Model year report

2003 Infiniti I35: what breaks, and at what mileage

What breaks on the 2003 Infiniti I35

On the 2003 Infiniti I35, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, and the reports cluster around 95,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 115,000 miles. Overall it scores 64 out of 100, high risk for a 2003.

High risk for a 2003 — 267th riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. 134 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.

The failures owners actually file about

Owners have reported 21 named failure modes on the 2003 Infiniti I35, and the three most-reported carry 52% of everything filed.

Other engine problem leads with 50 reports, about 1.0 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 72k to 137,500 miles.

Stalling while driving follows with 11 reports, usually reported between 94k to 160,000 miles.

Other electrical problem follows with 9 reports, usually reported between 84k to 180,000 miles.

By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (70), electrical (20) and adas (12).

At what mileage it happens

121 of the reports on the 2003 Infiniti I35 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 115,000 miles.

Cumulatively, 12% by 50,000 miles, 45% by 100,000 miles and 71% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 3 filed above the top of the chart.

The busiest stretch is between 130,000 and 140,000 miles, which alone holds 12% of the dated reports.

7% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, so this is mostly a story about older, higher-mileage cars.

In the order they tend to show up: other engine problem around 95k, stalling while driving around 142k and other electrical problem around 144k.

Median

Other engine problem

95k
Stalling while driving

142k
Other electrical problem

144k
Other speed control problem

101k
Engine sensor failure

90k
Alternator or charging system failure

163k
Other driver assistance problem

137k
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure

88k
Fuel pump failure

94k
No-start or intermittent start failure

180k
Airbag inflator rupture
no odometer readings given
—
Other fuel system problem

155k

Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens

Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 21. The full list is in the table below.

How reports accumulate

Share of reports filed by each mileage

half by 115k

Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 3 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.

Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Dashed the median reported mileage

What happens when these parts fail

Across the named modes, 2 mention a crash. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.

The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.11, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.

What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, stalling while driving at $300–$2,500, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and other speed control problem at $250–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.

54% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures, so more than half of what owners complained about here is expensive.

Every reported failure mode

Mileage figures are percentiles of owner-reported readings. Click a column to sort.
Failure mode	System	Reports	With reading	25th	Median	75th	Per 1,000	Typical repair	Severity
Other engine problem	engine	50	47	72k	95k	137k	1.0	$300–$4,000	High
Stalling while driving	engine	11	10	94k	142k	162k	0.2	$300–$2,500	Critical
Other electrical problem	electrical	9	9	84k	144k	180k	0.2	$250–$2,000	Moderate
Other speed control problem	adas	7	7	—	101k	—	0.1	$250–$2,000	Critical
Engine sensor failure	electrical	6	6	—	90k	—	0.1	$180–$900	Moderate
Alternator or charging system failure	electrical	5	5	—	163k	—	0.1	$450–$1,600	High
Other driver assistance problem	adas	5	5	—	137k	—	0.1	$250–$1,800	High
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure	engine	4	1	—	88k	—	0.1	$1,200–$4,500	Critical
Fuel pump failure	fuel	4	4	—	94k	—	0.1	$600–$2,600	High
No-start or intermittent start failure	engine	3	3	—	180k	—	0.1	$200–$1,800	Moderate
Airbag inflator rupture	airbag	3	0	—	—	—	0.1	$0–$0	Critical
Other fuel system problem	fuel	3	3	—	155k	—	0.1	$300–$2,200	High
Other brake problem	brakes	3	3	—	31k	—	0.1	$300–$1,800	High
Misfire or rough idle	engine	2	2	—	117k	—	0.0	$250–$1,600	Moderate
ABS module or sensor failure	brakes	2	2	—	135k	—	0.0	$500–$2,400	High
Tail light, brake light or signal failure	lighting	2	2	—	105k	—	0.0	$100–$900	Moderate
Other powertrain problem	transmission	2	2	—	130k	—	0.0	$400–$4,500	High
Other body or interior problem	body	2	2	—	23k	—	0.0	$200–$2,000	Moderate
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault	airbag	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$300–$1,600	High
Catalytic converter failure	emissions	1	1	—	227k	—	0.0	$900–$3,500	Moderate
Other suspension problem	suspension	1	1	—	78k	—	0.0	$350–$2,000	Moderate
Unclassified problem	other	8	6	—	116k	—	0.2	—	Moderate

Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.

