Most common 2004 Infiniti I35 problems
Share of the 35 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Infiniti I35 complaints by model year
Best I35 years: 2001, 2004. Years to avoid: 2002, 2003. Compare all years →
2004 Infiniti I35 recalls (3)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas,…
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017.
Air bags
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2003-2005 FX35 and FX45, and 2006 M35 and M45 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2004 Infiniti I35:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
What 2004 Infiniti I35 owners say
Air bags
The red airbag light on the instrument panel IS on. I have taken the car to the infinity dealer and they say a sensor is out and would be $800 to $1000 to repair. It seems the airbag system should be warranted as long as the car is registered. The mfg book says if this light is on the airbag may inflate, not inflate when needed, just not work. I am concerned, I do not want the bag to inflate as I or my wife is driving. This not a very good safety system if can go out from just one sensor it seems it should have a redundant system for this.This is a safety issue that seems infinity should have to fix especially with the problem with airbags. I do not want my wife or I to be a statistic for a bad airbag system.
The steering wheel is hard to turn and it makes a weird noise when turning it. And I have gotten things sent to me about the airbags being recalled
Engine & cooling
While driving on 3 separate occasions my vehicle just stopped. First incident while drive on highway, my vehicle shut off, I was unable to steer or control the vehicle. While stopped, I restarted the vehicle. The second occasion , I was traveling 30 MPH and the vehicle just stopped. I restarted it. On the most recent occasion, January 13, 2015, I was at a red light, the car stopped running. When I restarted the car I experienced an electric shock through my car key. I am having a mechanic check out what is happening. This is extremely dangerous and frightening.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Infiniti I35. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart after the battery was recharged, but it failed to accelerate over 5 MPH. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 208,000.
Electrical system
While driving on 3 separate occasions my vehicle just stopped. First incident while drive on highway, my vehicle shut off, I was unable to steer or control the vehicle. While stopped, I restarted the vehicle. The second occasion , I was traveling 30 MPH and the vehicle just stopped. I restarted it. On the most recent occasion, January 13, 2015, I was at a red light, the car stopped running. When I restarted the car I experienced an electric shock through my car key. I am having a mechanic check out what is happening. This is extremely dangerous and frightening.
Engine stopped running without warning. Lost all power while driving on the road. Service engine light soon came on along with several other warning lights, engine would not restart readily and then stalled again without warning. Had to have the car towed from the road for repair. The cam shaft sensor and crankshaft sensors were replaced. This is the exact same repair conducted under the recall 03V455000 for Infiniti i35s for 2002 and 2003. Obviously this problem continued in cars produced in early 2004.
2004 Infiniti I35 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Infiniti I35 a good car?
Based on 35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 I35 rates better than average: 53% fewer complaints than a typical year of the I35 at the same age. It is one of the best I35 years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Infiniti I35?
The air bags — 12 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the engine & cooling (10) and electrical system (5).
How many recalls does the 2004 Infiniti I35 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2004 Infiniti I35, the most recent from January 9, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Infiniti I35?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2001 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2002 and 2003. See the full Infiniti I35 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Infiniti I35 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 90,000 miles; 16% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.