SAFETY

My kids' booster seats fit like a charm in the backseat. The seat belt buckles were a little floppy, but older kids won't struggle with them. Younger ones may need a little help buckling up on their own. The three tether anchors were easy to access, yet the two sets of lower Latch anchors were a little tight against the seat bottom. In MotherProof.com's Car Seat Check, the 2011 Murano fit three child-safety seats in its backseat.

The Murano has been crash-tested by both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In IIHS' tests, it scored the top score of Good in frontal-offset, side-impact and rear crash tests. It scored Marginal in a roof-strength test. It also received four stars out of five overall in NHTSA's crash tests.

The Murano is equipped with safety features such as four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, front-wheel drive, active head restraints, an electronic stability system with traction control and six airbags, including side curtains for both rows.

Optional safety features include all-wheel drive and a backup camera.

    See also:

    Trailer hitch
    Choose a proper hitch for your vehicle and trailer. Make sure the trailer hitch is securely attached to the vehicle, to help avoid personal injury or property damage due to sway caused by crosswind ...

    Booster seats
    Precautions on booster seats If a booster seat and seat belt are not used properly, the risk of a child being injured in a sudden stop or collision greatly increases: - Make sure the shou ...

    Fail-safe
    If the vehicle is driven under extreme conditions, such as excessive wheel spinning and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe system may be activated. The MIL may come on to indicate the fail-saf ...