Owners have filed 154 complaints on the Infiniti M45, covering 2003–2004. The system named most often is Fuel System (85 reports). Worst years by volume: 2003, 2004; cleanest: 2004, 2003. On average the car was 8.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Infiniti M45
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 154 M45 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Fuel System 85 Read
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. When the contact added fuel to the gas tank he noticed that the fuel gauge would constantly fluctuate without giving the driver an accurate reading. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. There were…
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. Whenever the contact drives the vehicle he noticed that the fuel gauge will show 1/2 gallon more gasoline than the vehicle actually has in the tank. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 130000.…
On february 28, 2010, my 2004 infinity m45 gas gauge read that I had a little over a 1/4 tank of gas. As was driving down mathilda avenue in sunnyvale I began to notice that my vehicle was sputtering. I managed to get onto el camino real and luckily was able to pull over. Unfortunately, I coasted to the right curb in…
Engine 21 Read
The contact owns 2004 infiniti m45. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and the vdc, engine, and seatbelt lights illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and changed the battery a day later but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated…
The first incident happened on june 3rd driving to work and the car just gave out. It stalled, lights came on the dashboard and car died. I was able to drift to a side street in which I tried to start the car again; however, the car would not start up. I had to get it towed to my house. After sitting for the day, I…
The contact owns 2004 infiniti m45. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle started sputtering before stalling. The contact mentioned that the entire instrument panel illuminated and moments later, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle exhibited the failure multiple times. The vehicle was taken…
Engine And Engine Cooling 17 Read
Car had no fuel despite gauge reading. Traveling 65mph in left lane of crowded rush hour traffic on garden state parkway with no left shoulder. Very dangerous series of right lane changes and coasting in neutral to exit traffic. No accident or injury but challenging situation that did not need to happen since we all…
2003 infiniti m45 consumes 4 ml of oil after only 1000 miles and told by dealershio and manufacturer that this is normal
Vehicle consumes 1 quart of motor oil every 1000 miles. It causes carbon buildup in the combustion chambers. I was told I would have to pay to get the carbon cleaned periodically. Vehicle has 24000 miles and is still under warranty. Manufacturer says this type of consumption is normal and does not want to anything.…
Electrical System 8 Read
Purchased a 2004 infiniti m45 with 76k in may 2010. Within 2 days of buying the car the check engine light came on. I had it scanned and it said "fuel sending unit" so I replaced that part and the light went off. About 2 days later, the gas tank was about 1/4 tank shown, and I watched the fuel gauge needle move from…
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. The contact stated that the oil indicator lamp failed to illuminate, indicating that the oil level was low. As a result, the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine and the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was…
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle restarted after an hour and was able to be driven to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the failure recurred…
Seats 5 Read
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. The driver side front seat was unstable since the seat bracket was broken. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the technician concluded that the bracket has weak spots that caused cracks in the weld. The warranty has expired and the contact is required to pay $1200.00 to have…
Went to sit in car and heard a loud pop as I sat. Seat was then shaky and unstable. Further inspection revealed the seat was loose or broken on the left side. Took car to infiniti where I was told the seat came out of the track and the seat track needed to be replaced at a cost of $1200
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
Air Bags 4 Read
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. He took the vehicle to dealer for the air bag recall connector in 2009 and he noticed that air bag light remained illuminated. He took the vehicle to a different dealer who confirmed that the recall repair was not performed. He contacted the manufacturer who stated that it was a…
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. The contact stated the side curtain airbag remained illuminated on the warning panel. The dealer confirmed the air bags were defective and would need to be replaced at the expense of the owner. The manufacturer was contacted and advised they would inform the contact at a later…
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?
Fuel/propulsion System 4 Read
This is the second time that the gas gauge has malfunction first was a few years ago while car was under warranty. I remember it was a sunday and I was on my way home from church with my sons. I was driving about 40mph when car stalled. This time I was on I 95 when the car stalled. Both times the gauge read that the…
Since buying the 45m. I have ran out of gas while the gas gauge level reads full. The first time I was simply drive the a busy highway going about 40mph. The car just suddenly begin to sputter then came to a stop while other cars tried to avoid hitting me
The contact owns a 2003 infiniti m45. The contact stated that the fuel gauge inaccurately displayed that the fuel tank was full. As a result, the vehicle stalled due to insufficient fuel in the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of…
Exterior Lighting 2 Read
The contact owns a 2004 infiniti m45. While driving at various speeds, the brake light did not illuminate when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V497000 (exterior…
The contact owns a 2003 infiniti m45. The contact was driving 75 mph with the cruise control activated and attempted to activate the low beam headlights but they failed to illuminate. The cruise control warning light then illuminated. The contact also stated that the instrument panel lights failed and the brakes…
M45 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 23 |
| Average complaints per series | 6.7 |
| Worst single series | 16 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.2 years |
A model average of 6.7 hides a worst series at 16. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the M45?
By complaint volume, 2003, 2004 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which M45 years are the cleanest?
2004, 2003 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Infiniti M45 have?
154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2004. Of those, 0 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.