Infiniti QX56

josh684 · July 2004

For those of you with A/C problems, take your truck to the dealer as they have found the problem. The freon is filled up to much. They were filling them the same as the armada but there are less coils or something. So problem solved.

presplan · July 2004

does anyone else feel like the steering wheel can literally jump out of your hands when you hit a pot hole or a series of bumps? I have the car for two months and just started to feel like the suspension has changed. No one else in the car notices it but me, so I think it has something to do with the steering wheel.

qx56 · July 2004

I have driven mine for 3500 miles and so far I have not experienced any loss of control. I live in a town that is riddled with pot holes and a couple of grade level railroad crossings. There is probably more movement in the wheel then I'm used to, but remember it is a pickup truck from the body down.

3456220 · July 2004

Any help would be appreciated. I am looking at buying a QX56 and was thinking about the possibility of buying an extended warranty (7 yr/100k miles) because of the quality issues. We buy and keep our cars for a while. Our current SUV is an ML with 106,000 miles. Can anyone share with me the pricing the dealer quoted for an extended warranty? If anyone purchased it, what price did you pay.

Thanks in advance

presplan · July 2004

I brought my car in for service to check out the steering issue. They tightened the power steering rack sliding force, and so far it seems 90% better than what it was before. The ride is nice and smooth once again, but I still feel just a little rebound in the wheel when going over bigger potholes.

kbyrne · July 2004

I have had my QX for 3 months. It has been in the shop 3 times and now I need to schedule the fourth visit on Monday. Here is what I have seen; Within a couple of days of delivery the Sunroof didn't function, the brake lights didn't work, the entertainment system didn't work and the engine began making a loud chain type rattling noise at low speeds. To date the sunroof and brake light have been fixed. The truck still makes loud rattling noises and I suspect they will be installing the third DVD system next appointment. As well as the fact that the DVD doesn't work, whenever I go over the smallest bump, the overhead console which houses the screen sounds like it is going to fall out of the roof.
Has anyone else had this many problems?

josh684 · July 2004

I only really had the A/C problem, which has been fixed. Other than that everything has been good. Service does a great job taking care of me when I do have problems tho.

presplan · July 2004

I brought my car in for a noise coming from he air conditioning vent when you turned it off (sounded like a burping noise), miscellaneous rattles and the steering wheel issue. The air conditioning noise and steering wheel issue have been fixed for the moment, but I still have some rattles. The service department is great and I can't complain (not yet anyway).

katana2 · July 2004

The service department is the root of all my problems!!! There is still a number of items that need to be repaired from my last post which was a while ago. I called Infiniti last week but have not had a response as to what solutions he could negotiate. Keep in mind all the damage was done by the dealership at my first service.

To add to the list of woes, I was walking out to my vehicle the other day and noticed the skid pan hanging down!!! When I crawled under there for a inspection I found the rear bolts that hold the back of the pan had fallen out. The dealership would have to remove this pan to change the oil filter. Instead of going back there I went and bought some bolts and replaced them myself. I told the guy at Infiniti that this was what I have come to expect from this dealership, he didn't have a suitable reply.

We are seriously thinking about cutting our losses and dumping this vehicle.

presplan · July 2004

sorry to hear about your problems with the service center. I don't know here you live, but can you find another dealership to work with? I have 2 in my area to pick from - one near my home and the other by my office. I use the Flemington, NJ location and they go out of their way to help. I love the QX56, but am also concerned about all the manufacturing defects. As long as my dealership can address the problems, I am going to stick it out. Good luck!!

ringleader6 · July 2004

Hello......I now have 8,500 miles on mine, great truck.....temp was 98 last sat with the heat index at 110 and 94 percent humidity......A/C performed with no problems, in fact had to turn the rear down. My runner took the truck to Birmingham last week in the same type of heat, first time he had driven it, and had to turn the front A/C up to 79, he did not realize the rear was on....I have used five different dealers for service with my two Q45, FX45 and my QX56, my daughter just purchased a G35 and we have never had a problem with any of them. I know a lot of Lincoln and Caddy owners would not like to admit it, but the brute power of the QX56 simply does not compare. The FX45 is a Corvette from Japan. Unbelievable handling, actually drives better at 85 than 55. Same brute power like the QX.

dadfromchitown · July 2004

I've only had a few minor problems with my QX. My first problem was with the Navigation system. When you type in an address for destination, the nav system would just freeze and I have to reset the system. The dealer replaced the whole Nav system. My other problem is that I have a cracked wood trimming on the passenger side. I called my Infiniti dealer and they are going to replace it next week. They told me that it is covered by the warranty. I know my problems are minor compare to some of you.

