not be open. As I was calling my wife to bring spare key to unlock doors because I was trapped in vehicle, all lights return and was able to exit vehicle. The time for lights to return was about 3 to 4 minutes. Consumer stated vehicle was taken to the dealer but could not find any issues. Vehicle has not been repaired and is recurring continuously.”

   NHTSA complaint #11338973, filed 2020-07, 36,200 miles

Buying note. Most of what owners write about here centres on the front radar and driver-assistance systems rather than the powertrain, so verify on a test drive that cruise control and the warning lights behave normally and ask for any related bulletin work to be documented. Check the sunroof glass and the door locks and backup camera carefully, and get a pre-purchase inspection that includes a scan for stored radar and body control codes.

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.