Front Suspension problems of the 1999 Infiniti QX4

1999 Infiniti Qx4. Consumer states rapid rust of vehicle the consumer stated one year after the vehicle was purchased, she noticed rusting around the driver side mirror. Shortly after, it began to rust on both fenders. In the next few years, the vehicle began to rust out rapidly. Both fenders, the rear hatch, runners, side mirrors, gas tank, gas tank cover, gas tank neck and pipes all had rust out. The consumer stated the vehicle was poorly designed, because the fender welds held leaves, dirt and water from the hood. Also, in the winter when there was snow and ice on the road, the vehicle had to be placed in 4-wheel drive or it would slide out of control. The steering column had to replaced and needs to be replaced again, because it was difficult to turn and the driver side strut was making a noise.

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.

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.