kbyrne · August 2004

HI All,
As an update to all of the other probelms I have had with my QX56. Since my last post I have discovered that the seat heaters are cross connected (driver switch turns on passenger seat heater) and the overhead lights have stopped working. IT goes into the shop tomorrow.

hawkmt · August 2004

Have test driven the QX56 and was impressed yet at the same time am "concerned" about the myriad of hi-tech devices in the vehicle and the "potential" to have lots of problems as the vehicle gets older. Have also been looking at the Landcruiser. The LC is, to a certain extent, older technology yet technology which has endured for years. The other side of the coin is re-sale. LCs certainly seem to hold their value better than most. The QX56 is thus far unproven so I find myself in a bit of a dilema. There is a significant difference in price yet the dealers in our area are beginning to become quite negotiable with the LC prices given the soft autosale market in Upsate New York. Would appreciate any advice/opinions.

3456220 · August 2004

Have had the qx56 for a week. took a trip with the family that covered over 1300 miles. the truck did great. no problems thus far (other than a busted windshield by a rock from a semi). the a/c was great, all technology worked properly, no rattles. the sw developers for the nav/display unit did a really good job. the best thing is the low end acceleration (torque) no other competitor can touch it. the worst thing; miles per gallon. all must remember, this is a truck on a truck frame, given that, it drives/handles much better than i expected.

qx56 · August 2004

Just got the Qx56 back from Ray Catena for it's first service. No charge including a replacement hold-down for the cargo net that snapped from sliding a loaded cooler. I did ask about using Mobil syn. and the service tech. recommended I make the change at the 7500 mile service to allow the engine to completely seat. My loaner was a G35x which I enjoyed driving (for a car).

skebo · August 2004

I am considering ordering my QX56 with the dealer installed Sirius SAT radio option. My understanding is that the vehicle is prewired for SAT radio, so what does the $400 MSRP cost for Sirius cover? Is that just for antenna installation and is the dealer install any good?
I've heard of some problems with Sirius reception and some antenna installations. Does anybody have stories about the reception with their dealer installed Sirius radios in the QX56 and what did you r dealer charge for the installation?

qxinla · August 2004

The $400 is the cost of the radio. Dealer install is additional. Dealer wanted About $800 for whole thing. Ended up paying a little over $500 I believe. I was told the install was a 3 hour job. Mine was the first QX56 they did at this dealership in April, and the truck was with them for 1 1/2 days. It was a lot bigger deal than they expected. That being said, we LOVE the SAT radio ( we have XM) It does occasionally drop out for a few moments in some areas, but it hasn't been a big deal. The installation is seamless. We will always install SAT in any future vehicles!

yamamoto · August 2004

Infiniti made a gesture of goodwill by buying my QX56 back to avoid litigation. Let me start out by saying, I did not have any problem with the dealership that I purchased the vehicle or the dealership servicing the vehicle. The servicing dealership did everything they could do with the LIMITED parts and guidance from the manufacturer.

The real thrust of my complaint is toward Infiniti Consumer Affairs. I will start off by advising anybody who thinks this organization is there to be a service to you, you are DEAD wrong.

I will not go into all the common problems I had with my vehicle, I feel these are still being discussed in these forums. However, I will focus this post on a safety issue that Infiniti was never helpful in addressing.

Passenger Side AirBag

Ever since we owned the car, when my wife would sit in the passenger seat the "Passenger Airbag Off" light on the dash would turn on and off. We took the QX56 into the shop to have them look at it, they told me the sensor in the seat seemed to be working properly, but they would contact the technical department at infiniti for further guidance.

After this first visit, I made numerous phone calls to Consumer Affairs to see what the status of the Passenger Airbag repair was. I was continually informed that they were looking into it. My next visit to the dealer was about a month after my first visit. The dealer told me to read a document they attached to my work order, and they were still trying to get guidance from Infiniti Technical Department as how to resolve my problem. The Infiniti document the dealer gave my states the following: "Front-passenger-seat occupants weighing over 102lbs (46.3kg) and who are properly seated and using the seat belt as outlined in the Owner's Manual should not cause the passenger air bag to be automatically turned OFF". My wife is 5'7" tall and weighs 120lbs.

