2002 Infiniti I35: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 70 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (15% of complaints); the 2004 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2002 Infiniti I35. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V455000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2023
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. While driving approximately 60 mph, the temperature gauge increased and the vehicle overheated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and let it cool off before taking it to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the radiator failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jun 2016
“Piston rings are failing in this vehicle. Many other vehicles that use this same engine may have the same piston rings, such as the infiniti g35, or nissan maxima which use the 3.5l vq35de engine of similar years. The piston rings were originally designed for the vq30 block, and were fitted to vq35de pistons. These rings are not capable of consistently handling the higher compression ratio of the vq35de engine found in this car. Symptoms include random misfiring of cylinders, whether the car is in motion or stationary, increased oil consumption (up to 2 qts/1000mi), loss of engine power that can result in a crash, damage to internal engine components,”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2015
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, the engine stalled. The vehicle was able to restart after one attempt. The failure recurred on one occasion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning and was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank and cam sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2015
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. The contact was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 15v287000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2015
“I received recall notice to have an authorized dealer repair the air bag system. As I have no infiniti dealer in my vicinity, I am requesting reimbursement for time and fuel to take my car to the nearest infiniti dealer, perhaps bakersfield, ca. My local nissan said they cannot perform this repair! Please advise. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2015
“I called my local dealership and they refuse to service the recall over the weekend, making it almost impossible for someone who works full time on an hourly basis to get this change done without issue. *tr”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Nov 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the air conditioner was activated. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor, engine speed signal, catalyst system, and ignition system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 infiniti i35. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14v361000 (air bags); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure...updated 09/30/14 *bf updated 10/08/14”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2014
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 15 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PIN AT THE END OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION TRANSVERSE LINK (LOWER CONTROL ARM) COULD BREAK WHERE IT IS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSVERSE LINKS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 29, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM, THE STOPPER FOR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WILL PREVENT EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR. IF THE DRIVER APPLIES OVERLY EXCESSIVE FORCE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PUSHING IT TO THE RIGHT, THE PEDAL CAN "OVER TRAVEL" DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE PEDAL STOPPER.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 11, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 800-662-6200.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2002 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact I35 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Infiniti I35 reliable?
NHTSA has 70 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2002 Infiniti I35. The most complained-about area is air bags (15% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2002 Infiniti I35 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 127,495 miles or less.
Does the 2002 Infiniti I35 have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning engine and engine cooling. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.