Infiniti M35/M45 Maintenance and Repair

BMW540

Did a new steering rack correct the problem and how did you get the dealer to do this?

barryend

The new steering rack reduced the play in the steering. It was a defect in 2006 model year. The dealer did not protest. In fact it was his idea. Pepe motors, White Plains, NY. The other issue was Goodyear RS-A tires. They trammeled and by 20,000 miles the car was hard to control. New M's come with Michelin Primacy tires. My theory is the M steering geometry lacks caster and has a poor sense of "center". It just wants to turn and follow every groove in the road.

I figured the M35X has a design defect when every car I rented out of town steered bettter.

Audi A4 with sports package feels like it is on rails and I could steer though an eye of a needle. Every day it is fun to drive while the M was a trial.

BobL242

Had my M37 just over three months now and am having the same problem. Took car to dealer two weeks ago and he said everything checks out. Debating whether to take car to a transmission place to have them check it out. Worried that having transmission place look at it might violate the warranty. Please post a follow up if you learn anything. Thanks!

ghstudio

Do what I did...file a nhtsa report on the issue. While many cars have a little delay, this one seems far longer and seems to put you in neutral until the shift is made.

ghstudio

Do what I did...file a nhtsa report on the issue. While many cars have a little delay, this one seems far longer and seems to put you in neutral until the shift is made.

BobL242

Just filed a report with NHTSA. Did you have your dealer look at your car? If so,what did they tell you? Thanks for any info.

quincytkpk

I'm considering buying an Infiniti Certified Pre-Owned 2008 M45 with 20 to 35 thousand miles. When I've bought used cars in the past, I've had a mechanic inspect the vehicle before I made the purchase decision. With 3 more years of Infiniti warranty for a CPO purchase, I'm thinking that a mechanic's inspection may not be needed. Plus I may not know of any reputable mechanics near the dealer if I buy from a dealer outside of my immediate region (in order to get the color and options I want...). I'd appreciate folks thoughts on whether I really should try to get a mechanic's inspection for a low-mileage CPO purchase?

osbornkg

The all wheel drive M's if you read this message broad enough have had problems with steering. Very few problems with the just rear wheel drive M's.

Some of the steering problems have been reduced with a change of tires, but Infiniti is reluctant at addressing this issue.

Our 07 M has 75K and we still love this car, but it's a rear drive M.

mltsurger

I bought a 2008MX with 12000 miles,cpo and wrap.I have a great car but I am lucky.The cpo inspection is a joke.The dealer did not look at anything before my purchase.When I did, they fixed it,I would have someone you know look at it.Have fun if you buy the car,they are great.

quincytkpk

Thanks for the replies. I'm now more skeptical of the CPO process, so I'll get a good mechanic to check the car out. Thanks again!

mltsurger

So,did you have a mechanic check the car out and did you buy ?If so ,what did you pay.Save some money for tires,the RSA's are not safe regarding steering.I put Michelin's on and they resolved all issues.

leon_0905

I own 2008 M35. Recently started experiencing problems with smart key and blue tooth. I have 2 smart keys: one I'm using every day, and the other is for my wife who drives the car (and uses second remote) may be once a month. I don't charge my smart key every time I'm driving, just do it about once/twice a week.
Anyway, both key are working very sporadically; they may open car once or twice, and then stopped working completely. I put the key into charger and then again it works once or twice. I don't know if this has to do with battery or with a link between car and remote.
It starts happening about the same time the blue tooth connection to my iphone disappeared.
Have no idea if these issues are related, or it's just bad timing.
Did anyone experience anything similar? Any suggestions?

mltsurger

Replace the battery,there is no Charger for the key.That is a holder only.blue tooth is different.

leon_0905

So, what does inserting the key into the slot below the wheel does? I remember dealer told me it syncs settings and charges the fob. My older Pontiac had a remote with same battery for 7 years before I had to change it. I'll be quite surprised if battery needs to be changed on a fob that's been used a handful of times. Besides, sometimes when I start a car there is an icon on a display that shows about 3/4 of charge of a remote.

hilley

I have posted this message before, but no one has been able to help. I want to fix my problem so that I can trade the car. I have only 79K miles. My NAV, tape, CD, AC do not work unless the temp. is about 80 F. It has worked at about 32 F on several occasions. The AC and heat work, but I have no control. I recently discovered that the fuse for these systems has voltage to ground on both sides when the fuse is removed. There is no power to the NAV unit in the trunk. One dealer shop told me the screen was bad, but when it works, it works fine. Can a bad screen cause the voltage feed back? I tend to think it is the wiring harness. Comments would be appreciated.

mltsurger

Sell on a hot day !

infinitim35x

You probably just need to replace the batteries in both remotes, its worth a try as a first step in troubleshooting. The holder you say is charging the remotes in the car is not a charger, you cannot charge these remotes. The remote works on RFID technology and as the battery in the remote gets weaker the remotes start to act up. The cool thing about this remote system is you dont ever need to take the remote/keys out of you pocket.

