1. oil on ground. 2. leaking seal on transfer case. Can cause drive-train failure. Not safe. 3. repair in progress.

- Roseville, MI, USA

2007 Nissan Murano AWD w/ 84K miles. Took vehicle into Nissan dealer service dept. In July for noises in engine area. Diagnosed as bad wheel bearings on 1 side of vehicle cost $600. Returned to dealer approx. 1 month later, again hearing noises coming from engine area. Was again diagnosed w/bad wheel bearings on other side & was told replacement from 1 month prior was defective & needed replacement again. Questioned dealer service dept. Diagnosis, indicating that I also smelled either oil burning or some kind of fluid burning when driving. Without further examination of vehicle, service dept. Recommended a fluid flush, I indicated that the fluids had just been flushed 1 month prior, was told no other problems were indicated when vehicle was inspected earlier that day. Smell of oil or fluid was dismissed by service dept. Received a call later that day from service dept. Indicating repairs to defective wheel bearing & second wheel bearing completed, car ready for pick up $400 bill. Picked up vehicle @ approx. 5:30 pm. As I drove home there was a good amount of traffic & vehicle speed did not exceed 30 mph for majority of trip. Upon clearing of traffic & further acceleration to approx. 45 mph, there was an extremely loud bang that came from what sounded like the engine area of my vehicle, accompanied by a dragging & grinding sound coming from the bottom of my vehicle bringing my vehicle to a quick stop. It sounded like the bottom of my vehicle fell off. I managed to pull vehicle over to safety & next day had vehicle towed back to dealer. I was then informed by dealer that the transfer case on my vehicle had broken, that the vehicle was beyond the warranty & the repair cost is $3,400. This may be a problem in the AWD model. There are many similar incidents posted on the internet. This part is defective & needs investigation, had I been on a highway when this happened the outcome could have been catastrophic, please help! don't wait until a true tragedy occurs.

- Yorkville, IL, USA

In February 2008 during an oil change, fluid leak was discovered between cvt (transmission) and transfer case. On 2/5/08 dealer made first attempt to repair. They stated that some cvt bolts were loose and were tightened. Vehicle was return to me as fixed (mileage 11303). On 5/12/08, vehicle went back to dealer for scheduled 15K maintenance where they found it still leaking. New transfer case was ordered and vehicle went back in for installation on 5/15/08. On 6/10/08, during a 3 week vacation in british columbia, Canada, vehicle suddenly lost power on the highway during busy commute traffic and made clunking noises. Pulled off highway and called Nissan N.a. and towed to Nissan dealer in victoria. Dealer determined that due to human error, propeller (drive) shaft was not properly tightened down during transfer case install and had fallen off the car. Vehicle repaired and expenses reimbursed by dealer in California. In March 2009, oil change again revealed transfer case leaking. Dealer attempted to replace tc seal but found tc damaged due to missing vent tube. Dealer replaced with another transfer case on 3/9/09. This is a known issue common with AWD Muranos. I have persistently checked for signs of leaks. Other owners have not been as diligent and have experience numerous failures during operation on the road. This is a danger as vehicle will stall and fail on the road.

- Sacramento, CA, USA