2003 INFINITI M45 Complaints

THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT ACTUAL FUEL LEVEL. IT READS FULL 100% OF THE TIME REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH FUEL IS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK. *TR

THIS RELATES TO NHTSA INVESTIGATION PE11038. I WRITE ABOUT A FAULTY DESIGN THAT INFINITI DID NOT RECALL AND WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. SOME TIME AGO, MY FUEL GAUGE BECAME ERRATIC, THEN THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT WENT ON. THE TROUBLE CODE, P0462, WAS FOR "FUEL LEVEL SENSOR A CIRCUIT LOW INPUT" (NOT REALLY NEWS SINCE THE GAUGE WASN'T WORKING). I TOOK IT TO A SHOP THAT REPLACED THE FUEL SENDER AND FUEL PUMP, BUT THAT DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THAT INFINITI HAS REDESIGNED THE CLUSTER BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL DESIGN WAS FAULTY. AS I WAS TOLD, THE DESIGN ERROR CAUSED THE CLUSTER TO FAIL WHEN THE FUEL SENDER FAILED. I SEE ONLINE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM AND ONE THAT INFINITI WILL SOMETIMES TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR - THOUGH NOT FOR ME. I UNDERSTAND, OF COURSE, THAT MANUFACTURERS GENERALLY NEED TO PUT SOME LIMITS ON THEIR WARRANTY LIABILITY. MY FUEL SENDER FAILED AFTER MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, AND I WOULD NOT EXPECT INFINITI TO COVER THE COST OF THAT REPAIR. HOWEVER, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS POORLY DESIGNED SUCH THAT IT TOO COULD FAIL IF THE FUEL SENDER WENT BAD. THAT, APPARENTLY, IS A PROBLEM THAT INFINITI KNEW ABOUT YEARS AGO AND CHOSE NOT TO ADDRESS. IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO ME THAT INFINITI WOULD NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR SUCH AN ISSUE THAT WOULD LIKELY BE SEEN ONLY BY A MINORITY OF OWNERS. HOWEVER, IT ALSO SEEMS FAIR THAT THE OWNERS WHO ARE AFFECTED - REGARDLESS OF THEIR WARRANTY STATUS AT THE TIME OF FAILURE - WOULD HAVE THEIR FAULTY CLUSTERS REPLACED AT INFINITI'S EXPENSE (WHICH WOULD CERTAINLY BE A SMALL EXPENSE COMPARED TO A RECALL). REPEATED INQUIRIES TO INFINITI - DIRECTLY AND THROUGH MY DEALER - HAVE ELICITED ONLY THE RESPONSE THAT MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 INFINITI M45. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL BUT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS FULL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

MY CAR STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. MY GAS GAUGE WAS READING AT 3/4 WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY EMPTY. I HAD TO CALL MY HUSBAND WHO EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE PROBLEM. GOOD THING I WAS NOT IN THE FREEWAY OR I WOULD HAVE CAUSED A BIG TRAFFIC OR AN ACCIDENT. *TR

ON THE FREEWAY WITH THE WIFE, AT ~60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLS, CHARACTERISTICS VERY SIMILAR TO RECALL. HAD TO PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTART CAR ON THE FLY TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT. SINCE THEN IT HAS HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES, LUCKILY WHILE AT A STOP. CONTACTED INFINITY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VIN ON MY CAR WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE RECALL, ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUES. (EVEN A CAMSHAFT SENSOR CODE POPPED UP SINCE AND HAVE HAD AN ISSUE TURNING THE ENGINE FROM A COLD START ONCE ALREADY). MY CAR ALSO SUFFERS FROM THE INFAMOUS FUEL GAUGE ISSUE WHICH INFINITI DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A RECALL FOR YET. SEE RECALL FROM INFINITI/NISSAN BELOW: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING RECALL DATE: NOV 17, 2003 MODEL AFFECTED: 2003 INFINITI M45 SUMMARY: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS. CONSEQUENCES: THIS COULD CAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON, CREATE A NO START CONDITION, CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER, OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200. POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED: 630000 NOTES: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. *TR

I RAN OUT GAS 3 TIMES AN HAD TO BE TOWED, THE COST OF MY VEHICLE HAS COSTS ME 1500 FOR THE FUEL SENSOR AND ALL THE GAUGES REPLACED I HAVE SEEN ONLINE THERE WAS COMPLAINTS AND RECALLS ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. *TR

