Nine problems related to body have been reported for the 2001 Infiniti QX4. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Infiniti QX4 based on all problems reported for the 2001 QX4.
Lower control arm broke due to excessive rust/ corrosion on entire underside of vehicle. Nearly caused accident . Scared the bejesus out of us . Now afraid to drive.
The SUV has been recalled for unusual rusting of the entire underside, the NHTSA said the struts may rust and break away from the body, that is happening. We called the Nissan dealer in winchester virginia, they lied and said there is no such recall.
As my daughter attempted to install a baby seat in the rear of the SUV the running boards crackled and a substantial amount of rust/metal fell from under the vehicle. A highly dangerous situation for a part that was designed by Infiniti (a luxury car company) to retain the weight of passengers entering or exiting a vehicle safely. It appears that the parts are rusting considerably which is apparent by a fairly recent recall based on rusting parts acknowledged by Infiniti.
The built-on running boards (these are not an add-on feature to the vehicle, but came standard on all qx-4s) have brackets and a tubular steel support beams that support the weight of any passenger stepping on them to enter the vehicle. The support beam and support brackets have entirely rusted away; there is little to no other rust on other areas of the vehicle. A local body shop identified and notified the owner of the danger associated with non-supported running boards. A consumer could easily be injured if stepping on the running boards to enter the vehicle and having them collapse. The injury certainly could be more acute for elderly, disabled, or children in the event of a collapse. The tubular steel support beams and brackets have no rust inhibitor on them while the other metal sections of the running boards were coated with rust inhibitor and show no rust. There was a design flaw either associated with the type of metal used or a lack of rust inhibitor on the parts that have disintegrated. The cost to replace is quite exorbitant and the replacements may have the same design flaw. The short term solution has been to entirely remove the running boards off of the vehicle to eliminate the danger. This makes for a tall vertical step-in, but is less risky then the faulty running boards.
The contact owns a 2001 Infiniti Qx4. The contact stated that the brackets supporting the running boards were completely rusted. The contact stated that when a passenger entered the vehicle, they were unable to step on the running boards to assist entering the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told there was nothing that could be done to repair the running boards. The failure mileage was 70,000. Failed aprox 3. 5 years ago. Unsupported running boards are a safety hazard. Updated 10/19/2011.
My complaint is with the 2001 Infiniti Qx4 that I have owned for several years although it has low milage 60,000 + it has cost me more money in repairs including the current recall for under body rust. I have gone through mufflers and other front end parts and my new mechanic even commented about the large amount of rust. I now have a grinding noise and it is probably wheel bearing hubs. A garaged car should not have these issues, this recall should extend to my exhaust which again needs replacing, and my grinding noise which I believe is related to the rust issue.
I believe the car's running boards are a safety hazard due to serious rust damage causing weakness of the underlying structure. The hazard can manifest itself as the running boards can easy fail and the driver or any passenger can fall as a result. This is a common problem for Qx4s from model years 1997 to 2002 or later. Obviously, it is worse for older cars in area's where salt is used on the roads in winter. I petitioned inifiniti to investigate the hazard and consider rectifying it. They claimed rust damage was not covered and would do nothing. However, I note they in fact had a strut housing recall for our Qx4 to fix rust damage.
The contact owns a 2001 Infiniti Qx4. The contact stated front driver side wheel well rusted and separated from the frame of the vehicle. The shock pushed up from the left front of the vehicle and pushed against the master cylinder which broke the steering shaft, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. The mechanic advised that the failure was beyond repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The current and failure mileages were approximately 110,000.
Corrosion in the front drivers side strut tower housing in front wheel area -body shop informed me it was a manufactureres defect. Cost me about $5,000 to repair. I still own the car.