NHTSA Complaint #10669514 — 2003 NISSAN MURANO

COMING OFF EXIT RAMP, STOPPED AND TURNED LEFT, WAS GOING AROUND 25 MPH WHEN THE CAR SURGED FORWARD, ACCELERATED, RPM SHOT UP. I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES AND PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. THE CAR THEN SLOWED AND BEGAN DRIVING NORMALLY. A WEEK LATER, MY WIFE AND I WERE ON THE INTERSTATE GOING AROUND 60 MPH WHEN THE CAR SLOWED DOWN AS THOUGH IT WAS PUT INTO A LOW GEAR. WE COULD ONLY GET IT TO GO NO MORE THAT 35 MPH. WE PULLED OFF ON THE SHOULDER AND PARKED. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. HAD TO TOW IT. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE GOING AROUND 65 WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS BEFORE, IT WENT INTO A LOWER GEAR, LOWERING MY SPEED TO AROUND 30 MPH WHICH CAUSED ME TO ALMOST GET HIT FROM BEHIND. HAD IT BEEN A LARGE TRUCK IT MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE HIT ME. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND PULLED OFF TO THE SHOULDER. WHEN I PULLED OUT AGAIN, IT DROVE AT A NORMAL RATE OF SPEED. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY CLAIMED THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF COMPLAINTS FROM MURANO OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS AND STATING THAT LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIPS CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND IF THEY DO ANYTHING, THEY CHANGE OUT THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST TO THE OWNER. I JUST PURCHASED MY MURANO A FEW MONTHS AGO IN SEPTEMBER OF 2014 FROM A SMALL LOT. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. TWICE WE COULD HAVE VERY EASILY BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND. SINCE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE FIRST 2003 MURANOS, I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD ORDER A RECALL AND FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. *JS