Why The New Nissan Murano Might Have Been A Mistake

Timing is everything. Just ask anyone who bought Enron stock in the summer of 2001, or anyone who bought a house in late 2008; the ebb and flow of things can really hinder or help chances of success. Like anything on this pale blue dot, the Nissan Murano is also subject to these sorts of forces, and while it’s objectively a pretty nice crossover, Nissan is reportedly slashing production targets.

It’s not a tariff thing, as the Murano is made in Tennessee, but instead seems to be a matter of timing and tastes colliding with changed consumer desires. It’s a whole new world out there, and while the Murano nameplate made waves in the 2000s, the formula just isn’t hitting like it used to.

At the same time, Honda and Acura have just issued a moderately sketchy brake pedal recall, Toyota is moving RAV4 battery pack production to the assembly plants themselves, and the Lexus IS 500 seems to be going out the same way it arrived by making people crack grins. All this coming up on today’s edition of The Morning Dump.

Anyone Want A Nissan Murano?

The new fourth-generation Nissan Murano is surprisingly good, a plush and well-appointed midsize two-row crossover for the relaxed set. We liked it when we road tested it, even if it’s not an exhilarating experience. However, if you scratched your head as to why Nissan, a brand with its own deep set of troubles, invested that much money into a new combustion-powered two-row midsize crossover that starts at over $40 grand instead of something like a cheaper hybrid Rogue, your instinct might be right. In this story titled “Trouble signs mount for Nissan’s ‘odd man out’ Murano,” Automotive News reports that the Murano is so oversupplied that Nissan’s “pausing work on an upcoming refresh.” Let’s look at the situation:

Despite a redesign earlier this year, Nissan has more than five months’ worth of Murano inventory, a 15 percent jump from its 133-day supply in March, according to Cox Automotive data.

In a June 11 presentation to suppliers reviewed by Automotive News, Nissan said it expects to build 47,410 Muranos in the 2025 fiscal year, 21 percent fewer than it had projected in May.

To get rid of inventory, Nissan began offering dealerships $1,000 to $2,000 for each Murano they take.

Ah, that’s not good. At this point, it shouldn’t be surprising that some dealers and other involved parties believe that the new Murano isn’t the product Nissan needs now, and several shared their thoughts with Automotive News:

“Why would you spend even more money to revive something that doesn’t light up the sales floor?” a dealer said. Nissan “should take the investment and move it somewhere else.”

“This car is not in a clear segment anymore,” said a person with knowledge of the matter. “I don’t think it’s as necessary in the lineup, especially with the Pathfinder doing well.”

Months of inventory, slashed production forecasts, and cash on the hood all add up to bad news. What went wrong? On the face of things, expectations. See, first-quarter Murano sales are up year-over-year by a whopping 84 percent, but even if we multiply that figure of 8,702 units by four as an extra-rough estimation, that’s still a far cry from 2016, when 83,953 Muranos made it into driveways across America. Part of the problem is likely that the appetite for bulbous mainstream midsize two-row crossovers just isn’t what it used to be, especially with compact models gaining luxury toys, three-row models offering increased flexibility for relatively little penalty, and everything gravitating toward a more rugged aesthetic.

Of course, it would certainly help if the Murano were available in a hybrid variant in addition to the two-liter variable-compression turbocharged four-cylinder model, but that’s just an extra layer of frosting on a car that does nothing wrong, other than simply not meeting the bulk of the market where it’s at right now. Miscalculation of a new car program like that is a mistake that can often be measured in billions of dollars. Still, if you are looking at perhaps leasing a midsize crossover, I bet Nissan wants to move some Muranos.

Braking Bad

There are certain things on a car that you don’t want to have come loose unexpectedly, like the roof or the hood. Or how about the brake pedal? Yeah, Honda and Acura just recalled 259,033 cars due to a defect that could render their brake pedals less firmly located than they should be. Here’s what the official recall report states:

During production, the brake pedal pivot pin was not staked, which may allow the pedal to shift out of position. This can result in lateral movement of the brake pedal and may lead to unintended application. If this occurs, the driver’s ability to safely slow or stop the vehicle could be compromised.