WIFE HAD JUST REACHED 65MPH ON HIGHWAY WHEN ENGINE DIED. FUEL GAUGE INDICATED 1/2 TANK. I HAD HEARD THAT FUEL GAUGE FAILURES ARE COMMON ON THIS VEHICLE, SO I CAME WITH A GAS CAN AND ADDED 2GAL. CAR STARTED WITHOUT PROBLEM AND WAS DRIVEN TO NEAREST GAS STATION TO FILL THE TANK. CAR CONTINUES TO RUN WITHOUT INCIDENT SINCE RUNNING OUT OF GAS. I NOW RESET THE TRIP ODOMETER WITH EACH FILL UP, AND REFILL BEFORE REACHING 300 MILES ON A TANK. WAS TOLD BY INFINITI DEALER THAT ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF APPROX. $1200. *TR

EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE SHOWS A FULL TANK OF GAS THE TANK WAS ACTUALLY EMPTY AND I RAN OUT OF GAS. THIS WAS VERY INCONVENIENT BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS FOR EVERY PASSENGER IN THE CAR, HAD I BEEN ON THE FREEWAY OR OTHER ROADS TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED TO SUDDENLY BE OUT OF GAS. ONE OTHER RELATED ISSUE IS THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT. TRIED TO GET THE VEHICLE SMOGGED BUT WAS TOLD THAT A FEW CODES CAME UP ON THE METER. ONE WAS CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. ONE OTHER ONE SHOWED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT/SENSOR TO BE FAULTY. IN REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE, IT WOULD SEEM THAT JUST REPLACING THE SENDING UNIT MAY NOT BE A GUARANTEE THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WILL PROPERLY FUNCTION. CAR CAN NOT BE SMOGGED WITHOUT THESE ITEMS CORRECTED AT HIGH COST. THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED PROPERLY FROM THE INFINITI/NISSAN COMPANY. THANK YOU. *TR

FUEL GAUGE LEVEL INDICATOR STAYS AT MUCH HIGHER LEVEL THAN IS ACTUALLY PRESENT. MOSTLY STAYS AT FULL READING, BUT SOMETIMES GOES TO HALF LEVEL WHEN IN ACTUALITY THE FUEL LEVEL IS CLOSE TO EMPTY. FOR THE MOST PART, IT STAYS AT FULL LEVEL INDICATION AND SOMETIMES CAUSES AN INTERMITTENT "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT TO APPEAR ON THE DASH CLUSTER ASSEMBLY. AFTER HAVING THE OBD2 ERROR CODE READ, IT STATES THAT THE FUEL SENDING UNIT IS FAULTY, HOWEVER AFTER HAVING IT TESTED, THE FUEL SENDING UNIT IS WORKING WITHIN NORMAL SPECIFICATIONS. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE ITSELF IS FAULTY AND A REPLACEMENT OF THE CLUSTER ASSEMBLY IS RECOMMENDED TO REMEDY THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE. WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED, I ALMOST RAN OUT OF FUEL ON THE FREEWAY.I FELT POWER LOSS WHILE CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A GAS STATION COMING UP AT THE CLOSEST ONCOMING EXIT AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT IN AND REFUEL. THAT IS WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THIS FUEL GAUGE AND DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS. I HAVE FOUND THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR MANY OWNERS OF THIS SPECIFIC INFINITI MODEL VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 INFINITI M45 ON OR AROUND JAN, 2, 2012 AT 65MPH. SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED JERKING HEAVILY AND MY POWER STEERING WENT OFF MAKING THE CAR REALLY HARD TO STEER. I LOOKED AT THE DASH AND SAW NO WARNING MSGS COME ON AND THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWED HALF A TANK. I CAREFULLY PULLED MY CAR TO THE SHOULDER. I TRIED A FEW TIME TO RE-START THE CAR WITH NO LUCK. I FINALLY HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHO LATER CALLED TO TELL ME IT WAS OUT OF GAS. NOT ONLY DID I FEEL STUPID I WAS UPSET AS I HEARD THIS WAS A NOTORIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE M45. I WAS IN DISBELIEF THAT THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME. I LOVE THE CAR, BUT THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY INFINITI! *KB