2003-2012 Nissan Murano Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 2003-2012 Nissan Murano uses disc brakes at all four corners, a small drum-style parking brake built into the rear rotor hat, and DOT 3 fluid from the factory. A full brake job on this crossover usually means front pads and rotors first, rear pads and rotors on a longer interval, and a look at the parking brake shoes and the fluid while the wheels are off. Here is what wears, how to tell it is due, and which parts to replace together.

How the Murano Brake System Is Built

Both generations covered here, the first-generation Z50 (2003-2007) and the second-generation Z51 (2009-2012), share the same basic layout. Nissan's service manual lists a front disc brake, a rear disc brake and a vacuum-type brake booster, with ABS and VDC stability control on the hydraulic side. The rear rotor does double duty: its center hat is machined as a small drum, and a pair of parking brake shoes sits inside it. The 2012 owner's manual shows the parking brake is applied with a foot pedal, not an electronic switch, so no scan tool is needed to retract the rear pistons.

The 2007 factory service manual gives these specifications for the first-generation Murano. Use them as a guide for the Z50; for a 2009-2012 Z51, check the service data for that model year, because Nissan publishes it separately.

Notice how little room the rotors have. The front rotor can lose only 2 mm before it is at the wear limit, and the manual allows just 0.015 mm of thickness variation. That is why most Murano brake jobs replace rotors with the pads instead of machining them.

Symptoms That Your Murano Needs Brakes

• High-pitched scraping while driving. Nissan's owner's manual says the disc pads have audible wear warnings. The sound first appears only when you press the pedal; after more wear it is heard all the time. Either way, have the brakes checked right away.
• Steering wheel shake or pedal pulsation when stopping. On a heavy crossover this is almost always front rotor thickness variation or runout, and with the tight limits above, a worn Murano rotor rarely survives a cut.
• Grinding or metal-on-metal noise. The pad friction material is gone and the backing plate is cutting the rotor. Plan on rotors, and inspect the caliper pistons and boots for heat damage.
• Soft or low pedal. Check the fluid level first. Nissan's manual says if fluid must be added frequently, the system should be checked. A slowly dropping level can also simply mean worn pads, since the caliper pistons move out as the pads wear.
• Parking brake that will not hold on a hill. The shoes inside the rear rotor hat are worn or out of adjustment, or the drum surface is rusted.
• ABS or brake warning light. Can be low fluid, a wheel speed sensor, or on 2009 and later models, one of the ABS actuator issues covered below.

Front vs Rear: What Wears First

The front brakes do most of the stopping, so on a typical Murano the front pads wear out well before the rears. Driving style, towing and hills change the ratio a lot, so measure rather than guess. The service manual has you check pad thickness through the inspection hole in the caliper body; once an axle is at or near the 2.0 mm repair limit, do that axle.

The front caliper on the Z50 is a sliding, single-piston design mounted on a torque member (bracket). You remove the slide pin bolt, suspend the cylinder body with wire, and replace the pads, shims, shim covers and pad retainers. The rear job is similar: remove the top sliding pin bolt, hang the cylinder body so the hose is not stretched, and swap the pads. Nissan's manual shows the rear piston simply pushes in (a disc brake piston tool makes it easier), so no rewind tool is needed. It also warns that pushing pistons back sends fluid up into the reservoir, so watch the level.

Replacing a rear rotor means pulling it off over the parking brake shoes. If the rotor sticks, the shoes may have worn a lip into the drum; back off the adjuster so the shoes retract before prying on the rotor, and never hammer on the hat.

What to Replace Together

• Pads and rotors as a set, per axle. Always both sides of an axle. For the Murano, new brake rotors with a set of ceramic brake pads is the most common front job, since the rotors have so little machining allowance.
• Shims, shim covers and pad retainers. Nissan's manual says to replace shims and shim covers as a set when replacing pads, and to replace any shim with serious corrosion. A brake hardware kit covers the clips and retainers.
• Slide pins and boots. Inspect them for wear, cracks and damage; a sticky pin makes one pad wear far faster than its partner.
• Parking brake shoes on a rear job. While the rear rotor is off, measure the lining against the 1.5 mm limit and check the drum diameter. Shoes are easy to do now and a nuisance to do later.
• Calipers if needed. A seized piston, torn boot or leak means a caliper. See our brake calipers and replace them in pairs.
• Brake fluid. The factory fill is DOT 3 (see the recall note below for 2009-2014 models). Never reuse drained fluid, and bleed the system after any caliper or hose work.

