2011 Nissan Murano Problems and Recalls (148 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2011 Nissan Murano is Brakes (25% of 148 owner reports). There are 0 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Brakes — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 148 complaints · 0 recalls

What problems show up on the 2011 Nissan Murano?

37 of 148 filings named Brakes (25% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Transmission / driveline (35 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2010 has 188 reports on file; this year has 148. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2011 Nissan Murano

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov even if this page lists none.
  2. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  3. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  4. Glass / wipers / cameras. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Brakes. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Brakes 37 complaints · 25.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 7
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) appears in 37 of 148 owner complaints (25.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 37 complaints, 25.0% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 37 · 25.0% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 35 complaints, 23.7% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 35 · 23.7% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 11 complaints, 7.4% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 11 · 7.4% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 9 complaints, 6.1% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 9 · 6.1% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 8 complaints, 5.4% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 4 crash reports 8 · 5.4% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 5 complaints, 3.4% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 5 · 3.4% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 4 complaints, 2.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 crash reports 4 · 2.7% Engine (ENGINE): 4 complaints, 2.7% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 crash reports 4 · 2.7% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 4 complaints, 2.7% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 4 · 2.7% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 46 complaints, 31.1% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 46 · 31.1% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 37 25.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 35 23.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 11 7.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 9 6.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 8 5.4% 4 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 5 3.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 4 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 4 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 4 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 46 31.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2011. 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2019-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2020-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2011 Apr 2026
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 4
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 6
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 6
2018-Q2 Owner reports 4
2018-Q3 Owner reports 9
2018-Q4 Owner reports 6
2019-Q1 Owner reports 3
2019-Q2 Owner reports 8
2019-Q3 Owner reports 6
2019-Q4 Owner reports 9
2020-Q1 Owner reports 6
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 4
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 4
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 4
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 3
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (0)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

No safety recalls are on file for this model year in this snapshot.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 5 of 148 complaints · page 1 of 6
2026-06-15Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11744092
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I had a frontal crash in which I had a neck sprain and severe head injury due to the airbags not deploying
2026-04-02Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11728892
CrashFireInjuryDeath
In July 2023, at 55,496 miles on the odometer, the original CVT transmission failed and was replaced at Port City Nissan (120 Spaulding Tpke N, Portsmouth, NH 03801), an authorized Nissan dealership, with a Nissan-supplied rebuilt CVT transmission at a cost of approximately $7,000. The rebuilt transmission was warranted for one year. Approximately 2.5 years and only 26,500 miles after installation, the rebuilt CVT transmission has failed again at approximately 82,000 miles. CVT transmission failure while driving presents a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle may lose power unexpectedly, particularly dangerous at highway speeds, during merges, or in intersections. Pattern of Defect: Nissan’s CVT transmissions have been the subject of widespread consumer complaints and multiple class action lawsuits across various model years. Significantly, Nissan recently updated its warranty on rebuilt CVT transmissions from one year to three years with unlimited mileage for replacements performed after July 2024. This warranty extension strongly suggests Nissan is aware of systemic premature failures in its rebuilt CVT units. The failure of a rebuilt transmission at only 26,500 miles indicates a fundamental quality control or design deficiency in the rebuilt units Nissan is supplying to dealerships. Safety Concern: Sudden CVT failure causes immediate loss of propulsion and can result in loss of vehicle control. This is particularly hazardous on highways, in heavy traffic, and during adverse weather conditions. Given the pattern of premature failure in Nissan’s rebuilt CVT units, I believe this constitutes a safety defect affecting a population of vehicles and warrants investigation. I request that NHTSA investigate Nissan’s rebuilt CVT transmission program and the adequacy of Nissan’s response to known premature failures.
2025-11-17Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11699814
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The passenger airbag warning light illuminated and remains on. A Nissan dealer diagnosed the issue as a failure of the Occupant Classification System sensor in the passenger seat. This causes the airbag system to be disabled and could prevent deployment in a crash. I was informed that my 2011 Murano is not included in Nissan’s previous airbag/OCS recalls (such as 16V244), even thought the symptoms appear identical. Repair requires replacement or reprogramming of the seat/OCS components and is very expensive ($2000-$7000). This is a critical safety issue because the passenger airbag may not function at all. Based on similar complaints from other 2011 Murano owners, this my represent a widespread defect that warrants investigation and a recall. Safety needs to be a priority. We were originally told to reset the light by a series of steps involving turning the car on and off. The process worked on a previous incident but now the light remains solid red and reset does not work.
2024-08-22Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11610293
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Hi i see this vehicle had a recall campaign previously under notice P1261/NTB12-003/NTB14-076. This campaign includes the replacement of the links and other items under this campaign. This vehicle is a convertible and the top frame is once again damaged due to the same recall for links. I recently took the vehicle to Lorenzo Nissan as the top is not working. They advised the frame links are bound, and the frame needs to be replaced. As this was covered under previous recall, the recall is obviously not adequate.
2024-04-23Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11584830
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Dashboard light started flashing indicating airbag error. Light indicating passenger airbag inoperative on center stack illuminated. Dealership indicated error code B1018 per ESM diagnostic procedure and recommended replacing entire passenger side seat cushion and retesting. Uncertain if passenger side airbag sensor will prevent driver's airbag from deploying in accident.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2011 Nissan Murano?

Owners named Brakes most often — 37 of 148 reports (25%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2011 Nissan Murano?

NHTSA lists 0 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2011 Nissan Murano?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources