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Infiniti M45 Under Investigation By NHTSA For Fuel Gauge Defect

19/12/2011 | By: Stephen Elmer 6 Comments

An investigation of the Infiniti M45 has been launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the fuel gauges of the 2003-2004 M45′s. The investigation was prompted by consumer complaints about the fuel gauge readings being inaccurate.

According to NHTSA there have been 43 reports filed concerning faulty gauges in the luxury sedan. Of these, 23 cases report drivers running out of fuel despite the gauge not reading empty. The action taken by the company depends on NHSTA’s preliminary report which will focus on the scope and frequency of the problem. If the gauges are found to have major internal issues it could result in a consumer safety recall of the vehicle.

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Discussion

patrick e

infiniti should have made a recall for this issue years ago. i just bought my 03 m45 3 months ago and have this dreaded issue as well. lets hope for a free fix since gauge clusters and sending units arent cheap!!!
December 22nd, 2011 at 5:08 pm

Kevin

I bought my 2004 M45 in May of 2010 after 6 years of owning a 1998 Q45 also from Infiniti. The fuel gauge was faulty right off the start and began within a few days of owning the car. I though, wow this must get really good mileage because the fuel gauge never goes down! Well, soon after, the check engine light came on, and a scan said “faulty fuel sending unit” which I promptly replaced with a new one. The problem came back within a week and then after some searching on the internet I discovered on various forums, the real problem is the fuel gauge. Of course Infiniti wanted 800 dollars to replace it, so I had mine repaired by a reputable shop that fixes gauge clusters with lifetime warranty for less than 1/2 of that and it’s worked good ever since. However, being a long time Infiniti customer / owner, it definitely left a very sour taste in my mouth.
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:30 pm

Brandon

This is a VERY common problem with the 03-04 M45 and I’m surprised that it has taken this long to come to the surface. The squeaking seat problem is also pretty universal so hopefully that’ll be next
December 25th, 2011 at 2:31 pm

Have a 2003 M45. Gas gauge issue at about 55,000 and after fighting with Infiniti Customer Relations had the instrument cluster replaced for a $100 fee. Now at 105,000 and just the other day “ran out of gas” with fuel gauge reading half a tank. Same problem again. Seems all the did on the first fix is replace the instrument cluster with exact same defective supplier part. Guess they figured I would not own the car past 100,000. I hope the NHTSA forces them into a recall. Infiniti, as a “luxury brand” should be taking care of this issue instead of trying to sweep it under the rug
January 10th, 2012 at 12:13 am

PAUL

JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR…SECOND DAY BLEW THE ENGINE…GETTIN A NEW ONE FOR FREE….WHERE DO I PUT MY COMPLAINT IN IF THIS HAPPENS TO ME WITH THE FUEL GAUGE?
January 11th, 2012 at 11:29 am

Kris

I have the same problem with mine. It happened at around 70000 kilometres. I know the dealer said the cost is not worth replacing it, I just keep a trip monitor for fuel mileage. When I hit 300 km I go fill it, just to be on the safe side. It would be nice for infiniti to go ahead with this recall. Any word if this is for Canada as well as the US?
January 18th, 2012 at 2:51 am