2006 Infiniti QX56

Brake Failure. The brake fails occasionally while driving on the streets or on the Highways without Waring. The brake pedal goes down to the floor, and grinding/hitting metal to metal sound is heard and vehicle brake control is lost. Experiences were traumatic; you swing left or right to avoid hitting another vehicle from behind or running a red light. The vehicle has been inspected by an independent mechanic, and the brake components: rotors, pads, drum, and fluid levels were ok, each time it occurs. The brake lights come off and on and each time, the mechanic finds no issues with the brake components. One dangerous aspect of these occurrences is that after the vehicle sits for a while, like 30 minutes to one hour, and you go back to driving the vehicle, it appears that the brakes readjust and starts working normally; it continues to work normally about a month, and out of nowhere without warning it fails again and readjusts later. I was about to take my daughter to college out of County, and she has a lot of luggage as she lives in the dormitory; we would not use this Infinity which is a large SUV that could have accommodated me, my daughter and my wife, because of fear of brake failure on the highway. We decided that we would have to use our small compact Lexus instead, but I would not be accommodated in the Lexus because of my daughter's much luggage; my wife and my daughter will make the trip without me. Please look into these break failures.

2006 INFINITI QX56, HAD BACK BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED IN OCTOBER 2020, 2 WEEKS LATER I'M DRIVING, FLAT SURFACE, NICE DAY, APPLIED BRAKES, MY PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, NO RESISTANCE, I HEARD A GRINDING NOISE, FELT LIKE A 'SLIP' , I HAD KIDS IN CAR, I PULLED OVER, ASKED THE GIRLS WHAT THEY HEARD, TURNED OFF VEHICLE, CHECKED BRAKE FLUID, FULL, THE GIRLS THOUGHT I MAY HAVE HIT A SLICK PATCH OF OIL OR SOMETHING?? WE DID OUR SHOPPING, I MADE A FEW PHONE CALLS, GOT BACK IN VEHICLE, STARTED IT AND APPLIED BRAKES, WORKED FINE, DROVE HOME SLOW, NO ISSUES. ALSO NO LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I CONVINCED MYSELF THIS WAS JUST A FLUKE. 2 1/2 WEEKS LATER AND AFTER LOTS OF DRIVING, I HAD TO GO TO MEMPHIS 5 HOURS AWAY WITH MY DAUGHTER. EVERYTHING FINE UNTIL WE GOT THERE. CHECKED INTO HOSPITAL, THEN DECIDED TO GO DOWNTOWN 4 BLOCKS AWAY. STARTED CAR, DROVE SLOW, AT 3RD BLOCK WENT TO BRAKE AS USUAL AND IT HAPPENED!!! BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, LOUD GRINDING, CLUNKING, BRAKES WOULDN'T WORK, THIS TIME LIGHT CAME ON. JUST THE RED BRAKE LIGHT. I GOT PULLED OVER, SHUT OFF VEHICLE, CHECKED FLUID LEVELS AGAIN, FULL! SCARED NOW. I'M IN MEMPHIS. WHEN I STARTED CAR BACK UP IT WAS FINE. I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE HOME. HAVE READ ALL THE BRAKE SENSOR PROBS, NO RECALLS, DEATHS, UNABLE TO STOP, I'M FRIGHTENED AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. NISSAN WILL BE HEARING FROM ME

SUV WILL HAVE TROUBLE BRAKING, EMITTING A LOUD, GRINDING NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. DIFFIULTY STOPPING. ALMOST CAUSED A WRECK TWICE NOW. ONCE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON, THE SITUATION SEEMS TO STOP. HAPPENS PERIODICALLY. FIRST TIME HAD BRAKES, ROTORS REDONE IN CASE THERE WAS AN ISSUE, THOUGH THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC. HAS CONTINUED TO DO IT A FEW ADDITIONAL TIME. TOOK IT INTO INFINITI DEALER. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE BRAKE VACUUM BOOSTER. THIS ITEM HAS BEEN RECALLED ON OTHER 2004-2008 INFINITI QX-56 AND NISSAN ARMADAS. WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS NOT ON THE 'RECALL' LIST.

I WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON A FREEWAY WHEN TRAFFIC AHEAD CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP. I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR AND I DID NOT FEEL THE CAR SLOW AT ALL. THE "BRAKE" DASH INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, AND I CONTINUED PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO TRY AND SLOW THE CAR. WHILE I CONTINUED PRESSING THE BRAKES, THE CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN RAPIDLY ON ITS OWN AS IF IT WAS PRESSING THE BRAKES ON ITS OWN AND I COULD HEAR A LOUD GRINDING SOUND. I RELEASED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CROSSED SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC AS THE CAR WAS UNCONTROLLABLY SLOWING TO REACH THE SHOULDER. I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO TELL HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND REMAINED ON THE SHOULDER WITH THE CAR RUNNING. MY HUSBAND MET ME ON THE SHOULDER AND DROVE THE CAR HOME. HE SAID THAT THE GRINDING SOUND WAS THE ABS ON IN A PERMANENT STATE, AND WOULD ACTIVATE DURING EVERY BRAKING UNLESS THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED EXTREMELY LIGHTLY. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TO OUR DRIVEWAY AND TURNED OFF. SEVERAL HOURS LATER MY HUSBAND DROVE IT AGAIN. THE "BRAKE" LIGHT WAS OFF, BRAKING RETURNED TO NORMAL, AND ABS COULD BE ACTIVATED WITH HARD BRAKING AS USUAL.

