Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Infiniti M45 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled after the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician stated there was a failure in the crank shaft position sensor. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 190,000.
While I was driving this vehicle, it had shut off while I was driving and I lost all power. It started back up like normal. This has happened twice and I'm afraid this could happen while I'm on the highway with my family. I see there was a recall involving this but not for my vehicle. This has happened to me just recently.
The fuel gauge stopped accurately indicating the amount of fuel in the vehicle. Subsequently the car ran out of fuel while driving on local road causing disruption in traffic before it could be moved to the shoulder. After a cursory check to see if anything looked to be amiss, we decided to start with the simple solutions and work toward the more complex. We added 5 gallons of gas to the car and it immediately cranked and ran fine. This is when we noticed that the gas gauge failed to move. The gauge showed to be about 1/2 full before we added fuel and didn't move after adding the fuel. The fuel indicator has now moved to past full and hasn't moved since. We had an Infiniti dealer look at the car and they gave us an estimate of $1502.00 to make the repairs. The malfunctioned occurred at or near 72,000 miles, well after the warranty period. …
The fuel gauge no longer works correctly. I ran out of gas in the middle of the street and was nearly rear ended several times before I was able to move the vehicle off the street. My wife, children, myself and other drivers were all put in harm's way due to this faulty issue. From reading the forums, this error on Nissan's part is plaguing many of these vehicles and will eventually affect them all. Please consider that this model M45 was sold in the us for only two model years (2003, 2004). The combined sales for these vehicles from 2002-2004 was only 7,855 before they abandoned the y34 platform and went to the new y50 platform. So the number of complaints will not be that of a Toyota camry. From what I gather on this website, at least 1% of all 03/04 M45 owners have filed a complaint with NHTSA. There are hundreds of others that have this issue but have not filed a complaint. …
Fuel gauge level indicator stays at much higher level than is actually present. Mostly stays at full reading, but sometimes goes to half level when in actuality the fuel level is close to empty. For the most part, it stays at full level indication and sometimes causes an intermittent "service engine soon" light to appear on the dash cluster assembly. After having the obd2 error code read, it states that the fuel sending unit is faulty, however after having it tested, the fuel sending unit is working within normal specifications. After much research, it is believed that the fuel gauge itself is faulty and a replacement of the cluster assembly is recommended to remedy this specific issue. When this first happened, I almost ran out of fuel on the freeway.I felt power loss while cruising at highway speeds. …
I purchased my M45 from used car dealer and while driving home the car stalled during chicago rush hour traffic. The wrecker towed me back to dealership who asked if I ran out of gas - I thought not possible since the fuel gauge read 3/8. The dealership filled the gas tank and car started up. I was stranded a second time in rush hour traffic in residential area and this time my tank read 7/8. Check engine light is on (code p0462) due to low voltage level to the fuel level sensor due to faulty instrument cluster. Inaccurate fuel gauge readings could leave the driver and or their family in danger of being seriously or fatally injured in a rear-end accident if the car stalls on the interstate. Nissan Infiniti car owners club has identified no less than 50 other 2003-04 M45 car owners who have experienced this problem. Nissan north America is aware but refuses to correct the problem.
Hello, while driving our 2003 infinity M45 on the highway at approximately 65 MPH, the car suddenly shut off. I was driving my kids to school and this suddenly happened. The car turned on immediately and drove back home. I thought it might have been some issue with the fuel. I drove it again and this happened to me once more, the vehicle just suddenly shuts off. I went to the dealer to see what the problem was and was told after being checked that there was a recall for the same car and year for the cam & crank sensors but needed to make sure this car was part of it. To my surprise it wasn't! Why would they recall same year and model but not mine? My vehicle stalls on the road and could have seriously gotten injured due to this malfunction. Please help us out. Thank you!
2003 M45 check engine light on for gas gauge, always full. The diagnostic says its the fuel level sensor. Replaced the fuel level sensor (about $400) because the vehicle had failed the state emissions insp. The check engine is still on and now I have to replace the entire instrument cluster. All-in-all this is turning out to be a pretty serious (expensive) problem. My car won't pass inspection and my registration is out. I've run out of gas several times already, since nothing is telling me how much gas I have. The car shuts down completely in the middle of the highway. On one occasion had to wait on the side of a very busy interstate for an hour to get gas from a tow truck dispatched by the insurance company.
I had just purchased the car and when I left the lot around November 1st, 2011 at 95K miles , I went 10 miles home to my place, then 10 additional miles to my mothers place to show them the car. They got to see that it died in her apartments when the gas gauge read that it was full. We tried to jump the car, but we discovered that it was out of gas and had someone with a gas can to help us. The referred me to a shop after the incident that's not even apart of the bbb and not certified and they didn't even want to look at the car. They wanted me to help them find the part but the car is under warranty. I'm still dealing with this issue and I hope you all can help me resolve this issue.
Http://forums.nicoclub.com/M45-fuel-gauge-problem-post-here-if-you-have-had-it-t316682-120.html first of all, the link above shows a lot of people are experiencing this problem. I was leaving home one night, came back, cut my car off, tried to leave again, car would not crank. I work for aaa, so I had my car towed to a repair shop. First we thought it was the fuel pump, however it turns out the cluster is bad. Now when I fill my car up, it goes to 3/4 a tank, and it will not drop below 1/2 tank. Luckily I can almost gauge when I need I need gas, but this seems to be an issue that Infiniti should have had a recall on and they will not admit to it.
Electrical complaints in other M45 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Infiniti M45?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Infiniti M45, 17% of the model year's 129 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2003 Infiniti M45 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 Infiniti M45, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Infiniti M45 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 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.