Flat towing a Nissan Murano possible without damage?

[karenlee62]

Able to flat tow a '09 Nissan Murano without vehicle modifications or damage? Manual says "no" but dealer trying to sell truck says capable of flat tow without damage

[j-d]

Get Motorhome Magazine's lists of towable vehicles. It comes out in annual installments. They stress that they list only vehicles the Manufacturer lists as towable. Thorough as MoHo might be, I'd still check the Owner's Manual for a candidate vehicle. MoHo does NOT list those that REMCO says their pump will work on, and especially not those some salesperson or owner says you can get away with. Still, once you find a candidate vehicle, check the Owner's Manual. If it's not there, do a search or ask here. This forum's full of people who'd be glad to help dig out the information.
REMCO has a lookup for towability too. Again, don't trust anything but the owner's manual for the exact vehicle.
I said "CR-V" because it's a proven toad. Manual transmission's not been available for awhile but their automatic (but NOT 2015) is towable and so is the All Wheel Drive version of CR-V. That's big, because AWD's as a group aren't usually towable. There aren't many better cars than Subaru. They're all AWD but only towable if manual transmission. Not every manual transmission is rated as towable either. We tow a Nissan pickup with manual because it's listed OK. Toyota's manual version was "not recommended" in the Owner Manual. General Motors seems to have more towable automatic transmission vehicles than anybody else, but with them you need to know not only the Make/Model/Year, but sometimes the specific transmission the vehicle is actually fitted with.
The towing question isn't simple, but the answer is since every manufacturer has made a point to document which are OK and which are not.
Have a joyous wonder filled Christmas and happy RVing in 2015.

[karenlee62]

Well, that answers THAT. thanks to all of you.

[Mr-MrsPete]

I own a Mirano and a Titan. Neither one can be towed 4 down. My Titan is 4 wheel drive but it is electronic and has no neutral for the transfer case. I have no intention in either one 4 down.

[imgoin4it]

Had a salesman tell me any vehicle on the lot could be be towed. "Just put it in neutral and go". He was serious. Told him he was too dumb for me to deal with and left.

[mowermech]

Tell the dealer you want it in writing that ANY damage caused by towing behind a Recreational Vehicle WILL be repaired by the dealership no matter where in the United States the damage occurs, and you want the statement signed by the Salesman, the Sales manager, the Service Manager, the General Manager, and the dealership owner (if available).
I would bet they will NOT do it!

[RinconVTR]

This is not on this list of acceptable toads, the OEM is pretty clear.

Could you get away with it? Probably. But when something goes wrong, its on you.

[j-d]

No is NO. If the Manual says NO, then NO. REMCO makes "lube pump" kits that allow flat towing. In this case it says the FWD Murano has to be towed on a Dolly. A dolly isn't all that bad. REMCO's site goes on to say the Murano's transmission type is "CVT" meaning "Continuously Variable Transmission." That confirms Dolly Only. Very very few CVT's are flat towable.
Salesman is a liar and does not deserve your business. Furthermore, automotive press reports indicate that Nissan V6 with CVT is not a very durable package. A very good, flat towable small SUV is the Honda CR-V, up through 2014. Yes it's a four-cylinder...

[DownTheAvenue]

karenlee62 wrote:
Manual says "no" but dealer trying to sell truck says capable of flat tow without damage

Who will you believe- the manual written by people who built and know the vehicle, or a salesperson who only wants to make money by selling you something that may or may not suit your needs?

I think the answer is easy to figure out!

[ronfisherman]

Moved from class C.

[Grandpere]

If it is a FWD you can use a tow dolly, however if it is an AWD it needs to be on a trailer. As usual the salesperson is lying, or so ignorant as not to believe the manual, so they can make their commission. GO SOMEPLACE ELSE, that dealership is not to be trusted.