How often, against how many were built

Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2003 Infiniti I35 draws about 2.7 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 76th percentile of complaint rates among 2003 vehicles we can rate.

That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.

The working figure is 49,571 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2003 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.

What owners wrote

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.

Stalling while driving

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 infiniti I-35. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to start the vehicle several minutes later but shortly after, the vehicle stalled while driving approximately 50 MPH but immediately restarted independently. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and the contact was advised that the crank shaft sensor would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was then contacted and advised him that he was not included in any recall. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

93,000 miles NHTSA complaint 848978 filed 2011-03-28

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 infiniti i35. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH the engine stalled. He coasted to the side of the road, turned the vehicle off and back on before it restarted. The service engine soon warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test which listed a failure code p0340 which is a cam sensor and bank one failure. The mechanic replaced the cam sensor and bank one at the contacts expense for $245. The dealer stated NHTSA recall campaign id number 03v455000 engine and engine cooling, was not valid for his vehicle. The manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 60,000.

60,000 miles NHTSA complaint 859667 filed 2011-06-02

Recalls on the 2003 model year

NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns covering the 2003 Infiniti I35, affecting an estimated 112,596 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.

The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module and air bags. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.

One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.

20V008000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

307,962 vehicles 2020-01-09

Defect: 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…
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

16V349000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

413,852 vehicles 2016-05-24

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2006-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Nissan Versa vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004…
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2017. All owners should receive a second notice by May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

15V287000

AIR BAGS

1,090,569 vehicles 2015-05-15

Defect: 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.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

15V226000

AIR BAGS

12,606 vehicles 2015-04-17

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, 2003-2005 FX35 and FX45, and 2006 M35 and M45 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa, as well as Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia, are included. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator…
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-701.

03V455000

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

630,000 vehicles 2003-11-17

Defect: 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.
Consequence: This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
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.

Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.

How it ranks in the 2003 field

The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.

Risk score against the rest of the 2003 field

Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.

Left fewer and less serious reports
Right more, or worse
Marker this vehicle

Better and worse years of the same car

High risk for a 2003 — 267th riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.

Across the 3 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2004 comes out best at 57 and 2002 worst at 65, with 2003 itself at 64.

If the model year is negotiable, 2004 scores lower than 2003 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.

Within the 2001–2004 generation specifically, 2004 is the strongest year at 57 and 2002 the weakest at 65.

Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.

Risk score by model year, out of 100

Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.

Within the 2001-2004 generation, 2004 Infiniti I35 scores best at 57 and 2002 Infiniti I35 worst at 65.

What the numbers say to check

The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other engine problem from about 72k, other electrical problem from about 84k and stalling while driving from about 94k.

On a 2003 Infiniti I35 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other engine problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.

Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.

What this page cannot tell you

134 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.

Of those 134 reports, 121 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 90% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".

The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.

And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.

Questions this page answers

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Infiniti I35?

The most-reported failures are other engine problem (50 reports, median 95,000 miles), stalling while driving (11 reports, median 140,000 miles) and other electrical problem (9 reports, median 145,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.

At what mileage do 2003 Infiniti I35 problems start?

Other engine problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 95,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 72,500 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 115,000 miles.

Is the 2003 Infiniti I35 reliable?

It scores 64 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 267th riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2003 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.

Which year of the Infiniti I35 is best?

Within the 2001–2004 generation, 2004 scores best at 57 out of 100 and 2002 worst at 65. Same body, same engines, different luck.

Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.

What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car

Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt 20 August 2026 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed