Nissan Murano vs Subaru Ascent: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is ahead of the Subaru Ascent on the federal record, 79/100 against 70/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
Subaru Ascent
- 7 model years scored
- 1,029 owner complaints on record
- about 29 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (87/100) · worst 2019 (32/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Murano against Ascent
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Murano's complaints concentrate in Unknown Or Other, the Ascent's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
Subaru Ascent — avoid: 2019, 2020.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100 — the Nissan Murano is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 23.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Murano or the Subaru Ascent more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Subaru Ascent's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Murano and Subaru Ascent years should I avoid?
Nissan Murano: 2015. Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Murano and the Subaru Ascent?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Murano is Unknown Or Other (214 complaints); on the Subaru Ascent it is Electrical System (289).
Is the Nissan Murano or the Subaru Ascent cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.