2003 Infiniti G35

AT 11,784 MILES (AFTER 16 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP) I TOOK MY CAR TO MY LOCAL SHOP FOR ITS FOURTH OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THE FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS ON MY 2003 INFINITI G35 SEDAN WERE VERY CLOSE TO BEING WORN OUT. I DROVE TO THE LOCAL INFINTI DEALER (INFINITI OF WILLOW GROVE, PA) THAT SAME DAY AND ARRANGED FOR A SERVICE APPOINTMENT. THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY I DROPPED OFF MY CAR, AND WAS LATER INFORMED BY THE SERVICE WRITER THAT YES, THE FRONT ROTORS WERE WORN BEYOND SPECIFICATION AND THAT THE FRONT PADS WERE WORN VERY CLOSE TO REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. SERVICE WRITER SAID THAT INFINITI WOULD COVER THE COST OF REPLACEMENT ROTORS AS A ONE-TIME GOODWILL GESTURE DUE TO THE LOW MILEAGE ON THE CAR, BUT I WAS TO BEAR THE COST OF BRAKE PAD REPLACEMENT. I ORDERED OEM FRONT BRAKE PADS FROM GRUBBS INFINITI OF TEXAS. I LATER BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO INFINITI OF WILLOW GROVE FOR ROTOR REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY. I THEN TOOK THE CAR BACK TO MY LOCAL SHOP, WHERE THEY INSTALLED NEW OEM FRONT BRAKE PADS. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY INFINITI CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS THAT THESE ARE EUROPEAN-STYLE BRAKES THAT WEAR OUT QUICKLY IN EXCHANGE FOR GREATER STOPPING POWER. IN MY PREVIOUS CAR (1990 MAXIMA), UNDER SIMILAR DRIVING HABITS AND PATTERNS, I WOULD NORMALLY GET 30-35,000 MILES ON PADS AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE ROTORS, ONLY RESURFACE. INFINITI SHOULD BE UP FRONT WITH PROSPECTIVE BUYERS REGARDING THE LOW LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE BRAKES ON THE G35 SEDAN.

ALMOST 99% OF THE TIME WHEN I ROLL MY G35 WITHIN 10 MPH I HEAR A CRACKLING OR GRINDING NOISE (LIKE FAN JUST STARTED) AND A "VIBRATION" WOULD TRANSFER FROM THE BRAKE TO MY FOOT. FTER TROUBLESHOOTING (SHUT DOWN ALL SOUND DEVICE INCLUDING AC/FAN) AND RESEARCHING THE OWNER'S MANUAL, IT STATED WHAT I DESCRIBED ABOVE IS NORMAL. IT'S A SELF-DIAGNOSTIC FEATURE ON ABS SYSTEM WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING SLOW. THE NOISE IS KINDA LOUD AND NOTICEABLE. IS IT THE NORM FOR ALL ABS SYTEMS BY OTHER MANUFACTURERS??*AK

I OWN AN INFINITI G35, AND I JUST HAD A GENERAL REQUEST I WANTED TO MAKE. THE BRAKES ON G35'S WEAR OUT AFTER ABOUT 15000 MILES, AND IT HAPPENS TO ALMOST ALL G35S YET INFINITI DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THE BRAKES, NOT THE BRAKE LIGHTS, OR GIVE A FREE SERVICE FOR THE BRAKES, WHICH COST ABOUT 900 BUCKS. I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY OR WHAT NOT, BUT I JUST WANTED YOU TO TAKE THIS INTO YOUR CONSIDERATION AND REVIEW THE BRAKES ON INFINITI G35S. SINCE IT IS THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION, I AM SURE YOU'LL REVIEW THE BRAKES ON G35S. THANK YOU. SINCERELY, [XXX]. *NLM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AT 9.5K SERVICE (3RD), CAR HAD SLIGHT PULSING IN THE BRAKES. DEALER CONFIRMED WARPED ROTORS AND MACHINED. ESTIMATED REMAINING PAD LIFE ONLY ABOUT 50%. CAR AND BRAKES HAVE BEEN WELL MAINTAINED IN MAINLY CITY DRIVING. THIS IS THE FASTEST WEAR I HAVE SEEN ON ANY CAR I HAVE OWNED IN 35 YEARS INCLUDING NUMEROUS PERFORMANCE CARS. DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES MANY COMPLAINTS FOR PREMATURE BRAKE WEAR. THIS HAS ALSO BEEN A RECCURING TOPIC ON INFINITI WEB FORUMS. DEALER INDICATED INFINITI USED TO COVER THIS AS WARRANTY BUT IS NOW BALKING AT REPLACEMENT UNDER THE GUISE THESE ARE "HIGH PERFORMANCE" BRAKES AND NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ULTRA SHORT BRAKE LIFE, SOME CONSUMERS MAY NOT BELIEVE THE BRAKE WEAR INDICATOR SQUEAL AND NOT GET THE BRAKES CHECKED IN TIME TO PREVENT FAILURE. THIS COULD TURN INTO A LONG TERM SAFETY ISSUE. THIS ALSO MAYBE DUE TO AN UNRECOGNIZED INTERACTION WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL, ELECTRONIC BRAKE ASSISTANCE AND TRACTION CONTROL LEADING TO HIGHER BRAKE STRESSES AND SHORT LIFE. THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT FOR A TECHICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND WATCHED AS A LONG TERM SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CARS AGE.

MY BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN SERVICED, CUT OR REPLACED, (5) FIVE TIMES STARTING ON 09/18/02 WITH 5,350 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE SERVICED AT 15,409 MILES, THE FIFTH TIME, I WAS TOLD INFINITI WILL NO LONGER SERVICE THE ROTORS UNDER WARRANTY. I MADE A COMPLAINT TO INFINITI CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHO ADMITTED THERE WERE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT BRAKES WEARING OUT QUICKLY. BUT, THERE WAS NO ANSWER AS TO WHY MY ROTORS WARPED REPEATEDLY, AND WHY A MASTER TECHNICIAN WOULD NOT LOOK AT MY CAR.*AK

FRONT BRAKE PADS ON INFINITY G35 CAUSE A PULSATING ACTION AND ARE WEARING PREMATURELY. THE DEALER TURNED THE ROTORS AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. INFINITY CORPORATE WILL NOT LET THE DEALER REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS, DESPITE A PUBLIC OUTCRY FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE. MOREOVER, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. INFINITY CORPORATE DID ALLOW THE DEALER TO REPLACE THIS UNDER RECALL R3011.*AK

BOUGHT MY INFINITI G35 IN MAY OF 2002, EVER SINCE DAY ONE, THE DRIVER'S SEATS SEEMS TO BE MOVING, ROCKING DURING ACCELERATION AND BRAKING.. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON A LOT OF G35'S. DEALER'S AND INFINITI HAS NOT RELESASE A FIX THAT WORKS YET AFTER A YEAR... I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM, BECAUSE TWICE MY FOOT SLIPPED OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL DURING BRAKING AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT..... THERE ALSO SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH LIFE OF THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WHERE THEY MIGHT FAIL PREMATURELY... MOST DRIVERS OF THE G COMPLAIN THAT THEIR PADS AND ROTORS ARE NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AS SOON AS 8,000 MILES AND ARE NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY.*AK