I doubt the Bluetooth and Remote issues are related. replace the batteries in the remote and determine if one or both issues go away.

infinti_m

Hello. I have a question on my 2006 Infiniti M35X. It has 84,000 kilometers. I bought it recertified at 54,000 kilometers. The problem is as follows: when I accelerate quickly from a standstill (I am not talking about flooring the gas pedal - just higher than usual acceleration from a traffic light), I feel and hear vibration. I think the source of vibration in under the floor. It is a fine vibration that feels like the car is struggling to accelerate. Notwithstanding, the acceleration is quick. The vibration is the most in first gear, some in second gear and no vibration in higher gears. The car drives very well in higher gears and at higher speeds. The dealership mechanics say they cannot simulate the problem. I have had this issue since I got the car and it is spoiling my driving experience. Could it be something as simple as a loose heat shield? I don’t know too much about cars - please keep your response simple. Please at least tell me what I should get checked / looked at.

Also, how do you tighten the ceiling mounted DVD player? Mine makes some rattling noise. Thank you.

c5_4fun

I have a 2006 M35x that I've owned since new with 70K miles on it with virtually no mechanical issues other than replacing a motor in the driver's side mirror. However, in the past week, at 3 separate times when braking with I'd say medium force (and not slamming them on such as in a panic situation), the seat belts on both front seats have immediately tightened and you can hear a motor kick in that pulls them tight against the driver and passenger. The braking on these 3 instances is no more or less than my normal driving style for the 5 years I've owned the car and I've never experienced this problem previously. Seems like some kind of safety mechanism, but has anyone else experienced a similar issue and what's the fix? (I recognize this is a good feature if you're in a panic stop, but that's not the case here.) thx

blackie12

blackie12

My 2010 M-35 downshifts very hard from 20 MPH to zero - often bucking 2-3 times before stopping. Dealer, Service Direstor & Factory Rep all maintain that "...vehicle is operating according to specs"! I've since found several blog entries speaking to EXACTLY the same problem as mine. A 2009 M-35 - same engine, & transmission was finally "fixed" with a re-flash & a new ECM module. Another blog entry stated his vehicle was "like a bucking bronco when stopping". Again, Infiniti issued a re-flash & a new ECM and problem IMMEDIATELY fixed. He also stated his mileage improved from 14 MPG to the advertised 18 MPG! Hummm. My mileage is 14-15 MPG in the city! I gave all this information to my dealers' Service Mgr. and contacted Infiniti Corporation and was told the "fix" for the M-35 2010 was not for my 2010 M-35 because my vehicle was manufactured in the 2nd 2010 production run - the aformentioned "fix" was for the 1st 2010 production run! Unbelieveable! I contacted Infiniti Customer Relations and was told by a Manager there that "...we are aware of the problem with your vehicle and that IF AND WHEN we have a fix for it, we will contact you"!!! Infiniti has been stonewalling me for 11 months now & counting. I filed a Lemon Law action against Infiniti asking that Infiniti buy back this vehicle & negate the origional sale transaction. I know there has to be other owners of 2010 M-35's that have &/or are experiencing similar issues with their vehicles. Please blog your experiences so I can present them along with my documentation at a hearing with a judge who will then render a ruling. Infiniti is refusing to admit that there is a "problem" for obvious reasons - a recall is very expensive & damaging so delay tactics & denials is their choice of action. Please help me make them accountable to their customers & force them to truely stand behind their products. I should not be jerked forward in my seat at every stop in an expensive luxory vehicle - I would not accept this is a YUGO! Thank you.

Mr_Shiftright

The ALLDATA database states that the proper scanning tool must be hooked up and various screens called up to determine if your car is suitable for re-programming.

refer to TSB Classification: EC10-001A

Reference: ITB10-014A

Date: March 31, 2010

2009 - 2010 M35;
ENGINE HESITATION OR STALL AT IDLE OR VERY LOW SPEEDS
The Applied Vehicles in this bulletin have been amended. Please discard previous versions.

kidstar

Hi Mets67,

Your post (#1267) was the closest to something I have been searching for on my issues to the noises on my 2010 M35x. I have had my car since March 2010 and it has been in the shop at least 4 times since then. I hear two types of noises. One, a rattling noise coming from inside right passenger side. Two, a sort of a "clicking" sound from the driver's side dash. Both seem to be reproduce-able on certain road conditions. The rattling noise, they have tried to fix but I still hear it mildly. The "clicking" I hear from time to time but dealer has not been able to reproduce. Any help from your experience/dealer resolution would be appreciated!

mets67

Hi there - I actually went through the lemon law process and had the car traded in (actually Infiniti replaced it for me - think it was called a dealer buy-back or something to that effect). They tried five times to fix different parts of the dashboard, sunroof, etc. The noise/rattling was always present and seemed to be a default in the way it was built.

