Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
The contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the fuel gauge failed to read the fuel level correctly and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed several times to a dealer and independent mechanic however, the fuel gauge sensor could not be replaced. Additionally, on one occasion, the vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle was refueled. The vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel filter needed to be replaced and the fuel gauge sensor needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. While stationary and while driving various speeds,the vehicle stalled without warning on several occasions. The contact stated that there was a complete loss of power. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle. On another occasion, the contact stated that the engine indicator illuminated and "check your fuel cap" displayed on the instrument panel. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failures. The contact cited NHTSA campaign number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible cause of the failures, as reported by a code reader. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the fuel gauge indicated the fuel tank was full at all times. The vehicle ran out of fuel due to the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer bennett Infiniti (1060 pa-315 wilkes barre pa) was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact indicated that the fuel gauge had previously been repaired however, the failure recurred. The failure mileage was 159,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Infiniti M45. The contact stated that the fuel gauge inaccurately displayed that the fuel tank was full. As a result, the vehicle stalled due to insufficient fuel in the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V088000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was 200,000.
I purchased my 2003 M45 used from a private party at around 90K. A short time after I purchased it, while driving in heavy morning atlanta traffic, my car ran out of gas and left me stranded on the side of the highway. I realized that the gas gauge indicated I had a full tank of gas when in fact my car had completely run out of gas. I realized I had a problem. I took to my car to a mechanic that specializes in Infiniti's. The gas gauge repair bill was going to be more than I could pay to fix it. To keep track of my gas needs, I just started using the trip odometer (mileage indicator.) I fill up at the tank after driving 250 miles. I then zero out the counter and repeat the process. Last month the engine check light came on at 102K. I took back to my mechanic and he said it was the fuel sensor needing to be fixed. I have no idea why it took over 18 months to come on. …
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. …
I was driving my 2003 Infiniti M45 on or around June 30, 2011 at 65mph on highway 290 near the wolf rd exit in chicago. All of a sudden while I was in the left lane, my car started jerking heavily and my power steering went off making the car really hard to steer. I looked at the dash and saw no warning msgs come on.... I carefully veered my car through heavy traffic towards the right lane and shoulder and I barely missed a truck coming in the far right lane! As I got to the shoulder and caught my bearings and was about to call an emergency tow truck a cop came and asked what happened. I explained it to him and he said maybe you need some gas? I looked at my dash and my fuel gauge still showed almost half a tank available but I took his advice. He took me to the closest gas station to get gas, we went back and filled the car and started the car which started fine now! …
For the past year I have been having a issue with the fuel gauge on my 2003 Infiniti M45. First I noticed the problem while driving when my fuel reading was at 1/4 tank and the gauge started to rise to a full tank. I did not like what was happening so I promptly went and put gas in the car to fill the tank. After a day or two of city driving in chicago there was no change to my fuel reading. I wasn't until 3 weeks ago I was on the dan ryan express way when the problem really scared me. I was driving and my car started to sputter when I noticed that my fuel reading was still at 3/4 full. It shut off completely in high speed traffic and there was no fuel in the tank. The minute man just happened to be coming and saw me and gave me a gallon of gas. I was fortunate that I was able to get to the shoulder without causing any serious to fatal incident. …
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. …
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti m45 vehicles manufactured from March 7, 2002, through June 3, 2004. Due to a circuit board failure, the fuel gauge May read a fuel level higher than actually exists. As a result, the vehicle May run out of gas without notice.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will modify the circuit board free of charge. The safety recall began on April 27, 2012. Owners May contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel level gauge system failure
In a March 5, 2012 letter to NHTSA, Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) submitted a Defect Information Report identifying a defect in the combination meter circuit board in approximately 8,120 model year 2003 through 2004 Infiniti M45 vehicles manufactured from March 7, 2002 through June 3, 2004 (Recall No. 12V-088).
Fuel System complaints in other M45 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2003 Infiniti M45?
NHTSA has 78 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2003 Infiniti M45, 60% of the model year's 129 complaints. The component named most often is storage › fuel gauge system (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Infiniti M45 fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-088 (fuel system, gasoline, Mar 6, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Infiniti M45 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 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.