2003 Infiniti M45

APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD AND WOULDN'T START. IT APPEARED TO BE A FUEL PROBLEM BUT THE GAS GAUGE WAS SHOWING OVER A QUARTER TANK FULL. I HAD TO TOW IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEN TOW IT AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSTIC WAS A FAULTY GAS GAUGE AND WAS RECOMMENDING TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CLUSTER, A VERY EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION. AS I WAS RESEARCHING THE ISSUE IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS. APPARENTLY, THE FAULTY ITEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED BUT INFINITI DECIDED NOT TO DO THE RIGHT THING AS IT WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE TO RECALL THE FAULTY ITEM WHILE THEY COULD MAKE MORE MONEY BY JUST REPLACING THEM AND CHARGING THE CONSUMERS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. NOT TO MENTION THE INCIDENTAL COSTS INCONVENIENCES AND DANGERS THAT CONSUMERS HAD TO FACE. *KB

I FIRST INCURRED A FUEL GAUGE ISSUE WITH MY 2003 INFINITY M45 SEDAN AROUND APPROXIMATELY DECEMBER 2009. MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT THE TIME OF FIRST INCIDENT AND THE FUEL GAUGE HAD READ FULL. ON HER WAY TO WORK SHE RAN OUT OF GAS WHICH CAUSED AN ENGINE FAILURE. AS A RESULT, SHE WAS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY. UPON TAKING THE CAR TO A LOCAL INFINITY DEALERSHIP THEY WERE ALMOST INSTANTLY ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY INSTRUMENT GAUGE CLUSTER. I WAS TOLD THE PART ALONE WAS AROUND $900 AND AFTER LABOR, IT WOULD BE OVER $1000 TO FIX. MY ONLINE RESEARCH HAS PROVEN THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND SEVERAL THIRD PARTY COMPANIES HAVE BEGUN OFFERING REPAIR SERVICES FOR THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE. I HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH WELL OVER 20 03-04 INFINITY M45 OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. SOME OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH AS FEW AS 20,000 MILES. IT IS AN ISSUE THAT INFINITY IS AWARE OF, BUT IT IS MY OPINION THAT THEY CHOOSE NOT TO RECALL THE ISSUE WHEN THEY CAN MAKE AN EXTRA $1000 OFF REPLACING THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE ISSUE WAS NO UNDER INVESTIGATION. THERE ARE ONLY AROUND AN ESTIMATED 8100 03-04 M45S CURRENTLY STILL IN USE. AS A RESULT, OUR VOICE IS NOT HEARD VERY LOUDLY EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY COMMON IN THESE VEHICLES. I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO OFFER ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE MATTER. *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE STOPPED ACCURATELY INDICATING THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE VEHICLE. SUBSEQUENTLY THE CAR RAN OUT OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL ROAD CAUSING DISRUPTION IN TRAFFIC BEFORE IT COULD BE MOVED TO THE SHOULDER. AFTER A CURSORY CHECK TO SEE IF ANYTHING LOOKED TO BE AMISS, WE DECIDED TO START WITH THE SIMPLE SOLUTIONS AND WORK TOWARD THE MORE COMPLEX. WE ADDED 5 GALLONS OF GAS TO THE CAR AND IT IMMEDIATELY CRANKED AND RAN FINE. THIS IS WHEN WE NOTICED THAT THE GAS GAUGE FAILED TO MOVE. THE GAUGE SHOWED TO BE ABOUT 1/2 FULL BEFORE WE ADDED FUEL AND DIDN'T MOVE AFTER ADDING THE FUEL. THE FUEL INDICATOR HAS NOW MOVED TO PAST FULL AND HASN'T MOVED SINCE. WE HAD AN INFINITI DEALER LOOK AT THE CAR AND THEY GAVE US AN ESTIMATE OF $1502.00 TO MAKE THE REPAIRS. THE MALFUNCTIONED OCCURRED AT OR NEAR 72,000 MILES, WELL AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD. REVIEWING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A RATHER COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THIS YEAR/MODEL. OFTEN THIS WAS REPAIRED BY INFINITI IN CARS THAT WERE STILL IN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. BELOW IS A LINK TO A WEBSITE THAT'S HAS OVER 160 POSTS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. HTTP://FORUMS.NICOCLUB.COM/M45-FUEL-GAUGE-PROBLEM-POST-HERE-IF-YOU-HAVE-HAD-IT-T316682-150.HTML. *TR