After another week or so not hearing from Infiniti Consumer Affairs, I decided to ask to speak to the manager in the department. I explained my situation and she said the thought Infiniti was writing a TSB on the issue but she was not sure. She assured me she would call me the next day to let me know. Well after waiting another 1 1/2 weeks and still no call back from the manager of consumer affairs I made another call back to the department. The day I called the manager was not in the office to take my call, so I explained my situation to another person in consumer affairs. She was very nice when I explained my ongoing unresolved problem and she asked to put me on hold while she contacted the technical department. When she came back on the line, her answer to me was that the weight required to make the passenger airbag work was set by the federal government and Infiniti has no control over the government mandates. I told her this is perfectly acceptable with me, and I asked her if she could tell me what the government weight requirement for passenger airbags were. She said this was a perfectly reasonable request, she did not know the answer at the time, but she would research it and contact me that day with the answer. That afternoon when I talked to Infiniti Consumer Affairs I was informed by a gentleman reading from my file that under no circumstance is Infiniti going to give me the weight requirement to make the airbag function.

As you can imagine I was getting a little upset, so I decided to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find out for myself how much my wife needs to weight so she does not get killed in a frontal impact. I was informed by the NHTSA the airbag needs to work if the occupant exceeds 4'8" and 80lbs. According to the government mandate, my wife is 50% above the threshold to make this airbag deploy.

The next day I decided to write a letter to Infiniti Consumer Affairs hoping I would be able to solve my problem. I UPS'ed my letter overnight to them on 6/2, on 6/3 they received it. Again I waited patiently (like an idiot) thinking they were going to respond to my letter. I called them on June 21 to see if they had responded to my letter, they told me the never got my letter. I explained that I UPS'ed it to them and will call back with the name of the person who signed for it. But while I had them on the phone I asked what the status of my airbag repair was. My case worker at Infiniti Consumer Affairs told me that since the airbag parts are sensitive parts they could not be air freighted to the dealership. I asked her if I could assume the parts were being sent by ground, she said no I should not assume that. I asked her if I could assume she is being honest with me, then she got very angry with me raising her voice asking me if I was insinuating she was a lier.

When I called back with the name of the individual who signed for my UPS letter, I was informed that the letter may still be in their mail room, I asked if it was normal for a letter to take 17 days to go from the mail room upstairs to my caseworkers desk. They said they did not know how long it would take for my letter to make it upstairs. I asked them for a fax number to fax my letter over to them, instead of giving me an answer, I was informed they were looking for my letter in the mail room. I asked 3 times for the fax number and they gave me the same answer. I was not until I offered to drive my letter to their facility in Torrance were they willing to give me the fax number.

I faxed the letter to them and my case worker called me back and told me they received it. I asked if they were going to mail me a written response, she said no. So I asked what Infiniti's response was, so here it is:

I was told that this airbag problem is not an Infinit problem, the problem is with the switch manufacturer Johnson Controls. I informed her that I wrote my check to Infiniti when I purchased the car not Johnson Controls, she told me this was infinit's position.

At that point I contacted William R. McGee in california a lemon law attorney. I dropped my car off at the dealer last week and received my check today.

I would never be posting this message if it weren't for the people at Infiniti Consumer Affairs. As hard as Infiniti was trying to compete with Lexus on quality and customer service, they have fallen far short.

I just wonder if Nissan of North America cares about the people who may die in the passenger airbag, or does it cost too much to fix. If you think I am an isolated case, click on the link below and cut and paste the ODI numbers in the box. These are customers with the same complaints with the Armada and Titan, both using the same sensor.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsear- ch.cfm

Nissan Titan

10073252, 10083431, 10074705, 10073293, 10074723, 10072969

Nissan Armada

10072534

Infiniti QX56

10079597

Let's hope Nissan of North America does the right thing for the families who are riding in their cars day after day.

cpp · August 2004

If you don't mind my asking, did Infiniti give you a reasonable price for your QX? Although I love my FX45, I've been extremely unhappy with the dealer (next closest dealer is almost 2 hours away). After my last service visit the dealer offered to buy back the car. I wasn't interested, because I can't think of a suitable replacement I'd rather have. However, the dealer went on to explain that they would be happy to pay the going rate for wholesale auction. Needless to say, that didn't make me any happier - seemed rather insulting to me that he would offer to let me take a several thousand dollar hit so that he would have an other opportunity to make money from the sale of a well-maintained, 1-year old car.
I realize your problems were with Infiniti, whereas mine was with the dealer, but just curious.

yamamoto · August 2004

Infiniti agreed to pay me back everything I spent on the car including tax, title, etc. Less approx $300 (this is the california lemon law usage formula).

skebo · August 2004

This is kind of shocking news. Have an other owners here had similar problems with that sensor?

