NHTSA Complaint #11299794 — 2013 NISSAN MURANO

ON AUGUST 3, 2019 MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING OUR 2013 MURANO ON A TWO-LANE STATE HIGHWAY (COLORADO 133) BETWEEN REDSTONE AND MARBLE WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING, LEAVING THE ENGINE RUNNING NORMALLY. IT WAS LIKE THE CAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. WE WERE THEN COASTING ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE WE LOOKED FOR A SAFE PLACE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD OUT OF THE LANE OF TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY THE CAR FOLLOWING US WAS NOT TOO CLOSE TO BE ENDANGERED BY OUR LOWER SPEED. THIS WAS A DANGEROUS CONDITION. THE ODOMETER READ 87,861 MILES. WE HAD OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS AT THAT POINT AND HAD DRIVEN IT IN A NORMAL FASHION. WE HAD NOT TOWED ANYTHING NOR DRIVEN OFF ROAD OR EXPOSED THE CAR TO ANY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. ULTIMATELY THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER, LOCATED IN GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO, 121 MILES AWAY, TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. AT THAT TIME WE LEARNED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE CVT MODEL USING BELTS AND NOT GEARS. THE DEALER TOLD US THE BELTS HAD SHREDDED INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. THE NORMAL 50,000 MILE WARRANTY HAD PASSED, SO WE WERE FACED WITH REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AT OUR OWN EXPENSE, APPROXIMATELY $4,000. WE THINK THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE WHEN WE HEAR OF CARS GOING INTO THE UPPER 100,000'S AND EVEN 200,000 MILES ON THE SAME TRANSMISSION. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT NISSAN HAD PROBLEMS WITH EARLIER CVT-EQUIPPED CARS AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES, BUT THE 2013 MODEL YEAR HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH FAILURES TO JUSTIFY INCREASING THE WARRANTY PERIOD. BASICALLY, WE THINK 87,861 MILES IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE LIFE OF A TRANSMISSION. WE HOPE NISSAN WILL COMPENSATE US FOR OUR EXPENSES.