2011 Nissan Murano: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
148 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2015 Nissan Murano, which has 202 complaints, five safety-critical recall campaigns and a score of 37, and treat the 2016 and 2017 cars, at 107 complaints each and scores of 63 and 65, as CAUTION unless every brake campaign is documented. Buy a 2011 to 2013 car, which score 80, 80 and 89, or a 2018 or later car, where the 2018 has 15 complaints and scores 92 and the 2021 to 2024 cars score 91 to 93. Read the full note on the model page. 2011 specifically: a year the record favours — 148 complaints, score 80/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Nissan Versa and Murano: the years to avoid, including 2011 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 148 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 9.87
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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…
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.
35 complaints on the CVT transmission failing for the 2011 Nissan Murano, which could be a major safety issue while driving. We experienced 3 episodes and have not heard back from Nissan nor the NHTSA on recalling this car and having Nissan repair their known defect that could result in injury. We know the CVT transmission is known by Nissan to have reliability issues as they have recalled other years of CVT transmis…
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 20 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,100
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Service Brakes39 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Power Train37 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other23 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Air Bags13 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Structure13 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
- Electrical System11 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
Other Nissan Murano years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Nissan Murano?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Service Brakes (39 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 Nissan Murano a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 80/100, computed from 148 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Nissan Murano's most common problem?
39 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Nissan Murano sit in the Service Brakes group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $580–$1,140 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 Nissan Murano cost to run per year?
About $5,777 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $28,885 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2011 Nissan Murano really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 148 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 148 NHTSA complaints on record (9.9/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (7.5/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems