2003 Infiniti M45: engine failure

Filed Apr 23, 2016 · Engine · 120,000 miles · CA

While turning left with on coming traffic the engine died. The check engine light came on and the communications center said it was emissions related. The car did restart, the warning light remains on, and after a short drive there was a burning smell and heat coming from the car. The local nissan dealer will only work on it as customer pay, and will not do any recall work, said I need to go to the infinity dealer 2 hours away. I just notified nissan corp today of the issue and waiting for their response.

Filed Sep 23, 2013 · Engine · 147,000 miles · AZ

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 infiniti m45. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. The engine failed to restart and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 01v357000 (engine and engine cooling); however the contact's VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

Filed Feb 12, 2012 · Electrical, Fuel system · 124,500 miles · WI

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.

Filed Dec 28, 2011 · Electrical, Fuel system · OK

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.

Filed Sep 24, 2010 · Engine · 77,000 miles · MD

My 2003 infiniti m45 engine stopped during operation which was very concerning at the time due to my finance and child both in the car. This has been the second time that this has happened to my vehicle. This issue first occurred after the service engine light came on. I was told by the manufacture dealership that I would have to replace my engine to correct issue. That was a very expensive option so I took it another smaller auto shop to get a second opinion. I was told there was engine problem with the cam shaft senor and the timing belts. I decide to continue to drive vehicle. The car first had engine failure in apr 10. I took to a auto shop and the cam shaft sensors was replaced and I was able to continue to drive the vehicle. Code p0021 was not able to be cleared so the service engine light remained on. I was able to drive the car and experienced no issues until sept 10. The car engine stop working again during vehicle operation in sept 10. I recently came across a recall for 2003 infiniti m45 that described similar issues to what is happening to my vehicle. I was told by the infiniti dealership that my VIN was not part of the recall even though the vehicle problems are similar to was is listed in this engine and engine cooling recall. Thank you.