2004 Infiniti QX56: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 106 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes (31% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 106 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My wife was driving home from work, said brake is failing, makes loud grindy, rattling noise when brake is applied. Once the car is turn off and back on, everything is back to normal. When I got home, i took the wheels off to check everything was ok, pads were almost new, which I replaced last year. Drove around for 10 miles no problem. This is a serious safety issue which Nissan/Infiniti should take care of.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2024
“The emc relay is bad. I have a letter saying it was a recall.. As I was driving the car just shut off. If you waited a little while it would start up again but it seemed that when it got hot it would shut down again. It cost me 102.00 for tow truck and the dealership is charging me 160.00 an hour to check what it is. They say there is no recall but I have letter in front of me.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Dec 2020
“I was on the highway driving my family from texas to north carolina when I ran into rush hour traffic long the way. I applied the brake to slow the vehicle down, then suddenly the steering wheel started shaking, there was a lound gridding noise as if the engine about to fallout and my brake didnot hold immediately when applied.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“The vehicle's brake warning light keeps coming on. Rotors are fine. Brake fluid level is high. Yet, when I apply my foot on the brake, the warning light comes on and there is also a bad sound on the front wheels that sounds like metal to metal (there is a vibration). Once I pull over and turn the vehicle off for a minute or so, I am able to continue. However, the warning light comes back on moments later. This is getting very dangerous as it may trigger me to rear end the vehicle in front of me. The problem has been happening for the past eight months. However, it has been getting worst. The cruise control light also comes and stays on. Please help.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 infiniti qx56. While driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shut off. In addition, the fuel gauge and other gauges on the instrument cluster displayed inaccurate information. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (infiniti of elk grove, 8586 laguna grove dr, elk grove, ca) where it was diagnosed that the electronic control unit was faulty and needed to be replaced; however, the part was no longer available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2018
“On two separate occasions while the car was moving in a dry parking lot and applying my brakes, my ABS brakes kicked on for no reason and the car was difficult to control and stop. The light came on as well and I heard alot of grinding. This was very scary as both times I had my children in the car. The only way to reset ABS was to turn off vehicle. I am so afraid that this will happen again and I may not be able to stop. I am now afraid to drive and am thinking about selling it because I feel it is not safe to drive.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2018
“I get a brake light and a slip light sometimes when applying the brakes. Makes an awful noise and sometimes the brakes fail to operate. I have to turn the car off and restart it to reset something and then its fine for a few days and comes back. It is very scary. Others who have the same vehicle have complained of the same thing. Saying they think the brake master cylinder is defective. I have also heard of people crashing their suv because of this. This happens just when applying the brakes. I see this a lot in the forums and wonder why they haven't recalled this dangerous defect. This has been happening numerous times in the past 5 years.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2017
“While driving at low/high speeds, the brake light will just turn on unexpectedly. Also, the ABS brakes seem to fail where you have to press the brake pedal to the floor. The only way to temporarily fix this is to turn the engine off and turn it back on for the brake light to go away. Again, this will occur at least 1-2 times a day and/or 28 times in a month while driving. This is a very dangerous situation to put a driver in on the highway or other roadways.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2017
“While the car is in motion the red brake light will turn on and when you press the brake pedal the car slows down but makes a loud thumping noise, and you can feel like a spring on the brake pedal vibrating, if you turn off the vehicle, it resets for a while but now it is happening constantly. The brake pads and rotors are new.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2017
“As I was traveling on a city street, the brakes on my 2004 infiniti qx56 started making a grinding noise and the brake light on dash board went on making it hard to come to a stop. I don't know whats causing this problem. I know there was a recall on this vehicle for the same reason (brakes) but I don't have the number”Owner report · Service Brakes · Apr 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 3 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT POINTS TO THE CHASSIS. DUE TO AN IMPROPER WELDING PROCESS SOME COLLARS MAY CONTAIN WELDS THAT DO NOT MEET STRENGTH SPECIFICATIONS.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2004 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact QX56 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 2004 Infiniti QX56 reliable?
NHTSA has 106 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Infiniti QX56. The most complained-about area is service brakes (31% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Infiniti QX56 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 87,500 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Infiniti QX56 have open recalls?
2 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.