My 2015 Murano is stuttering when shifting, mainly at low speeds. I took it to the dealership and they told me the transmission is fine, the issue is due to the alternator spiking. This just doesn’t feel like the correct answer to me. I took the car to O’Reilly and they tested the alternator and said it’s fine and wouldn’t cause these issues. So who’s correct here? What what could the problem be, there’s no check engine light on, no battery light either and no issues cranking. The alternator is $1600 to replace (that’s at my local shop, not the dealer). I can do the work but don’t want to spend a day and money replacing something that isn’t broken.
My only guess here is that the transmission is covered under a warranty and the dealer doesn’t want to do the work. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
You don’t guess at things like that. Either you have a warranty from a company that offers extended warranties or you don’t. Nissan offers a 5 year or 60K mile warranty on powertrain. Clearly you are beyond that. But on Nissan’s site they have this …
Nissan is now using a third-generation XTRONIC continuously variable transmission with Logic Step Control. This technology made its debut in 2017 and has since received accolades for its smooth, efficient, and responsive performance. Yet, as the technology progressed some issues affected a small percentage of continuously variable transmissions in vehicles from 2012 through 2017 model years.
Again, Nissan’s response was swift and decisive as they looked to relieve the burden of repairing these continuously variable transmissions. They extended the original manufacturer’s warranty from five years or 60,000 miles up to seven years or 84,000 miles.
This Nissan continuously variable transmission warranty extension covers a variety of items. Torque converters, Transmission Control Module reprogramming, seals, gaskets, and more are all covered under this extension. Rental vehicles or loaner vehicles are also covered while your vehicle undergoes these covered repairs.
You are beyond that one, too. So any transmission repairs are on you.
Does the 2015 Nissan Murano have transmission problems?
Transmission/CVT problems- The CVT unit on the 2015 Nissan Murano is known to shutter, lurch, and slip out of gear ratios when acceleration. Owners also complain about the unit violently jerking when pondering at low speeds and even casing the engine to stall when coming to a halt in drive mode.Jun 7, 2022
This doesn’t let the dealer off the hook trying to avoid honoring the warranty.
If you have a record of reporting this problem to the dealer while under warranty, and the transmission fails after the warranty expires, the dealer still has to honor the warranty.
This is called an on-going warranty issue.
This is a consumer protection law that prevents shady dealers from delaying warranty repairs until the warranty runs out so the consumer ends up paying for the repairs.
Just keep records of all the visits to the dealer for this warranty claim.
I should have been more clear, it’s a third party warranty company. Again I’m guessing here but I worked think they tell the dealer we’ll conver it for X about it dollars. Dealer doesn’t want to do the work for they much so just passes it off as not an issue
The dealer I bought the car from sold the warranty to me (Chevy dealer). I just gave the warranty company a call and they said I can take the car wherever I want and they will pay for it. So looks like it’s time to find another shop. Guess I just figured Nissan would know their own stuff best and I wasn’t worried about the cost as the warranty I bought will cover it.
Thanks so much for all of the advice. I knew the dang alternator wouldn’t be causing this.
I strongly recommend that you ask friends, neighbors, relatives and coworkers for the names of any independent trans shops that they have used and with which they have been satisfied.
Whatever you do, do NOT go to one of the chain-run joints (Cottman, Lee Myles, Mr. Transmission, AAMCO)
I have been able to verify this by road testing the vehicle with the alternator disconnected, I have seen aftermarket alternators spike voltage and interfere with electronics several times.
Has he been able to diagnose the problem as voltage spikes from the charging system?
I will certainly find a trusted local shop, no chain shops for me. I haven’t had the alternator tested outside of O’Reilly and Nissan. It’s a real pain to get to (buried in there) so I’m pretty sure the dealer didn’t disconnect and road drive in the hour or so they had it but I could be wrong.
I suspect if you had alternator spikes you would see that in your headlights. I had one that made the lights flicker. It tested fine but I replaced it anyway and problem solved. As mentioned, a trans shop or a new dealer would be the next best option.
IMHO if the dealership shop says the alternator is producing out of spec voltage spikes, it probably is. Who’d know better than a dealership w/all their Nissan-specific experience and diagnostic equipment? That doesn’t mean the transmission is working correctly however. Common sense says to fix the alternator spiking problem, then see if that solves the transmission problems.
Suggest to ask the dealership provide evidence the alternator is spiking. They should be able to show you the photo of an o’scope trace, or photo of a scan tool display.
One other idea, a healthy battery tends to suppresses alternator spikes. So maybe your battery is the culprit. Ask shop to install a new battery as an experiment. If the new battery suppresses the alternator spikes, problem solved. If not, reinstall current battery and keep looking.
Just to update everyone. Took the old Murano to a local shop. Transmission is indeed shot and will be replaced under the warranty I purchased when I bought the car. Alternator is testing fine. Few other little odds and ends to deal with but the transmission is indeed bad.
Thank you so much for the advice with everything, can’t tell you how appreciated it is!