I HAD JUST PURCHASED THE CAR AND WHEN I LEFT THE LOT AROUND NOVEMBER 1ST, 2011 AT 95K MILES , I WENT 10 MILES HOME TO MY PLACE, THEN 10 ADDITIONAL MILES TO MY MOTHERS PLACE TO SHOW THEM THE CAR. THEY GOT TO SEE THAT IT DIED IN HER APARTMENTS WHEN THE GAS GAUGE READ THAT IT WAS FULL. WE TRIED TO JUMP THE CAR, BUT WE DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS OUT OF GAS AND HAD SOMEONE WITH A GAS CAN TO HELP US. THE REFERRED ME TO A SHOP AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT'S NOT EVEN APART OF THE BBB AND NOT CERTIFIED AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THEY WANTED ME TO HELP THEM FIND THE PART BUT THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY. I'M STILL DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE AND I HOPE YOU ALL CAN HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. *TR

I KNOW THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON FUEL GAUGE ISSUES WITH THE 03-04 M45. MY CAR NOW HAS 87K AND HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SINCE AROUND 73K MILES. ONCE IT GETS DOWN TO 1/4 TANK, IT WILL SOMETIMES GO TO E AND TURN THE LIGHT ON OR GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN 1/4 AND 1/2 TANK MARKS. I KNOW THE QX56 HAD A RECALL FOR THE SENDING UNIT BUT THE GAUGE CLUSTERS ARE THE ISSUE WITH THESE CARS. I'M HOPING INFINITI WILL PROVIDE SOME HELP SINCE THIS IS QUITE A BIG CONCERN FOR EVERY DRIVER. THANK YOU. *TR

ON THE LABOR DAY IN THIS YEAR (2011), MY 2003 M45 HAD BEEN STOPPED IN MIDDLE OF THE I-75. THE FUEL GAUGE WAS AROUND 1/4. WHILE I WAS DRIVING AROUND 65 MPH ON THE PASSING LANE, THE CAR LOST ITS POWER AND THEN STOPPED. THERE WAS NOT TIME TO PULL OVER TO AN EMERGENCY LANE. FOLLOWING CARS BARELY PASSED MY CAR. IT WAS THE MOST SCARY MOMENT IN MY LIFE. ABOUT 3 MINUTE LATER, A POLICE ARRIVED AND THEN I COULD ESCAPE THE SITUATION. AFTER THE CAR WAS TOWED NEAREST A SHOP, IT TURNS OUT THAT GAS WAS EMPTY. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT IT IS THE COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE. THE HUNDREDS OF OWNER ARE SUFFERING FROM THIS ISSUE BUT INFINITI IGNORES TO FIX THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 INFINITI M45. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD PROVIDE ERRONEOUS FUEL LEVEL READINGS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED AS A RESULT OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL ALTHOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE ADVISED THAT THE TANK WAS FULL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO VERIFIED THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDED TO REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

THE FUEL GAUGE READ FULL AND I RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY, FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT. I FILLED THE TANK UP AND THE NEXT DAY THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR KEPT CUTTING OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. I GOT TO A GAS STATION AND THE TANK WAS 3/4 FULL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO TOLD ME I HAD FAILED TIMING SENSORS WHICH THEY REPLACED FOR $705.04. ONE HOUR AFTER LEAVING THE DEALER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND THEY SAID THEY JUST NEEDED TO CLEAR THE CODES. THE NEXT DAY THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I WENT TO A PRIVATE STATION AND WAS TOLD I HAD A DTC CODE P0462 AND THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE WITH THE ONLY FIX BEING TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE GAUGE CLUSTER. I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY AT THE TIME TO HAVE THIS CORRECTED. I NOW HAVE TO BE INSPECTED AND HAVE NO CHOICE. *TR