An interesting note from one of those NHTSA complaints is that one owner noted that sitting more forward in the seat seemed to trigger the sensor.

This has all the looks of a long drawn out finger pointing exercise between Nissan and Johnson Controls. Where Nissan indicates the sensor is defective and Johnson Controls says that Nissan has installed the sensor incorrectly. Either way the consumer ends up losing (and perhaps dying).

yamamoto, thank you for your detailed posting. It has certainly made me think twice about purchasing a QX56. One question though. Is the NHTSA launching a defect investigation in this case?

cpp · August 2004

Infiniti agreed to pay me back everything I spent on the car including tax, title, etc. Less approx $300 (this is the california lemon law usage formula).

Glad you got decent resolution. Unfortunately, it doesn't address the real issue: I assume you would have rather had the vehicle you shopped for and bought, rather than having to give it up because Infiniti couldn't or wouldn't make things right.
Good post, by the way. Sounds like you handled things much more professionally than most would have - that probably helped quite a bit in getting the buy-back.

jim10 · August 2004

yamamoto
Very well done. I got Chrysler to buy back my Town and Country after 3 years with a Lemon Law suit. It was very easy once I got a professional involved, the lawyer.

The lesson here is to document every little problem to build a case, if needed. Mind you, I am NOT a litigious person and it pained me to even think about suing Chrysler, but after 19 service calls in 2 years and the check engine light going off 150 miles after the warranty was out, I had enough and so did you.

Enough of that story...

Today I drove a QX 56 in Detroit and liked (not loved) the vehicle. They were not talking about any discount to speak of for a 2004 and offered me less than 20k trade on my 2002 MDX, which has a great car. I told the guy that he just killed the deal and he backpedaled a bit and would come back to me later.

Combining that behavior with the fact that I did not absolutely love a $55,000 truck, I think that I am going with the Lexus GX 470, especially if they upgrade the engine for 2005 from 235 hp to 280ish hp.

Can anyone talk some sense into me on this? The forum has lots of opinions, so please school me.

Thanks in advance for your comments
Jim

By the way, I still have yet to drive the Lexus GX 470

yamamoto · August 2004

Skebo,

the nhtsa sent me a letter stating they do not have enough information regarding the QX56 to launch an investigation. However, I am sending them a letter linking all of the similar complaint together (armada and titan). Hopefully, the nhtsa will then see this in not an isolated case with just one qx56

yamamoto · August 2004

cpp,

you are right, I never wanted to be in the position I was in. But after being jerked around long enough by Infiniti Consumer Affairs, I decided I was going to dig my heals into the sand and win this fight.

It always amazed me that the people at ininiti know of the problem but chose to ignore it and hope it went away. I wonder if the people at Ford/Firestone can sleep well at night because the decisions they made helped save the companies some money. What about the families who suffered loses?

qx56 · August 2004

Headed for Outerbanks Sunday AM. The house I'm staying at is about 2 miles north of where rt.12 ends. Road is the waters edge on the beach then through the dunes for a half a mile. Should be interesting to see how it handles with 10psi in the tires. Hope the flat tire alarm is silenceable. I figure I'll give it a good pressure washing when I get home.

stever · August 2004

More tips can be found in SUV for Beach Sand.

Steve, Host

presplan · August 2004

I just got my car back from my first service (approx 3,700 miles) and felt a lot of shaking in the steering wheel while going over bumps. I noticed the tire pressure monitor said 38psi for each tire (I assume they put more air in the tires). I read the sticker for recommended psi and it says 35 (on the side of the door). I took some air out of the tires, down to 35psi, and it seems to ride smoother. Any one else notice the same thing? what psi do you maintain for your tires?

qx56 · August 2004

Thank you! A wealth of information for my new vacation area. The QX56 out performed the Jeep Wrangler of my brother-in-laws. I know because I drove both over the very harsh sand and water conditions. Driving in was easy for both as we showed up the day following the Hurricane. Lots of wet sand. Soon the sand dryed and the true test started. The Wrangler danced on the top and was at times uncontrollable when following others tracks. The QX56's suspension made for a much smoother ride, and if you needed to change tracks, it simply made it's own. I climbed steeper sand hill then he could and rode through water over sand roads that was deep enough to splash over the hood. Nuts? Maybe! Impressed? Definitely! Now I have all day tomorrow to get the ton of sand out of the interior and exterior.

dadfromchitown · August 2004

I just came back from a 2500 mile road trip. Took the QX in Toronto & Niagara Falls Canada, then to Philly, then to DC and Atlantic City. i had quite a few people asking me questions about the truck. When we were in downtown Toronto and Niagara Falls, there were so many people turning their heads to look at the truck. It felt good having so many people checking out the truck.

