How Many Miles Can A Nissan Murano Last? (+Reliability Scores)

How many miles can a Nissan Murano last? When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Murano, that’s a very reasonable question. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at this question in great detail but first, let’s start with a quick answer:

On average, a Nissan Murano lasts between 180.000 – 210.000 miles. A Murano needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.51 times per year, with a 14% chance of severe problems. Furthermore, Murano owners spend an average of $507 per year on repair costs.

Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll explain in more detail how many miles a Nissan Murano can last. After that, we’ll also show you how much a Murano costs annually and which production years are the most and least expensive. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that the car can have. Read on!

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How Many Miles Can A Nissan Murano Last?

To know how many miles a Nissan Murano lasts, we have conducted some serious research, gone through the database of Autotrader.com to retrieve factual data, and compiled all of the research.

Our research showed that out of 7.188 Maximas for sale on autotrader.com, 4.17% had crossed the 150k mile mark. This is a good number, given that, after analyzing more than 100+ models on this blog, we expect a percentage between 3 – 5%. The Murano ends up in the middle of this range which is a good initial signal that the Murano lives up to its expectations.

Amount Of Miles	Percentage Of Cars
Cars With 150.000+	4.17%
Cars With 100.000 – 149.000	10.57%
Cars With 45.000 – 99.999	31.62%
Cars With 0 – 44.999	53.64%

It turns out that the Murano performs well on our first reliability test, but we have many more to ensure that this vehicle is reliable or not. For example, it’s also essential to compare the Murano to its competitors and other Nissans to better understand how many miles this car can last. Let’s continue.

How Reliable Is A Nissan Murano Compared To Its Competitors?

We also have to compare the Murano to its rivals to understand how this vehicle performs. In the table below, we’ve recorded the expected and highest mileage of several sedans available on the North-American market. Keep in mind, for almost all these vehicles, we’ve written a separate article, so we’re confident about the results of this table.

What we see in the table below is that the Murano is the worst performing vehicle in its category. This is because the Murano competes in the SUV category, and there’re some incredibly reliable vehicles here. However, it does seem the Murano performs quite poorly.

That’s because we couldn’t find many with high mileage (most of them topped at 230.000 miles). This is a significant contrast compared to most other SUVs that have many models that cross the 300.000 miles mark. Furthermore, it’s not like the Muranos haven’t had time to reach higher mileage because the Murano has already been around since 2003.

Model	Sample Size	Expected Mileage	Highest Mileage
Nissan Murano	7.188	195.000	233.000
Buick Enclave	5.978	210.000	270.000
Chevy Traverse	10.876	240.000	360.000
Toyota Highlander	12.777	270.000	329.000
Ford Explorer	22.876	230.000	397.000
Honda Pilot	10.095	240.000	376.000
GMC Acadia	10.499	230.000	295.000
Chevy Blazer	1.891	210.000	260.000
Mitsubishi Outlander	1.550	210.000	250.000
Chevy Tahoe	11.515	240.000	340.000
Ford Expedition	4.642	250.000	290.000
GMC Yukon	6.311	215.000	280.000
Toyota Sequoia	1.243	275.000	380.000

But there’s more to it than that, although it certainly isn’t a good continuation of this article. Let’s see how reliable Nissan is as a brand first, then we’ll continue with different reliability aspects of the Murano to see where it truly is on the reliability spectrum.

How Reliable Is A Nissan Murano Compared To Other Nissans?

It’s essential to know how the Murano compares to its brand. This gives us an even better understanding of the performance of the Murano as well as an understanding of Nissan as a brand. However, when we look at the table below, we see that, out of all Nissans, the Murano performs second worst.

Only the Rogue is expected to achieve lower mileage. On the other hand, the Maxima, Titan, Altima, and Sentra all put up mileages that you would expect to see on reliable vehicles. Especially given that the Murano is an SUV, these numbers are pretty disappointing, making us wonder if there’s anything inherently wrong with the vehicle (more on that later).

Model	Sample Size	Expected Mileage	Highest Mileage
Nissan Murano	7.188	195.000	233.000
Nissan Maxima	3.932	245.000	288.000
Nissan 350Z	201	205.000	255.000
Nissan Titan	5.125	240.000	300.000
Nissan Sentra	10.446	225.000	230.000
Nissan Altima	17.769	240.000	280.000
Nissan Rogue	22.204	185.000	280.000

How Much Does Maintenance Cost Per Year?

It’s also good to know how much you will have to spend on your Murano other than the buying cost. This data will give you better know-how about how reliable it is compared to its competitors because those vehicles tend to be more reliable and have lower maintenance cost even at higher mileages.

Any vehicle can give you very high mileages, given that you spend a lot of dollars on maintenance and repairs. Still, we want a vehicle with low maintenance cost and goes very high up in the mileage category.

Model Year	Annual Maintenance Cost
2011	$598
2012	$600
2013	$594
2014	$518
2015	$403
2016	$323
2017	$318
2018	$395
2019	$383
2020	$314
2021	$271

On average, you would have to spend about $507 annually to maintain your Nissan Murano. This is slightly below average for the compact SUV category because, typically, you would need to spend $521. It means that the maintenance cost of a Nissan Murano isn’t that much. Now we have to see if the Muranos have some common issues that might hit your wallet.

Owners’ Reviews Of The Muranos Reliability

Besides knowing all the data, it’s, of course, also essential to see how owners experience the Murano. For this, we went to Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and Truecar.com. All three platforms have gathered hundreds of reviews from actual car owners. We summarized our findings in the image below.

The ratings above are the average scores on each platform for the third generation of the Nissan Murano (manufactured from 2016 onwards). What was surprising to see is that owners are raving about this generation of the Murano. Furthermore, all model years receive scores of 4 stars or higher, which is very good.