Yeah, brake pedals probably should’ve move side-to-side. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to this problem, but it sounds like an alarming thing to experience out on the road. Equally alarming is just how this defect ended up occurring, because it seems like the sort of decision chain you’d hear about on a late-night political show. As the official report states:

As part of the production transition from the U.S. to the Mexico facility, the supplier increased staffing levels to build parts inventory and mitigate potential supply disruptions associated with the move. However, due to insufficient training, the staking process was not performed, resulting in brake pedals with unstaked pivot pins. Additionally, a malfunction in the QR code scanning system—designed to prevent process omissions—led the supplier to disable the function and continue production, allowing the issue to go undetected.

Given this news of improper training combined with flouting quality controls, it’s a wonder that only three warranty claims have resulted from this situation. Anyway, if you own an affected 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, or 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, you should be getting a letter in the mail next month about fixing this problem.

Oh, That’s How They’ll Do It

The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is a big deal. America’s most popular car is going hybrid, but for those who’ve tried to get their hands on a current RAV4 Hybrid, getting an electrified model has historically been tricky. Even though 48 percent of all RAV4s sold last quarter were hybridized, Toyota’s basically selling them as fast as it can build them. When every new RAV4’s electrified, where are all the battery packs going to come from?

Well, Canada, actually. Automotive News reports that Toyota is adding new battery pack production lines in the Cambridge, Ontario and Woodstock, Ontario plants in preparation for the next RAV4, a marked departure from the way things used to be. As the outlet writes:

Carrying out final battery assembly marks a “big change” for the Southwestern Ontario plants, which until now, have received completed batteries ready to be placed directly into hybrids built on-site, said Scott MacKenzie, director of corporate and external affairs at TMMC and Toyota Canada.

Basically, instead of relying on complete supplied battery packs, Toyota will be shipping battery modules from its battery plant in North Carolina to Canada, putting them into packs, and then putting those packs into RAV4s being made in the same plants where the packs are… well, packed. It’s a big streamlining that should vastly increase capacity and open up current bottlenecks. I’ll actually be at the Cambridge plant next week, and while I’m not sure I’ll see much of these new battery pack lines, expect some fun content soon.

Godspeed, IS 500

When the Lexus IS 500 exits production, I’ll be sad. Not because it’s the sharpest, quickest, most traction-rich sports sedan on the market, but because a 472-horsepower V8 in a car the size of a Corolla is a belly laugh. It’s a riotously good tine, soft enough to glide over pockmarked streets but tactile enough to make you feel something, whether feeling what the front tires are doing or having the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the flap in the intake opens. As murmurs around whether Lexus IS 500 production will wind down swirl, Japan’s getting a special model of its own with run-out connotations, one with an especially great name if you have a mental age of about 12. According to a Google Translated press release, it’s going to be seriously rare, with Lexus stating “It is scheduled to be sold in limited quantities of 500 units from around August 2025 through Lexus dealers nationwide.”

This machine largely mirrors what America gets in the IS 500 Ultimate Edition, from the six-piston front brake calipers clamping down on 15-inch front discs to the BBS forged wheels to the red-and-black interior. There have been limited-run IS 500 models with better colors than the grey here, but none with a better name. See, these 500 cars are all going to be called the IS 500 Climax Edition, engraved in badges and displayed in the gauge cluster. I understand that word means peak, but it’s also amusing innuendo, fitting for a car with a sense of humour.

What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD

It’s been more than 15 years since we last heard a new Clipse album, and a lot has changed in that time. Thankfully, brothers Pusha T and Malice have teamed up again, and the result so far is like a cold glass of Perrier in the desert. Just check out the latest single, “So Be It.” From the blue chip visual of a gullwing 300SL in the video to surgical bars like “Lotta jettin’, Prada beddin’, 911s,” a Travis Scott diss coming out of left field to the dark, and sprawling production, this track’s absolutely dripping with excellence. The duo’s fourth studio album “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” is set to drop during Goodwood, and you can bet I’ll ask for aux permission in the Rodius to bump it. If “So Be It” is any indication, we are so back.

The Big Question:

Let’s say, hypothetically, the new Nissan Murano never ended up happening, the money spent on it is still sitting in Nissan’s accounts, and you’re in charge of what to develop with those funds. What sort of car are you bringing to the Nissan lineup?

Top graphic credit: Nissan