Recalls and Campaigns That Affect the Brakes

If you own a 2009 or later Murano, check the VIN before any brake work. NHTSA recall 18V916000 covers certain 2009 Murano vehicles: valves in the ABS hydraulic control unit can react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion-preventive additives and may not close properly. The remedy is a brake system flush with DOT 4 fluid, a test of the hydraulic unit, and replacement if needed, free of charge.

Nissan also ran voluntary service campaign P0A08 (bulletin NTB21-047) on certain 2010-2014 Murano and Murano CrossCabriolet vehicles: dealers remove the DOT 3 fluid, add DOT 4 and inspect the ABS actuator at no charge. If your Murano has been through either remedy, keep using the DOT 4 the dealer installed rather than going back to DOT 3. Look up your VIN on the NHTSA recalls site.

How Hard Is the Job and What Drives the Cost

A front pad and rotor job on a Murano is a manageable driveway job for someone with a floor jack, jack stands, a torque wrench and a piston tool. The rears add the parking brake shoes and a rotor that can stick on the hub, so budget more time there. Torque the caliper bolts and wheel nuts to the values in the factory service manual; do not guess.

What changes the price is mostly scope: pads only vs pads and rotors, one axle vs both, whether the parking brake shoes and hardware are included, whether a caliper has seized, and whether the fluid is flushed. Rear labor usually runs higher than front because of the parking brake. Parts quality matters too; a coated rotor resists the hat and edge rust that makes rear rotors pulse after a winter.

After the job, Nissan calls for a burnishing procedure: from about 31 mph, make a medium stop that takes 3 to 5 seconds, drive about a minute to cool the brakes, and repeat 10 times or more, only where it is safe to do so. Shop the full range in our brake pads and brake parts collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Nissan Murano have rear disc brakes or drums?

Rear discs. Both the 2003-2007 and 2009-2012 Murano use rear disc brakes, with a small parking brake drum built into the hat of the rear rotor.

Can Murano rotors be resurfaced?

Sometimes, but not often. On the 2007 Murano, the front rotor starts at 28 mm with a 26 mm wear limit, and the rear starts at 16 mm with a 14 mm limit, so a rotor with real wear usually has no room left to cut.

What brake fluid does a Murano use?

Nissan's manuals call for Genuine Nissan Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or an equivalent DOT 3. Certain 2009-2014 models that went through recall 18V916000 or campaign P0A08 were refilled with DOT 4, so check the service history.

Do I need a special tool to push back the rear caliper piston?

No. The factory manual shows the rear piston pushes straight in. A disc brake piston tool or a large clamp makes it easier. The parking brake is a separate shoe-and-drum unit inside the rotor hat.

What is the scraping noise from my Murano's wheels?

Most likely the pad wear warning. Nissan says it starts only when braking and becomes constant as the pad wears further. Inspect the pads as soon as possible.

Sources

1. Nissan 2007 Murano Service Manual, Section BR (Brake System) - rotor and pad specifications, DOT 3 fluid, shim replacement, rear piston service, burnishing procedure
2. Nissan 2009 Murano Service Manual, Section PB (Parking Brake) - Z51 parking brake shoes inside the rear rotor drum, lining and drum inspection
3. Nissan 2012 Murano Owner's Manual - audible pad wear warning, foot-operated parking brake, DOT 3 fluid
4. NHTSA recall data, 2009 Nissan Murano (18V916000) - ABS hydraulic control unit valves, DOT 4 flush remedy
5. Nissan Voluntary Service Campaign P0A08 (NTB21-047), via NHTSA - 2010-2014 Murano DOT 3 to DOT 4 fluid change and ABS actuator inspection