The ride was very comfortable. The kids were pretty busy watching movies.

Does anybody know if I could use the factory installed crossbars to add luggage rack or cargo box on my truck?
I would like to add a luggage rack so that on my next trip, I could use the third row seatings.

so far I haven't had any major issues with the truck. I have over 7000 mles right now and will soon be due for the 7500 miles maintenance.

qx56 · August 2004

I used a soft top carrier I purchased from ebay for about 29 bucks. It serves me well holding all the "stuff" for a family of five for a week. They claim to be waterproof, but traveling south against the tropical storm Charlie proved less then waterproof. Best part is it folds up into a storable bag that is much more manageable then the big hardtop carriers. Most important - no marks on the roof finish!

katana2 · August 2004

I have the carrier that fits into the trailer hitch. It holds more weight than the roof carriers and for a vertically challenged person such as myself loads super easy. I also bought the water proof bag for it and it was truly waterproof we drove through some very heavy downpours without any moisture entering the bag. It also surprised me with the amount of cargo it could hold. The downside is that it adds extra length to the vehicle and sets off the backup alarm, which you can cancel, it is also rather bulky to store and filled the hotel room where we were staying. It doesn't add extra wind resistance like the roof top carriers and was less expensive than the cargo boxes and racks.

ringleader6 · August 2004

My understanding is that the front cross bar will not swap over to the rear, the owners manual mentions purchasing an additional rear bar for a rack application, I have one on order...

doug3 · August 2004

Does anybody know when the 2005 models will be out, and will there be a new shade of red?

skebo · August 2004

I've been told by two dealers that we can place an order for a 2005 QX56 starting 9/1. One indicated that it would take at least 45 days to arrive and the other indicated that it would arrive in 2 months.

Sorry, can't help with the color info.

javajam66 · September 2004

I have to agree with this post 100% - I will disagree only on one other besides the G35 which is the Q45. It's always a classy looking sedan and the interior is exquisite. But the Q56 is so ugly it makes me mad! Like why didn't they try harder to update that! That's why I won't own an Infiniti anytime in the near future...

jjwiedem · September 2004

I have not gone to see the QX56 yet. Can anyone comment on the space behind the third seat? We have two kids and one on the way and wife needs space behind the seat for groceries, stroller etc.

phkck · September 2004

The only thing that has worked is our Suburban or previous Excursion. We had a mini-van with only enough space for either the stoller or groceries. The Armada and QX56 are the same way. With the 3rd seat up there is not enough room for a stoller and groceries!

qx56 · September 2004

The space behind the third seat is fine for weekly groceries, but that's it! I have a family of five and got the second row captain chairs because it looks "nicer." However, the seats are impractical for long trips. I have to use the roof rack with a soft carrier. If I stuck with the bench seat in the second row it would free up tons of room!
Good luck - I love mine.

Kirstie_H · September 2004

A reporter would like to speak with owners of the Infiniti QX56. If you own a QX56 and would be willing to speak with a reporter about your ownership experience, please contact Pam Krebs, Edmunds.com PR, at pkrebs@edmunds.com and include your daytime phone number. The reporter needs to speak with people by Monday, Sept. 13.

doug3 · September 2004

Will there be any changes on the 2005 model that would be worth waiting for?
Has anybody heard of significant discounts or rebates to help clear out the 2004 vehicles before the 2005 arrive?
Thanks for your help!

aggiedog · September 2004

This is all you get. Whether it's worth the wait is debatable.

Enhancements to the 2005 QX56 include:

· Standard active head restraints for driver and front passenger
· RearView Monitor and Rear Proximity Sensor (included as standard equipment)

qx56 · September 2004

This is the finished article.
My input is the last reviewer.

www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100844

Thanks,
Joe

stever · September 2004

Congrats Joe!

Steve, Host

Kirstie_H · September 2004

Great! Thanks for sharing with us - sometimes we don't see the results, but it's nice to know that your responses to the requests are getting airtime.

Cheers,
kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

ringleader6 · September 2004

Link is bad now. Just go straight to autoweek.com and the article is on the front page. Looks like what us owners have been saying all along, one fine truck....and nothing else compares on the road.

stever · September 2004

Still works for me. Here's a shortcut:

2004 Infiniti QX56 (AutoWeek)

Steve, Host

dadfromchitown · October 2004

I'm the first reviewer.

stever · October 2004

Great! Now where's Paul and Rich?

Steve, Host

Infiniti QX56

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