KnownCarProblems2003 Infiniti M45 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 129 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Infiniti M45, most often about the fuel system (61% of complaints, typically around 85,500 miles). It is the most complained-about M45 model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2003 Infiniti M45 problems
Fuel system
78 complaints · 61%Half of these problems showed up before 85,500 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
Fuel gauge does not show correct amount of fuel resulting in running out of gas. I have been dealing with the problem for almost 2 years. Now the service engine light came up and the issue requires fixing in order to pass emission control. This is well known problem, but Infiniti refuses fixing it.
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…
Engine
40 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 122,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
I am starting to notice that my engine is burning excessive amounts of oil. I only have 2 thousand miles on an oil change and my vehicle was almost out of oil when I checked. I don't drive the vehicle hard at all, just normal driving. I've checked other forums and it seems to be a problem with a lot of the vehicles. I…
The contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. After waiting fifteen minutes, the vehicle was restarted and resumed normally. The failure recurred two times. On two separated occasions, the vehicle failed to start until after…
Electrical
22 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 96,000 miles.
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…
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.
Seats
5 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 85,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that the front driver's seat failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 85,372.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that the driver seat leaned to the left while occupied. The vehicle was taken to dealer where the technician diagnosed that the seat rail needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
Transmission
4 complaints · 3%This vehicle randomly will shut down all mechanical systems simultaneously at any speed which creates an extremely dangerous situation, especially around other traffic, which could result in a crash. The car's "service engine soon" light appears, the car immediately loses engine power, brakes, and steering and many…
Traveling at about 60 MPH on a state route, the car shut down. No power, no dash lights, inability to use turn signals to indicate the intention of changing lanes to the right and onto the side of the road, which nearly caused a collision as the car slowed to crawl. Once pulled onto the side of the road, after many…
Body and structure
3 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: body.
Purchased new inf. M45 when car reached about 24000 miles. I took it in to be serviced. Infiniti service was unable to reproduce problem. Would call on several occasions informing dealership that their product was defective. I finally got tons of problems (perforated leather seats had mesh coming, cd changer jammed…
I was driving on a highway at a aproximately 75 MPH when all of the sudden the rear back glass blew off the vehicle. I felt a little shake and mu rear back glass was gone.
Air bags
3 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: side/window.
The seat-mounted, side torso air bags for the driver and front passenger might explode. The airbag light will not go off. Dealer tried to get me to buy new module but I did some research on your site and found out there are many cases like mines. Please help what should I do?
Http://www.carsafetyreference.com/Infiniti-M45-2003/air-bags my2003 Infiniti M45 supplemental air bag light is blinking. I have not been in any accidents or hit anything. This seems to be a known issue with this vehicle and Infiniti in general as there are numerous forums about it. It needs to be evaluated by Infiniti…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Infiniti M45 recalls
Fuel system: fuel system, gasoline
Risk: The vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will modify the circuit board free of charge. The safety recall began on april 27, 2012. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 infiniti m45 vehicles manufactured from march 7, 2002, through june 3, 2004. Due to a circuit board failure, the fuel gauge may read a fuel level higher than actually exists. As a result, the vehicle may run out of gas without notice.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect 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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fuel level gauge system failure
Summary
In a march 5, 2012 letter to NHTSA, nissan north america, inc. (nissan) submitted a defect information report identifying a defect in the combination meter circuit board in approximately 8,120 model year 2003 through 2004 infiniti m45 vehicles manufactured from march 7, 2002 through june 3, 2004 (recall no. 12v-088). According to nissan, heat generated by several components of the circuit board may cause solder cracks due to thermal shock.open circuits created by the solder cracks may cause the fuel gauge to read higher than the actual amount of fuel remaining in the gas tank or always indicate full.because of this condition, drivers may run out of fuel without notice, resulting in an engine
Non-deployment of side thorax air bags
Summary
The subject vehicles are equipped with seat-mounted, side thorax air bags for the driver and front passenger.this investigation revealed that faulty side air bag module electrical connectors located under the driver and front passenger seats can cause an interruption in the electrical circuit that will drop the input voltage below the specified range.as a result, the air bag warning lamp illuminates on the instrument panel and the affected side air bag becomes deactivated.in june 2009, nissan conducted a service campaign to repair the defective air bag electrical connectors in the subject vehicles (both infiniti q45 and m45 models).in june 2010, nissan sent a second notification concerning t
Side air bag non-deployment
Summary
The subject vehicles are equipped with seat-mounted, side torso air bags for the driver and front passenger.this investigation has revealed that faulty side air bag module connectors located under the front seats can cause an interruption in the electrical current that will drop the input voltage below the specified range.as a result, the air bag warning lamp illuminates and the affected side air bag is deactivated.the rates of complaints, field reports and warranty claims related to the subject issue are very high.for example, nissan submitted 4,853 warranty claims on 3,551 distinct subject vehicles out of 13,836 total subject vehicles.also, analyses of warranty claims indicate an increasin
Questions about the 2003 Infiniti M45
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Infiniti M45?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: fuel system (78 complaints, typically around 85,500 miles); engine (40 complaints, typically around 122,000 miles); electrical (22 complaints, typically around 96,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Infiniti M45 have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 6, 2012 (fuel system). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Infiniti M45?
- It is the most complained-about M45 model year since 2000, with 129 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.