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Infiniti M45 Sport Steering Issue
I've got a 2006 (purchased Sep 05), M45 Sport with 16,500 miles. Original tires (although I've order new ones) and a major steering pressure issue.
I've had the issue for over a year. The car seems to feel loose and sloppy on some days, tight and responsive on other days. When it's tight, it's a hell of a great ride. When it's loose, it's all over the road and very difficult to control. Some days I will exit at high-speed off-ramp and the steering gets "too tight" to where it is actually difficult to turn in, other times it's so loose that I have to back off to prevent over-steering the car into a spin.
Although very noticeable to me, the dealer "cannot duplicate" the symptoms. I've documented the sensitivity every day for 4 months now and have been battling the dealership on a cause of this.
Has anyone experienced this variance in steering pressure? Any suggestions?
Also, on occasion, I get a very aggressive vibration in the steering column at about 74-80MPH. Not road vibration, clearly it's steering vibration. Tires have been balanced several times and alignment was performed too.
They've already had to re-align the car, they replace the rack and pinion (though they never told me why) and they've found a bent wheel sensor which they need to replace.
I've got a long list of issues with this vehicle, most of which were resolved, but this one lingers.
I've had the issue for over a year. The car seems to feel loose and sloppy on some days, tight and responsive on other days. When it's tight, it's a hell of a great ride. When it's loose, it's all over the road and very difficult to control. Some days I will exit at high-speed off-ramp and the steering gets "too tight" to where it is actually difficult to turn in, other times it's so loose that I have to back off to prevent over-steering the car into a spin.
Although very noticeable to me, the dealer "cannot duplicate" the symptoms. I've documented the sensitivity every day for 4 months now and have been battling the dealership on a cause of this.
Has anyone experienced this variance in steering pressure? Any suggestions?
Also, on occasion, I get a very aggressive vibration in the steering column at about 74-80MPH. Not road vibration, clearly it's steering vibration. Tires have been balanced several times and alignment was performed too.
They've already had to re-align the car, they replace the rack and pinion (though they never told me why) and they've found a bent wheel sensor which they need to replace.
I've got a long list of issues with this vehicle, most of which were resolved, but this one lingers.
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Comments
I don't doubt the problems you've had. Individual cars from any manufacturer can be a nightmare. However, the reliability of the M is higher than average and owner satisfaction is much higher than average according to Consumer Reports. For the BMW 7 Series reliability is much worse than average and owner satisfaction is just average.
I hope you're not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Also replaced the Bridgestones with Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons- the only A/S tire made in the oddball 245/40/19" size...highly recommended, tremendous improvement in ride and noise.
All tires have been replaced, and I have had multiple alignments etc. And much like other people here - the dealer "can not" duplicate my issue.
Mine seems to be jerky at high and low speeds given the road condition, groovage etc.
Did your dealer replace the steering rack free of charge? Or did you have to come out of pocket - I really don't want to spend a ton of money to fix something that I feel should not be a problem in this level of a car - but at this point, I am willing to just to be able to actually enjoy driving it again.
This is a real safety problem...and infiniti is trying to resist a full recall. If you can't reproduce the problem with him, ask him to schedule a ride with the infiniti (corporate) service rep the next time they are in town....that may be enough to trigger the free fix.
This is a serious problem...they will repair for free...and they know about the problem.
Thanks for the suggestion - I will try that and let everyone know how it goes.
As soon as I mentioned the part by name they just said "ok" and they would take care of it - and they actually did. it only took about 5 hours and i was able to pick the car up that day - with the new steering rack installed.
They rep actually admitted to me that they had started ordering steering racks and keeping them in stock in advance as he had started to hear more and more about this issue from owners - so sounds like some kind of imminent disclosure by infiniti about the problem is coming?
Anyway - car drives like a champ again and I feel great! Be sure to get this done under your warranty before it runs out!
How can you convince the dealer to replace the steering rack? I bought a 2006 M35 sport recently and have the same problem.
The dealer refused to fix it and told me the steering rack is good. The car is still in warranty.
Is there any way to contact infiniti directly to solve this issue?
Thanks.
In the meantime, you can file a complaint with the NHTSA on a steering problem that you feel is unsafe (which it is).
The replaced steering rack seemed to fix most of my issues, but I still have some minor grabbing and turning at various speeds on all roads. It's down to acceptable levels and I figured because my tires are almost at their limit, I would get new tires and perhaps upgrade to another brand.
Did you just ask your dealer to order and install them for you?
Traded my 2006 G for the 2008 M35 sport, what a huge disappointment.
My G never saw the service dept. other then for an oil change/tire rotation..drove and handled like a CHAMP.
My "M" 3rd day was back for a wheel alignment after a rutted road jerked the steering wheel out of my hands.
Had service manager drive with me and he never felt the jerk.. sure!
Had sales manager drive with me and he did.
Their explanation to me ( a 63yr old lady) was this is how it handles cause of the sport tires and rims.
End of subject ..they did nothing.
Can you tell me how to reach this NHTSA you wrote about.
Thank You
bustersc
Thanks
BBB and SC Lemon Law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!