The 2003 Nissan Murano has 11 recalls, the most serious being fuel tank puncture and transmission gear mismatch risks: road debris thrown by the front tires can pierce the fuel tank and cause a fire, and the gear selector may indicate the wrong gear, leading to unexpected vehicle movement.
The transmission and fuel tank issues each appear across multiple filings, but both describe the same underlying problems. On the electrical side, a wire inside the alternator can break and stop the battery from charging; when this happens, the charge and brake warning lights come on and the vehicle slowly loses electrical power. The intake air ducts connected to the engine's air intake system can shrink and separate over time, which may cause the engine to stall. Rear occupant safety is also a concern: during a high-speed frontal crash, the rear outboard seatbelt webbing can contact a sharp metal hinge on the seat back and be cut through, leaving rear passengers without effective restraint. There is also a lower-severity recall for vehicles that received an incorrect replacement body control module during a prior service visit, which can disable the daytime running lights.