2003 Infiniti M45

THE CAR STALLED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON 880 FREEWAY LEFT LANE. LUCKILY I SUCCEEDED TO STEER THE CAR THROUGH THE LANES TO THE RIGHT CURB. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE FUEL GAUGE (ASKED BY POLICE OFFICER THAT STOPPED BY), IT SHOWED SLIGHTLY MORE THAN ONE QUARTER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO FRONTIER INFINITI DEALERSHIP IN SANTA CLARA. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR AND CLAIMS THAT THE GAS TANK WAS EMPTY. SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT INDICATING CORRECTLY. NO REPAIR ACTION WAS TAKEN. *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.

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

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