Problems with 1999 Infiniti QX4 SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 infiniti qx4. while driving 55 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 11v244000 (steering, suspension). the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the front strut housing needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000. *bf consumer stated infinity contacted and was told there was no open case for his vehicle for my vehicleas the recall had already been serviced in 2008. i brought the car in and they repaired it completely with a bracket and fiberglass repair kit.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 infiniti qx4. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph she heard a rattling and squeaking noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis but the failure was unable to be duplicated. four months later the brake light illuminated and the vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis. the contact was informed that the strut housing tower dropped and damaged the brake line, causing brake fluid to drain out of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs under nhtsa campaign id number: 11v244000 (suspension:front) but the dealer refused to repair the vehicle as they had previously repaired the driver's side under the same recall a year earlier. the manufacturer was notified and stated the repair would not be covered because the brake line was not associated with the recall. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 182,491 and the current mileage was 187,257.

1999 infiniti qx4. consumer writes in regards to safety recall notice regarding the front driver's strut tower housing *tgw prior to the recall, the consumer was informed the strut tower was not only contacting the steering column; it was aggressively rasping the entire steering system. the consumer was informed the vehicle was not safe to drive. the consumer has since donated the vehicle.

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 infiniti qx4. while driving approximately 25 mph and applying the brakes, the brakes would not respond. the contact was able to roll the vehicle to a stop and the vehicle was then towed to the dealer. the technicians stated there was excessive corrosion on the front passenger side suspension that affected the brake lines and the frame. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 11v244000 (suspension:front) that could have been related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000. the consumer supplied a letter from a collision center which stated the repairs would exceed $5000 and would not be a lasting repair. updated 10/27/11

1999 infiniti qx4. consumer writes in regards to recent repairs due to corrosion *tgw the consumer received a recall notice regarding corrosion to the strut tower. the consumer did not believe the corrosion issue was isolated to the drivers side strut tower housing in the front wheel area. the corrosion on the consumers vehicle was extremely bad in the inner fender panel which housed the engine mounts. it was discovered when the struts had to be replaced due to the vehicle bouncing. the mechanic informed the consumer, they were not able to put the vehicle on the rack due to the severity of the corrosion and that the engine was hanging on by a few bolts on one side of the vehicle. the consumer was informed there was additional corrosion under the front end of the vehicle. the mechanic indicated it was not as severe as the previous corrosion , but it would need to be fixed. *jb

i brought my 1999 infiniti qx4 to the dealer to determine why the check engine light came on while i was driving. they told me that my strut tower was separated and it needed to go to a body shop. the body shop told me that the problem was that the metal along strut tower welds was rotted, posing a danger of collapse on the steering column. their check of the passenger side found the same problem, although it's less severe. i have photos and video. they wanted over $6,000 to fix it. insurance wouldn't cover it so i took it back to infiniti. they brought it to a body shop they use and fixed the driver's side for $1800. they said the passenger side wasn't a problem to worry about. the dealer is aware of this problem with the qx4 and suggested i complain to their corporate office. corporate wouldn't acknowledge the rotting around welds and said there'd be no compensation because it's out of warranty. i saved the parts. i believe infiniti should pay for the fix of the passenger side and reimburse my $1800. their mechanics and dealers know this is a problem but corporate will risk customers lives for profit.

The vehicle is driven exclusively by my wife. she complained to me of a rumbling noise when turning the steering wheel. i investigated. i drove the car up & down our street and confirmed the noise. whilst someone was turning the wheel back & forth while the vehicle was parked, i followed the noise to its source. i discovered that the left front apron had broken loose from the frame and was making contact with the steering shaft. a further look showed that where the seams of the apron and rails structures were rotted apart where they met. on the engine compartment side of the seam, the break was clean and no rust is evident. on the wheel well side, only paint blistering was evident. when looking the break, there is widespread rot on the rail as well. it seems that the rust was eating up the metal on the inside. it further appears that the fact that the apron hit the steering shaft and was putting pressure on the shaft, the shaft was the only thing that was keeping the strut assembly from ripping apart the rest of the apron assembly and forcing itself into the hood panel. the vehicle was immediately deemed unsafe and has not been driven since. the incident occurred july 16th, 2010. it should be noted that the vehicle has been garaged its whole life, has been repaired and maintained with only genuine infiniti parts and that i had worked for an infiniti dealer for 6 years, and the sole other persons to work on the vehicle besides me are infiniti trained technicians including master certified. *tr

Steering wheel shook. vehicle has been at dealer 9 times for this problem, could not solve problem. dealer has done wheel alignment/replaced tires and rack and pinion. but, this did not improve condition. factory representative stated once rack and pinion was replaced and most consumers were satisfied.*ak*tt