I would go through the dealer you bought it from...and call Infiniti Customer Care to file a complaint. Tell the rep you already had it in four times and they cannot fix the problem...eventually I was able to get the authorization to just get put in a new M35x which happened to be a 2011 where I do not have that problem! You have to be pushy and have the dealer on your side though! Also talk to a local attorney if needed. Good luck and let me know if you need anything else.

ghstudio

Is anyone bothered by the fact that on the M cars, the "passenger seat belt light on" light is off if someone is sitting in the passenger seat and the airbag is working correctly? I

When I start the car with someone in the passenger seat, the "passenger air bag on" light comes on briefly and then turns off. It does the exact same thing if no one is in that seat.

On my toyota venza, if there is someone sitting in the passenger seat, there is a light that says "passenger air bag on" and it stays on..which makes more sense.

While not serious, I think it's a terrible design blunder to have a light that says "passenger air bag on" and then turn it off if the passenger air bag is on and acting normally. I wonder if NHTSA would care....

kidstar

Hi Mets67,

Thank you for the quick response!

Did you have an attorney do all of the Lemon Law claim paperwork for you and communicate with Infiniti/Dealer on your behalf or did you do this on your own?

After having been through the entire process, would you recommend hiring a local attorney to assist with the entire process? Thanks in advance!

mets67

I did it on my own, but I did have the support of the dealership which helped a lot. I would contact Infiniti Customer Service who was also very helpful. Its just as it goes further down the road (which you already have done) an attorney may be helpful. My situation never wound up as a "lemon law", it was where Infiniti bought the car back and just put me in a new one, which more than satisfied me. Forget exactly what they called it, but all I cared about was getting in a car without that annoying and persistent rattle.

kidstar

Hi Mets67, thanks, that helps. I will pursue this first with Infiniti Customer Service and see how it goes. If they do not give me a good response, then I can purse this further legally. BTW, by chance, did you purchase from a dealer in NJ (i.e. this is where I purchased mine from)?

slyfox16

I also have had a lot of problems with my 2010 M35xi with downshifting and poor gas mileage. Has there been any change in Infinity's comments?

jeffry

My 2006 M35 has had this issue since new (tho only~15 degrees warmer difference) & I've gotten the same lame response from the dealer. I like to turn the compressor off when not needed in order to get a bit better milage & all previous cars I've had don't do this.

Have you or anyone else been able to get this corrected??

BMW540

Long story short - I have a 06 M45 that started burning oil and had a driveling whine beginning at about 45k. Infiniti replaced engine and has put 3 rear diffs. in the car. Originally the whine sounded like the classic ring and pinion noise, but was mainly noticeable at about 42 and 82 especially under deceleration. Now, while the car will have some whine under power when accelerating from 75 to 85, it has kind of a wurr noise when you let off the throttle, but only at those speeds and especially at 82ish. I did pursue the lemon law, but am kind of at a stall. Infiniti even sent a nissan rep out but he said he could not hear it. I drove him on the freeway near the dealer which was noisy. He did however replace the seat track which was loose. The head tech said before he could hear the noise but now could not. There's got to be someone who can figure what is wrong with this car as everything else is OK. Infiniti wants to settle for chump change. Any Ideas? I live in LA. thanks Bmw540

makspaints

makspaints

Hi i have got a 2006 Infinity m35x 117.000 miles on it , im a second owner and not sure when the last time trans fluid was changed . The car shifts smooth up and down no problem , but when switching from D to R i feel car jerk a little and pool , you can also see car lift up on neutral and lower down when in gear, it gets little annoying inside since you can really feel it yank you back or forward. Im not sure if it is normal to those cars or its my trans... or brakes are nod good. One more thing i cant figure out is the mirrors turning when in reverse , both of them go way too far down and start skipping gears and clicking loudly and when set back to drive dont come back all the way , any way around it? Thank you.

BMW540

I need to replace my low beam ballast and possibly the bulb. Is it all accessible thru the fender well or is it in another location? Thanks for info
BMW540

consumer33

The problem is probably a faulty fuel gauge, many people got suckered into replacing the sending unit which was really never the issue.