WHILE IN MOTION THE BRAKE PEDAL FEELS LOOSE AND THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE. THE BRAKING POWER LOSES FUNCTION, THE RED BRAKE LIGHT TURNS ON AND YOU HAVE TO PULL OVER AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE FOR IT TO RESET ITSELF. I ONLY LEARNED THAT IT WILL RESET ITSELF WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AFTER THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED TO ME ON A STREET. SINCE THEN IT HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND FREEWAY. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND MOST RECENTLY 1 WEEK AGO.

I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT MY BRAKE LIGHT WARMING WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION TO INFINITY FOR 13 YEARS TO INFINITY OF VANNUYS ( THE ONLY DEALER THAT SERVICES MY VEHICLE). WHY OLE THIS 6000 LB VEHICLE IS MOTION AND THIS SAFETY HAZARD OCCURS, DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES. IT STOP THE VEHICLE PROMPTLY AS THE BRAKE SYSTEM SHOULD AND A LOUD METAL GRINDING NOISE IS PRODUCED. I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE TOAD TO THE DEALER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND ALL I AM TOLD IS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURS INFREQUENTLY AND OVER THE YEARS IT HAS BEEN OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. WHAT IS MORE TERRIFYING IS THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARD THAT IS KNOWN TO NHTSA AND NISSAN/INFINITY OF AMERICA AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED OR THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR FIXING THIS SAFETY HAZARD. THIS HAZARD HAS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OVER THE LIFE OF OWNERSHIP ( I AM THE SOLE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE). I HAVE MADE INFINITI OF VANNUYS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND IT WASN'T UNTIL RECENTLY THAT MY SERVICE ADVISOR COMMUNICATED WITH ME IF HOW ALARMED AND CONCERNED HE WAS WITH THE ISSUE AS HIS TECHNICIAN WAS TEST DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE BALEARIC LIGHT TURNED ON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AND MAKING THE METAL GRINDING NOISE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO BRAKE AS THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS INTENDED TO DO SO. I COMMUNICATED WITH CONSUMER AFFAIRS AT INFINITI AND WAS TOLD BY THEIR DEPARTMENT THAT THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME AS THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY VEHICLE AND THAT NISSAN:INFINITI IS NOT AWARE OF THIS MATTER. I MENTIONED TO THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINING THIS CONCERN WITH SERVICE ADVISORS OVER 13 YEARS AND THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO LISTEN TO MY CONCERNS: THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, SPECIALLY AFTER READING ABOUT CRUZ V. MATHENGE | NO. B286067. MY FAMILY'S LIFE AND MY OWN HAVE BEEN IN JEOPARDY OVER 13 YEARS AND I NEED HELP.

WHEN I AM DRIVING (PRESSING THE GAS) AN INCONSISTENT RANDOM CLICKING NOISE THAT'S AFFECTING THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND USAGE IS HEARD. IT'S DIFFICULT TO ACCELERATE. IN THE PAST, I WOULD SIMPLY TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AND TURN IT BACK ON AND THE NOISE WOULD STOP. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN AND SHOW TO ANY MECHANIC BECAUSE IT DOES IT RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, THEREFORE IT WOULD NEVER DO IT WHEN NEEDED. I WENT ON BECAUSE IT WASN'T OFTEN AT FIRST. NOW IT'S AT AN EXTREME LEVEL AS IF THE VEHICLE DOESN'T WANT TO DRIVE AND I COULD BE ON THE HIGHWAY (YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SCARY THAT IS AT HIGH SPEEDS).

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I STARTED TO GET TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND SLOW DOWN. WHEN I WOULD DEPRESS THE BRAKES THERE WAS AN INCONSISTENT CLUNKING NOISE, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BRAKE, ABS SYSTEM DIDN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE NOT ENGAGED THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE DRIVING FINE. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW TO A STOP IN A PARKING LOT WHERE I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND PHYSICALLY ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I THEN DISENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THEN TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. I GOT OUT AND CHECKED ALL OF THE BRAKES FOR VISIBLE DEBRIS AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING. I RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE AND STARTED IT. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE BACK TO NORMAL.

I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE IT WAS NEW. WHEN THE CAR IDLES FOR LONG TIME, HIGH TRAFFIC OR RUN IN A LONG DISTANCE, THE BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON, SLIP LIGHT AND THE BRAKES CHATTER AND STOPPING CAR BECOMES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. NUMEROUS TRIPS TO THE DEALER OVER THE YEAR HAS PRODUCED NO FIXES....REPLACED SENSOR, BRAKE BOOSTERS, BRAKE PADS, FLUID CHANGES, IN ESSENCE PRACTICALLY AN ENTIRELY NEW BRAKING SYSTEM WITH NO POSITIVE RESULTS. THIS IS MAJOR ISSUE!!! I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, LIKELY BECAUSE IT CAN NOT BE REPLICATED ON DEMAND. SOMEONE WILL GET HURT AND THEN SOMEONE MIGHT LISTEN.