Looking through the reviews, we also see that many of the model years have positive reviews about many different aspects of the car. Some like the design, others the safety features, and others describe them as highly reliable. The general sentiment around the Murano is as follows:

I love my Nissan Murano. I had a 2015 Nissan Murano and loved it so much I traded it in and got the exact same car just a newer model. I drive a lot and put many miles a year on my car. I have never had any problems with my Nissan Murano. Just the usual maintenance like oil change, new tires, and brakes. The ride is comfortable, quiet, and roomy. I would recommend a Nissan Murano.

Source, 2022 owner

Nissan Murano Common Problems

It’s one of the most important things you must know, especially when you are hunting for your next possible ride in the used market. When you know about these common problems, you can better diagnose the vehicle, and people won’t be able to con you by selling you a crossover SUV full of problems. Want to know more about the Murano? Click here for the 17 most common problems of a Nissan Murano.

NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.

Third Generation (2015 – Present)

Long story short, the third generation of the Nissan Murano (especially the models manufactured from 2017 onwards) have almost zero problems. The website of the NHTSA indicates that each model year received less than 30 complaints which is extremely little in the car world.

However, the 2015 – 2016 model years did have some problems. The main one is that the CVT transmission used at the time was horrendous and would have fluid leaks, failing sensors, and a failing transmission pump or clutch. In other words, these vehicles would have transmission failure within 1-2 years of usage. Nissan issued several technical service bulletins for this.

Another problem was that the ABS was prone to failure due to fluid leaks or a malfunctioning actuator. Nissan issued a total of four recalls for these problems.

Second Generation (2009 – 2014)

The second generation of the Murano had a few more problems than the third generation. Especially the 2009 model was a disaster, whereas these problems were fixed between 2010 – 2013, although slowly.

The 2009 model had more than 250 official complaints about the brakes. Nissan did issue a recall for this, stating the following:

The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

Source

Another common problem in this model year was the illumination of the airbag warning light due to a faulty occupant classification control unit. This unit couldn’t detect whether a passenger was present or not, meaning it wouldn’t deploy in an accident. No recalls were issued, and owners had to solve this themselves.

Finally, the 2009 model year had a problem with the electrical system in which the car would shut down completely. This problem seemed to be caused by a faulty alternator; however, Nissan never fixed this issue, and owners had to keep on replacing alternators.

The problems mentioned above can also be found in later models of the Murano (although they occur less frequently). However, the problem that persisted throughout this generation was a leaking transfer case leading to complete transmission failure.

Is a Nissan Murano A Smart Buy?

We saw that the Nissan Murano doesn’t seem the best regarding potential mileage. At first, we thought this had to do with significant problems the car could have. However, the opposite seemed to be true. Owners are raving about the car and many model years are practically problem free.

If we look at the overall performance and give a final verdict based on all the test results, then it turns out that the Murano would be a good choice if it doesn’t have those common problems we have mentioned. Make sure that the one you are looking at doesn’t have any of the expensive-to-fix issues.

If you can find one with lower miles on it and it’s also well maintained, then go for it; another plus point, which is a negative point for the first owners, is that you can get it 10% cheaper because it depreciates more. These crossover SUVs are pretty reliable; they don’t have those transmission problems like some Chevys and Buicks have.

Check the vehicle thoroughly, go through all the electronics, and steer clear from the salvage titles.

Nissan Murano Maintenance Schedule

It’s essential to know how to maintain your Nissan Murano properly. If you have it regularly maintained, you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars on major repairs. So let’s dive into the maintenance schedule that your Murano needs.

Before/On Every 7,500 Miles

• Change the engine oil
• Change the oil filter

Usually, most manufacturers recommend changing the oil at 10k miles, but you should change that engine oil before that to maximize the performance and help keep your engine healthy.

Before/On Every 15,000 Miles

• Inspects the brake rotors
• Inspect the brake pads
• Check for any leaks
• Inspect the driveshaft boots to see if there is any grease leak or damage

Before/On Every 20,000 Miles

• Check the fuel hoses
• Relevel the rear axle oil
• Replace the air cleaner filter
• Check the transfer oil level
• Check the brake hoses for any leaks
• Inspect the coolant hoses for any leaks
• Check the exhaust system
• Inspect the suspension components for any damage
• Check for any clogs or leaks in the PCV system and the EGR valve

Before/On Every 40,000 Miles

• Check the transmission fluid level
• Check the drive belt condition
• Inspect the rear brakes and the rear wheel
• Inspect the ball joints for any damage
• Check for any oil leaks
• Check the electronics for any short circuits

Before/On Every 60,000 Miles

• Inspect the spark plugs and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the ignition coils and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the fuel injectors and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the fuel line for any leak
• Check the fuel pump
• Have a complete engine diagnosis to check for any misfiring cylinder
• Inspect the wiring harness of the ignition system

Closing Thoughts

In today’s blog, we delved deep to answer a crucial question for prospective Nissan Murano buyers – how long does a Murano last? We started off with the basics, highlighting that on average, these vehicles can serve you well for 180,000 to 210,000 miles. Moreover, we noted the typical repair costs and frequencies that Murano owners should be prepared for.

But we didn’t just leave it there. We broke down the yearly costs you might face and pinpointed which production years could be more pocket-friendly. Plus, we threw light on some common hitches you might come across while using this car.

In conclusion, understanding your Murano’s lifespan and the kind of issues that often come up can be your best friend in getting a great deal. We hope this guide has helped clarify what you can expect in terms of mileage and maintenance. Thanks for reading, and here’s to making a choice you’ll be happy with!