The NHTSA is currently investigating Infiniti regarding this specific problem. I believe that if Infiniti doesn't recall the instrument cluster very, very soon they will loose control on containing the bad press and their reputation.

I suggest everyone affected by this should go to NHTSA Web-site and file a complaint.

jeffry

AAA just replaced the battery on my 2006 M35(w/ nav system) & now the radio doesn't work. I push the "Radio" button & nothing happens, CD works fine & apparently everything else though seat memory needs resetting. At 1st FM stations would work but none of other the radio/SAT functions. I suspected that I might have to redo my presets but it appears that the whole radio function is out. Any bright ideas?? I don't see anything in my manual or in these posts re the issue. Thanks.

mltsurger

If the radio does not work with the new battery ,put the old battery back in.

Kirstie_H

That makes absolutely no sense. The main reason batteries are replaced is because they no longer work. They're dead. They can't make the car start. Putting the old battery back in would cause EVERYTHING not to work, including the radio.

mltsurger

Think about it, would you really then care about the radio ! Seriously, Good Luck. I have had good luck , so far with my M45 but they certainly have a lot of electronics with difficult issues by history.

armen6

My 2006 M35x is an amazing car. After years of torturous highway and hilly LA stop and go traffic, the M just keeps going and going. What's better is the minimum amount of maintenance I've done to it over the years. I had a dealer 30k done and regular oil changes, brakes, tires and filters. That's about it. Now, as its getting into its mid/later life I want to make sure it performs well through the later years. I have noticed a little bit of lagging throttle response off the line, but nothing major considering its mileage/age. Are there any suggestions on performance tweaks that might help besides a tune-up? Not sure if it needs that but will check with dealer.

jeffry

After getting my battery replaced by AAA 7/17 and losing auto fn on windows, sunroof, and completely on radio, I took it to my reliable independent garage today. (Kuno's in Redwood City) It took them 1/2 hr to reboot the system and now all functions work as normal. I happened to spot another AAA truck on the street 7/18 & asked him how he handled replacing the battery re memory fn & he didn't know either. As I suspected the independent uses a "memory saver box", a small aux battery while they install the new one so that there is constant power. So the total cost ended up being about the same as if I'd had him, or presumably the dealer, do it to begin with. I'm asking AAA to refund the cost as they should know this if they're going to do battery work. I'm thrilled that the original battery lasted 6 1/2 yrs on my 2006 M35.

cbasiliere

I had the same thing happen to me after I replaced my battery myself. I realized later that I should have used an auxillery battery to keep all of the memory intact. When I did bring the car into Infinity to have them look at the radio, they found something deep inside the radio had blown out and they replaced it as warranty work. They said that they had never before replaced this part.

grer58

I have 2006 M35x with almost 60m miles. Dealer tells me I should do a full tune up. I don't have any problem with the car and do regular oil changes. Can anyone tell me what is included in a full tune up. Thanks for ur in-put.

jeffry

I'll be certainly doing mine tho its expensive--about $550 at my independent. It is a pretty major deal, you can find out in your service book what it includes. He has said that my belts are likely to need replacing. Has any one else needed that so soon?

gojoanne

I havent had any problems until recently, have 85k miles. When i go a steady speed, usually noticeable at high speeds, i.e. 60mph up around 80mph i can feel a slight push, pull type thing. Its like a light surge maybe as best as i can describe it. When it went in to the dealership they diagnosed the torque converter in the transmission, at a cost of 1500.!! Well wouldnt you know its still doing it. I have left the car with them and even drove w/ the service mgr and he couldnt feel it. Its not just me I had my 2 daughters drive it and they could feel it. Any mechanics out there with an opinion???
Help please!

don5812

The dash lights & the right tail light have gone dark on my sonata. I have checked the fuses with no luck. Any thoughts?

lthaley756

Have them check the accelerator sensor Inexpensive part and I bet this solves the problem

leeroybrown

I am considering buying a 2007 M35 with 142,000 miles. Great shape but two potential questions. 1) The rpms rev high when I accelerate hard or even tap on the gas pedal 2) Twice when I started it after being parked for a while, I hear a loud squeal from the engine. when backing out. Any suggestions on potential issues here? Many thanks.

mltsurger

May be timing belt issue. So, I start my m 45 X , makes a little noise, new, puff of smoke and then a ticking occurs in the front of the engine. The ticking changes speed with the rpms. Took it to the dealer, they just called. Said it needs a new engine, ~ $ 16,000. Anybody got any ideas whats wrong ?

mltsurger

New engine installed, 12 days before power train warranty expired. They say it was about 14,500 engine, 2300 install. Runs well.